A touch of Appalachian spring can sometimes be heard amid the Balkan melancholy, wiry rhythms and whirling dance steps of Harmonia. The Cleveland band, founded by third-generation American Walt Mahovlich of Hungarian-Croatian heritage...

If Weather Report had blown in from the Eastern bloc, they might have sounded something like Choban Elektrik. On their new CD, the New York band infuses a slippery, shifting fusion sound with distinctly Balkan, east-of-the-Adriatic melodies....

Ilija’s Place (3701 E. Squire Ave.) is a former corner bar on a side street in Cudahy. It’s worth looking for. Inside is a friendly ethnic sensory overload with walls covered in icons, geometric patterned rugs, prints illustrating Serbian history and musical instruments. Most lunches (11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.) are $11 or less...