Russia's Bluegrass Pioneers Bring Their 'story' To America

Hailed as Russia's top country band, Kukuruza, which has graced the Grand Ole Opry stage in Nashville and extensively toured the U.S., is returning to domestic retail via the Gadfly Records album 'Endless Story.'
The March 24 release--Kukuruza's first here since 'Crossing Borders' for Sugar Hill in 1993--commemorates the bluegrass band's 10th anniversary, which it celebrated in 1996. Self-released in Russia that year, the album offers new material and a retrospective of the band's previous five releases. The album includes covers of Willie Nelson's 'Crazy,' Paul Anka's 'It Doesn't Matter Any More,' Leonard Cohen's 'Bird On A Wire,' and Trisha Yearwood's hit 'That's What I Like About You.'
Also included on 'Endless Story' are versions of Russian traditional and jazz fare by Kukuruza, whose name is the Russian word for corn.
'I don't think of them as country or bluegrass or Russian or traditional, but a unique juxtaposition of styles,' says Mitch Cantor, president of the DNA-distributed Vermont indie label Gadfly. 'They go seamlessly from one style to the next, and it sounds different--but at the same time it's Kukuruza.'
Always on the lookout for 'unique and offbeat projects,' Cantor says he had heard parts of Kukuruza's last two albums as well as a performance on the 'Mountain Stage' public radio program.
'The interesting thing,' notes 'Mountain Stage' house band guitarist Michael Lipton, 'is that Russians in general want to be like Americans. But in bluegrass, as in everything else over there, they miss a couple things which makes what they do more interesting. In Kukuruza's case, what they add to the proficiency of American bluegrass is an incredibly deep emotion which has been there for thousands of years and makes the band really special.'
Lipton, who also played with Kukuruza at its massive 10th anniversary celebration at Moscow's prestigious Russia Concert Hall, particularly cites the group's lead singer, Irina Surina. 'She's incredible, with a typically Russian beauty and allure that exudes sex but is also non-threatening,' he says. 'She has a classic voice, but everyone in the band is schooled and all are great technically. Misha (guitarist Michael Venikov) is world-class and as good as most Nashville players.'
The other group members are fiddler/vocalist Sergei Mosolov, upright bassist Alexei Aboltynsh, drummer Dmitri Krichevsky, and George Palmov, who plays mandolin and harmonica and sings.
'It's not real American bluegrass, but acoustic music that is very close to it and country-folk and electric country,' says Palmov. 'Usually (bluegrass) bands in Russia play some mix--not like in the States, where they play only bluegrass.'
Palmov says the band learned the genre in the late '70s and early '80s through bluegrass tapes, albums, and songbooks. He says another educational source was 'our fantasy,' because at the time the band didn't have any resources to learn how to play a five-string banjo or to learn about unusual instruments like the dobro.
The band has since evolved into the more eclectic mix of material and stylings represented in 'Endless Story.' Palmov says that in addition to the previously noted covers, the band's new recordings also include 'Old Cabby's Song,' a famous tune from '20s Soviet jazz pioneer Utesov (in whose orchestra Palmov's father played violin), and the traditional Russian party sing-along 'Hey Freezing Frost. . .'
To capitalize on Kukuruza's Russian identity in America, Cantor is looking at special promotional opportunities at the publications and radio programs that cater to the Euro-Russian ethnic audience also served by Gadfly's two Karelian Folk Music Ensemble albums. In early March, the label will service the album to folk and bluegrass radio venues. It will also seek campaigns with retail listening posts and co-op advertising, in addition to regular advertising in publications like 'Dirty Linen' and 'Performing Songwriter.'
'It's going to be a challenge,' says Cantor, 'so the most important thing is to get people aware. We know the band has fans from their previous releases. And fans of the different music styles they represent are always looking for twists and turns on those styles--like bluegrass fans who stretch their limits with Bƒla Fleck & the Flecktones. So they have a small head start. Already through a few Internet mentions, I'm getting a lot of E-mails and DJ inquiries, despite the fact that they haven't had an album here in five years. So I know there's a base.'
One problem for Gadfly and Kukuruza is that the band has no U.S. tour plans. Kukuruza had previously been booked by Nashville bluegrass promoter Keith Case but is now booker-less.
'They're awesome, and we had a blast both in terms of success with the dates and in personally connecting with the band--who are wonderful to work with,' says Case, who set up three Kukuruza U.S. tours. 'But it was very hard bringing so many people from overseas and supporting them on the road with expensive motor homes on the long runs they did here. But they thrilled audiences everywhere.'
Cantor agrees that travel costs are 'a big hurdle' but hopes that 'Endless Story' and its airplay will spur interest in getting a few major shows to anchor a summer tour, thus furthering the band's opportunities for trade and media exposure. Lipton even suggests that a high-paying appearance at Russian comic Yakov Smirnov's club in Branson, Mo., might help subsidize a U.S. tour.
'Irina makes her own clothes, and it's like a variety show with costume changes!' notes Lipton of Kukuruza's potential in Branson.

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