Paraf

Paraf
Paraf (Zdravko Cabrian) at the BOOM festival in Novi Sad, Serbia 1978. Photo by Drazen Kalenic.
Background information
Also known as	Papak
Origin	Rijeka, Croatia, Yugoslavia
Genres	Punk rock, new wave (early period) Post-punk, gothic rock (later period)
Years active	1976–1986 Reunions: 1994, 2003, 2008
Labels	ZKP RTLJ, Helidon
Associated acts	Grad, Ogledala, Videosex, Let 2, Public, Strukturne Ptice, Termiti
Past members	Valter Kocijančić Zdravko Čabrijan Dušan Ladavac Mladen Vičić Pavica Mijatović Raoul Varljen Robert Tičić Klaudio Žic Goran Lisica

Paraf was a punk rock and later post-punk band from Rijeka, Croatia, known as one of the pioneers of punk rock in the former Yugoslavia.

Following the expansion of punk rock in Europe, teenagers Valter Kocijančić (guitar, vocals), Zdravko Čabrijan (bass) and Dušan Ladavac "Pjer" (drums) formed Paraf in 1976. They played their first gig at Belvedere in Rijeka on December 31, 1976. The band's early live appearances were at Rijeka high-school parties along with the bands of similar musical orientation, Termiti, Protest and Lom. During the late 1978, the band started performing frequently, even outside Rijeka. They played in Ljubljana, Belgrade, Zagreb. The band also performed at the Novi Sad BOOM festival, as well as an opening act for The Ruts concert in Zagreb. In 1979, they released their debut single "Rijeka", a cover version of the Ramones song "Chinese Rocks", but Kocijančić signed as the song author in order to test the Yugoslav critics of the time. Despite the intention, it was the Džuboks magazine journalist Petar Luković who recognized that the song was a cover version. The band also appeared on the various artists compilation album Novi punk val 78-80, released by ZKP RTLJ in 1980, with the song "Narodna pjesma" ("Folk Song").

After several delays, the band debut album A dan je tako lijepo počeo... (And The Day Started Out So Nicely...) was released by ZKP RTLJ in the Spring of 1980. Due to provocative lyrics, the album was classified as kitsch product, and thus liable to additional taxation, despite subsequent changes to some of the lyrics as well as the selection of a different album cover. In line with the punk rock ideology, the band addressed several topics which were at the time new to the Yugoslav rock: the songs featured ironic usages of communist slogans, mocked, at the time, one of the most popular bands, Bijelo Dugme, in the song "Pritanga i vaza", insulting the police in the censored version of "Narodna pjesma", and dealt with social themes typical for a port city. The album was produced by the band's close associate Goran Lisica "Fox", assisted by Igor Vidmar.