New Look for Gryndzholy
Last Monday the Ukrainian participants of the Eurovision song contest presented a revised version of the song “Together We Are Many” to the organizing committee of this international pop song forum.
There will be a new bilingual English-Ukrainian text. According to Gryndzholy band manager Oksana Pavlyk, the musicians revamped the composition by themselves. They also composed new lyrics, leaving intact only the chorus “Together we are many and invincible,” while professional linguists helped them translate the text. Since Eurovision rules stipulate that a song should not have a political text, the hit of the Orange Revolution has undergone fundamental changes. It will probably be called “A Song of Freedom.” The final recording of the song is now underway. As soon as this work is over, a clip will be made. It has been decided that the song will be accompanied by documentary video footage of Orange Revolution scenes.
In early April Gryndzholy is going on a European promotional tour. “Audiences will see that we are not a one-hit wonder,” the musicians say. “We have prepared a big concert program based on songs from our latest album. We are set to win the Eurovision contest.”
The singers say they sang this hit live on Independence Square only three times, while the recorded version was on the air several times a day during the revolution. Gryndzholy’s hit, featured on their album The Spirit Is Not Dying, is topping hit-parades in Poland and Germany.
The band’s front man Roman Kalyn says his last name is derived from the word kalyna (mountain cranberry bush). Now 36, he graduated from Ivano-Frankivsk’s Institute of Oil and Gas as a mechanical engineer and is currently employed at the Ivano-Frankivsk television studios, where he hosts the programs “Third Studio”and “Terminal.”
“Music is my second occupation,” Kalyn says. “When I was a kid, I took an accordion course at a music school and took part in local talent shows. Later, I took to rock music and organized the group Zakhid (West-Ed.). When I was in the army, I played in a brass band and learned to play the trumpet and guitar.
“My colleague Roman Kostiuk is a sound engineer at the Zakhidny Polius [Western Pole] radio station. We met in 1992, when Roman was doing a military retraining course in Ivano-Frankivsk. I once heard his terrific guitar performance at an Officers’ Club concert, and we quickly hit upon the idea of joining forces. We put together a group called Nemamarli (“No [Bob] Marley”). The name shows that we played happy reggae tunes mixed with elements of authentic Ukrainian music. We took part in various festivals, including “The Future of Ukraine,” “Melody,” and “The Gem of the Season,” and won a number of awards. It’s no secret that provincial musicians have a difficult time going on frequent guest tours, so Kostiuk and I turned into sound technicians. I have to say that our studio, Roma Record, is one of the best in the Carpathian region. Almost all the singers and groups in our region have recorded in our studio.
“In February our duet was joined by a new musician, Andriy Pisetsky, who plays the keyboards and saxophone.”
