The Bulgarian band for ethno-rock poetry Gologan looks like an experiment in which poetry and music merge. The two poets Petar Chuhov and Ivan Hristov founded the band ten years ago. Later on they invited friends for a more diverse creative process. The name of the band Gologan derives from the Bulgarian word for a petty coin from 1881.

Radio Bulgaria talked to Gologan members Petar Chuhov and American Angela Rodel, a mandolin player, an ethno-musicologist and translator of fiction.

"At first we held literary performances”, Petar Chuhov says. “A year later, when Angela joined us music began to dominate our work. There were other newcomers to the group too, Ivan Valev, bass, and percussionist Grisha Manikatov. Poetry has been slightly eclipsed by music. Now we present our poetic works between the songs.”  

Some of the lyrics of the group emerged as poetry and this important connection will never be lost, argues Angela:  

"The music that I love best is Bulgarian folklore and American rock. I think that Gologan is an ideal combination of the two. Our songs come spontaneously - during rehearsals a guitar riff is played and then melodies with Bulgarian motifs come to me. When we got started ten years ago most bands performing world music had a focus on jazz, not so much on rock. This is what makes us different.”  

Petar Chuhov has had strong experience with a few rock bands including Subdibula, Tutaksi, Stanly and more recently LaText. How about his relationship with folklore?  

"I'm from the generation that grew up with folklore arrangements. I do not like this genre too much, as all such songs sound the same way. But even before I met Angela I was buying records with folklore not recorded in a studio and I really loved it. " 

“Authentic folklore is the source from which we draw motifs for our songs”, says Angela. “Some of them I have learned from people in the villages, as well as from field recordings. They have a special charge that fits our music. "

The first twelve songs of Gologan band have not been officially released on CD. Now the musicians have been working on new ones to become part of an album due to be released next year. The start of the project was given with Thirsty Horses. 

Gologan was a special guest with a recital at the final concert of the Golden Spring 2014 radio competition. And in the fall it attended a festival in Romania / MANIfest /Puiesti, Vaslui 6-8 September /. "It was an event opposing the exploration and extraction of shale gas there. The festival was very well organized, and was not unlike Woodstock with benches and bundles of hay in the field,” Chuhov recalls. Angela adds that the festival featured various music styles: from jazz to rock and reggae. Gologan presented their songs with rock and folk motifs and the audience responded with dancing.  
 
The tenth anniversary of the band is a good reason for a concert. The date for it has not been set yet but it will most probably be given in a Sofia nightclub next month.

English Daniela Konstantinova  

Audio, compositions by Gologan:

1.  White Rose

2.  Kaval Reggae

3.  Thirsty Horses

4.  A Song in A