Bulgarian rock ‘n’ roll band makes a splash in Korea

The maxim of Bulgarian band Tube Hedzzz is to stay as close as possible to the rock ’n’ roll of the 1960s and 70s, a golden era epitomized by legends such as Jimmy Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Grand Funk and Cream.

Tube Hedzzz has for the last few years revitalized the spirit of this rebellious music, adapting it to the finicky, nonconforming tastes of the contemporary audience.

The band has performed with renowned artists including Lili Ivanova, Blackstreet and Mystikal, and is making a splash everywhere with its bold and uncanny tunes. 

The trio -- comprised of lead singer and electric guitarist Angel Dyulgerov, bass guitarist Vesselin Vesselinov “Eko” and drummer Rosen Vatev -- came to Korea in early October through the support of the Korea Foundation, the Bulgarian Embassy and companies.

“Our name ‘Tube Hedzzz’ comes from the tube guitar amplifier heads, with the extra ‘zzz’ meaning the echoing sound of rock ’n’ roll,” Dyulgerov told The Korea Herald at the Bulgarian Embassy last week. “The tube amplifier was an important instrument in the 1960s and 70s, with everyone playing on it. The idea of the band is to go back to the roots of rock ’n’ roll, particularly those from the 1960s and 70s.”

Staying true to their ideals, the band’s first album “Back to the Bluezzz,” released in 2013, has 14 blues-inspired originals, including “I’m not afraid,” “Me and you” and “The simple things.” Their songs were written by Dyulgerov and arranged and produced by the group together.

The musicians performed at the Pyeongtaek Lake Festival on Oct. 1, the Korea Foundation Cheonggyecheon Music Festival on Oct. 2 and the 55th Tamna Cultural Festival on Jeju Island on Friday.

Dyulgerov explained that due to increased airport security, traveling with instruments has become harder for musicians of all genres. For their visit to Korea the band rented instruments, but he said that professional musicians are dexterous and nimble enough to play new instruments to their strengths.

“Rock ’n’ roll kept us alive during the communist times,” Vesselinov “Eko” highlighted, referring to Bulgaria’s domesticated music scene behind the Iron Curtain from 1946 to 1989.

Noting that it was illegal to listen to rock ’n’ roll -- considered the emblematic sound of the free-spirited, enterprising West -- in their erstwhile communist nation, the 53-year-old bass guitarist said people risked going to jail to listen to Western radios flowing from Luxembourg, the former Yugoslavia and Greece.

“As Bulgarians couldn’t travel abroad, we freed ourselves through the music of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and the likes,” he recalled. “It was a semi-secret that people were listening to Western pop. The communist state enforced commissions to judge which songs were okay and which were not.”

There were “no sex, no drinks and no drugs” in the lyrics then, he stressed, adding that songs critical of the government or authority were banned. Lyrics doused with words of the revolutionary color red were preferred, he added.

“A lot of bands were created in the early 1990s after the end of communism,” Dyulgerov said. “During the communist times, there was a version of Eastern European rock ’n’ roll, especially those from Hungary and former Yugoslavia. But the rock ’n’ roll these days sounds modern and Western, not like the old ones.”

Vatev, who plays the drums, stressed that music in Bulgaria is flourishing today, with scores of rock ’n’ roll bands, hip-hop artists, jazz musicians and classical performers enriching the cultural life of big cities.

“You can find any music you like,” he said. “The night life and club scenes are amazing in Bulgaria. Young people will love it.”

By Joel Lee (joel@heraldcorp.com)