Latvia 2000

May 5th: Brainstorm will represent Latvia with 'My Star'. Guna Zuchika e-mailed a long biography of the band, and it is partly reproduced below:

Today they’re the big pride and hope of Latvian rock’n’roll. Ten years ago they were five 13 and 14 year-olds with one original song (they never played covers) and a few fans at their school in the provincial town of Jelgava. Their story started in 1989, when Reynard Cowper heard Depeche Mode and thought – wow, that’s cool, let’s form a band.

The choice of line-up was more logical than musical because all of them – Reynard Cowper (vocal), "Magic" (guitar), Peter Scott Jr. (bass) and Nick William Simon (drums) – were in the same class at school. Only Mike Minolta (accordion and keyboards) was one year younger, that’s why he joined the gang several months later. In any case, half a year after their first rehearsal (at local registry office!), BrainStorm’s line-up was complete and hasn’t changed to this day. In 1992 their National debut with the As You’re Coming single jumped straight to the Latvian Top 10, mostly thanks to fans from band’s native Jelgava. Their next single Winter succeeded even better, reaching #2 in the national airplay charts. The subsequent Latvian Music Award as Best Newcomers was just a logical progression for the band.

In 1997 BrainStorm signed with Microphone Records (the company representing EMI in the Baltic countries) as it’s hottest priority artists and their next release Everything Goes Just As You Like It was one of the first albums in Latvia to go gold. The album was promoted with a competition for the project of a BrainStorm monument. The monument is now under construction.

BrainStorm since 1998 has been impossible to stop – they received three prizes at the Latvian Music Awards ceremony and the first international single Under My Wing was recorded at the Maryland studio in Germany. It was produced by Volker Hinkel (of the German band’s Fools’ Garden hit Lemon Tree fame) and received praiseworthy airplay all over the Baltics as well as in Sweden, Slovenia, Russia, Finland and Turkey. This success was followed by instant triumph at the Karlshamn (Sweden) festival where BrainStorm with their explosive stage show became the Grand Prix winners and the collective favorites. The excited media praised Cowper’s charismatic showmanship and vocal skills. (Kaupers, by the way, has a bachelor’s degree in journalism.)

At the end of the year while their current single Half Of Your Heart was enjoying its usual #1 success back home, the band recorded 5 tracks at Denmark’s PUK Studio together with producer Lars H. Nissen for their first international album, set for release in Spring, 1999. 3/4 of the album tracks has been recorded in EMI Studio Stockholm with producer Stefan Andersson . Second single " Weekends Are Not My Happy Days" from their forthcoming album " Among the Suns " already reach the #1 At Latvian airplay chart just in second week and still there!

Latvian TV have e-mailed me to say Latvia will hold its national selection for its first ever Eurovision Song Contest entry on February 26th in Riga. It will be broadcast on LTV-1.

Ilona Berzina at Latvian TV has sent this list of songs. Below it are details on the performers & writers.

1."I WILL RETURN"
Music by RAIMONDS TIGULIS (musician, composer)
Lyrics by REGINA TREIJA
Performed by KRISTINE BROKA
RAIMONDS TIGULIS - album "Moonlight Sound Design", plays in the band "Shake And Bake".
REGINA TREIJA - English teacher in the Talsi 2^nd secondary school, writes in Latvian and English.
KRISTINE BROKA - performs since age of 13, album "Kadel nepietiek man" dedicated to the 5^th anniversary of her debut.

2. "TAS SIRDIS KAS MUZAM NERAUD, NEDZ MIL"
Music by ANDRIS BARONS
Lyrics by MARTINS PARNICKIS
Performed by AGNESE PATARAJA
AGNESE PATARAJA - singer, a diploma of the contest "Looking for a Soloist", solo album and musical projects with the most popular and outstanding Latvian composers and musicians Imants Kalnins, Ainars Mielavs, Arnis Mednis.

3."LET’S GO IN SANE"
Music by LINDA FELDBERGA, MODRIS SKAISTKALNS
Lyrics by LINDA FELDBERGA
Performed by LINDA FELDBERGA (LINDA LEEN)
MODRIS SKAISTKALNS is a singer, musician, arranger, sound-engineer of the studio "AKTIV SOUND", composer.
LINDA FELDBERGA - host of musical programmes on Radio 2
 
4."IF ONLY STARS COULD SPEAK"
Music and lyrics by JANA KIVLENIKA
Performed by JANA KIVLENIKA
JANA KIVLENIKA - 4 MAXI CD collections, compilations in Japan, Indonesia,
Venezuela, Taiwan, Hong Kong, the Czech Republic, Romania, Russia, Mexico.

5."BALTA DZIESMA"
Music by RAIMONDS PAULS
Lyrics by GUNTARS RACS
Performed by KRISTENA STANEVICHA and GUNARS KALNINS
RAIMONDS PAULS - one of the most popular composers of all times in Latvia, politician, deputy of the Saeima (Parliament)
GUNTARS RACS - Marketing Director of the studio "Mikrofona Ieraksti", awarded by Raimonds Award " for the best lyrics. Participated in 23 albums as a lyrics author and musician.

6. "MY STAR"
Music and lyrics by RENARS KAUPERS
Performed by "BRAINSTORM", soloist RENARS KAUPERS
"BRAINSTORM"-RENARS KAUPERS, soloist
JANIS JUBALTS, guitar
MARIS MIHELSONS, key player,
GUNDARS MAULEVICS, bass guitar
KASPARS ROGA, drums

7. "WATERFALL"
Music and lyrics by JANA KIVLENIKA
Performed by JANA KIVLENIKA
JANA KIVLENIKA - 4 MAXI CD collections, compilations in Japan, Indonesia,
Venezuela, Taiwan, Hong Kong, the Czech Republic, Romania, Russia, Mexico.

8. "CLOSE TO YOU"
Music and lyrics by MADARA CELMA
Performed by MADARA CELMA
MADARA CELMA - singer, composer, participated in the contests "Looking for a Soloists" (3rd prize), "Song’ 2000" (2nd prize).

9. "EVERYDAY IS CIRCLE"
Music by ARNIS MEDNIS
Lyrics by JANIS RIBENIS
Performed by ARNIS MEDNIS
ARNIS MEDNIS - musician, composer

10. "FOR YOU MY FRIENDS"
Music and lyrics by MARIJA NAUMOVA
Performed by MARIJA NAUMOVA
MARINA NAUMOVA - singer, diploma of several international contests, solo-album "Balta baznica" (White Church; music by R.Pauls), programme of French "chansons", jazz programme, rock-and-roll programme and a programme of Russian songs.

11. "SET MY HEART ON FIRE"
Music and lyrics by JANA KIVLENIKA
Performed by JANA KIVLENIKA
JANA KIVLENIKA - 4 MAXI CD collections, compilations in Japan, Indonesia,
Venezuela, Taiwan, Hong Kong, the Czech Republic, Romania, Russia, Mexico.

12. "TADA ZEME"
Music by AIGARS GRAVERS
Lyrics by ARNIS HEIDEMANIS (NATARADZA)
Performed by OLGA RAJECKA, AIGARS GRAVERS, ARNIS HEIDEMANIS
AIGARS GRAVERS – sound-engineer of the radio company "Biznes Baltija", musician.

If you have any more news or comments, please e-mail me, Geoff Harrison, at my contact page and I'll credit your contribution.

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