Punkappella

This is a so-called punk choir.
The project was initiated in 2003 in Slovenia, and has been developed in New York.
It consists of Slovene and American self-reliant citizens:

Jessica Pavone - vocals, professional musicians -viola - www.jesicapavone.com
Mike Pride - vocals, drumms - www.mikepride.com
Bojan Tomažič - vocals, lyrics
Dušan Hedl - vocals, initiator of the project

Recordings - Concerts - Performances

July-August 2006 - recordings at NY studios for the CD

January 14, 2005 at 7.30 pm at St. Cyril's Church Hall, 62 St Marks Place, New York
Punkappella music project-in-progress presented in a form of performance, combining elements of rock music, a cappella singing and performative body movement (gestures, breathing), a cross talk of Slovene punk tradition and American avant-guard scene.

January 2005 - second recordings at NY studios - Jessica Pavone, Mike Pride, Bojan Tomažič and Dušan Hedl

May 2004 - first demo recordings at Mike Pride's studio in New York - Dušan Hed, Mike Pride, Jessica Pavone

Press

VEČER, 2 March 2005
Written by Zdenko Kodrič

The Slovene-American vocal project in New York -- Punkappella is an a cappela punk - The members of the Punkappella group say that their choir presents the other face of Slovene choir singing (...)

DNEVNIK.si - 19 January 2005 - Punkappella turned on the New York audiences
(STA)

Punkappella concept

Punkappella is American-Slovene music project. The members of Punkappella come from Maribor, Slovenia and New York City. Rehearsals and recordings take place is New York City, where the project is based.

The Punkappella concept is simple. As a matter of fact, simplicity itself is the concept of Punkappella.
Music in its various sub-genres have become a technical commodity, an industry article. Composers have become technical workers looking after perfect execution and production.

Consequently, in the modern music world we can now observe the principle of "how to exhibit more". During the process though, performers can composers have forgotten one thing - Emotions. The symptoms of this situation are "all girl" bands emerging in modern rock music as a radiant sensation. The girls attitude is not burdened and grave - namely, they have recently invaded the field previously occupied primarily by male musicians. At this very moment young women around the world
produce simple music with plenty of sincere human energy. Moreover, they do it in a simple way. Men who are overloaded by the historic tradition of great rock'n'roll creators mainly strive to continue the tradition. In this way, the elemental, simple human acceptance of the other is continually forgotten through an overly active focusing of "the center".

The name Punkappella emerged out of supposition that the situation nowaday is quite similar to circumstances in the 70s, when due to haughty attitudes towards creation, the modern pop music should have undergone a sort of crisis. The missing emotional aspect in music today might reflect quite a similar situation.

The philosophy of Punkappella assumes that our claims reflect only our own view of the current situation. However, the faith stands strong. Being conscious of the naivete (let's say artlessness) of your own act seems to be very important. In this way the door stays open - for a dogma change for the better. In this way the dogma simply ceases to be a dogma.

Thus the Punkappella undresses modern music production, taking off all of its accessories. It has stripped itself of all technical tools, set props, even all instruments. The performers instruments are only the "naked" body and its extension - a voice. The voice is not bound by any music forms, it is but obliged to follow the expression of a body of senses, a primal cry, a modern imprisoned urban body, a body that desires to remain young. A precise concept does matter - a body as a project and the voice expressing bare emotion. Heartbeat and breathing are not synchronized. Contrarily to the body, which cannot adapt itself to time, the voice is able to follow time as it is not actually a part of the body, but its extension. Punkappella presents the voice as a virtual body. However, on stage movement of the body is also eagerly presented. The performance is also a body exercise - utile et dulce.

On one hand, Punkappella lyrics are generally engaged, on the other hand it is personally expressive. Punkappella aims to be real. This is the goal that should be attained by Punkappella. Within a framework of its complex activities which merge with music forms, contents, set design, publicity and conceptual activities, Punkappella should deal with utmost reality. Taking into consideration the fact that at the same time a non-real world of performance (play) evolves in front of audiences.

Slovene choirs have toured around the world with successful projects. They have participated regularly in numerous international meetings and competitions with classical and folk song repertory
programs, which often includes experimental forms. A site specific tradition of choirs and vivid international co-operation undoubtedly has prepared the ground for a new initiative. A dormant idea of a punk choir project was activated in a moment when New York and Slovene musicians met in Slovenia. Since then, the idea has expanded into practice at a very quick pace - a potential of different expressions being fused for the first time has developed into a new form which is a composition of choir and punk, rock and performance art idiosyncrasies. First (trial) recordings were completed in New York in spring 2004. The first trial performances took place in autumn 2004 in Germany, where they were met with curiosity and interest. The aim of the project is to record a CD and present it in the USA, Slovenia and other parts of Europe.

The sensation and attraction of Punkappella should arise through dissolving and deconstructing forms of disparate traditions (choir singing and punk rock) into new engaged contents. Limitations of
genres, clichees and trends are questioned and respected at the same time. Where modern rock music language begins to fall into a serious relationship (emotion) with classical forms of choir singing, Punkappella takes place.

As the voice is an excrement of a body, the basic principles of Punkappella are being developed on real-time daily basis. Its own concept is being upgraded to attain its concept of simplicity. Consequently, we do not take responsibility either for our physical location or our philosophy stance in the real future.

LYRICS AND DEMO RECORDINGS:

I Am Broke
Express Yourself
Our Civilization
Tradition
Main
Future Shock
D-Day
Tell Me More
Mr President
So Far So Near
Psychotic Reaction
Wake Up
Mystery
If You Want
Because
Never
Up
To Get Better
No Change

Contact: subazil@mail.ljudmila.org