Over a year ago I wrote about how the Ukrainian music industry and some of the labels of some fairly popular bands don't do enough to promote their bands in Ignorance is bliss.
Well once again history repeats itself! As everyone in Ukraine is happily harping about Ani Lorak representing Ukraine at the Eurovision Song Contest, Haydamaky, a group with a great deal of heart, have broken into the World Music Charts Europe, with their album Kobzar!
Martin Gordon had this to say of the album last Friday on the World Music Charts Europe website last Friday:
"Modern Ukrainian folk with rock sensibilities – whirling accordions, throaty vocals, the odd bit of Balkan-style brass and reggae thrown in to garnish the mixture and it all begins to hits the spot. They’ve even got what sounds like a choir of dwarves on ‘Malanka’ – possibly there’s a Ukranian Stonehenge monument somewhere about the place. Stirring stuff live, one imagines."
That same Friday I saw Oleksandr' Demyanenko of Haydamaky, or Dem or Demian for short as some of his friends call him and he and a common friend Olena joined me for beer. It was the first time, and it won't be the last. He told me about one particular concert they did, as he said, "I think it was Stockholm - there were only about 30 people at the gig, and this one guy came up and said - Please give me a copy of your CD I can't afford to buy it from you - you guys are great! So we gave him a copy!"
So that is how these guys plug away at their audience... no glam, no T&A - just being in touch with their audiences.
Everything is constantly in flux, from the music we listen to, to the politics and society around us. uaMuzik is a reflection on Ukrainian music, politics, society, the food I create and technologies.
Great post, Vasyl! What wonderful work you do on the music scene in Ukraine.
ReplyDeleteThis is awesome news about Haydamaky and their success on the European charts. Thanks for sharing!
Now, to get my hands on some of their music ... ;-)