People in Olsztyn
People in Olsztyn occasionally ask me if I listen to Polish music or like any Polish bands. Genreally, I don’t care for most stuff, either for the smooth-jazzy pretentionous (Anna Maria Jopek), annoying whiney voice (Myslowitz) or an overall lack of balls (Feel). Let’s not get into the subject of disco-polo. Hoewever, there are some Polish bands which are above the rest, in my humble unqualified opinion.
The first band I started to appreciate was Dżem. When I arrived to Poland in 1991, all my students were writing me homework essays about the greatest Polish blues-rock band. Back then whenever students gathered around a fire to roast kielbasa, a crappy accoustic guitar would appear and inevitably they started singing „Whisky.” The hell with „Sto lat”, this was the first Polish song I learnt the words to (actually, it was „My Cyganie”. A contestant sang this song for the Miss Wenus show during the 1992 Kortowiada, and I fell in love with the song and briefly with that raven-haired gypsy girl.). All aspiring guitarists played two songs „Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” (Thanks to Guns-n-Roses’ performance at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert. BINGE’s version is better.) and „Whisky”. People usually quote the beginning of „Pan Tadeusz”, but I’ll always prefer the first line of Whisky”: „Mówią o w mieście…”.
Initially I didn’t think much of their music, but fortuantely I caught them in concert at Kortowo. I saw them play in Aula W in1994, their last show in Olsztyn with Ryszard Riedel, and I was just blown away. One of the best shows ever. These days I’m so bored with their songs, not because it’s played too often on the radio which never happens unfortunately but when a lame-ass bar-band blues-rock band only plays Dżem, or a lame version of „Knockin’ Heaven’s Door”(BINGE’s version rocks). But during that show in 1994, I was a believer. I’ve seen a good number of rock concerts but this was one of my top favoruites. One of the great jam bands. I have no idea of their names but the guitarists were awesome! On top of that for an encore the band played „Whisky”, which I had heard they didn’t play that often.
Supposedly, this show almost didn’t even happen. There was no band on the stage at the scheduled time. I learnt last year that right before the show Riedel was nowhere to be found. The band was looking everywhere. Finally, they received a phone call from the psychiatric hospital with the information that he was there. Thus when Riedel was delievered to Kortowo, the concert could start. I’ve already told you, but I’ll do it again…the show was awesome.
In this blog I’m supposed to point out some great songs by a band. Explain what is special about the band and so on. I can’t do that with Dżem, haven’t listened to them for years, but they are still one of favourite Polish bands. Not trying to rip anybody off. No clicheic blues riffs. Good music. I had intended to write about the other Polish bands that I like, but it was too fun reminiscencing about that Dżem concert. Next time we’ll get to those other bands.
