Budapest Bash From Muzsikas at McCabe’s

Hey all you party animals, here’s a tip: Skip the Strip and head for the hills of Hungary. Wedding bashes there can last all weekend and musicians are often called on to play up to 60 hours straight, with nary a break.

The Budapest-based quintet Muzsikas played only a couple of hours--with a break--on Friday at McCabe’s, and talked more about partying than actually partying down. That’s to be expected from classically trained musicians who have pursued folk music as a subsequent passion.

But the music was anything but academic. Played on scratchy folk fiddles and braying goat-skin bagpipes, the dances and airs were harsh and lively, with Marta Sebestyen’s spirited yet delicate voice sounding like a bridge between Celtic and Middle Eastern traditions. Packaged with bassist Daniel Hamar’s often hilarious introductions, the evening held insight about the state of Eastern Europe missing from most news reports.