Macedonian Postcards

Five men singing and playing Macedonian instruments

Izvoren orkestar

David Bilides and Dragi Spasovski are your hosts for discussions and samples of Macedonian folk songs and culture. We completed all 54 songs in Dragi’s 3-CD project in 2024. We are continuing with new songs, and stories about the recordings, musicians, Dragi’s life, and Macedonian culture in general. You can download each episode and associated audio and text files individually under the “Audio and Links” section for that episode, listen to an audio stream of each episode, and you can subscribe to the entire podcast through one of the links on the right sidebar or through your own podcast software.

Episode 59: Stefče Stojkovski interviews Dragi Spasovski on Macedonian National Radio

On July 28, 2023, Stefče Stojkovski invited Dragi to his radio show on Macedonian National Radio, and interviewed him for the next 2 hours. He asked questions about his childhood, mother, interest in singing and dancing, music career, recordings, and past and current projects and performances in the United States. The interview includes 12 recordings from Dragi‘s CD with Stefče, and the audio from an international Macedonian song video project made during the pandemic.

For this episode, we are again offering a bilingual transcript. The transcript also contains links to the podcasts we've done on the songs and to the video.

Audio and Links for Episode 59

Episode 59: Stefče Stojkovski interviews Dragi Spasovski on Macedonian National Radio (01:57:09)

Episode 59 bilingual transcript.

20 February 2025

Episode 58: Bonda Dimiškova

This episode begins our new series on singers and songs. Today we are featuring the legendary vocalist Bonda Dimiškova, who was related to and served as a role model for Vaska Ilieva. Dragi talks about how he came into contact with her family, details about her artistic and often tragic life, and her influence on other singers who followed her.

NEW! For this episode, we are also offering a bilingual transcript.

Audio and Links for Episode 58

Episode 58: Bonda Dimiškova (45:00)

Episode 58: Bonda Dimiškova — bilingual transcript

Izviknal Dimo, proviknal (Bonda Dimiškova, 4:04)

Telal liči Kape Ǵorǵi (Bonda Dimiškova, 2:56)

Uči, karaj Gana, mamo (Bonda Dimiškova, 2:04)

More, zajdi, zajdi jasno sonce (Vaska Ilieva, 3:07)

Večeraj Kate (Vaska Ilieva, 2:10)

26 October 2024

Episode 57: Sva noḱ e Stanka sedela

This episode marks the conclusion of the podcasts of the 54 songs in Dragi's 3-CD set. We will be continuing the show after this episode with more wonderful songs, but are delighted to have reached this milestone after 16 years. Dragi learned this song from his mother, Rajna, and it was the last song he talked with her about before she died. It is a ballad about two lovers with tragic consequences.

Audio and Links for Episode 57

Episode 57: Sva noḱ e Stanka sedela (33:42)

Sva noḱ e Stanka sedela (Dragi Spasovski, Track 21)

Stojne le mlada nevesto (Vaska Ilieva, 5:10)

Stojne, le, Stojne (Ahdonia, 5:50)

Stojna (Maria Dafka and Dine Doneff, 6:26)

03 July 2024

Episode 56: Tri godini, Kate, bolen ležam

Dragi discusses the long history of the Ohridski Trubaduri, who originally recorded this love song. He also talks at length about the wonderful vocalist Vanja Lazarova.