Melnitsa
Encyclopedia
Melnitsa - is a Russia
n folk rock
band. It was founded in 1999 by Natalia "Hellawes" O'Shea
and Alexey "Chus" Sapkov around the remnants of a local folk band 'Till Eulenspiegel'.
cult status in the folk-n-fantasy teenage sub-culture and released an acoustic album Doroga Sna (Дорога Сна, The Road of Dream) featuring the underground hit Gorets (Горец, Highlander) set to the Russian translation of Robert Burns
' Highland Harry Back Again.
Luck struck in 2005, when the lead single Nochnaya Kobyla (Ночная Кобыла, Night mare) off their second, more pop-infused album Pereval (Перевал, Mountain Pass) had been sneaked into rotation on Nashe Radio
(the name and lyrics of the song are a complex allusion to Mara
, a Norse
mythical entity that caused nightmares). A grass-roots chart effort by fans propelled the song to #1 position in the "Best Of Year" chart, and the band to the small arena circuit (sparsely populated in Russia).
Their latest albums Zov Krovi (Зов Крови, Call of Blood) and Dikiye Travy (Дикие Травы, Wild Grasses, released early 2009) features the same lyrical and melody themes underscored by more rhythm section support from the band.
There was also a compilation album, "The Best," in 2007.
Former members include:
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n folk rock
Folk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
band. It was founded in 1999 by Natalia "Hellawes" O'Shea
Natalia O'Shea
Natalia "Hellawes" O'Shea is a linguist, songwriter, musician , vocalist and leader of the bands "Melnitsa" , "Clann Lir" and "Romanesque"...
and Alexey "Chus" Sapkov around the remnants of a local folk band 'Till Eulenspiegel'.
Style
The band fuses Russian, Irish and other North European folk influences with guitar pop/rock. Natalia "Hellawes" O'Shea, the lead singer and primary songwriter, is an academic and a specialist in medieval European languages and cultures by day. Her expertise lends the typically complex fantasy-laden lyrics a degree of authenticity.History
For the first several years the band had worked the club and festival circuit, earned a bona fideBona Fide
Bona Fide is a studio album from rock band Wishbone Ash. It is the first studio album in six years and is the only studio album to feature guitarist Ben Granfelt...
cult status in the folk-n-fantasy teenage sub-culture and released an acoustic album Doroga Sna (Дорога Сна, The Road of Dream) featuring the underground hit Gorets (Горец, Highlander) set to the Russian translation of Robert Burns
Robert Burns
Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide...
' Highland Harry Back Again.
Luck struck in 2005, when the lead single Nochnaya Kobyla (Ночная Кобыла, Night mare) off their second, more pop-infused album Pereval (Перевал, Mountain Pass) had been sneaked into rotation on Nashe Radio
Nashe Radio
Nashe Radio is a rock music station designed to promote Russian rock bands . It is broadcast in every major Russian city as well as having an internet stream...
(the name and lyrics of the song are a complex allusion to Mara
Mara (folklore)
A mare or nightmare is a spirit or goblin in Germanic folklore which rides on people's chests while they sleep, bringing on bad dreams . The mare is attested as early as in the Norse Ynglinga saga from the 13th century, but the belief itself is likely to be considerably older...
, a Norse
Norse mythology
Norse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving...
mythical entity that caused nightmares). A grass-roots chart effort by fans propelled the song to #1 position in the "Best Of Year" chart, and the band to the small arena circuit (sparsely populated in Russia).
Their latest albums Zov Krovi (Зов Крови, Call of Blood) and Dikiye Travy (Дикие Травы, Wild Grasses, released early 2009) features the same lyrical and melody themes underscored by more rhythm section support from the band.
Discography
| Original title | Transliterated Title Transliteration Transliteration is a subset of the science of hermeneutics. It is a form of translation, and is the practice of converting a text from one script into another... | Translation | Year of release |
|---|---|---|---|
| Дорога Сна | Doroga Sna | The Road of Dream | 2003 |
| Master of the Mill (EP) | Master of the Mill (EP) | Master of the Mill (EP) | 2004 |
| Перевал | Pereval | Mountain Pass | 2005 |
| Зов Крови | Zov Krovi | Call of the Blood | 2006 |
| Дикие Травы | Dikiye Travy | Wild Grasses/Herbs | 2009 |
| Рождественские песни | Rozdestvenckie pesni | Christmas Songs | 2011 |
There was also a compilation album, "The Best," in 2007.
Lineup
- Natalia "Hellawes" O'SheaNatalia O'SheaNatalia "Hellawes" O'Shea is a linguist, songwriter, musician , vocalist and leader of the bands "Melnitsa" , "Clann Lir" and "Romanesque"...
- vocals, irish harpHarpThe harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings... - Alexey "Chus" Sapkov - producer
- Sergey Zaslavsky - 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...
- Alexey Orlov - celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
- Alexey Kozhanov - bass
- Dmitry Frolov - drums
- Sergey Vishnyakov (on march 2010) — guitarGuitarThe 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...
Former members include:
- Alevtina Leontyeva - vocals
- Alexander "Grendel" Stepanov - guitar
- Natalia Filatova - flute
- Natalia Kotlova - cello
- Evgeny Chesalov - bass
- Alexander Leer - drums
- Inessa Klubochkina - violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....