As far back as the 19th century, songs and the love of music has been a very dominant part of the Zamiska family. It started when the Zamiskovci Brothers' grandparents moved to Kolackov. Around 1815, the name Zamiska is mentioned in the church records. Their grandfather, Frantisek Zamiska, was a well known singer. Not only was he famous for his church music but also for folk music.
A vast role was played by their grandmother, Anna and her sister Emilia, who wrote songs and poems. Many of these poems have been given a tune and are now included in their repertoire.
The style of music that the Zamiskovci Band plays, began to develop in 1997. Before that time, Pavol performed with his brother, Ferko at various folk festivals, at home and abroad. Together, they appeared in a Lubovnan orchestra and in a country folk group 'Kecera in Jakubany', where Pavol met his wife Anna, who is also a folk singer. Step by step, they have been introducing their folk music to their brothers, Peter and Milan. Nowadays, many of their children, such as Pavol Junior (Palko) and their friend Jaro, have become involved with the music. Gradually, more and more relatives are joining in.
After almost five years of performing at home, they started to play outwith Slovakia. First stop was Poland, then Czech Republic, Ukraine, The Netherlands, Austria and Germany. In 2004, they received an invitation to the Folk Festival in Shetland. This was a real "turning point" for them. They described it as "a great unforgettable occasion". So it was with great pleasure that they accepted their invitation to return to Shetland again in May 2006, and one month later to perform at the Orkney Folk Festival.
In November 2007 they did a tour all over Scotland including : Glasgow, Arran, Edinburgh, Ellon, Aberdeen, Skye, Stirling, Dunoon, Wick, Auchtermuchty, Troon, Galashiels and Newton Stewart. This was something they were really excited about, and the tour was a great experience. Everyone who attended the shows thouroughly enjoyed their music.
January 2010 gave the Brothers Zamiskovci an oppertunity to be part of the Lerwick Up Helly Aa. They performed all night at 11 different venues throughout Lerwick which lasted until 7am the following morning. All the band agreed this was a truelly unique experience - and one which they all loved to be part of.
As well as Up Helly Aa the band also performed at various different venues finishing in the Cunningsburgh Hall to a large crowd. This was a great finish to another successful visit to Shetland.
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