Ostava

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Ostava
From left to right: Svilen Noev, Daniel Petrov, Boyan Petkov, Mihail Shishkov, Georgi Georgiev
Country	Bulgaria
Years active	1991- present
Genres	Alternative rock
Labels	Stain Studio
Members	Svilen Noev Georgi Georgiev Daniel Petrov Boyan Petkov Mihail Shishkov

Ostava is an alternative rock band from Bulgaria. They formed in 1991, but it wasn't until 2000 that they released a long-playing record (and subsequently received critical acclaim). Ostava is now arguably Bulgaria's finest modern rock act.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Formation and early years 1.2 Ping-Pong (2000) 1.3 After Love in the Time of War (2002) 1.4 Mono (2004) 2 Recent events 3 External links

[edit] History

[edit] Formation and early years

Ostava was formed in 1991 by university students Georgi Georgiev (lead vocals and guitar), Boyan Petkov (bass), Dragomir Dimitrov (drums). Singer-songwriter Svilen Noev joined in 1995, bringing in a handful of new songs and a new approach to song writing. He changed places with Georgi Georgiev and the band began playing songs written and sung chiefly by Noev.However, Georgiev is given lead vocals on several songs. Drummer Daniel Petrov replaced Dragomir Dimitrov in 1999, thus forming the line-up that would later record the group's first LP. Prior to Petrov's joining Ostava was enjoying slight critical praise and no commercial success whatsoever.

[edit] Ping-Pong (2000)

Ostava's first long-playing record was released in 2000, receiving overally positive reviews. The album alternates between melancholic, moody ballads and more guitar-driven tracks. The group quickly gained popularity, especially after "Would you come with me?" (Bulgarian: "Ще дойдеш ли с мен?") won the "Best rock/alternative song of the year" award at the MM Music awards. By this time Ostava were already performing regularly in various venues in Sofia and across Bulgaria.

[edit] After Love in the Time of War (2002)

"After Love in the Time of War" (Bulgarian: След любов по време на война) (alternative translation "After love in times of war") is arguably Ostava's most significant record to date. The album demonstrates the further development and elaboration of Noev's songwriting techniques and Georgiev's guitar work. Gifted multi-instrumentalist Mihail Shishkov joined the band, adding the sense of maturity and ripeness to its sound. The album was very well received and established Ostava as one of the attention-worthy Bulgarian rock acts. By this time the band had already acquired a solid and loyal following.

[edit] Mono (2004)

2003 saw another line-up change. Drummer Daniel Petrov left both Ostava and Bulgaria.He was replaced by Vladimir Vasilev, who had made a name for himself playing for Animacionerite [1]. With him on board, the band continued recording their third studio album. However, with Petrov returning a year and a half later, Vasilev was shown the door.

"Mono" was released in December 2004. As Noev put it, the album's sound was "far away from the melancholy Ostava is generally associated with". Indeed, "Mono" features several catchy soft rock tunes, vaguely resembling the raw existentialism of earlier works.

Nevertheless, the record received rapturous critical acclaim, with singles "Mono" and especially "Chocolate" topping Bulgarian charts. The end of this plunge-into-mainstream phase is yet to be seen.A follow-up to "Mono" is expected in 2007.

[edit] Recent events

Ostava recently opened for Ian Brown as part of the MTV EXIT campaign, which included Bulgaria.Two appearances at London's Brixton Telegraph followed.Having returned home, the band surprised with a semi-acoustic performance at Sofia's Backstage.

[edit] External links

• Ostava.com: The official Ostava website.Features a biography in English and German.
• Ostava@YouTube: A collection of low-quality live footage.
• myspace.com/Ostava: Ostava at MySpace.