THE TORONTO MUSIC SCENE: a fund-raising first for orphans (03/16/97)

THE TORONTO MUSIC SCENE: a fund-raising first for orphans

by Yuriy Diakunchak

TORONTO - On a blustery night in mid-January, I found myself on the upper dance floor at the Big Bop in downtown Toronto waiting for a bunch of local Ukrainian bands to come on stage. Standing at the bar, I couldn't shake the feeling that someone in management had lost their marbles, and that a hapless events programmer was about to be ferreted out of his office and hung from the nearest lamppost by the infuriated club owner.

But no, there they were: Side Two, Nove Pokolinni, Solovey, Vapniaky (Pid Holym Nebom), Cafe Kyiv/Spookie Ukie and Roman Remeynes up on stage promoting a new CD titled "I Am Alive." The event, organized by Roman Chwyl, was the official kickoff for the CD, proceeds from which will go to the Help Us Help the Children (HUHC). HUHC has been helping children in Ukrainian orphanages since 1993. Today the organization services 165 homes with a total of 30,000 children in Ukraine.

"The evening was great," said HUHC Project Director Ruslana Wrzesnewskyj. "I'm just overwhelmed that 20-year-olds and students are taking it upon themselves to help these projects. It's a real heart-warmer," she said.

This spring, HUHC will need $400,000 to $500,000 to carry out its charitable work, which includes a summer camp for 250 to 300 children. At this point HUHC still has $155,000 on its accounts, but the money is going quickly. Ms. Wrzesnewskyj just spent $47,000 on infant formula, which she got at one-quarter of its retail price, and soon HUHC will be spending another $65,000 on medications.

"I Am Alive" was put together by Mr. Chwyl, a 27-year-old Torontonian, and Mr. Remeynes, a British-born musician; the two recently founded the Znak Records label.

Mr. Chwyl acted as the executive producer of the album, while Taras Blizniuk at Studio Z did a lot of the engineering. Mastering was done by George Graves at the Lacquer Channel studio. Mr. Graves worked on U2's mega-hit "Joshua Tree." All but four of the CD's 17 tracks were set to tape in a frenetic recording operation that was effected in October-November 1996.

According to Mr. Chwyl, just over 3,000 CDs were pressed. Fifty were sent to Ukraine, 100 were given out in promotions and 100 or so went to band members.

From the sale of each CD $15 will be donated to the Children of Chornobyl Canadian Fund, which manages HUHC. The CD features mostly original music, in English and Ukrainian, by 13 bands and one solo performer from Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Lucky for Mr. Chwyl, the Big Bop's entertainment manager, Yurko Mihaluk, is currently experimenting with Ukrainian-themed evenings on Thursday nights at the club, sponsored by the Kontakt Ukrainian television program.

Yuriy Klufas, executive producer for Kontakt, said they got involved because the CD fit in with the program's youth segment. Kontakt has been the media sponsor of HUHC since the group was started.

"I think it's very important that this kind of CD is being made," he said. "There are some original songs which are worth listening to [on the CD.]"

The Ukrainian evenings at The Bop were born when Mr. Klufas realized there was a need for a "casual watering hole" where Ukrainians could get together. He approached Mr. Mihaluk, and they worked on the idea together.

So far, attendance has been lukewarm, and only a few evenings since the December 26, 1996, inaugural date have generated a fair-sized crowd. The first night, the night before "Malanka" (New Year's Eve according to the Julian calendar) and the CD launch were the three biggies.

"The weather has not been cooperating, so the crowds have been low," said Mr. Klufas. He said he is happy, however, that a mixed crowd of both recent immigrants and Canadian-born Ukrainians have been showing up. The Kontakt executive producer added that the Thursday nights will soon feature bands from Ukraine, comedy nights and other attractions aimed at bigger audiences.

On the night of the January 16 CD launch, about 150 people showed up - not a bad turnout.

"The best thing about the evening was hearing the songs that the bands donated to the CD being played live for the first time," said Mr. Chwyl. "It was great to see people's reactions to the new stuff. People were going 'cool, let's hear it.' "

Nove Pokolinnia of Toronto, the first band to play, did some pretty standard Ukrainian dance material - although not without skill. The audience appeared unable to shake off its uncertainty; only one couple ended up on the dance floor. It wasn't the band's fault. Though most of the bands played well, the floor remained mostly empty throughout the evening.

Things got strange when Toronto's Vapniaky (Pid Holym Nebom) took the stage. These guys are capable of some very good music. Their first and last self-titled album, released in 1991, was a radical departure from traditional Ukrainian fare.

Unfortunately, that night they seemed to be making a radical departure from music itself. To be fair to the band, the sound technician was partly to blame. The vocals were inaudible in the first couple of songs, while the keyboards and violin were both cranked up way too loud.

On the other hand, you could tell the Vapniaky - whose song "Kokhayu Zhinok Na Pensiyi" (a Ukrainian take on Neil Young's "Welfare Mothers Make Better Lovers") appears on the "I Am Alive" CD as "Nannygoatin" - haven't been practicing much together lately.

"It was a good time. It was nice to hear the bands," said Andriy Kostecki from Etobicoke, who was at the event, "but the Vapniaky, what a bunch of freaks. Total Ukrainian angst. They were totally aggressive. My buddy wanted to throw a beer bottle at them."

Mr. Kostecki also enjoyed hearing Mr. Remeynes' (a.k.a. Roman Revkniv, formerly of The Ukrainians) "Otche Nash" for the first time. The song, also on the CD, is a hymn for the Chornobyl orphans. "The priests will be spinning when they hear that one," he said.

Despite the glitches, the evening was enjoyable, and kudos must be given to Mr. Chwyl for pulling it all together. "I Am Alive" is the first time in this writer's experience that someone has tried to produce a good cross-section of mostly original music done by Ukrainian bands in the diaspora.

"There has been a void as far as original music goes. The Ukrainian bands haven't been pushing their own stuff. This CD is a chance to get the ball rolling," said Mr. Chwyl.

Copies of "I Am Alive" can be purchased at local Ukrainian book or music stores for $15.95 plus tax, or directly from the HUHC and its parent organization, the Children of Chornobyl Canadian Fund, for $15. They can be reached at 1557 Bloor St. W., Toronto, Ontario M6P 1A5; telephone: (416) 532-2223; fax, (416) 588-2696.

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