How an Indian from Split turned an American band into a sensation in Croatia

On Saturday, February 24, the guys will promote their second album – which they recorded in the midst of the corona crisis in Split.

I had my fiftieth birthday, I was in Split. I wanted to have a birthday to remember. I called Francisco in Luxembourg and invited him to come play for me and make the birthday party
memorable. Protective measures were still in place due to the coronavirus, so I wasn’t sure if they would agree. Francisco, do you want to come? I will, he answered me! – This is how the story of the sensational American rockabilly band The Ferocious Few begins, which builds its career instead of in America – in Croatia.

First he fell in love with an American band, and then with Split

Oliver Sehgal is an ordinary man from Iowa, USA. Let’s call him a vinyl collector. He bought his first record in the 4th grade and never got into CDs. He has at least 700 of them in his collection, but he only got his favorite record in 2024. And that’s the one whose recording he himself initiated. Fourteen years have passed since the fateful meeting with the American band whose sound he couldn’t get out of his head until the promotion of their second album. If Oliver wasn’t inclined to travel, he wouldn’t have accidentally found himself in a local club in San Francisco back in 2010, where he first heard the duo The Ferocious Few, which we introduced to you in more detail last spring . Friendly as he is, Oliver quickly connected with both of them and realized that he didn’t want them to stop making such infectious music due to a lack of finances. So, to call a spade a spade, he became their patron. To see if the band can become popular without any record industry involvement at all.

After business love, a decade later Oliver also had a private one. After the initial corona shock, when the world continued to function on autopilot in that “new normal”, he wanted to escape from the chaos of America to a more fairytale world. In a cinematic way, he just showed up at the Denver airport and asked a Lufthansa employee which country has the least restrictions. She shot out of a cannon – in Croatia! And so Oliver arrived in his promised land. More precisely, in Split. When he imagined Croatia, he expected something like Hungary and Budapest, and he got much more.

“I was surprised by how clean Croatian streets are. This is certainly not the case in Hungary. How kind and accommodating people are. They know English. I’ve been here for four years and I’ve never seen anyone yell at each other in public, which is an important difference compared to America. Basically, after arriving at bus station, I checked into the hotel and the first moment I
looked outside the hotel window I said to myself “I’m done traveling”” Oliver told us with a laugh.

To make the idea of staying complete, Oliver also met his current wife in Split. He celebrated half a century of existence there. And in great style, his style.

How the “Superspreader event” came about

We sailed into 2022. Oliver wanted to celebrate that famous fiftieth in a special way. The 50th should be remembered. He didn’t really know many local people, considering that he moved to
Split only a few months earlier, so he sent the first invitation across the sea, but not the ocean. Because the frontman of the duo The Ferocious Few, Francisco has been living in Luxembourg for years. He asked him if he would fly to Croatia to give him a birthday concert. Due to the virus that was still ravaging the world, he wasn’t sure if Francisco would respond, but he seemed to be looking forward to the opportunity to visit the country that Oliver had so enthusiastically told him about.

And so, to shorten the story, “a Superspreader event” was created. Yeah, that’s exactly what the Ferocious Few’s new album is called. The album will be available for purchase in all stores from 26th February.

“I invited the local team thinking no one would come. I’d be glad if there were two of them. And there were twenty of them!“, Oliver told us. It was “a fifty” to remember. Taken with enthusiasm,
they organized a video shoot on an empty Peristyle, but also a few gigs in other split alternative cafes and clubs. Since then, they have performed in several other Croatian cities, most of which –
understandably – in Split. But also Zagreb. On Saturday, February 24, they return to Route 66 to promote their new album. The entrance, as with all previous games, is free. This is Oliver’s
philosophy.

“The music industry is a big lie. That’s why Francisco never wanted to sign a record label because he was aware that his music and his entire authorship would be under someone else’s control. Once you sign the contract, you become part of the machine, just one wheel. And that’s what we both agree on. I have no influence on his work process. The only thing that matters to me is that his music reaches an audience that will know how to recognize it and that’s why their concerts are free“, Oliver explained.

And so one enthusiast made a music sensation in Croatia

Oliver’s mission is to bring quality music to as many ears as possible. He says he’s not interested in reviews and likes. He believes that success is measured by the kind of fans you have gathered around you and how faithful they are, not numerous. With each of their performances, Croatia reaffirms his theory. That’s why they come back to her.

“The difference between Croatia and America is that it’s not all about money here. You have a different value system. In America, you first look at how much money you can make, where money and profit are the beginning and the end. And in Croatia, passion is more important than money and creativity comes from it“, Oliver concluded.

Soon you will have the opportunity to see what a passionate American duo looks and sounds like because – the Ferocious Few are coming to Croatia again. First to Split on February 20th and 21st and then to Zagreb on February 24th. Become part of their micro history, and who knows – maybe you’ll enter our next article about these charming guys.