Mertvyi Piven

Founding date – 1989
City – Lviv
Language – Ukrainian
Genre – rock

Original lineup (1989—1992):

Liubomyr «Liubko», «Futor» Futorskyi – vocalist, founder of the band;
Roman «Romko Sihal» Chaika – guitar;
Misko Barbara – vocals;
Roman «Romko» Ros – violin;
Yaryna Yakubiak – vocals;
Yurii Chopyk – guitar;
Taras Banakh – sopilka (in 1989—1991).

Band lineup 2023 – present:

Yurko Roketskyi – vocals;
Svitlana Kyrylchuk – vocals;
Oleh «John» Suk – bass guitar;
Roman Chaika – guitar;
Oles Slobodian – drums;
Mykola Yereha – guitar;
Liubko Radomskyi – flute;
Yurii Chopyk – guitar;
Andrii Alfavitskyi – percussion.

History of the band Mertvyi Piven

Mertvyi Piven is a Ukrainian rock band formed in 1989 by young musicians studying at Ivan Franko University in Lviv. The band's first vocalist, Liubko Futorskyi, became its leader. The name of the band was chosen for a reason: an iron rooster figurine decorated the «Staryi Lviv» café, where the future legends of the Ukrainian rock scene often gathered. Since the 1970s, «Staryi Lviv» had been a gathering place for Lviv's «flower children». That is why the band members began referring to themselves as the «fourth generation of hippies».

During the young band's first performances, only acoustic instruments were used, while the compositions represented the «Roosters'» musical experiments. The first recognition from critics and the audience followed. Starting out as pioneers of Ukrainian alternative music, Mertvyi Piven gradually gained cult status. A defining feature of the band's work emerged: creating songs based on the poetry of prominent Ukrainian poets – Taras Shevchenko, Viktor Neborak, Oleksandr Irvanets, Yurii Andrukhovych, Serhii Zhadan and others.

Over three decades of creative history, the band's lineup underwent many changes. After Liubko Futorskyi moved to another band, the co-founder of the group, Misko Barbara, became the vocalist of the «Roosters». At the same time, he pursued an acting career at the «Arabesky» theatre in Kharkiv. Working on several projects across different fields of culture and art was a characteristic feature of many of the band's members.

Creative journey

The group's first live performance can be considered its victorious appearance at the «VyVykh» festival in Lviv in 1990. The following year, the band appeared on the stage of the «Chervona Ruta» festival. The first release, titled «ETO», took place in 1992. Since Mertvyi Piven never attempted to define specific genre boundaries for its music, each album stood out with its own characteristics: its sound and shades of meaning. Thus, bard rock prevailed on the debut record. The 18 songs that became part of the Golden Treasury of Ukrainian rock'n'roll were recorded without drums or bass guitar.

The band toured actively throughout the 1990s. The music of Mertvyi Piven was heard in Ukraine and abroad: in Poland, Germany, Slovakia, Austria and France. Experiments with the sound continued, with new instruments being added, including electric guitars and a rhythm section. Mertvyi Piven participated in the recording of the compilation album «Choir of Mongolian Policemen», featuring poetry by Serhii Zhadan. The album was released in 2007.

2011 effectively became the point at which the «Roosters» ceased their creative activity. However, in spring 2023, the band made a high-profile comeback. Yurii Roketskyi became the group's new vocalist. The band was reassembled literally piece by piece. There were shifts in various genre directions. Blues, hard rock and psychedelic elements appeared in the compositions. The musicians continued creating music in the way that was interesting to them personally.

Awards and distinctions, social activity

The distinctive band's active creative work earned it a huge army of fans and festival awards. Among them:

«VyVykh» (Lviv, 1990);
«Chervona Ruta» (Zaporizhzhia, 1991) – first prize in the «Acoustic Music» category.

The band members have always been actively involved in civic activities, appearing at various protests and other events aimed at supporting human rights and freedoms.