Kūlgrinda

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Kūlgrinda is a folk group from Vilnius in Lithuania, founded in 1989 by Jonas Trinkūnas and his wife Inija Trinkūnienė. They were leaders of Romuva, a contemporary movement that revives the ancient Baltic religion. From the start the group has been the musical voice of that movement and often plays at its ceremonies. Romuva's website describes it as a ritual folklore group. The name comes from a secret underwater road in Samogitia.

Music and breakthrough

The music is simple and sounds as if it has had little studio processing. The emphasis is on the voices. The group has devoted itself to sutartinės, a traditional form of polyphonic singing in which several singers sing interlocking melodies. Through rhythmic repetition a pattern arises that one musicologist compares to the weaving of a multicoloured cloth. Albums such as Perkūno giesmės from 2003 and Laimos giesmės from 2014 contain ritual songs.

Influence

Kūlgrinda collaborated with the electronic musician Donis, the singer Rasa Serra and the metal band Ugnėlakis. The last of these collaborations gave rise to the folk rock group Žalvarinis. In this way the group is a bridge between age-old Lithuanian singing traditions and the modern folk scene.

Listening

• 
  Kada Buva Kadujo, Geri Metai Kadujo · Kūlgrinda, 2018

Discography

Studio albums

• 2002Menuo juodaragis
• 2002Ugnies apeigos (Rite of Fire)
• 2003Perkūno giesmės
• 2003Sotvaras
• 2005Prūsų Giesmės
• 2013Giesmės Žemynai
• 2014Laimos giesmės