Jerguš Oravec

Jergus Oravec was born in Trencin, Slovakia. He is the only child of academic painter Juraj Oravec and his wife, dancer Jana Oravcova. He took up the study of piano at the age of six and actively played for seven years. Leaving the piano behind, Jergus discovered the guitar at the age of sixteen. He is grateful for his beginnings to Led Zeppelin and the guitar of Jimmy Page. Musically developing, he began his first rock band, Next Page. Playing all over Slovakia, despite its limited ensemble (trio), the band is capable of working its way to the national finals of the Blast:beat competition in 2008—with its own repertoire. In the same year, the band also recorded its first album of the same name. Eventually, Jergus reached out to the roots of music—the blues—and the band grew by two more members (saxophone and keyboard). Next Page changed their musical style and published a blues DVD, “Just One Night”. This recording from a live concert was later nominated for the Blues Newcomer of the Year in 2010. In the meantime Jergus records a demo acoustic project, “Born”, which contains such blues standards as the music of Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters or T-Bone Walker. 2011 marked the transition to more experimental genres, such as nu-jazz, neo-soul, traditional jazz and funky. In the same year, Jergus participated in the Czecho-Slovak version of the singing competition American Idol and musically influenced a large audience. Jergus was among the top 16 finalists of the show, but was eliminated with the song Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd, which he later recorded live at the Slovak Radio Expres. Jergus is currently heavily playing in Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Poland with his musical project Jergus Oravec Trio. Often playing in clubs, the band also plays at music festivals. In 2012, the Jergus Oravec Trio became the laureate of the prestigious international blues festival Blues Alive. Furthermore, Jergus’s album “Just Above The Surface” was recently selected among the top 20 best self-produced blues albums from around the world at the International Blues Challenge 2013. With his band he played at Sziget Festival in 2013 and he also released one new live album, “Done So Far” which was recorded in famous music club in Brno, Stará Pekárna in the same year. It was released under IndieScope Records label. The CD contains cover songs by John Mayer, Bob Dylan among with other blues standards, and also Jergus own songs, with live version of his new single “(You Won’t) Get Away”. Jergus Oravec Trio also opened the central European most famous Blues festival Blues Alive 2013 in Sumperk, and they played for the prisoners in the most secured prison in Czech Republic, Mírov. Now, he tend to move more towards his folk and songwriting heritage. He has recorded one studio album, one Christmas single, one live CD and two live DVD recordings. He has collaborated with many influential Slovak musicians and continues to work with some of the biggest names on the Slovak music scene. In May 2014, he released his debut studio EP called "Aries" which features his first single "Get Away" followed by Music Video with the same name. Living legend of Slovak pop-music scene, Richard Müller, personally choose Jergus to be his exclusive opening act. In late 2014 he won Slovak Blues Challange competition (Best Slovak Blues Act) and is going to be a Slovakian representative artist in Brusel in March 2015 In early 2015 he has founded The Youniverse along with Tammy Niznanska on vocals. The band is more rock and roll oriented and released their first EP entitled Raise Hell Kid in March 2016 Jerguš Oravec - narodil sa v Trenčíne. V šiestich rokoch začal študovať hru na klavíri na ZUŠ v Trenčíne. Po prvom študijnom cykle (7 rokov) školu zanechal a hudbe sa prestal na nejaký čas venovať. V trinástich rokoch prestal reprezentovať v bedmintone a objavil gitaru. Za svoje gitarové začiatky vďačí najmä, Led Zeppelin a gitare Jimmyho Pagea. Neskôr začína hudobne dospievať a zakladá svoju prvú hudobnu formáciu s názvom Next Page. Kapela koncertuje po celom Slovensku a napriek svojej útlej zostave (trio) sa dokázala so svojim vlastným repertoarom prepracovat az do narodneho finale sutaze Blast:beat v roku 2008. V rovnakom roku nahráva kapela rovnakomenný album “Next Page”, ktorý pokrstil Pavol Hammel so skupinou Prúdy. Jerguš, stále viac a viac preniká ku koreňom hudby a k blues, aj preto kapela stihla do konca roku 2009 zmeniť obsadenie z tria na kvintet (+ saxofón a klávesy). Next Page zmenili svoje hudobne smerovanie a vydali bluesoveé DVD s názvom "Just one night", ktoré bolo v roku 2010 nominované na bluesový objav roka. Jerguš este medzitým stihol nahrať demo akustický projekt "In Blue", ktorý obsahoval bluesové štandardy napr. od Roberta Johnsona, Big Bill Bronzyho alebo Muddy Watersa a T-Bone Walkera, spolu s Jergušovými po slovensky spievanými skladbami. V roku 2011 začína viac inklinovať k pop-music, nu-jazzu, blue-eyed soulu ale aj tradičému jazzu a funky. Veľa koncertuje po ČR a SR. V roku 2012 vyhral spolu so svojím novym projektom 3JOm prestiznu cenu na festivale Blues Aperitiv, kde získal cenu poroty aj cenu divákov a účasť na medzinarodnom Bluesovom festivale Blues Alive v Šumperku a v Krakowe. Začiatkom toho istého roku vydal aj druhé DVD tentokrát so spomínaným 3JOm, s názvom “Still Learning”. Zároveň vzdal hold jednému zo svojich slovenských spevackych vzorov, Petrovi Lipovi, v relácii Slovenskej Televízie, “Legendy Popu”. 2013 – Jeden z dvoch slovenských zástupcov na oceňovanom európskom festivale Sziget v Budapešti. – Vydáva album “Done So Far”, ktorý mapuje doterajší rast a uzatvára kapitolu Tria a vzdavania holdu svojím hudobným koreňom. Album obsahuje cover verzie Johna Mayera, Boba Dylana, bluesové štandardy a autorské skladby. Jerguš sa tu predstavuje ako líder zoskupenia a zároveň ako sólo trubadúr s akustickou gitarou. Album vyšiel pod hlavičkou vydavateľstva Indie Scope Records a bolo nahraté v hudobnom klube Stará Pekárna v Brne. – Vydáva singel “(You Won’t) Get Away” – Otvára medzinárodný bluesový festival Blues Alive 2013 v Šumperku a zároveň koncertuje vo väznici Mírov v Českej Republike – vydal debutové EP s názvom “Aries”, ktorý pokrstil Peter Lipa – Richard Müller si ho vybral ako exkluzívnu predkapelu svojich koncertov s kapelou. - V Októbri 2014, vyhral so svojim Triom, Slovak Blues Challange a bude reprezentovat Slovensko na festivale v Bruseli v marci 2015 V 2015 založil spolu s Tammy Nižňanskou The Youniverse. Kapela je orientovana viac do rock and rollu bluesu a surf rocku. V marci 2016 vydali prve EP s nazvom Raise Hell Kid Resumé - 1 sólove EP "Aries", 1 EP "The Youniverse - Raise Hell Kid" 1 štúdiový album (Next Page), 1 vianočný singel, 1 internetový release (In Blue), 2 live DVD (Just One Night, Still Learning), 1 live CD (Done So Far), spolupracoval s Richardom Müllerom, Petrom Lipom, Ivanom Taslerom a I.M.T. Smile, slovenskou funkovou legendou A'Conto, Erichom "Bobošom" Procházkom, Tomášom Slobodom (LePayaco, Sounds Like This), Katkou Korček (Made 2 Mate), Petrom "Bonzom" Radvaniym, Štefanom Lengyelom, Emilom Frátrikom, Jurajom Tatarom, ale aj s Jozefom Bednárikom a inými... Some keys fit, but they're not the right ones