Radio Ukraine International

I first found out about Radio Ukraine International by scanning some station listings in an obscure radio magazine. The next evening I turned on my small Grundig shortwave radio and tried to tune into the station during the English language broadcast time. No luck. I could not even dial the frequency on my radio, so I did a search online and found the Radio Ukraine International website. No need for the shortwave radio with the power of the Internet because the station constantly streams its audio signal over the Internet. Streaming audio allows anyone in the world with a computer that can access the Internet (and who has a piece of free software, in this case, basic RealPlayer) to listen to the broadcast as it is happening. This even surpasses the power of shortwave radio broadcasts because usually shortwave signals are only broadcasted to a certian area of the world at certain times. Audio that is streamed over the Internet is available to EVERYONE, EVERYWHERE all day and all night long. Awesome! So, whether you are fluent in Ukrainian and want the lastest news directly from Ukraine, are practicing your language comprehension skills, or want to hear objective news in English - start listening! It's free!

Гайдамаки (Haidamaky) A band creating unique Ukrainian music

Take two parts traditional Ukrainian folk music, add 1 part rock-n-roll, then 1 part ska: mix well and you’ve got a musical stew something close to Haidamaky. Of course, combining traditional with modern music is not a novel idea. The ethno-rock approach has been successfully employed by Irish and Scottish bands for years and years. Think of groups like Wolfstone, Great Big Sea, The Pogues, or Flogging Molly, but throw a Ukie spin on the sound. Intrigued? I was. Yes, England’s The Ukrainians have used a similar musical combination, but Haidamaky have added the element of ska, and somehow, it works. A year or so ago I purchased the group’s self titled, 2002 CD - Haidamaky. I was challenged but not disappointed. The disc contains 12 songs of varying tempo. Whether you’re fluent in Ukrainian or not, each song blends a variety of instruments to create its own sense of energy to pass along emotions to the listener. (You can read English translations of the lyrics on the Haidamaky web site.)

Some of the instruments played by the members of the band include:
Accordion
Drums
Drymba (jaw harp)
Electric bass
Guitar
Sopilka (traditional flute)
Trombone
Tsymbaly (hammered dulcimer)
Voice

I get a combination of playful, yet somber feelings when listening the disc. Стара Румунія (Ancient Romania) begins with a quickly walking tsymbaly line laced with trombone. The opening sequence does remind me of something from a Tarif de Haidouks disc. Two third of the way through, an organ solo speeds up the song even more to reach a frantic pace that leads to the crescendo. A cheerful melody played on sopilka opens the song КарпатенSKA (KarptenSka), but soon trombone and accordion are added and it becomes a rockin’ piece of ska. Ecstatic mono-syllabic vocalizations and trills top off the package. “Ha, hup – hey!” My favorite number is the last song Нехай, нехай (Let It Be) which starts with a child slowly singing about St. Nicholas, accompanied only by a lira (hurdy-gurdy). It’s a bit eerie, but very interesting. The song turns into a feel-good, bouncy little tune.

Read more about Haidamaky and their music on the following sites:
Haidamaky web site
Write-up on MORE ZVUKOV booking agency web site
Welcome to Ukraine magazine interview/article by Svitlana Abakumenko (link does not always work)

Orange Chicago

I didn't remember until a moment ago when read another blog that President Yushchenko and his wife just completed a visit to Chicago that started a day after I had been there. (Read the Chicago Tribune article) Here's a photo that I took in the street of Chicago's Ukrainian Village last Friday.

Chicago's Ukrainian Village

I recently returned from a long weekend in Chicago. So many attractions vie for your attention in Chicago, but I made a point of visiting one of my favorite neighborhoods in the city, the Ukrainian Village. This is the kind of place where you hear young guys speaking Ukrainian on the stoop of an apartment, where there are Ukrainian credit unions, travel agencies, insurance offices, and so forth. This authentic neighborhood isn't as gentrified, over-priced and filled with yuppies as some other Chicago neighborhoods. It isn't a huge area, but it does have a unique feeling & some places of interest.



I like to stop in at Ann's Bakery (2158 W. Chicago Ave.) for a fresh loaf of "European Rye Bread." Among other baked goods, Ann's also stocks a fine assortment of imported juices, teas, chocolates, and other food items. They even have 2 liter bottles of kvas. I have not opened my bottle yet, so I can't comment 0n the taste of kvas out of a plastic bottle. (Picture of korovai, Ukr. wedding bread made by Ann's Bakery.)

I strolled down the block to the Ukrainian Village Grocery (2204 W. Chicago Ave.) for some kovbasa to go with my bread - nice and garlicky! The Village Grocery also has a fine selection of imported spirits, including bottles of Nemiroff and wines from Odesa. I can't buy Nemiroff in Michigan, so I was delighted to find the Cranberry version, which I first tasted during a visit to Ukraine a couple of years ago. I have been searching for it ever since. I'm waiting for a special occasion to open it.

Another interesting shop is Delta Gifts at 2242 W. Chicago Ave. They have a wide assortment of items from Ukraine and other East European countries. I bought a book about Lviv published in Ukraine but written in English. The women in the shop did a wonderful job testing my comprehension of rapid Ukrainian.

Enough about shops. If you don't want to buy your food and eat on the street, just across the avenue is Sak's Ukrainian Village Restaurant (2301 W. Chicago Ave). They serve up steamy bowls of borshch along with other authentic dishes.

There are two stately Ukrainian churches in the neighborhood a bit off of the Avenue, just a couple of blocks apart from each other. I assume that one is Greek-Catholic and the other is Roman-Catholic, but I'm not sure. Maybe someone can post a comment to clarify this.

At least two museums provide further attraction - I have not been in either, so I can't say much about them, but you can follow the links below to see what is going on at each:
UKRAINIAN INSTITUTE OF MODERN ART 2318 W. Chicago Ave.
UKRAINIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM 721 N. Oakley Blvd.

To get to Chicago's Ukrainian Village, take Chicago Ave. west of downtown to where it intersects with Damen. The neighborhood lies between Damen and Western. If you have any interest in Ukrainian culture in America, it'll be well worth your time.
Also - check out Ann Gunkel's Ukrainian Village virtual tour