History
The band formed in 1979 in Opole as an initiative of guitarist Andrzej Nowak. The original line-up additionally included Stefan Machel (guitar), Janusz Niekrasz (bass) and Marek Kapłon (drums). TSA was originally an instrumental band. It won a "battle of the bands" during the 1981 Jarocin Festival at which members met Marek Piekarczyk, a singer in Sektor A. He debuted as TSA's vocalist a month later at the Pop Session festival in Sopot.
The band's song "Zwierzenia kontestatora" ("Confessions Of A Contestant") appears in the musical documentary Behind the Iron Curtain , which documents the heavy metal band Iron Maiden's first visit to Poland and other countries in Eastern Europe. The song is used as background music during the scene filmed in the music club Remont.
TSA's song "Marsz wilków" ("The Marching Of The Wolves") is used in the 1983 Polish children's movie Akademia Pana Kleksa (Academy of Mr. Kleks) – a film based on Jan Brzechwa's 1964 book.
The group disbanded on the eve of the 1990s, but came back together in the spring of 2001 to record and perform a 'classical line-up' of music.
As is common of heavy metal bands with acronym-based names, "TSA" may have no meaning, although in a 2003 press release one of the founders claimed that the acronym originally meant "Tajne Stowarzyszenie Abstynentów" – "Teetotallers' Secret Association". [1]
In 2018, the band suspended its activities. In May 2021, there was a reactivation with the core of the team supplemented by Zbyszek Kraszewski and Paweł Mąciwoda.
Czesław Niemen, often credited as just Niemen, was one of the most important and original Polish singer-songwriters and rock balladeers of the 20th century, singing mainly in Polish.
Kult is a Polish rock band formed in 1982 in Warsaw, originally consisting of Kazik Staszewski, Piotr Wieteska (bass), Tadeusz Bagan (guitars) and Dariusz Gierszewski (drums). Kult's early works were strongly influenced by alternative, progressive and punk rock, as well as the British new wave, but the band gradually incorporated more diverse and innovative styles in their music. The music of the band is primarily associated with strong lyrics by Staszewski and distinct wind section.
Lady Pank is a popular Polish rock band, started in 1981 in Wrocław by Jan Borysewicz and Andrzej Mogielnicki. One of the most popular groups in history of Polish rock. Its first hit was Mała Lady Punk.
Big Cyc is a Polish rock band formed in March 1988.
Turbo is a Polish heavy metal and Hard Rock band. It was started in January 1980 in Poznań by Henryk Tomczak. Turbo has been described as one of the most important bands in Polish heavy metal. Turbo's most famous album is Kawaleria Szatana, considered an opus of Polish heavy metal. The band is best known for the tracks "Dorosłe Dzieci", "Jaki był ten dzień", "Żołnierz fortuny" and "Wszystko będzie ok".
Voo Voo is a Polish music band that was established in 1985. The group's musical style is highly diverse, predominantly characterized by a fusion of rock and folk elements from various cultures, intertwined with a notable emphasis on improvisation. In more recent times, their creative repertoire has also embraced contemporary music genres like drum and bass, hip-hop, and nu jazz.
Leszek Możdżer is a Polish jazz pianist, music producer and film score composer.
Lao Che is a Polish rock band formed in 1999 in Płock by former members of the band Koli. Lao Che's musical genre is a crossover of various styles such as ska, ambient, and folk. The band's popularity grew quickly after their Powstanie Warszawskie concept album, which received many prestigious nominations and awards.
Wilki (Wolves) are a Polish alternative/pop rock band from Warsaw.
Andrzej Smolik is a Polish musician, composer, music producer, and multi-instrumentalist. He began his career as a keyboard player in the band Wilki in 1993. Later he collaborated with Wilki's vocalist, Robert Gawliński on the production of his solo album Solo. In 1996 and 1997 Smolik worked with the group Hey. He also collaborated with Hey's vocalist Kasia Nosowska on her solo album Milena in 1998. In following years he continued to work with Nosowska and Gawliński on their subsequent solo projects. He also worked with DJ Novika and with the group Myslovitz, and Artur Rojek, Mika Urbaniak, Krzysztof Krawczyk. Smolik won the national "Fryderyk" award for composers in 2003 and 2004. And in 2004 he won a 'Polityka's Passport Award' from one of the biggest opinion-forming newsmagazines in Poland - Polityka ("Politics"). His solo albums are Smolik (2001), Smolik 2 (2003), 3 (2006) and "4" (2010).
Armia is Polish punk rock band founded in 1985 by Tomasz Budzyński, Sławomir Gołaszewski and Robert Brylewski. Armia is famous for its use of horn, which was unusual of punk rock bands in late 1980s and 1990s. With poetic lyrics, written by Budzyński, and evolving, creative music Armia has gained popularity and respect over the years, and its concerts now attract numerous fans of rock music.
O.N.A. was a Polish rock/heavy metal band, formed in 1994.
T.Love is a Polish rock band formed in 1982, originally known as Teenage Love Alternative, by Zygmunt "Muniek" Staszczyk, Janusz Konorowski, Dariusz Zając and Jacek Wudecki, all friends from high school in Częstochowa.
IRA is a Polish rock band formed in 1987 in Radom by Jakub Płucisz (guitar), Wojciech Owczarek (drums), Artur Gadowski, Dariusz Grudzień (bass) and Grzegorz Wawrzeńczuk (keyboards). They gained wide popularity in Poland in the early nineties, mainly after releasing the "Mój Dom" album, with the hit title song, which dates back to their garage and semi-professional days. They also gained some local popularity amongst Polish-speaking citizens in the United States, where they lived and worked for few months. After signing a professional contract back in Poland, they released a few albums which did not prove to be commercially successful, and the band disbanded afterwards. Artur Gadowski started a solo career. He opened for Brian May before his show in Warsaw in September 1998. Artur's solo efforts were not very successful either, and what success he did gain was largely based on the then high profile of IRA.
Farben Lehre is a Polish punk band formed in 1986 by Wojciech Wojda and Marek Knap, playing their first concert on October 21 of that year in Płock. In 1990 the group won the coveted Jarocin Festival prize. The band's first album, Bez Pokory, was released in 1991, and since then they have been quite successful on the local and international punk rock scene.
Andrzej Tomasz Piaseczny more commonly known as Piasek, is a Polish singer, songwriter, actor, and television personality. Former Mafia singer, Member of the Phonographic Academy of ZPAV. In the years 1997–2010 he performed in the TV series Złotopolscy, where he played the singer Kacper "Górniak" Złotopolski. His solo career began in 1998. In the same year he performed in a duet with Natalia Kukulska, with whom he recorded the song "You Are Near Me", and also released a solo single "I Know My Way", used in the soundtrack to the movie The Magic Sword – Camelot Legend. Piasek represented Poland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2001 with his up-tempo dance song "2 Long". Since 2008, the artist has collaborated with Seweryn Krajewski.
Raz, Dwa, Trzy is a Polish music band, which joins rock, jazz and folk with contemporary poetry. It was founded in February 1990 by students of the Pedagogical College in Zielona Góra. Among founders, there were: Adam Nowak, Grzegorz Szwalek, Jacek Olejarz and Jacek Ograbek.
Closterkeller is a Polish gothic rock band from Warsaw. It was formed in 1988 by Przemysław Guryń, Jacek Skirucha, and the vocalist Anja Orthodox. Despite many changes in the band's line-up it has created a characteristic sound. Orthodox is the only member of the original line-up, performing continuously for over 30 years. The band is called one of the forerunners of gothic and atmospheric rock in Poland. They are also influenced by other music styles such as new, cold wave, and heavy metal. Many other groups like Delight, Moonlight or Artrosis said they took inspiration from Closterkeller.
Kat & Roman Kostrzewski was a Polish thrash metal band formed by Roman Kostrzewski and Ireneusz Loth after they had left their original band KAT in 2004. Most of the fanbase of KAT views Kat & Roman Kostrzewski as its rightful successor, mainly due to the characteristic vocals of Roman, his lyrics and choice to sing in Polish as in most of KAT's original albums.
Świetliki are a Polish band formed in Kraków in October 1992. They perform music described as a mix of alternative rock and sung poetry.
