ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the image definition and rock philosophy of Ulis, a five-member band with one of the most consistent public profiles amongst the Belarusan-language bands. Ulis members had been part of the rock scene since the earliest inception of the movement in the early 1980s and could comment on Belarusan rock with considerable hindsight. Each rock group is a complex mixture of familial and professional interaction. On the performance stage this dynamic is seldom visible, it is rather acted out and negotiated in the practice studio and in the social activities in which group members participate. The song "Ameryka" reflects many of the stylistic and philosophical characteristics that are typical of Ulis' style. As with many of their texts, this song is about a sense of place, the nature of identity, and about the interpretation of life's choices. "Ameryka" offers listeners the opportunity to reevaluate their notion of an ideal other place.
