VEZHLIVY OTKAZ [aka POLITE REFUSAL] play in the USA in June

[battema]

Just to echo Steve: it was an exceptional show, lots of fun and great playing. Really happy to have seen them and hopeful that folks can make it to see them in NYC

[Steve F.]

Debi B posted on FB:

"There are a handful of performing bands that you know you'll never have the opportunity to see live. Just no way. Vezhlivy Otkaz (Polite Refusal) was one of those bands for me. Was...until tonight. Tip 'o the hat to Steve Feigenbaum for proving me wrong by bringing this excellent band from Moscow to RhizomeDC this evening. Friends planning to attend one of the upcoming shows in New York (JetLAG Festival in Downsville and Drom in NYC) are in for a treat!"

I would encourage people to go. This is a once in a lifetime thing for folks in the USA.

I was expecting them to be very good. I wasn't expecting them to be jaw hit the floor in amazement great.

[moecurlythanu]

^ They were here 19 years ago for a tour, but I don't know how extensive it was. I had no idea who they were, and don't think I saw any announcements.

[Steve F.]

^ They were here 19 years ago for a tour, but I don't know how extensive it was. I had no idea who they were, and don't think I saw any announcements.

They were here 19 years ago and at that time, they played two shows: Chicago and NY. That's all.

I think this qualifies as 'once in a lifetime'. If you disagree, we can do light sabres at 20 paces.

[Steve F.]

Already have my ticket for Monday night in Cleveland.

so, did you go?

[moecurlythanu]

I did. It was fantastic. I'll do a brief review this weekend if I have time. I tried to upload pics last night, but apparently I need to resize.

No argument with your "once in a lifetime" statement. I certainly felt that way. I wasn't sure if you were aware of the earlier shows, hence my post.

[Steve F.]

I did. It was fantastic.

very happy to hear!!

[moecurlythanu]

Vezhlivy Otkaz at Nighttown, Cleveland Heights, 6.17.2019:

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Click thumbnails for pics

[moecurlythanu]

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[Finn_McCool]

Sure was some high-level musicianship going on at the Rhizome show in DC!

[Scrotum Scissor]

Really great to hear how well they came Down.

Were there any press coverage at all? They're a cult club band in parts of Russia, so it wouldn't necessarily be too bewildering to expect -some- reel about them visiting the US.

[thedunno]

Really great to hear how well they came Down.

Were there any press coverage at all? They're a cult club band in parts of Russia, so it wouldn't necessarily be too bewildering to expect -some- reel about them visiting the US.

I have two russian colleagues and one friend from Belarus. All three know the band. Based on this small sample I'd say they are/were a little more then just cult in Russia.

[Steve F.]

Were there any press coverage at all? They're a cult club band in parts of Russia, so it wouldn't necessarily be too bewildering to expect -some- reel about them visiting the US.

There was no coverage because there was no one doing promotion to try to get coverage beyond what the venue normally does.

it was fine and very well attended for its size. It's a tiny place. maybe we could have squeezed 10 more people in there, but not more.

[Steve F.]

I have two russian colleagues and one friend from Belarus. All three know the band. Based on this small sample I'd say they are/were a little more then just cult in Russia.

I saw a claim in their press release or website or somewhere that one of their earlier albums on Melodiya sold 125,000.

[Steve F.]

Sure was some high-level musicianship going on at the Rhizome show in DC!

Yo, Finn - do I know you in real life?

[Scrotum Scissor]

I saw a claim in their press release or website or somewhere that one of their earlier albums on Melodiya sold 125,000.

Fun fact: I gave Geese & Swans to one of my middle-bosses at work for Christmas in 2017, partly because he has a cand. philol. in Russian. To my great surprise, he didn't know of the band as such, but he knew of Roman Suslov's poems from having had a fellow student who had included it in an anthology of contemporary rock lyricists in Russia. So yes, I believe they are at least fairly well known.

[thedunno]

As I understood they were fairly popular in the late 80ies and early 90ies at universities across the Ussr.

[Steve F.]

As I understood they were fairly popular in the late 80ies and early 90ies at universities across the Ussr.

There was a young Russian man and his GF at the show - I would guess he was about 30? And he works here on a 3 year contract.

He said that they were his favorite band when he was at University.

Which I don't think would have been more than 15 years ago.
so, still some popularity, I guess.

[Levgan]

So glad to read the enthusiastic feedback about their US shows — as everyone here knows, I've been raving about these guys for ever, and I'm happy to see they were well-received in the US. Huge props to Steve F. for making this happen! There was a period when I was almost like their groupie — never missing a show they played in Moscow; this is now over mostly because my life has changed quite a bit, but I still try to catch them live when time allows, and it's always fully and unequivocally fantastic. Also awesome to hear that Pavel Karmanov was able to join them on the keys! I was *slightly* afraid that a stripped-down "power trio" version might be not *as* fascinating for a first-time live experience with VO as the full-blown sextet or septet. I've seen them play this way too, and while also excellent, I found myself "thinking up" the absent instrumental parts in my mind — something that is easy for you to do when you heard them live as many times as I did, but probably impossible for someone just getting the first taste. Pavel is a wonderful player (and an excellent composer in his own right — in the post-Steve Reich / Philip Glass minimalist vein), so I'm sure his addition was most welcome.

I saw a claim in their press release or website or somewhere that one of their earlier albums on Melodiya sold 125,000.

Correct, but it was mostly a result of the entire underground rock scene from the Perestroika period finally getting the long-overdue exposure and having the music officially released on physical media (as opposed to lo-fi cassette copies that used to circulate between fans previously). Most Russian rock in the late 1980s enjoyed similar pressing runs. I'm not 100% sure about the exact definition of "cult", but Vezhlivy Otkaz have always been a bit too far out for the majority of listeners. They operated on the fringes of mainstream — and quite deliberately too; it is no coincidence that Suslov moved away from the style of that high-grossing self-titled LP in the next few albums, gradually moving towards more and more esoteric material.

To my great surprise, he didn't know of the band as such, but he knew of Roman Suslov's poems from having had a fellow student who had included it in an anthology of contemporary rock lyricists in Russia.

This is surprising, because Suslov actually isn't much of a lyricist and has always disliked writing lyrics for his songs, which is why VO often employed other poets — the majority of early lyrics (and a couple of songs on "Geese and Swans") were by Arkadiy Semenov, while, for example, lyrics for the "Geranium" album were mostly by sadly deceased Grigory Dashevsky. Though I'd agree that in the few instances when Suslov himself needed to deliver texts for the songs, he fared fairly well

[Scrotum Scissor]

^ I've probably got it wrong again. He was surely pointing to a lyricist who had general importance to the band. But I do remember him acknowledging the name of Suslov in there, as if he was some kind of underground rock hero dude.

WAIT! I just recalled that it wasn't actually Suslov b-but Neal Wilson. He's the best.

[Levgan]

WAIT! I just recalled that it wasn't actually Suslov b-but Neal Wilson. He's the best.

Now we're talking. Some seriously transcendent, mind-altering poetry there.

[Baribrotzer]

One of the many times I wish I lived closer to the East Coast.

[jimmi1977]

Attended their show at JetLag 2019. It was awesome.

I am russian and love russian rock. There were a lot of russian bands (much more prominent both in Russia and elsewhere), that I know and like, performing at the festival, but VO performance was a highlight of the whole festival for me.

I knew and enjoyed their records for ages, it was my first time seeing them live. Very well played. Will post some pics.

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[Steve F.]

Attended their show at JetLag 2019. It was awesome.

I am russian and love russian rock. There were a lot of russian bands (much more prominent both in Russia and elsewhere), that I know and like, performing at the festival, but VO performance was a highlight of the whole festival for me.

I knew enjoyed their records for ages, it was my first time seeing them live. Very well played. Will post some pics.

The band told me today that it was a really good gig with great sound and a lot of people attending.

Thanks for your comments!

[jimmi1977]

The band told me today that it was a really good gig with great sound and a lot of people attending.

Thanks for your comments!

Haha, I even had to register here to post this

Big fan of prog rock as well, so I'll probably stick around...