Už jsme doma (, ) are a Czech progressive rock band from Prague who originally formed in Teplice in 1985. The Prague Post has termed them one of "the two great bastions of the Czech alternative scene" (along with Psí vojáci).
Cited musical influences include The Residents, The Damned, Ebba Grön, Pere Ubu, Uriah Heep, Omega, and the Rock in Opposition movement. Rolling Stones David Fricke referred to them as "an amazing Czech quintet...that rattled like a combination of Hot Rats-aphonic Frank Zappa and John Zorn's hyperjazz." Critics have also compared the band to Fugazi and Men at Work.
As of 2022, Už jsme doma has released eleven studio albums, two EPs, three live albums, one compilation album, as well as several video albums with documentary footage, and a pop-up book. The band's name literally translates to "we're home now" but idiomatically means "well, there you go" in Czech conversation.
Until the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia in 1990, the band was considered illegal by the Communist state and was forced to hold secret concerts and risk arrest if caught.
History
Early years (1985–1990)
Už jsme doma was founded in 1985 in Teplice by saxophonists Jindra Dolanský and Milan Nový, drummer Jula Horváth, keyboardist Jiří Závodný, bassist Petr Keřka, and guitarists Ota Chlupsa and Jiří Solar. At the time, during the Communist era in Czechoslovakia, they were not legally permitted to play, as most types of music considered "Western" were banned. They played their first of several illegal concerts on a riverboat on 6 July 1985, with the punk bands FPB (which featured Nový on drums and several future members of Už jsme doma) and Plexis. By 1986, vocalist Miroslav Wanek and guitarist Romek Hanzlík, both from FPB, had joined, initially simply as guest members.
After a dissolution of the original incarnation in 1986, the group settled as a four-piece, featuring Wanek (bass and vocals), Hanzlík (guitar), Horváth (drums), and Dolanský (saxophone). The same year, the band first worked with painter Martin Velíšek, who designed a poster for them. Velíšek would go on to design all of the band's album art, as well as their posters and T-shirts.
By 1989, Horváth had been replaced by a returning Milan Nový. The band had also added saxophonists Alice Kolousková and Martina Fialová, the latter of whom only played with them for a short time, and shortly thereafter bassist Pavel Keřka (also formerly of FPB), which allowed Wanek to concentrate on singing and composing. This lineup, without Fialová, recorded the band's only pre-Velvet Revolution record, the three-song Rock Debut No. 7 EP, released by Panton Records. By the end of the year, Nový had left the band, emigrating to West Germany, and had been replaced by Pavel Pavlíček.
First three albums (1990–1995)
The band's first album, Uprostřed slov, was recorded in May 1990 and released on the Globus Int. label. Their second, Nemilovaný svět, was recorded in June 1992 and released on Panton Records. The first album included songs that owed a fair-sized debt to punk rock, while the second stood as the group's most orchestral and compositionally experimental album for years, featuring a host of guest musicians.
The early years of Václav Havel's regime marked a major change for the band in that they were able to not only play concerts legally, but also make a living off their music and thus involve themselves in a wide array of outside projects, including work with theatre groups.
In 1991, Kalousková left (she would later join the all-female group Zuby Nehty), and Wanek had begun playing second guitar and piano during live concerts. In 1993, Už jsme doma recorded Hollywood, their third album, which began to stray back towards harder-edged rock, while still incorporating progressive compositions. The band made its first appearance in North America in 1992. The continued to tour extensively, playing over eighty concerts in 1993 alone.
Hollywood marked the band's first record deal with a major Western label, BMG. Relations were short-lived, however, and the group, dissatisfied with BMG's distribution setup, began working with the Czech label Indies Records, whom they have remained with ever since.
In late 1993, Keřka and Pavlíček left and were replaced by Jan Cerha and a once-again returning Milan Nový, respectively. Under new management, Už jsme doma continued touring and began working on a new album. They also re-recorded the vocal tracks to Nemilovaný svět in English and released the reworked album on the American label Memphis Records, under the translated name Unloved World.
Pohádky ze Zapotřebí, collaborations with the Residents, Uši (1995–2000)