Then
Eurovision
came to
Kiev. When
the first
results from
the
tele-voting
for the
February 27,
2005,
national
Eurovision
final
appeared
onscreen,
many people
couldn’t
believe
their eyes –
of all pop
stars, the
winners were
nobody else
but
Greenjolly,
the stars of
the
revolution.
Having won
with 2,200
votes, they
outraged
sexy lady
Ani Lorak,
who came
second. Her
fans even
staged some
protest
rallies, but
the deed was
done,
Greenjolly
were to sing
for Europe
and try to
impress it
with their
revolutionary
rap.
The jump to
stardom of
the humble
band from
Ivano-Frankivsk
was quite
amazing. In
a month's
time a band
known only
to music
lovers in
their native
town
and Western
Ukraine in
general
suddenly
became known
and
interesting
to the
audiences
worldwide –
something
that some
big
Ukrainian
stars
struggle for
years to
achieve,
with real
big money
involved in
the process.
Of course
what
happened to
Greenjolly
is no more
incredible
than the
revolution
itself, but
it’s also
very clear
that if not
for it,
three
Western
Ukrainians
would have
stayed where
they were,
to be hardly
ever known
in Kiev
which is
meant to be
an indicator
of fame to
any public
performer in
Ukraine.
Greenjolly`s
regular rock
ballad
repertoire
and lack of
recognizable
style made
it hard for
any producer
to take
interest in
them. In
fact they
didn’t even
show any
ambitions to
reach for
the stars
and
recording
their
signature
“Razom Nas
Bahato”
(Together
We’re Many)
had no idea
it would get
them that
far. But it
did, and the
only
question
that remains
is whether
Greenjolly
triumphant
procession
will
continue or
they will
come back to
where they
came from
after the
fashion for
revolution
is over.
Two members
of
Greenjolly –
vocalist and
guitarist
Roman Kalyn
and
guitarist
Roman
Kostyuk met
while
serving their
military
training in
Ivano-Frankivsk.
The boys
with common
musical
interests
joined a
band called
Nemamarli,
playing
reggae with
some
Ukrainian
touches. In
1997 the two
Romans
created
their own
band –
Greenjolly
(wooden
sledge in
Hutsul
dialect).
They
performed in
their native
city, took
part in a
number of
festivals
and founded
“Roma”
recording
studio.
Apart from
doing music
together the
guys have
art-related
jobs.
Kostyuk
works as a
sound
producer at
a radio
station, and
Kalyn hosts
TV-shows at
the local
channel
“Tretya
Studia.”
Andriy
Pisetskyj
who plays
keyboards
and
saxophone in
Greenjolly
is the
newest
member of
the band,
and is the
old friend
of both
Romans.
When
Greenjolly,
inspired by
the slogans
people
shouted at
the orange
revolution
rally in
Ivano-Frankivsk,
went to
their studio
and recorded
“Razom Nas
Bahato” in
four hours,
they had no
plans to
promote it
as the
revolutionary
anthem and
claim to
have no idea
how exactly
it got to
Orange
Maydan.
However in a
few days it
was played
there to the
hundreds of
thousands in
the crowd,
which soon
knew the
song by
heart.
It took
only few
more days
for
Greenjolly
themselves
to break
through to
the main
stage of
revolution.
The rest is
history...
(For
information
on
Greenjolly,
please send
e-mail to
info@greenjolly.net
)