The trade-mark of Belgraders, Belgrade, Serbia and Yugoslavia in the days of April–May–June NATO agression – the famous target made of a few black and white concenric circles – whizzed over the border of it’s homeland, became famous and used throughout the world: we saw it in the hands of the unsatisfied
member of the Portugise Parliament, on the head of the demonstrant in Bejing after the bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade…
THE SONG
A group of musicians from Belgrade gathered together in April 1999 to record antiwar song called RESERVATION BLUES. They called themselves the Target Project, just for that occassion. The text of the song was fount on the Internet and was written in English in original, and it tends to explain to the world the essence of the 'springtime' events in Serbia. The recorded song was put back on the Internet, where can still be fount. First public promotion of the song was on the April protest rally in Rome. The producer of the recording was Djordje Petrovic, and it was done at the Faculty of Music Arts studio in Belgrade.
'Internet-like' video spot was made at the MTS studio, directed by Branislav Antovic.
THE BAND
The 8 musicians involved in the Target project were: Rastko Ciric (vocal, accoustic guitar), the Fathers & Sons four-members group: Bozidar Skipic (lead guitar, vocal), Branimir Kosar (keyboards), Nedeljko Kusic (bass guitar), NikolaDjokic (drums), Natasa Radovanovic and Tijana Kovacevic (vocals) and Maja Klisinski (percussion).
THE CONCERTS
Considering international aspect of the Reservation Blues song and tending to avoid a patetic and literal program of existing anti-war songs – the concept of alternating different music idioms with social conotation imposed itself, making the Target Project group would be a catalyst of different traditional and international music forms.
A few live promotions of the song Reservation Blues were performed in Belgrade under the war circumstances.
Therefore, the concert in Rome, organised by the Il Manifesto and the Radio Citta Futura (17. 9. 1999) was conceived as a suite or medley made of rock standards, a red-neck country, a classic gospel, a reggae song and the 'India', an original song from 'The Rubber Soul Project Two' (of which the concert tour by Rastko Ciric and the Fathers & Sons was stopped by war). An American and a Serbian song, as well as a Beatles and a Rollingstones song were performed together, one after another.
