BRAMA, Dec. 11, 1999, 9:00am EST

Dear Brama browsers,

My name is Stepan Pasicznyk, which in Ukrainian means something like Steven Beekeeper. I am of Ukrainian/Irish descent. I was a piano accordionist & co/songwriter with the indie/world/folk band "The Ukrainians." This group achieved considerable international success writing songs in Ukrainian & performing at venues ranging from Ukraine’s second anniversary of Independence in Kyiv, Ukraine, through to the Bumbershoot and Glastonbury festivals in the USA and England, not to mention numerous European festivals & venues. It also recorded a sound track to a Nike advert. I was involved with this band during the "Vorony", and "Kultura" LP’s, & the Smiths covers EP. "Ludwig’s Eclectic collection" is meant to be a representation of my experience of being of Ukrainian/Irish descent, and yet born here, a British citizen. Ludwig is the nickname by which I am known in the British Ukrainian community.

• Chaban, a sheepherder’s song, is given the Ska treatment juxtaposed with good old barrel chested Ukrainian village folk band vocals.
• Halychanochka, a song about a woman from the Halychyna (Galicia) region of western Ukraine is given "Latino" treatment.
• An old Cossack song Zasvestaly Kozachenky (The whistling Cossacks) or Za Svit Vstaly Kozachenky as it is better known is given an instrumental "dance" type treatment. We go from Whistling Cossacks to Dancing Cossacks in a few strokes of the keyboards.
• Song for Y. Shukhevich (1984) was co written with musician M. Stebiwka a.k.a. "Stebs" (Wolverhampton). It is a tribute to the well-known political prisoner of the time, and a protest song about Ukraine’s plight in the former Russian Empire (USSR).
• Carpathian Tricklet is about Ukraine on one level, but starting like an Irish Lament, the maiden could also be looking into the river Lagan in Ireland. Similar histories, and as everywhere, the women left behind suffer.
• Refugee Nation addresses tragedies such as Kosovo in a way that a descendant of another "refugee nation" such as myself, might relate to it.
• Potutory, of Potutorsky Waltz is my Fathers home village. It was in the part of Ukraine ruled by the Austro - Hungarian Empire, and at one point, in WW1, it was on the front between the Austro -Hungarian and Russian Empires. It is alive with relics of some of the fiercest fighting in which the Ukrainian army called "Ukrainsky Sichovy Striltsy" were involved, fighting for Ukraine’s independence. The duet reflects this point in history by having a Viennese sounding theme. (The image on the CD/tape cover is of a soldier from this army. It is by an artist from Ukraine called Meron Yatsiv). After Potutorsky waltz the CD/tape suddenly crashes from 1919 into 1999 and "Ludwig", a British citizen emerges.
• You’ve gone sour on me is straightforward rock ’n' roll.
• Name on a wing is a country style song about intercontinental love doomed to failure.
• Hard to hang on is about reminiscence, done in a dance/pop style.
• Saturday will never come is about wishing it will never end. Yes it is white reggae, but I never said I was Peter Tosh.
• So near and yet so far away is a big band rock’n’roll song about losing her to the competition, and
• Is it too much to ask is more of the same, (but time for the obligatory piano ballad).
• Depending on how deeply you want to look at it, Gertrude, a Bavarian style thigh slapping drinking song is either a slap in the face for over the top political correctness, or a warning to any female thinking of using steroids at the annual Ukrainian CYM* sports summer camp Olympiad.**
• Last but not least, (in fact most), Miracles is a celebration of everything good about life, especially becoming a parent for the first time.

My Ukrainian Dad bought me an accordion when I was nine years old and got me involved with the music scene in the British Ukrainian community, and my musical tuition was helped along by my Irish Mum, an accomplished fiddle player. In typical Irish tradition, our family band comprised of my Mum on fiddle, sister Mariyka on guitar, and myself on accordion playing Irish and Ukrainian music. My Mum comes from a musical family. Her cousin was the late Eddie Rabbit, the Irish/American Country & Western singer who wrote "Every which way but loose" for the Clint Eastwood film featuring an Orangutan ape, and also "Kentucky Rain" made famous by Elvis Presley.

*CYM is the Ukrainian abbreviation for "The Ukrainian Youth Association", a global cultural & educational youth organization.

** CYM organises an annual summer "Olympics" in which its members from Britain, France, Belgium, and Germany participate as competing teams. Each country’s community takes it in turn to host the event at their respective summer camp properties. The atmosphere is friendly and participants also indulge in an exhaustive schedule of evening social events!

CD LP Price:Ј 9.50 sterling / $16.00 US / $23 Can / $25Aus / DM30 / FFr99 / Bel Fr608
Cheques payable to : S.Pasicznyk, 74 Jackson Rd., East Barnet, Herts., EN4 8UU, England.
All Prices include packaging & posting.

Any questions? Contact Stepan Pasicznyk on stepan@pasicznyk.fsnet.co.uk

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