Latvian Rollingstones and Ozijs – musician Ainars Virga / Article

Time hunter stories

Ainars is like a time hunter – it’s interesting that the show “Congratulations!” Uldis Briezis’ photo album with his name is given to him on his birthday. Virga, on the other hand, has a smoky memory story about the photographer Uldis Briedi: “It was a time when I was 15 or 16 and life in Liepāja was quite tumultuous – I didn’t always spend the night at home. Uldis had a room where the guys stayed overnight. There was no bed there, but there was a coffin, and then there was nothing left but to sleep in the coffin, “Ainars smiles.

Ainars has many stories, one more colorful than the other: after a concert, it was too late, but Ainars and his band members had nowhere to stay overnight. The local pastor gladly allowed him to spend the night in the church, so he asked to play at the church the next morning. An honor – grateful rock musicians gladly rewarded the pastor.

Beginning

The musical talent in Ainara was noticed by the kindergarten teacher and encouraged not to lose it. Thus, at the age of 5, his parents took Ainars to a music school, where he began to study violin. Igo studied violin two classes higher: “When I was in the 5th grade and Igo in the 7th grade, we met in the ensemble of the best violinists of the music school. We still have mutual respect,” also the American music market.

The 1970s were a time when the sounds of Western rock music were heard in Latvia along the lines of the Soviet Iron Curtain, records were transferred across the border in various ways, transcribed on tape recorders, reproduced, and a boom of vocal and instrumental ensembles began in Liepaja. They tried to play music heard from the Beatles and other foreign bands, as well as create their own compositions. Erik Kigelis, who was once the leader of Livu, was one of the pioneers: only they had.I was 12 years old when I first heard the band “Slade” Ah, how did it sound! Everyone beat their feet, what power! By the way, many years later in a concert “Slade” us warmed up. And also Suzia Quatro. Not just because “Liv” would be hedlaineri – there was such a peculiarity of the contract, “Ainars describes.

The guitar

Ainars started learning guitar, and very soon he started playing vocals in the instrumental children’s ensemble “Vabolītes”, the name of which quotes the enchanted “Beatles”: “During the month I learned all the violin benches (solo pieces – ed.) led by Erik Kigelis, he pointed out that as I do, no one plays the guitar. it will be useful for you! ” remembers Virga.

“My dream was to become the best guitarist in Liepaja, but I jumped over this goal, already playing in the group” Neptune “- I became the best guitarist not only in Liepaja, but in the whole Latvian SSR. Others think that Erik Kigelis taught me guitar, but “I, like many foreign rock guitarists, learned the instrument myself by exploring the possibilities of finding my own special sound,” the specifics of playing the guitar are described by Ainars.

“Originality does not develop when studying with a teacher. Unfortunately, many people do not have their own handwriting now, I think.”

In the group “Vabolītes” Ainars played together with his two-year-old brother, drummer Daina: “From time to time we played dances for children our age. Our friend and fellow farmer Guntars [Račs] also really wanted to beat the drums, but did not have a chance. Then once Dainis fell ill, Guntars went to the drums. He went the way he did, but now he’s a drummer. “

Childhood friend and songwriter Guntars Račs

Guntars Račs is the author of almost all the lyrics of Ainars’ songs. Ainar writes music easily, he is quickly inspired by words, and the melody comes. For example, the song “Bize” came from just two lines, which is hard to call a poem: “I hang in your braid, your braid sympathizes with me.”

“Ainars says, I have a song,” Guntars recalls. “I say: okay, but what song do you get from two lines? Ainars answers: well, you have to write the rest here,” laughs Guntars Račs, saying that very often you have to write poems for a ready-made melody.

Home concerts, Greenberg, Bumbiere and Lapchenox

It is interesting that the first compositions were created by Ainars playing in the group “Beetles”. It’s hard to remember, but maybe some of the self-created was played in the children’s day house concerts: “We always had a concert at home when the guests came. I have to say, “says Ainars.

“My favorite among the soloists was Ojārs Grīnbergs – I liked it because it was so playful and positive. Once upon a time, black-and-white photos of artists were sold in kiosks, and I had a portrait of Ojārs Grīnbergs, to which I later received his autograph and dedication to Ainariņš!”

At home concerts, the songs “Finnish Bathhouse” and “Hello, Rostock!” Ainars’ and Dainis’ repertoire includes almost all of Raimonds Pauls’ songs, which, incidentally, were useful when they later performed with the artists: “My brother and I said,” Please! “

Childhood and family

Ainars remembers his childhood and his parents with very warm words, his father was an authority, trustworthy, loving and principled: “My father was a teacher in a Soviet-era school. in Soviet times, he immediately became the principal of the technical school shook to college level. Now it is Liepāja Maritime College, which was also graduated by my son Rūdolfs, now the captain. ” And also the mother of the children, “Virga describes her childhood family feeling.

“As a child, I wanted to be a driver, because there weren’t many cars. It seemed that if you were a driver, you would get a ride.

It seemed like a dream. Driving a taxi was not a common occurrence either. I remember in Soviet times taxis began a new fashion: white Volga with a red roof. Not all taxis were painted that way, it started when my brother was just born. We were waiting then taxi in line for a car and I so wanted to have a car with a red roof. Then our turn came, and we were lucky: a dragonman came under the red roof, and Dad and I brought my mother and newborn brother home from the hospital. “

Conductor

After the children’s music school, Ainars entered the music high school: “I didn’t choose to continue teaching the violin, but playing the chord, because my dreams were only related to the guitar. It seemed that conducting would take less time than the violin. “We went to work, I went to school. But I didn’t stay at school, I went home to learn guitar,” laughs Ainars. “If I start something, I finish it.”

However, despite the basting, Ainars has repeatedly been an honorary conductor of the symphony orchestra: The Latvian Television Archive keeps a recording of the concert, which shows something quite surprising: the always stylish rock master Ainars Virga is dressed in a tuxedo. “Dzintars Beitāns, the first violin of the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra, wrote the notes. And then I named this piece” Dzintars “- thanks to Beitāns for his work. We put a score kruti. The three concerts were at the LNO. There was a poster with me all over the outer wall of the opera: I was standing with a guitar, in such a rocky style.

We didn’t expect people to get up, whistle and shout at the opera during the concert – the concerts were a huge success and a standing ovation, as they should be in a real rock concert.

Impressive! I had played opera with Igo before, so nothing like that happened. But at the “Livu” concert, at first I came in a tailcoat, I streamed, dropped the tailcoat and: go, let’s move on! “

“Liv”

After the joke, the guys from “Livu” gave each other nicknames: “My name was Ojārs. Tom had a nickname – Tomato, Grodum – Jancis, Dainis – Danilejs. The nicknames came out quite spontaneously. “Where is the neighbor Birze, has not been seen for a long time? That ‘s what we called Breeze. We later called it Neighbor.

The nicknames were also an element of lightness and creativity, as opposed to a huge load: “There was a time when we had two concerts a day. Sometimes even three. Free for two weeks and the same again. because in every concert you give yourself everything in. Plus – we had terribly heavy drums.I remember we performed in a place where there was a high and very narrow spiral staircase.After the performance it took another 45 minutes to remove all the equipment. was a great test, “Virga remembers the band ‘s concert life.

“Native language”

In 1986, the winds of awakening were still scarce, but the victory of the “Mother Tongue” in the “Microphone 86” song poll was a big step towards Latvian self-confidence and independence: “The Mother Tongue was the first messenger at a time when there was still strong censorship. the song was also stable in the first place in the poll, it didn’t want to be allowed, there were also arguments against Grodum not singing, but crouching. groups no longer had to leave, “Virga recalls in Soviet times.

“I didn’t find the text of” Mother Tongue “- Vieru’s poetry – it was given to me by the group manager: look, maybe something is coming to you! The next day with the band we tried on stage with great hardware – all the guys applauseas it sounded. “

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