When the first wave of Balkan music rolled into the Bay Area in the 1980s, the girl group Medna Usta rode the crest. Now they’ve reunited and added a few more stellar musicians to the mix. Inspired by the vocal trios of the Kushlevi sisters and the lush harmonies of Le Mystere de Voix Bulgare, the Bulgarian state women's choir, Medna Usta sings Bulgarian and Macedonian trios, duets, and solos, accompanying themselves on tambura, a long-necked stringed instrument; gadulka, the traditional Bulgarian fiddle; and accordion.

The band features Ruth Hunter on tambura, accordion, and vocals, Dena Bjornlie on gadulka and vocals, and Anne Cleveland on tambura and vocals, as well as Steve Finney on flute, or kaval, and Christos Govetas on the Macedonian drum known as the tapan. Everyone in the band has been active in the Balkan music scene, playing with bands like Pasatempo Rebetika, Dromeno, Balkan Noyz Boyz, Bay Area Balkan Ensemble, Zyko Byko, Voluta Vox, Top Dog Run, Verna Druzhina, and Plovdiv Party Bus.

Listen to a track from Medna Usta: