Bambir is an

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...

rock band A rock band or pop band is a small musical ensemble that performs rock music, pop music, or a related genre. A four-piece band is the most common configuration in rock and pop music. In the early years, the configuration was typically two guita ...

from

Gyumri Gyumri ( hy, Գյումրի, ) is an urban municipal community and the second-largest city in Armenia, serving as the administrative center of Shirak Province in the northwestern part of the country. By the end of the 19th century, when the city w ...

. Spanning 4 decades and with more than 50 musicians passing through its ranks, the band has moved into its second generation- as in, sons of the original members are operating as a separate four-piece that is still part of the original ensemble. Founded by Jag Barseghyan in the 1970s in

, Armenia, Bambir was lauded as one of the best rock groups in the Soviet Union, performing original material, traditional Armenian songs, and modern arrangements of

Komitas Soghomon Soghomonian, ordained and commonly known as Komitas, ( hy, Կոմիտաս; 22 October 1935) was an Armenian priest, musicologist, composer, arranger, singer, and choirmaster, who is considered the founder of the Armenian national scho ...

and

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

Armenian music. Today, Jag Barseghyan records solo albums, ensemble albums, and performs with original members of The Bambir and other international musicians. In 1982 Bambir won the Folk Music Award at the International Festival in

Lida Lida ( be, Лі́да ; russian: Ли́да ; lt, Lyda; lv, Ļida; pl, Lida ; yi, לידע, Lyde) is a city 168 km (104 mi) west of Minsk in western Belarus in Grodno Region. Etymology The name ''Lida'' arises from its Lithuani ...

, Belarus. They celebrated their 20th anniversary in Moscow in 1998 and in Gyumri at their first Biennial. On their 30th anniversary, they released Armenian Scotch,ARAJINLRATVAKAN
“Album Launch of Bambir’s Armenian Scotch”
1in.am. Retrieved 5 December 2012. an album dedicated to the 140th anniversary of

Hovhannes Tumanyan Hovhannes Tumanyan ( hy, Հովհաննես Թումանյան, classical spelling: Յովհաննէս Թումանեան, – March 23, 1923) was an Armenian poet, writer, translator, and literary and public activist. He is the nationa ...

and the 250th anniversary of

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 175921 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who hav ...

. A separate but connected four-piece rock band The Bambir (Progressive Ethnic Rock'n'Roll) formed in

later in 1994, by Narek (son of Jag), Arman Kocharyan, Arik Bambir Grigoryan and Vardan Paremuzyan. While they started playing together in Armenia, they've earned a reputation in

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, the United States,

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

, and beyond. They have been based in Ireland as of January 2012. They write and perform their own music written by Narek and Arik, and are known for their vibrant stage presence in their live shows and unique sound.

Early history

In the sixties Jag began traveling to the city of Gyumri, traditionally Armenia's city of arts and one of the cultural centers of the Soviet Union. While there weren't many people listening to rock music in Yerevan at the time, an underground scene seemed to be thriving in Gyumri. It was there that he began to find like-minded individuals and appreciators of the music he loved. He started jamming with Robert Kocharyan (not the former Armenian president) on bass, Suren Martirosyan on guitar, and Levon "Watts" Nouroyan on drums, calling themselves Angin Qarer ("precious stones", in the Armenian language), playing hard rock. They soon morphed into their folk "bard rock" style, arranging pieces by

and moving on to their own original material, changing their name to Bambir. Performances and many albums followed and they toured Armenia, Russia, Europe and the United States. Members of the original band reunite for special concerts, and Jag continues to actively record and collaborate with local and international artists. He has been awarded by the Armenian Ministry of Culture for his achievements in Contemporary Armenian Music.

Second Generation

Narek (son of Jag) and Arman (son of Robert Kocharyan, an original member of "Angin Qarer"), friends since birth, grew up in

in the creative environment built by their fathers and community.Kavanagh, Paul
“Some Words With The Bambir
chewyourownfat.wordpress.com. Retrieved 5 December 2012. They picked up the guitar and bass at a very young age. They met Arik (flute) when they were nine years old, and their trio began jamming and performing on their own. In 1999-2000 they travelled to Los Angeles and New York, and even recorded an album (never released) in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

but had to return to

, and school. Ashot Korganyan joined them on drums in 2001. As the boys grew up in Gyumri they became better musicians and started playing more and more. The four-piece returned to Los Angeles in 2007, and Ashot left the band upon their return. That same year, the now trio travelled to Shoushi in Artsakh for a music festival and Narek, Arman, and Arik met Vardan, originally from

Vanadzor Vanadzor ( hy, Վանաձոր) is an urban municipal community and the third-largest city in Armenia, serving as the capital of Lori Province in the northern part of the country. It is located about north of the capital Yerevan. As of the 2011 cen ...

, Lori region. They continue to work with Jag. The band's notoriety grew as they finished university and continued to gig, and they started to attract international attention. They played in Moscow, Paris, Istanbul, Beirut, Georgia, and all over Armenia, placing third in 2010's Eurovoice Competition. They made the decision to make a go of breaking into the European market, and moved to Dublin in January 2012. Their incredible musicianship and intense energy on-stage made them stand out immediately, and it wasn't long before they were booked for festivals like KnockanStockan,Hot Press News Desk
"Knockanstockan: first acts revealed!"
''Hot Press''. Retrieved 5 December 2012. No Place Like Dome, Body&Soul,Hot Press News Desk

''Hot Press''. Retrieved 5 December 2012. and

Electric Picnic Electric Picnic is an annual arts-and-music festival which has been staged since 2004 at Stradbally Hall in Stradbally, County Laois, Ireland. It is organised by Pod Concerts and Festival Republic, who purchased the majority shareholding in ...

, as well as special events like launches and Tower Records' 19th birthday.Hot Press News Desk
"Happy Birthday Tower"
''Hot Press''. Retrieved 5 December 2012. They became known for their relentless gigging, sometimes playing 3 shows/night- their final performances in Dublin, 2012 were on Arthur's Day when they played 3 times in The Mercantile,

The Stag's Head The Stag's Head is a pub on the corner of Dame Court and Dame Lane in Dublin, Ireland. Records of a pub on the site of the Stag's Head date to 1770 (original construction by a Mr. Tyson) and 1895 (extensive rebuilding). The pub is known for t ...

, and The Sweeney Mongrel.Hot Press News Desk
"Stag's Head Gears Up For Arthur's Day"
''Hot Press''. Retrieved 5 December 2012.

State State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

called them "Ireland's hairiest and hardest working band," featuring them as part of their 2012 Electric Picnic coverage.White, Hilary A
"Electric Picnic '12: The Bambir"
State.ie. Retrieved 5 December 2012. They appeared on Near FM,near tv production
“Near FM Sessions- The Bambir- July 26th 2012”
neartv.ie. Retrieved 5 December 2012.

Radio Nova 100FM (Ireland) Radio NOVA is a radio station licensed by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, based in Dublin, Ireland. It was awarded its broadcasting licence by the BAI in September 2008 and launched on 1 September 2010. It is the only Dublin radio station ...

Dublin City FM 103.2 Dublin City FM (''Previously: Anna Livia FM and Dublin City Anna Livia FM'') is an Independent Local Radio station in Dublin, Ireland, operated by Dublin Public Service Radio Association Ltd, under a sound broadcasting contract from the ...

, and WDAR. While much of their live sets in Ireland are in English, they continue to perform and write songs in the Armenian language as well.CIVILNET TV
“The Bambir have Returned”
civilnet.am. Retrieved 5 December 2012. The band has recorded with international musicians like

Dietmar Bonnen Dietmar Bonnen (born 27 July 1958 in Cologne, Germany) is a German composer and pianist. Life Dietmar Bonnen studied music and fine arts in Cologne and Düsseldorf. In 1981 he founded the avantgarde-rock ensemble Fleisch, with whom he recorded s ...

. They have been based in Ireland as of January 2012. They write and perform their own music written by Narek and Arik, and are known for their vibrant stage presence in their live shows and unique sound.

Bambir Members

Present Members: *Gaguik "Jag" Barseghyan (founder) 1978–present *Grigor Mirzoyan -cello-2012–present *Anna Kocharyan -violin-2017–present *Sergo Tonoyan -keyboards-1982-85/2012–present *Narek Barseghyan – guitar, vocals 2002–2017 *Arik Grigoryan – flute, percussions, vocals 2002–present *Arman Kocharyan – bass, vocals 2002–present *Vardan Paremuzyan– drums (2007–2017), vocals The Bambir Members (Second generation): *Narek Barseghyan – guitar, vocals/1994–2017 *Arik Grigoryan – flute, percussions, vocals/1994–present *Arman Kocharyan – bass, vocals/1994–present *Vardan Paremuzyan– drums, vocals/2007–2017 Past Members: *Tatul Yeghiazaryan† 1993 - 1999 *Gourgen Hakobjanyan 1978 -2009 *Gaguik Hakobjanyan 1978 - 1983 *Artash Harutyunyan 1978 - 1983 *Mkrtich Hovhannisyan 1979 -1984 *Vrezh Aramyan 1979-1982 *Grigor Virabyan 1982 - 2001 *Armen Karapetyan 1983 - 1988 *Vardan Varosyan 1985 -1988 *Armen Sargsyan 1980 - 1998 *Edvard Yuzbashyan 1980 - 1984 *Murad Gasabyan bass 1983 - 1993 *Hrant Melqonyan bass 1987 - 1993 *Hakob Yesayan 1989 - 1993 *Vladimir Voskanyan 1997 - 1999 *Artour Hovhanisyan 1986 -1993 *Varouzh Vardanyan 1989-1990 *Ashot Hovhanisyan 1987 - 1993 *Seiran Vardanyan 1998 - 2002 *Levon Davtyan 2002 - 2004 *Ani Arakyan 2009–2015 *Armen Karjyan 2012-2015 *Ashot Korganyan - drums/2001 - 2007 *Mher Vardikyan - guitar/1997 -2002 *Garik Barseghyan 1992 - 1993 Angin Qarer - "Priceless Stones'' *Gagik "Jag" Barseghyan - Guitar 1969-1978 *Souren Martirosyan - Guitar 1969-1978 *Levon Nouroyan - Drums 1969-1978 *Robert Kocharyan - Bass 1969-1978 *Matos Margaryan - 1969-1978

Discography and Releases

Bambir (Jag): * 1999 – Quake * 2003 - Quake Released by Pomegranate Music Label http://pomegranatemusic.com/recordings/bambir/ http://www.allmusic.com/album/quake-mw0000670482 http://www.globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicCDReviews/MiddleEastNorthAfrica/BAMBIR.cfm * 2003 – J&G * 2005 – Blind Alley * 2008 - Alexandropol- recorded with “

" (Live) * 2011 – Armenian Scotch Recorded albums, EP sessions, Singles by The Bambir (Second generation): *2003 - "Alabalanitsa" (Nursery Rhymes) - Single *2004 - "Dark City Train" Single *2005 - "BBR". Best Folk Rock Album 2005 at the Armenian Music Awards. LA, California, in 2005. *2007 - "The Black" Album *2010 - "Thats Fine with Us" Single *2012 - "Urbane/Urban" Single *2013 - "Do You Love Me" Single *2013 - "Index Sessions" EP *2013 - "Imitate" Single *2015 - "Upsessions" Album Best Rock Band at the Armenian National Music Award: (2003, 2004) two years in a row.

Music videos

* 2003 - «Alabalanitsa�
Music video
* 2007 - «Children's games
Music Video
* 2004 - «Dark City Train�
Music Video
* 2010 - «Thats Fine with Us�
Music Video
* 2012 - «Urbane/Urban�
Music Video
* 2013 - «Do you love me�
Music Video
* 2013 - «Khio�
Music Video
* 2014 - «Black Blouse�
Music Video

References

{{Reflist 10. http://www.allmusic.com/album/quake-mw0000670482 11. http://www.globalrhythm.net/WorldMusicCDReviews/MiddleEastNorthAfrica/BAMBIR.cfm

External links

About Bambir

Youtube Channel

The Bambir's Facebook Page

Jag's Facebook Page
Armenian musical groups Armenian rock musicians Armenian rock music groups 1978 establishments in the Soviet Union Musical groups established in 1978 Soviet rock music groups