Many want it and try to be it, the Belgrade art rock band Lira Vega somehow naturally, by itself, has always been different. "An uncompromising alternative", that's how critics called the group led by singer Zoja Borovčanin, which was formed in the late 90s as part of the Hat Theater troupe. They were only supposed to compose music for the play "Winter or dreams or travel in all directions", but the musicians are already known to the audience through their work in the groups Del Arno Band, Kzna za ushi and KKN, with the success of the single "Alfa Akvari" they continued to work , which has resulted in three studio albums, awards and numerous performances, both in Serbia and in Europe.
Five years have passed since the release of the last release of the Belgrade band, the album "Duhovi", which they are still promoting, so they released the penultimate video from it for the track "Uvek ču te voleti", and also announced the next release. Since it is almost impossible to perform recently due to the situation with the coronavirus, Lira Vega organized the promotion of the music video in Belgrade, where the film "Ghosts from the Past" was shown, on which an unusual performance of the album "Ghosts" was recorded, which this team left to their many colleagues. from the scene of the groups Artan Lili, Darkwood Dub, Bitipatibi, Xanax... They talked about current events in the band for "Vijesti".
Why and how now, in this time of madness about the corona, a new music video, film and concert? Where and when was the video shot, how was it on the set?
The video was made from recordings that were made this year and last year, they were made by our guitarist Vladimir Đorđević and our constant collaborator and editor of this, as well as some earlier videos, Nikola Vrzić. We took additional pictures on an excursion, on a warm day in August, on Deliblatska peščara. We wanted to release a video that talks about love for the life of the planet and mentions summer while summer is still going on. Despite the corona, life has not and will not stop. If the economy and elections are by no means stopping, we wanted to give ourselves and the band's listeners a little enjoyment in the confusing times we live in. We promoted the video in the "Grad" Cultural Center, and on the same evening we played our film "Ghosts from the Past", which was created in 2016 and is a recording from the promotional concert for the album "Ghost". Since concerts and larger gatherings were stopped, there was no gig.
Are you satisfied with how the album "Duhovi" was received? This is the penultimate video from the album, when can we expect the next one?
The album was released in 2015 and we are now finishing its thorough promotion. We screened 10 songs from the album, and there is one more - "Blues". We have the material, we just have to sit down and deal with it. We are satisfied, although it can always be better, if more media channels were open to music different from the mainstream, such as ours, I believe that the album would reach a little more to those who are not "by default" oriented towards our sound.
You are working on new material, what direction is it going in so far?
As for the sound, it is still the biggest task, and the line-up is the same as on the previous album, so vocals and guitar along with the matrices. We have constant rehearsals, it seems to us that the desired sound is getting closer, we record and search. The songs are laid out, and now we are working on more complex details, polishing the lyrics, the sound of the guitar, and then we enter the studio and mix. The album is called "Consequences of Work" and talks about the consequences of human myths, implicit truths and everything that this has led to our civilization.
How was the film "Ghosts of the Past" made and will it be available online later?
The film had its "premiere" two years ago, and since then we have shown it in several places in Belgrade, as well as on national television. We won't put it online just yet, because we're treating it as a special treat to serve up for sweet dates and reminiscences in the future. The idea of that promotional concert for "Ghosts" was to have all the songs from the album played by fellow musicians from other bands, so we gathered a crew and recorded it all and now we have a real concert film.
What motivated you to create that unusual concert, what was it like to attend your concert from the role of an observer?
We were preparing a promotion and quite by chance, this idea slipped through the joke, and it fit in with the host's desire to make that evening something different from an ordinary concert. All the musicians we invited chose their songs easily, their wishes and sensibilities matched perfectly with the songs, and during the preparation there was not a single tense situation, the enthusiasm of the participants was incredible! We enjoyed that evening and are very glad to have a record that will always take us back to that exciting time.
When will we see you in Montenegro, you haven't come for a long time, have you received any invitations?
Unfortunately, there are no calls or contacts, we are compact, simple and ready to go out and play as soon as the conditions are right, call us, write us! We hope to see you soon!
People in Serbia are thrown out onto the streets despite the corona
How has this whole corona situation affected you? Do you think musicians are among the hardest hit?
Musicians are affected to the extent that live performances, festivals, and therefore earnings from these activities are prevented. We are sure that there are many more vulnerable groups, in Serbia, despite the corona, people are still thrown out of their apartments onto the streets due to debts, mass unemployment... Regardless of the primary job, the poor remain poor in an increasingly worse position, while the rich boast and they are getting richer, and that is the real tragedy of the time we live in and the corona. We believe that only the rebellion of the oppressed and despised against the savagery of neoliberal capitalism can bring about real changes, both among musicians and in other professions.
Bonus video:
