Pelenai 30

Česlovas Gabalis and the band „Pelenai“ have been heading in the same direction for three decades, staying true to themselves and their listeners. “We never set out to be fashionable; we simply wanted to be genuine,” Česlovas once said in an interview. That authenticity became the band’s calling card. January 1 at Klaipėda Švyturio arena will be an evening when time briefly stands still and the space fills with music that has become the soundtrack to the lives of the band and several generations of listeners. “Lopšinė”, “Sudie”, “Laiškai” and “Aš pavargau” are just a few of the band’s songs that probably every fan of Lithuanian music knows. But Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart and other rock legends’ hits have also become inseparable from „Pelenai“ and Česlovas Gabalis, forming part of their identity. The songs performed at the concert will feature the distinctive sound of „Pelenai“ and Česlovas’s unique, slightly husky, velvety voice. Although the band is marking its 30th anniversary, this concert is no dry retrospective. It is a major New Year celebration with live energy, legendary songs and genuine emotion. Few people know that the name „Pelenai“ and the first chords came earlier, but it was in January 1996, when Česlovas Gabalis joined the band, that its “golden” era began. Gintas Banys, the author of almost all the band’s hits, has always stressed quality over quantity. Back in 1998, G. Banys said in an interview: “We never looked for easy paths or cheap popularity. What matters most to us is that a song has substance, and that someone listening to it ten years later feels the same as we did when creating it.” That prediction came true: the songs sound just as relevant today as they did several decades ago. „Pelenai“ stand for consistency, quality and that distinctive roughness of voice concealing boundless sensitivity. Over 30 years, the band’s lineup has become a cohesive organism, and its performances a mark of the highest standard. Today, the band consists of loyal friends who have become like a musical family: Česlovas Gabalis (vocals), Gintas Banys (bass guitar), Audrius Piragis (guitar), Martynas Lu