N.R.M.

N.R.M.

N.R.M. at concert wRock for freedom, Wrocław
Background information
Also known as Mroja
Origin Minsk, Belarus
Genres Rock
Years active 1981–present
Members Oleg Demidovich
Yuras Levkov
Pete Pavlov
Past members Levon Volsky

N.R.M. (Niezaležnaja Respublika Mroja) is a rock band from Minsk, Belarus, founded in 1981. They are considered to be the most popular rock band in the country. They perform in the Belarusian language, and are a rallying point for political opposition to the Belarusian government, despite a performance ban used during 2006-2009 against them.

Biography

The band grew out of a previous group, Mroja (which means "dream", "vision" or "nightmare"), and N.R.M. stands for "The Independent Republic of Dream" (Незалежная Рэспубліка Мроя in Belarusian). Their music tends toward melodic hard rock with witty and often indirectly political lyrics. The band's albums and publicity materials generally use the Łacinka alphabet, the Belarusian version of the Latin alphabet that was widely used alongside Cyrillic prior to the establishment of the Soviet Union.

Like several other bands that sing in Belarus, they have expressed their opposition to President Alexander Lukashenko, although they have never mentioned him by name in their lyrics. N.R.M.'s largest crowd was in Kiev in 2004, when they played in support of the Orange Revolution in Ukraine, with band members expressing their hope that something similar would happen in their own country.

During this years N.R.M., along with many other Belarusian bands, was unofficially banned from FM station broadcast in Belarus. There is no written blacklist, but FM station managers have said they received unofficial "recommendations" from the authorities.

Within the next three years the group continued active its concert activity. Numerous performances abroad took place in Poland, Germany, Slovakia, Sweden. In their homeland, however, the group is included into the forbidden list, therefore they give concerts seldom and in underground conditions.

In 2007, the long-awaited sixth studio album "06" was released. It was recorded, according to Lavon Volski, under the influence of political events of spring 2006 in Belarus. The album "06" is compiled with songs of different styles. Violoncello, mandoline, keyboard were used, which are new instruments for the group. Besides for the first time songs were sung not only by Lavon Volski, but also by other participants of the group and even children's chorus.

After the meeting of Belarusian rock-musicians with the deputy head of the Presidential Administration on ideology Aleh Pralyaskouski in the end of 2007[1] the band was unbanned.

Albums

Year of release Original title Title Label
1990 Dvaccać vośmaja zorka 28th Star Melodiya
1993 Vybranyja peśni 1989-1993 Selected Songs 1989-1993 ZBS
1995 ŁaŁaŁaŁa LaLaLaLa
1996 Odzirydzidzina Odzirydzidzina
1997 Made in N.R.M. Made in N.R.M.
1998 Pašpart hramadzianina N.R.M. The Passport of N.R.M Citizen
1999 Akustyčnyja kancerty kanca 20-ha stahodździa Acoustic Concerts at the End of the 20th Century West Records
2000 Samotnik Single West Records
2000 Try čarapachi Three Turtles West Records
2002 Dom kultury Palace of Culture West Records
2004 Spravazdača 1994-2004 Report of 1994-2004 West Records
2007 06 06
2013 Д.П.Б.Ч. D.P.B.C. PetePaff Inc.

Other projects

Line-up

Past members

Popular culture

The band appeared during one of their concerts at an opposition rally in 2006, which was featured in the documentary, A Lesson of Belarusian

References

  1. ↑ http://charter97.org/en/news/hottopic/11

Bibliography

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to N.R.M..