Musician Artūrs Uškāns on his path from accordion and tuba to folk and rock
Musician Artūrs Uškāns, from Latgale in eastern Latvia, discusses his career in an interview and his anniversary festival in three towns. He also talks about the return of compact discs and the unique kokles made by Donāts Vucins.
Artūrs Uškāns, a musician from Latgale in eastern Latvia, is marking a milestone birthday this year with three concerts he has called the Artūrs Uškāns Grand Anniversary Festival. They take place in autumn: on 31 October in Rēzekne, on 12 November in Valmiera and on 26 November in Ulbroka. In an interview with the Latvian newspaper Diena, he describes how he came to music and how he moved from rock ambitions to folk.
The road in music
Uškāns plays the kokle (a Latvian zither-type instrument), bagpipes and accordion, but he has wanted to play rock since childhood, and says bass guitar remains his favourite instrument. He was sent to music school at the age of nine and given an accordion, but at the end of the year there were plans to expel him after a poor result in the final exam. Teacher Vitolds Milaševičs, who led the boys' choir at the Rēzekne children's music school, saw talent in him and let him stay.
Later, at Rēzekne Secondary School No. 5, under teacher Rolands Ankipāns, he played bass guitar in an ensemble and tuba in a brass band. At music secondary school there was no need for another tuba player, so he was offered the bassoon, and teachers later took him into choir conducting. He completed that education with a specialisation in composition.
Folk and the Donāts kokle
The group Laimas muzykanti came about when the Laima student dance ensemble of Daugavpils University needed live accompaniment for a trip to a Song Festival in Canada. Uškāns says he found a rock'n'roll feeling inside folk music, and added electric instruments around the year 2000. The group's most-listened track on Spotify is Tōļi dzeivoj. For the 30th anniversary he released a remastered compilation of the best songs on CD.
His kokle was made by Donāts Vucins, and he has had it for more than 30 years. The maker, a former militia officer, began building koklės in retirement and used wood from lightning-struck trees.
CDs and anniversary guests
Uškāns notes that interest in compact discs and vinyl records is growing again. The festival will also feature Ieva Akuratere, Ilona Bagele, Raimonda Vazdika, Juris Ostrovskis, the groups Ogas and Laimas muzykanti, and other artists he has worked with over the years.
