Ukrainian Collection
TARAS PETRYNENKO
Taras is known by one and all in Ukraine, the way Granddad Panas was on UT-1. This Living Legend (in the Tauric Games standings) has its caliber and color. Taras wrote the song Ukraine , ranking second after Ivasiuk's Chervona Ruta [Magic Red Rue]. Practically everyone in Ukraine has heard it and at least half the people know the lyrics. Taras, as an actor, is an embodiment of the [small] Ukrainian Universe; he is a most accurate archetype of this nation. Picture him with a bryl traditional Ukrainian straw hat topping his curly hair, smoking a pipe, sporting a linen shirt atop his pants, girdled with a leather belt. Even the hint of a beer belly (which he never attempts to conceal while onstage) does not spoil the image. An outsider might see Taras as a guru of sorts, a blinking know-it-all. Who would ever fathom the war raging inside? War against society and his own self? Or that he is one of the most inanely disturbed creative personalities loath to come to any terms, with anyone? He is a lone warrior out on a vast battlefield, very independent, very clever.
At one time Taras complained that there was no Ukrainian dance music. Now we have plenty, including processor-aided renditions loved by so many cranks. We even have a weird genre shift toward that thoughtless techno trend. Taras is saddened by what he describes as the soul being washed out of the lyrics of such songs, along with contents. Now there is little sense in discussing songs as an art. The Soviet mentality, including mass parroting, is still there. Taras is perplexed by the absence of that which could be really global. Music that cannot be ruled by the dictates of the times or the whims of fashion, all of which is so short-lived. "Somehow, Sting and Elton John remain in vogue; they don't have to adjust themselves to what is considered the 'in' trend," says Taras.
Outwardly, he, of all people, should be in a position to produce an album a year, yet his songs are practically nonexistent on the [Ukrainian] audio market. His double album titled Save Us, Oh, Lord was acknowledged by the jury of the New Stars of the Old Year Festival as 1994's Best Album. Only one album has appeared since then, titled My Love. Taras seems in no hurry to close the proverbial porthole with his body. Instead, he sleeps on his material, adding new colors and new tunes. Anyway, nothing will make the manager Petrynenko embark on any overly active promotional ventures, because his name appears to be that guarantee which [alone] can ensure creative quality and true value.
BROTHERS HADIUKIN
Remarkably, the fact remains that Serhiy Kuzmynsky, ex-leader of the rock group Brothers Hadiukin is freelancing, searching the audio expanses as a DJ, and that the name of the legend currently buried is drifting from one periodical to the next. Strange but true, the group's renditions are found among the top twenties in various hit parades. The CD Bulo Ne Liubyty [You Shouldn't Fall in Love], being the group's latest release, could be bought at any store selling disks. Both Brothers Hadiukin, Ihor Melnychuk and Pavlo Krokhmaliov, are very much alive, working at a studio in Kyiv. If only the group's famous drummer Mykhailo Lundin could move to Kyiv, then the renovation of the project would depend wholly and thoroughly on Serhiy Kuzmynsky's modern technical ambitions. Incidentally, there are rumors, being spread at a suspiciously regular rate, to the effect that the reunification of the group originates from Lviv and Kyiv. Well, rumors, of course...
In actuality, Brothers Hadiukin last gathered at the studio in 1995. Their purpose was to make another recording of their most popular album titled Everything's Perfectly Clear . The project was realized and the album sold quickly, and then the wave of interest in the nonexistent formation quickly rolled over Ukraine. And again a ridiculous mix of an overstated surzhyk and the Halychyna vernacular, sounding almost as refreshing as Charcot's douche — putting it simply, as a natural and living chunk of life. Kuzia (Serhiy Kuzmynsky), with his sharp tongue, had that rare talent as a music compiler with a natural bend. Standards of popular styles, ranging from reggae to rock'n'roll to rhythm blues to jazz rock, mixed with Halychyna kolomyika carols, likewise contained a healthy dose of humor. Everything done by the Brothers Hadiukyn has a clear imprint of Serhiy Kuzmynsky's absolutely inimitable sense of humor. The man is outwardly anemic, with an unhealthy pallid complexion, constantly hiding behind sunglasses.
