The prince charming of Armenian pop - Armenian Reporter

Above left: Armanand Arik sharea mike duringthe first set ofBambir’s showat Stop Club inYerevan. Aboveright: Armanembodies JohnLennon for thenight, singing andacting the partwith energeticreverence.Right: Club 12 inYerevan. Dr. Naregtakes a break fromhis stage theatrics.Photo: AnushBabajanyan.time during the band’s early stagesin a Soviet republic. “It was verypagan rock, not nationalistic. Itwas different,” Nareg says. But asthey began to play more of theirown compositions – drawing onother, perhaps culturally morepersonal, musical influences suchas Komitas – a loyal fan base developed,not only in Armenia but,in time, internationally as well,throughout other Soviet republics.Bambir won the Folk MusicAward at the International Festivalin Lida, Belarus, in 1982. Theycontinued their involvement inthe theater, with stage plays androck operas such as “Jungle BookMaughly” (1986), and continuedto tour and present their musicto international crowds in Russia,Georgia, Baltic countries, and theUnited States.The sound that Bambir had createdwas unique and Jag’s lyrics– his keen perception and cleverlyapt expression of his ideas –proved the capacity of the band tobe a truly monumental presencein the music world.“We are the sons of a newgeneration...”At only 24 years old, Nareg, Arman,and Arik are talented beyond theiryears; they are so natural whenthey play, it’s hard to imagine atime when they weren’t this way.Nareg remembers it, though, andsmiles as he talks about what wasperhaps the true beginning of thisnew generation of Bambir: a fatefulday 1992 when the older Bambirwas on a tour in the UnitedStates. Back in Gyumri, instrumentsin hand, Nareg and Armandecided to put together a surpriseperformance for their fathers’return. Nareg retells the story,laughing: “They came in and la lala we started to play and my fatherlooked at me and said, ‘What shitmusic! Stop playing, I’m tired!’and encouraged me to take up agriculture.”Not to be discouraged, however,the boys (joined, soon after, byArik) continued to play and createmusic, developing a sound thatwould carry Bambir into a new era.Moving forwardToday the boys put on shows thatare frequently surprising as theybuild on themselves and growinto full-blown string-ripping,cymbal-crushing, theatrical rockperformances that are seriouslybrilliant but undeniably funny.There are no straight faces in anyof their crowds, only the giganticgrins and glossy eyes of pure delightas each person connects tothe music, and the boys, in an absolutelystartling way – a phenomenonthat is becoming increasinglyrare in music these days. Theirsis a pure and raw and honest sort,with no pretense and hardly anyarrogance (given their incredibletalent), just serious music with anedge of humor that forever setsthem apart. They have somethingthat’s impossible to ignore.Nareg acknowledges this qualityand attributes it to their roots inthe hardscrabble city of Gyumriwhere, despite their tragedies andhardships – including the earthquakeof 1988 – you may find someof the happiest and most generouspeople in Armenia. “Gyumri isa city of humor and in many waysthis enters into our music,” Naregsays. “When you play without humornothing can be, nothing cancome of it. The emptiest artistsare without humor.”C4 Armenian Reporter Arts & Culture 11/10/2007