Skylė
Encyclopedia
SKYLĖ is a band formed in Vilnius
in 1991 at a crucial turning point in the history of Lithuania
during the fall of the Soviet Union. The main principles established at the very beginning – such as the spread of alternative music and poetic thoughts based on philosophy
, mythology
and history - haven‘t changed up to now. There are 14 albums in the "luggage" of the band which also include the music for events-performances.
In 1994 and 1995 four issues of the publication called "Balsas is Rūsio" ("The Voice From the Cellar") and also an alternative art and poetry almanac "Plyšys" ("The Gap") were published.
In 1995 Skylė started working with the theatre of puppets, fire and music "Miraklis". The leader of Skylė Rokas Radzevičius together with his band created and recorded the soundtrack for two performances of "Miraklis". At that time seven musicians of the band tried their luck as actors in the performance "Šv. Stepono 7 pro memoria" (St. Stephen 7 Pro Memoria) dedicated to the history of a ruined building in the old town of Vilnius. Also in the same year the band was shot in a German feature film "Kaukazo vakaras" ("An Evening in Caucasus") and performed their song "Žydinčių moterų džiaugsmas"( "The Joy of Women in Bloom") in Russian.
In 1996 the band was joined by a very talented singer Aistė Smilgevičiūtė
characterized by her strong and unique voice (she represented Lithuania in the Eurovision Song Contest
in Jerusalem in 1999).
In 1998 Skylė was officially recognized as the Centre of Creative Initiatives (in 2004 the centre was renamed to the public establishment "Via Artis") and organised two impressive pacifistic festivals "Gėlių naktis" ("The Night of Flowers"), filled with the reminiscence about the ideas of love and peace of the 60s. In 1998 Skylė performed in World Youth Festival in Lisbon
.
At the end of the summer and the beginning of autumn of 1999 during the visit to Germany, Skylė participated in an international creative camp. The musical "Dialog Is a Lock" was born at this camp. In the same year Rokas Radzevičius created and together with the band Skylė recorded another soundtrack for a play of "Miraklis" called "Žmogus ir Aušrinė" ("The Man and the Morning Star") which was intended for the celebration of the new millennium.
At the beginning of 2000 Skylė together with Aistė Smilgevičiūtė recorded one of their most successful albums – "Babilonas" ("Babylon"). In 2000, Skylė organized an international youth project called "Uniformos" ("Uniforms") where young people from various European countries created and performed a musical based on the topic of democracy. At the end of the year this musical was performed once again in Vilnius and in Magdeburg
simultaneously, connecting the two stages by means of video broadcast on the Internet.
In the summer of 2001 a rock opera named "Jūratė ir Kastytis" ("Jurate and Kastytis") which was created specially for the Sea Festival in Klaipėda
was presented to the public. The author of this rock opera is Rokas Radzevičius. The rock opera was recorded with the help of some well known professional musicians. The main roles were played by famous performers like Marijonas Mikutavičius, Kostas Smoriginas, Olegas Ditkovskis, Vladas Bagdonas and others. Another international project called "Svetimi" ("Aliens") was carried out that summer and in autumn the band recorded the music for the last performance of "Miraklis" in Lithuania called "Vilniaus legendos" (The Legends of Vilnius).
In 2002 the soundtrack of "Jūratė ir Kastytis"("Jurate and Kastytis") was released on CD. Two songs from this album, which were also included into the solo album of Marijonas Mikutavičius after a year, conquered the hearts of listeners and are some of the most welcome songs at the concerts of the band. In autumn of 2002, a music and fire theatrical performance called "Saulės žemė" ("The Land Of The Sun") was produced with the help of some famous artists and musicians from Šiauliai and in collaboration with Šiauliai city municipality.
In the summer of 2003 they stopped their active participation in music projects with young people. The final project was "Tilt" wwhere creative young people from seven countries made ten shows in Lithuania, Slovakia
, Germany, and Belgium. In the autumn of the same year one more rock opera created by Rokas Radzevičius showed up. It was called "Žuviaganys" ("Fish Shepherd") which was performed for the first time in Alytus
with a great number of artists from this city. From the middle of 2003 till autumn of 2005 the band slowed down its activity, there were only a few acoustic concerts. From the middle of 2003 till autumn of 2005 the band slowed down its activity, there were only a few acoustic concerts. At that time the attention was turned to the personal projects of Rokas Radzevičius and chamber performances of "Jūratė ir Kastytis" ("Jurate and Kastytis") which were finished in 2006 when this rock opera in the form of a movie was recorded on DVD.
The band was reborn in the autumn of 2005. Skylė prepared a new concert programme, renewed the members and started actively performing in concerts, clubs and festivals. They also refreshed the recording of the album.
In the autumn of 2007 they released their album "Povandeninės kronikos"("The Underwater Chronicles") which delighted the fans of qualitative music. The album was released both on audio CD and on DVD which was recorded during a concert shot in a studio of the Lithuanian National Television. The overflow of awards and the appreciation of the fans gave just a stronger impulse which led to a more active and creative phase in the band's history, refreshing Lithuanian rock music culture and moving it onto a new level.
In 2008 the band was actively performing in concerts and some of the biggest festivals in Lithuania such as "Be2gether" and "Mėnuo Juodaragis
" ("Moon Blackhorn") In the final concerts of the tour "Povandeninės kronikos" ("Underwater Chronicles") they played together with a chamber string orchestra in Vilnius and Kaunas.
In 2009 Skylė had two concert tours:
In total there were 28 concerts, 5 performances with artists on TV shows, 3 live performances on TV and radio, 4 new publications were released::
In 2010 the band has started the recordings of its new album which is expected to be finished this year. The album "Broliai" ("Brothers") is dedicated to the fighters of Lithuanias freedom (guerillas) with the aim to memorize and honour their resistance activities.
Rokas Radzevičius – acustic guitar
, vocal
Mantvydas Kodis – accordion
Kęstutis Drazdauskas – flute
Jonas Krivickas – electric guitar
Gediminas Žilys - boss guitar
, kanklės
Salvijus Žeimys - percussion
"Periklių giesmės" (1994) ("The Chants of Periceles"), audio tape
"Kubatūrinė radiacija" (1994) ("Cubage Radiation"), audio tape
"1 + 1 = 1" (1995), audio tape
"Šv. Stepono 7" (1996) ("St. Steponas7"), audio tape
"Saulės kelionė" (1996) ("The Journey Of The Sun"), audio tape
"Lukiškių pieva" (1996) ("Lukiskes Meadow"), audio tape
"Geriausios dainos 1991–1997" (1998) ("Best Songs of 1991–1997"), CD
"Žmogus ir Aušrinė" (1999) ("The Man and the Morning Star"), audio tape and CD
"Babilonas" (2000) ("Babylon"), audio tape and CD
"Vilniaus Legendos" (2001) ("The Legends of Vilnius"), CD
"Jūratė ir Kastytis" (2002) ("Jurate and Kastytis"), CD/DVD
"Povandeninės kronikos" (2007) ("Underwater Chronicles"), CD/DVD
"Lukiškių pieva" (1996/2008 m.) ("Lukiskes Meadow"), CD
– album recorded in 1996 and released in audio tape format. In 2008 m. "Lukiškių pieva" ("Lukiskes Meadow") was released in CD format.
"Koncertas Šv. Kotrynos bažnyčioje" (2009)( "Concert at St. Kotryna Church"), DVD
Demonstrational edition of two songs (2009), CD, single
"Sapnų trofėjai" (2009) ("Dreams Trophies"), CD
"Broliai" (2010) ("Brothers"), CD
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
in 1991 at a crucial turning point in the history of Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
during the fall of the Soviet Union. The main principles established at the very beginning – such as the spread of alternative music and poetic thoughts based on philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, mythology
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
and history - haven‘t changed up to now. There are 14 albums in the "luggage" of the band which also include the music for events-performances.
Band biography
Skylė was formed in the autumn of 1991. In the beginning it was a student rock band trying to merge various music styles, starting from punk rock to folk rock and art rock. They started performing at student festivals, and the atmosphere there used to get really electric. But the five band members, playing the guitar, bass, keyboard, violin and percussion in those days, didn‘t want to restrict themselves to rock music only. Skylė became the circle of open-minded intellectuals and started organizing exhibitions of underground art and non commercial festivals (like "Free Tibet" in 1995), in such a way attracting crowds of young multitalented people.In 1994 and 1995 four issues of the publication called "Balsas is Rūsio" ("The Voice From the Cellar") and also an alternative art and poetry almanac "Plyšys" ("The Gap") were published.
In 1995 Skylė started working with the theatre of puppets, fire and music "Miraklis". The leader of Skylė Rokas Radzevičius together with his band created and recorded the soundtrack for two performances of "Miraklis". At that time seven musicians of the band tried their luck as actors in the performance "Šv. Stepono 7 pro memoria" (St. Stephen 7 Pro Memoria) dedicated to the history of a ruined building in the old town of Vilnius. Also in the same year the band was shot in a German feature film "Kaukazo vakaras" ("An Evening in Caucasus") and performed their song "Žydinčių moterų džiaugsmas"( "The Joy of Women in Bloom") in Russian.
In 1996 the band was joined by a very talented singer Aistė Smilgevičiūtė
Aiste Smilgeviciute
Aistė Smilgevičiūtė is a Lithuanian singer. She performs folk music, jazz, pop rock and other kinds of alternative music. Since 1996 Aistė has been a member of the music band "Skylė"...
characterized by her strong and unique voice (she represented Lithuania in the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
in Jerusalem in 1999).
In 1998 Skylė was officially recognized as the Centre of Creative Initiatives (in 2004 the centre was renamed to the public establishment "Via Artis") and organised two impressive pacifistic festivals "Gėlių naktis" ("The Night of Flowers"), filled with the reminiscence about the ideas of love and peace of the 60s. In 1998 Skylė performed in World Youth Festival in Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
.
At the end of the summer and the beginning of autumn of 1999 during the visit to Germany, Skylė participated in an international creative camp. The musical "Dialog Is a Lock" was born at this camp. In the same year Rokas Radzevičius created and together with the band Skylė recorded another soundtrack for a play of "Miraklis" called "Žmogus ir Aušrinė" ("The Man and the Morning Star") which was intended for the celebration of the new millennium.
At the beginning of 2000 Skylė together with Aistė Smilgevičiūtė recorded one of their most successful albums – "Babilonas" ("Babylon"). In 2000, Skylė organized an international youth project called "Uniformos" ("Uniforms") where young people from various European countries created and performed a musical based on the topic of democracy. At the end of the year this musical was performed once again in Vilnius and in Magdeburg
Magdeburg
Magdeburg , is the largest city and the capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Magdeburg is situated on the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe....
simultaneously, connecting the two stages by means of video broadcast on the Internet.
In the summer of 2001 a rock opera named "Jūratė ir Kastytis" ("Jurate and Kastytis") which was created specially for the Sea Festival in Klaipėda
Klaipeda
Klaipėda is a city in Lithuania situated at the mouth of the Nemunas River where it flows into the Baltic Sea. It is the third largest city in Lithuania and the capital of Klaipėda County....
was presented to the public. The author of this rock opera is Rokas Radzevičius. The rock opera was recorded with the help of some well known professional musicians. The main roles were played by famous performers like Marijonas Mikutavičius, Kostas Smoriginas, Olegas Ditkovskis, Vladas Bagdonas and others. Another international project called "Svetimi" ("Aliens") was carried out that summer and in autumn the band recorded the music for the last performance of "Miraklis" in Lithuania called "Vilniaus legendos" (The Legends of Vilnius).
In 2002 the soundtrack of "Jūratė ir Kastytis"("Jurate and Kastytis") was released on CD. Two songs from this album, which were also included into the solo album of Marijonas Mikutavičius after a year, conquered the hearts of listeners and are some of the most welcome songs at the concerts of the band. In autumn of 2002, a music and fire theatrical performance called "Saulės žemė" ("The Land Of The Sun") was produced with the help of some famous artists and musicians from Šiauliai and in collaboration with Šiauliai city municipality.
In the summer of 2003 they stopped their active participation in music projects with young people. The final project was "Tilt" wwhere creative young people from seven countries made ten shows in Lithuania, Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
, Germany, and Belgium. In the autumn of the same year one more rock opera created by Rokas Radzevičius showed up. It was called "Žuviaganys" ("Fish Shepherd") which was performed for the first time in Alytus
Alytus
Alytus is a city with municipal rights in southern Lithuania. It is the capital of Alytus County. Its population in 2007 was 68,835. Alytus is the historical centre of the Dzūkija region. The city lies on the banks of the Nemunas River. The major highways linking Vilnius, Kaunas, Lazdijai, and...
with a great number of artists from this city. From the middle of 2003 till autumn of 2005 the band slowed down its activity, there were only a few acoustic concerts. From the middle of 2003 till autumn of 2005 the band slowed down its activity, there were only a few acoustic concerts. At that time the attention was turned to the personal projects of Rokas Radzevičius and chamber performances of "Jūratė ir Kastytis" ("Jurate and Kastytis") which were finished in 2006 when this rock opera in the form of a movie was recorded on DVD.
The band was reborn in the autumn of 2005. Skylė prepared a new concert programme, renewed the members and started actively performing in concerts, clubs and festivals. They also refreshed the recording of the album.
In the autumn of 2007 they released their album "Povandeninės kronikos"("The Underwater Chronicles") which delighted the fans of qualitative music. The album was released both on audio CD and on DVD which was recorded during a concert shot in a studio of the Lithuanian National Television. The overflow of awards and the appreciation of the fans gave just a stronger impulse which led to a more active and creative phase in the band's history, refreshing Lithuanian rock music culture and moving it onto a new level.
In 2008 the band was actively performing in concerts and some of the biggest festivals in Lithuania such as "Be2gether" and "Mėnuo Juodaragis
Menuo Juodaragis
Mėnuo Juodaragis is an annual independent and non-profit Lithuanian music festival for various post-folklore, folklore, neo-folk, alternative, experimental music and contemporaty Baltic culture.-Concept:...
" ("Moon Blackhorn") In the final concerts of the tour "Povandeninės kronikos" ("Underwater Chronicles") they played together with a chamber string orchestra in Vilnius and Kaunas.
In 2009 Skylė had two concert tours:
- Acoustic tour at the beginning of the year (Šiauliai, Klaipėda, Alytus, Panevėžys, Dublin, Kaunas, Marijampolė, Vilnius);
- "Sapnų trofėjai" ("Dreams Trophies") presentation tour (Panevėžys, Kaunas, Klaipėda, Šiauliai, Vilnius, Palanga);
In total there were 28 concerts, 5 performances with artists on TV shows, 3 live performances on TV and radio, 4 new publications were released::
- DVD "Concert in St. Catherine's Church";
- Exclusive demonstration of future album "Broliai" ("Brothers");
- CD "Sapnų trofėjai" ("Dreams Trophies");
- M4. Musical fairy - tale for children "Karalaitė Garbanėlė" ("Princess Kinkle") in the form of the illustrated book with a CD
In 2010 the band has started the recordings of its new album which is expected to be finished this year. The album "Broliai" ("Brothers") is dedicated to the fighters of Lithuanias freedom (guerillas) with the aim to memorize and honour their resistance activities.
Trophies
- The song "Jūržolių šokis" ("The Dance of The Seeweed’) from the album "Povandeninės kronikos" ("Underwater Chronicles") got the award from radio station "Radiocentras" in the category "Šviežio garso gurkšnis" ("Gulp Of Fresh Sound") in 2007.
- In the "Awards of Lithuania's Alternative Music A.LT" "Povandeninės kronikos" ("Underwater Chronicles") was announced as the best album of 2007 and the band itself was recognized as the best rock band of the year.
- The album of the year: Skylė "Povandeninės kronikos" ("Underwater Chronicles")
- The best rock (alternative/rock) band/artist of the year: Skylė
- The song "Auksinis ruduo" ("Golden Autumn") (music R. Radzevičius, words A. Smilgevičiūtė) is announced as the winner of LATGA-A (Agency of Lithuanian copyright protection association) Song contest in 2008. Performers A. Smilgevičiūtė and V. Bagdonas.
- Song "Baltas brolis" ("White Brother") from the album "Povandeninės kronikos" ("Underwater Chronicles") was recognised by Lithuanias National Radio listeners as the most popular song of the year 2008.
- Song "Baltas brolis" ("White Brother") from the album "Povandeninės kronikos" ("Underwater Chronicles") in the voting organised by Lithuanian national radio in 2009 got among the TOP 20 of Lithuanian songs of all times.
Members
Aistė Smilgevičiūtė – vocalRokas Radzevičius – acustic guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, vocal
Mantvydas Kodis – accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
Kęstutis Drazdauskas – flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
Jonas Krivickas – electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
Gediminas Žilys - boss guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, kanklės
Kankles
The Kanklės is a Lithuanian plucked string musical instrument , related to the zither. It is roughly in the shape of a trapezium or trapezoid . The instrument is fitted with several wire or gut strings under tension which produce tones when plucked...
Salvijus Žeimys - percussion
Discography
"Žydinčių moterų džiaugsmas" (1993) ("The Joy of Women in Bloom"), audio tape- - first and very successful band album was dedicated to all woman and contained mostly soft sounding ballads. Few more hard sounding pieces also got into this album.
"Periklių giesmės" (1994) ("The Chants of Periceles"), audio tape
- – it is like a set of ballads reflecting the lives of Skylė poetry heroes. The sounding of this album for the first time supplemented with fluteFluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
and violoncello.
"Kubatūrinė radiacija" (1994) ("Cubage Radiation"), audio tape
- – characterized as very heavy sounding of punk rock. During the concerts students started liking this programme.
"1 + 1 = 1" (1995), audio tape
- – this lyrical album warmely welcomed the lovers of singing poetry.
"Šv. Stepono 7" (1996) ("St. Steponas7"), audio tape
- – music for "Miraklis" performance.
"Saulės kelionė" (1996) ("The Journey Of The Sun"), audio tape
- – it is continious piece of 70 minutes which contains songs of various music styles dedicated to all signs of Zodiak. Texts for these songs were written by famous Lithuanian poet Judita Vaičiūnaitė.
"Lukiškių pieva" (1996) ("Lukiskes Meadow"), audio tape
- - Skylė came back to traditional rhythms of rockRock musicRock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, reggaeReggaeReggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
and folkFolk musicFolk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
so the album ranked the fans flock.
"Geriausios dainos 1991–1997" (1998) ("Best Songs of 1991–1997"), CD
- – the set of the best songs Skylė band.
"Žmogus ir Aušrinė" (1999) ("The Man and the Morning Star"), audio tape and CD
- – music created for one more performance of "Miraklis" theatre. Literary this musical is based on one of the most interesting myth of Lithuanian mythology – The Morning Star.
"Babilonas" (2000) ("Babylon"), audio tape and CD
- – here dominates typical polystilistics of Skylė band. The songs of this albums are strongly lyrical and softly ironic and it gained popularity. For the first time the main vocal parts shares Rokas and Aistė equally.
"Vilniaus Legendos" (2001) ("The Legends of Vilnius"), CD
- – this is music for "Miraklis" performance which was shown at the square of Cathedral in Vilnius on the second day of Christmas in 2001.
"Jūratė ir Kastytis" (2002) ("Jurate and Kastytis"), CD/DVD
- – this rock opera continues the well known legend about the love between the mortal man Kastytis and the goddess of the Sea Jūratė. The story ends with the fall of amber palace.
"Povandeninės kronikos" (2007) ("Underwater Chronicles"), CD/DVD
- – the newest, the most popular and the most qualitative album.
"Lukiškių pieva" (1996/2008 m.) ("Lukiskes Meadow"), CD
– album recorded in 1996 and released in audio tape format. In 2008 m. "Lukiškių pieva" ("Lukiskes Meadow") was released in CD format.
"Koncertas Šv. Kotrynos bažnyčioje" (2009)( "Concert at St. Kotryna Church"), DVD
Demonstrational edition of two songs (2009), CD, single
- – this is demo version of future album called "Broliai" ("Brothers") which will contain fifteen songs.
"Sapnų trofėjai" (2009) ("Dreams Trophies"), CD
- – anthological band album which includes the most characteristic songs from the very beginning of bands establishment till not yet published new songs.
"Broliai" (2010) ("Brothers"), CD
- – dedicated to commemorate participants in the Lithuanian struggle for freedom between 1944 and 1953.