Only rockers invited to Sich

On May 6-7, Trukhaniv Ostriv in Kyiv will host the first All-Ukrainian festival “Rock Sich,” the brainchild of the popular rocker Oleh Skrypka. The concerts will take place simultaneously on three stages. One will feature standard rock groups playing hard and ethno rock, while the other two concerts will showcase super- heavy rock, heavy metal, and hip-hop.

“I want this festival to become an annual event because I think rock culture is inadequately represented in Ukraine. Meanwhile, Ukrainian musicians have long been able to squeeze performers visiting from former Soviet republics out of the domestic market,” the leader of the VV group told The Day. Skrypka was one of the winners of the first Chervona Ruta festival in Chernivtsi (1989) which gave an impetus to Ukrainian rock music.

Today there are only a few of well-known rock festivals: “Rock Ekzystentsia” in Kyiv, “Taras Bulba” in Dubno (Rivne oblast), “Nivroku” in Ternopil, “Rokoteka” in Lviv, and “Mazepa Fest” in Poltava. According to Yurko Zeleny, an authoritative music reviewer, the media rarely gives good coverage to these festivals. “Skrypka’s past achievements are evidence that he is accustomed to carrying out his plans at the highest professional level,” says Zeleny. “Last year, for example, all the leading television channels announced the ethnic festival ‘Krayina Mriy’ [Land of Dreams]. So there is a strong likelihood that Rock Sich will also be in top news.”

Skrypka says that preparations for the third Land of Dreams festival are underway. It will take place on the Spivoche Pole Singing Field in Kyiv. Prior to the event street performances will be held at the Mamaieva Sloboda Museum of Folk Architecture and Daily Life (Vidradny Park, Kyiv).

On April 21-22 and 28-29, VV will perform at Moscow’s elite clubs IKRA and B2. “We often give concerts in Moscow; the local public loves us. The last time we performed there was in December 2005. The club patrons already know a lot of songs from our repertoire, and each time they ask us to play various compositions, even those that were just recorded,” Skrypka says.