About us
Roaring Twenties

Andrzej Grzela "Qńa"
Wojciech Dudziński "Sęp"
Andrzej Marciniec "Martinez"
Bogdan Kuśka "Bodziec"
Łukasz Drzewiecki "Matrix"

1983 - one could complain about everything, but definitely not about the lack of drive and optimism shared by a group of friends from I Water Team of the Organization of Polish Scouts, Scout Troop in Bytom. They decided to put their love towards sailing and adventure, as well as longing for freedom, then understood so literally, into songs sung by them. They were set up spontaneously - from the need of the heart, to joy of them and others.

Bound by their dreams, from the times of their youth to the first grey hair, despite small but noticeable changes in the composition of the band, they are still walking their artistic path.

From the very beginning of their adventure on stage fortune was favourable. Hearing their sailing songs full of joy as well as shanties - the sea songs of work - full of powerful harmony they it has given them numerous awards at sailing songs festivals. Their streak started from "TRATWA 83" ("THE RAFT 83") festival in Katowice in 1983, where, among others for the song "Spanish Girls", they received II award. The song is still with them today. Then it was just getting better. As they themselves say, each award received at a festival is most important for them, and each token of liking and a smile from the audience a payment for and a spark towards further work. Despite many received awards, three of them have a special meaning for the band - Grand Prix of International Shanties Festival in Kraków (won twice in 1984 and 1999) and Grand Prix at the XXV anniversary of "SHANTIES" Festival in 2006.

Five, exclusively male a'cappella (vocal, no instruments) voices or with the guitar is the band's flagship. Over the years, by creating unusual arrangements they have worked out their individual style and characteristic sound. They are not afraid of experiments and music novelties and the range of their repertoire encompasses romantic Irish ballads and original songs as well as new versions of shanties, songs for children with the theme of ecology, humorous miniatures of classical music to finish on gospel repertoire.

Their passion in inevitably connected with travelling - adding kilometres of routes they have covered would certainly amount to going round the Earth a few times. They have visited many ports - by sea, air or land, they have knackered many cars and have slept in a number of berths. Almost every week they set off somewhere in Poland, not avoiding many spectacular concerts or cultural events - also the ones broadcast by national TV stations. Nearly every year they go abroad and so far they have visited such countries as: Italy, Germany, countries of former Yugoslavia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Canada and the United States. It was in America, where they have already been thrice, where as the only "white" band they had the possibility to sing in a Methodists church (Asheville, NC 1994). Invited by the pastor and Afro-American community to a spontaneous taking part in Sunday church service they have forgotten whether they were giving a concert (Gospel & Spirituals repertoire included in the "By The Waters" record) or whether they were praying by singing. Today, they all agree that next to a sailing mass where they were singing, right in front of the painting of Mother of God of Jasna Góra, it has been their most important spiritual-musical experience.

It seems that they are going to last for ever, and their songs definitely will. One can already say that they unite generations. Even though with every day they are older and, as the story goes, better than wine, they do not stop composing, the evidence of which are 10 recorded CDs and a bag of surprise presents, which they are going to put into practice in their already third decade. Soon, their new record with new songs is going to be released on our market...

They are unpredictable, so with the benefit for all they are bound to surprise us!

CONTACT WITH THE BAND:

DWUDZIESTKI@ryczace20.pl

ANDRZEJ GRZELA "QŃA"
QNA@ryczace20.pl
tel. 0-501 433 393