Gary Halmkan has been a singer/songwriter/performing artist for many years standing. In early 2000 he lived in Slovakia where he recorded an album with some of the best local musicians, which then led to a tour of Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Returning to Brighton (England) in 2004 with his wife to be (Livia Smiesna, accordion player). Together they formed the nucleus of what would later become the band Scenic Routes. Taking as their inspiration the musical traditions heard by them on their travels throughout Eastern Europe.
As the band has evolved each member bringing their individual influences to the mix they have managed to create an interesting fusion of both western and eastern styles within a contemporary musical genre. Since 2005 the band has been gigging regularly around Brighton/London and surrounding areas as well as their 2008 tour of Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
They have as well appeared on Radio Reverb (lBrighton), Radio Sunlight (Kent) and Spirit Fm (Chichester) with live performances of selected tracks from their debut album (“The Land of Waltz and Wine”) which led to them winning the song of the month competition hosted by Sean Creed at Radio Reverb
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