Band Biography

Before year 1981

Everything started with founding the band Slap (Eng. Waterfall), which had his first performance on Toni’s 18th birthday party. The party was in an abandoned house in Stari trg, which was converted by youth from Stari trg into some kind of youth house. The band Slap was founded by Toni Verderber, Pavel Šterk and Zdravko Gorjup. They were practicing in the attic of Toni’s house. Because all of them liked Kolpa river, they named themselves Slap. Soon, far away around was known that in Stari trg are youth dances with local band and all Saturdays were well attended. Next year band already played at garden parties. Soon afterwards started arriving call ups for military service. First went Toni, then Pavel and last one Zdravko. Because of that, activities of the band were interrupted.

1981 – 1986

In the year 1981 Toni Verderber and Pavel Šterk founded band once again. Toni was lead vocalist and played accordion, Pavel played bass guitar. Ansambel Tonija Verderberja in the year 1983Because Zdravko was still in military service, Toni invited Jože Kastelec to become rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist in the band. That’s how they had classical trio (accordion, rhythm guitar and bass guitar), specially Toni’s and Jože’s vocals went very well together. Invitations were coming for playing at garden parties and the first one was in Stari trg ob Kolpi the same year. Because they still didn’t have the name of the band, Mr. Štaudohar, president of fire department Stari trg ob Kolpi, wrote on poster:” You will be entertained by ansambel Tonija Verderberja!” and this name stayed. In the year 1984 they applied on radio show Kar znaš to veljaš with their first own song Prvi poljub (Eng. First kiss) and they won. Toni many times played together with Sodevski tamburaši and he really liked combination accordion with tamboura. Later he added this instrument to standard trio, what made them different from other volksmusic bands. In those times they were something new in this kind of music. Toni started to compose own music for the band. He also connected with Ms. Fanika Požek, who wrote a lot of lyrics for the band. Their first own songs were made. That those created songs wouldn’t go into oblivion, they recorded them. So they started to record first album in the year 1986, named Vračam se domov (Eng. I’m coming home). The album was recorded in Črnomelj by Mr. Josip Gorše and it was self-published. By arrangement they cooperated with Mr. Silvester Mihelčič and they included tamboura into it.

1987-1991

After the great success of the album Vračam se domov they went to record a new album on initiative Mr. Sandi Pirš. They recorded six new songs and five songs from previous album. All records were made in studio Pasadena by Mr. Podbevšek in Prečna. The album was titled Vračam se domov 2 (Eng. I’m coming home 2). Producer on this album was Mr. Tomaž Maras and it was released by Studio D record label.
The band was invited to play to Slovenian migrant workers in Stuttgart. Because they didn’t have appropriate clothes to appear on a stage, they had to resolve this problem before they went to Germany. They had several appearances in white carniolan national costume, but they didn’t agree with it because their opinion was that they not play folk music, so they should have something unique. Toni’s wife Irena proposed that the band should have a uniform with elements of carniolan national costume. Flax shirt with traditional white carniolan pattern (later was added emblem ATV), black waistcoat with red trim, black trousers and black formal shoes.
They invited trumpeter Tone Kralj from Črnomelj to join the band. He was in the band until the year 1988. The same year they applied them to the Ptuj’s festival with songs Semiška gora and Grem na prejo, they went through an audition and they got great applause. They were big attraction because of two tambuoras, on which played Silvester Mihelčič jr. and Borut Klobučar. Later Borut became a band member.
In the year 1989 Mr. Boris Kovačič invited the band in studio Helidon to record new songs. They recorded new album Pri nas Belokranjcih. Mr. Kovačič was producer, Mr. Vinko Rojc was the sound engineer and Mr. Milan Zrimšek was the recording engineer. Soon after that they also recorded TV Show with the same name, which was a great hit. The show conception was music videos and interviews with band members. Its presenter was Barbara Jerman, director was Jože Kloboves and video production was made by Studio Kobe. Audio and video tapes were released by RTB record label. Songs from this album (Čaša sreče, Pri nas Belokranjcih, Zvezde nad Vrhgoro,…) became hits. The band began cooperation with lyric writer Mr. Toni Gašperič. He was sometimes a presenter of their appearances.
With the same recording team in the year 1991 they recorded in Studio 14 a new album which was titled Staro vino star prijatelj (Eng. Old Wine - Old Friend). It was released by Fonia record label. This album had also few hits like Staro vino star prijatelj, Lepa so jutra, etc. Dušan Šuštar recorded tamboura because Borut Klobučar needed to go into military service in this year.

1992-1996

In the year 1992 the band started to work with Sraka record label for longer period and also the new recording team was set up. The producer was Marjan Turk, Marko Pezdirc and Toni Burkat were sound engineers. They recorded a new album in studio Metulj which was titled Nič ni lepšega (Eng. There is nothing so beautiful) and soon after that in the year 1993 compilation album Naši uspehi (Eng. Greatest Hits) which was released in silver edition. In the year 1995 they recorded album Pojdi z mano (Eng. Come Along), it was released in gold edition.
At the end of the year 1996 the band organized their first self-concert in the house of culture in Črnomelj which was titled Koncert ob letu osorej (Eng. Concert at the same time, next year) or shorted KOLO. It became traditional.

1997-2002

The band began cooperation with lyric writer Mr. Ivan Sivec. They created one of the greatest hit Kruh ponoči spi (Eng. The bread sleeps at night), which was released on the album Gospodična (Eng. Miss) in the year 1997. The album was released in gold edition. The band arranged for the American-Canadian tour already in the year 1996, so they went on the tour in 1997. This was the first bigger tour for them. Later this year Toni Burkat deputized guitarist Jože Kastelec for a few months because of his health problems.
When they had enough new songs, they recorded a new album titled Zibka (Eng. Cradle). It was released in the year 1997. In the year 2000 changes came in recordings. Toni set ups own studio in his house. Since then the band record albums in Toni’s studio. Recording team also changed, it was in themselves. Producer and sound engineer was Toni. In the year 2001 they recorded album Teci, teci, Kolpa moja (Eng. Run, run, my Kolpa River). The same year they went to a second tour in Canada. In the year 2002 they started and finished recording of a new album. On this new album they cooperated with lyrics writer Mr. Ivan Malavašič for the first time. 

2003-2006

In the year 2003 the new album was released and it was titled Pisanice. This was the first album published by Zlati zvoki record label and the last one on which Borut Klobučar recorded tamburiza, because he left the band at the end of this year on. His last performance with the band was a traditional concert in Črnomelj (Koncert ob letu osorej – KOLO). 
In the winter of 2004 Domen Verderber, Toni’s son, became a band member as tamboura player. Soon after also Dušan Vrlinič joined to the band as keyboard player and back vocalist. In the year 2005 the band released the new album Pobarvala sva liste (Eng. We Have Coloured The Leaves), which was recorded with new band members. The album was published by Zlati zvoki record label. Next year the band released compilation album Žarek spomina (Eng. Ray of Remembrance) on which are the best texts by Toni Gašperič. Later this year the band went on the third Canadian tour.

2007-2012

In the year 2008 was released compilation album Čaša sreče (Eng. Cup of Happiness), with the songs made on the texts by Fanika Požek. In the summer next year was released album Vem za deželo (Eng. I know for the country) and at the end of the year compilation album Kruh ponoči spi (Eng. The bread sleeps at night), with the songs made on the texts by Ivan Sivec. 
At the end of august 2011 Pavel Šterk left the band, but already next month at Toni’s invitation Tomaž Zorko became a band member as bass guitarist and back vocalist.
In the September 2012 they had a 30th anniversary concert at the Križanke Summer Theater in Ljubljana.