SCH - The Heart of Former Yugoslavia's Alternative Scene

Even though alternative rock was very rare in the former Yugoslavia, there was (and still is) a prominent band that achieved massive national success and attention since the early 1980s.
SCH live onstage.jpg

The short story of Senad Hadzimusic and SCH

 First of all folks, the name "SCH" is derived from schizophrenia. A mental disorder centered around relapsing psychosis episodes such as hallucinations. The brainchild of the band (pictured below) was Sarajevo virtuoso Senad "Teno" Hadzimusich.
Teno aka SCH.jpg

They're still going sttrong

 Since their inception, SCH have recorded twelve albums and worked with a rotating ensamble of musicians. Their early lineup included Teno, sventeen-year old Rida Attarashany as drummer, and twenty-year old Petar "Pero" Erak as bass player.

SCH have also played a wide range of styles. Their first years were influenced by King Crimson, Frank Zappa, Captain Beetheart, Patti Smith, Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, and Brian Eno. By the time it came to record their self-titled debut in 1987, the band's sound was defined by harsh noise and war-themed lyrics, which started shortly before the Yugoslav wars broke out. This was first touched on with their second LP, 1989's During Wartime.

Speaking of which, unlike most popular bands of the day, SCH did not stop during the war and in fact, made a few more albums during this time such as 1992's White Music: Two Ways to German Art & Work Discipline and 1995's The Gentle Art of Firing.

After a 1995 concert in Prague (where Petar Erak had moved by then), the band went into a hiatus for pretty much the rest of the decade - issuing only one LP, the sequel to 1989's During Wartime, During Wartime...Again! During this time, Hadzimusich published a book of SCH lyrics Lyrics and Tales.

SCH had been active again since about 2001, nd continue to tour. Their 2002 LP Viril, showcased an electronic direction, which the band has continued to this day.

They left their mark...

 SCH have been compared in style to Ljubljana's LIabach, Belgrade's EKV, or Zagreb's Haustor. However, unlike all these bands, SCH have made a signficant legacy with their sound.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Legacy of Davorin Popovich and Indexi

Image
In the former Yugoslavia, there were many successful artists, but one of the most important, and even overlooked sometimes, was a popular band called Indexi (The Indeces). They had an awesome lead singer. The late, great Davorin Popovich today is remembered for has raspy, tenor voice - to me, a bit comparable to Burton Cummings of The Guess Who fame. Over the years, he has earned various nicknames such as Dacho and Pimpek. They were the seeds for other bands. Formed back in 1962, Indexi set the stage for what is now known as the Sarajevo School of Pop Rock - a movement that would live for the next three decades (a la before the Yugoslav wars). Their name, by the way, is the plural of Index - a student's gradebook. Each student was expected to record and maintain their own grades. The core  members, aside from Popovich, consisted of late guitarist Slobodan Bodo Kavachevich and bass player Fadil Redzich (pronounce "dz," like "s" in "risotto)."
Read more

Jimmy Stokley and Exile

Image
  Although of minor significance, today is 35 years since we lostJimmy Stokley of Exile. A little known Kentucky band, Exile is perhaps only known for their 1978 hit Kiss You All Over . In the 80s, the band shifted to more of a country sound, and has not made any noteable chart hits since. A Jagger-like frontman Born James Carr Stokley on October 18, 1943, Stokley joined The Fascinations in 1963, who then became Jimmy Stokley and The Exiles, featuring future Exile guiarist J.P. Penington  Jimmy Stokley and The Exiles, were, towards the end of the decade, shortened to simply The Exiles, before the plural form was dropped in the mid 70s, becoming Exile. Interestingly, Stokley's attire and attitude on stage led to many calling him the American Mick Jagger. One hitters In 1978, Exile issued their LP Mixed Emotions  through Warner Bros. records. The record features the disco-ey hit Kiss You All Over , written by producer Mike Chapman (also notorious for working with Blondie). Despite co
Read more

Bijelo Dugme - Former Yugoslavia's Greatest Rock Band

Image
In today's blog post, we will examine perhaps one of the GREATEST rock bands of the former Yugoslavia. Bijelo Dugme (The White Button), which by sound is largely influenced by the heavy metal likes of Deep Purple, Zeppelin, and Sabbath; however in culture, they were most simillar to the Beatles. In fact, there was a Dugmeania in the former Yugoslavia in the late 70s akin to Beatlemania in the US in the 60s. The brainchild of the band was a young man named Goran Bregovich, aka Brega. He was born on 3, 22, 1950 in Sarajevo to a Serbian mother and a Croatian father. At some point, his mother enrolled him into a music school with violin as a chosen instrument, but around twelve he was expelled showing lack of interest. Consequently, his mother bought him a guitar in his early teenage years. Brega's first bands were high school bands. He played bass guitar for Beshtije (The Beasts). At a  br in 1969, Bregovich met Zeljko Bebek who was part of a band called Kodeksi (The Codexes)
Read more