Finally! Coming to the Americas (north and south) is the legendary punk band from Moscow Russia, who’ve been rocking their comrades since just before the end of the cold war. That my friends, was Ronald Reagan – Mikhail Gorbachev days.
I have always been fascinated by Reagan’s so called “Evil Empire” so I went over to Moscow & St. Petersburg (formerly Leningrad) in 201o (if you missed it, just type “Russia” in the search bar upper right hand corner to see the many videos and posts) and found something more akin to Sting’s “The Russians Love Their Children Too” lyrics. Good people trying to make a living. I mean I’m not sure what I expected, but I still have a place in my heart for the Russian people.
On that trip is when I met the guys from Tarakany! and taped them for “Punktology.. The Worldwide Influence of Punk ” (AKA the documentary with the ever changing tag line). Not knowing Tarakany! was really that big, I noticed when they guys gave me some CDs it was like toting back an entire section of music from your local CD store (when you had local CD stores). It was a massive collection.
Then in 2012 when I moved to the west coast and hired a couple of Russian interns (Tim & Snik), and their jaws dropped a bit when I told them about my interview with Tarakany!. it was then that I realized just how big these guys are. They compared them to the “Offspring” of Russia.. and as you’ll see by the interview with the guys that we are debuting today, they compare themselves to “Green Day of Russia”.
Well, here is the thing.. I like Offspring and Green Day but I certainly like Tarakany! music better than Green Day. Notice I didn’t say Offspring… so this is not just hyperbole or anything…it’s the truth. After Tim & Snik told me about Tarakany! I began meticulously listening to ALL their material, and it’s a bunch, as I mentioned below. There were a good 20 or so tracks that I would simply listen to over and over and over.. and finally I said, you know what we gotta put their music out in North America & South America. And we are, coming in November an eclectic mix of English songs from Tarakany! featuring incredible guest artists ranging from Frank Turner, members of Anti-Flag and Useless I.D. plus some more talented mofos from Russia.
I’ve heard the rough cuts and let me tell you, November can’t get here soon enough!
We haven’t announced it yet, but we will but you my dear friends, are always the first to know. So here ya go.
Thanks to Tim & Snik for helping put this video together.
TARAKANY!
(Biography / English)
Tarakany! (Cockroaches!) is one of the most well known and longest running punk-rock bands in Russia, no small feat in the largest country in the world where western influenced music, media and fashion were outlawed up until just 2 years prior to the band’s formation in 1991.
Like Russia, this popular Moscow band has gone through some changes, but Tarakany! has stayed true to their roots, performing energetic punk and rock’n’ roll in the tradition of legendary bands like The Ramones, Social Distortion, Rancid, Motorhead and Bad Religion.
Tarakany’s lyrics run the gamut from political themes such as human rights, discrimination, inequality and corruption to lighter fare such as sex, partying and clueless music critics. No matter the topic, there is almost always a dose of irreverence and clever wordplay.
The band’s frontman Dmitry Spirin, proclaims their unique world view from stages scattered all over the world where Tarakany!’s fans are a mix of the expected and the unexpected. Their shows are popular among all levels of Russian society from the blue collar punk youth, upscale university students, internet geeks and football hooligans to respected authors, journalists and film laureates.
For over the last 20+ years Tarakany! has travelled all over Russia, Eastern and Western Europe and parts of Asia playing venues ranging from tiny hole-in-the- wall clubs to massive sold out stadiums and popular music festivals in front of tens of thousands of fans. They’ve shared the stage with legendary bands such as NOFX, Toy Dolls, Agnostic Front, Anti-Flag, Misfits, MxPx, Skatalites, MC5, Monster Magnet, Offspring, Exploited, Stranglers and many more. Tarakany! also had the honor of opening for the only Sex Pistols show in Moscow and in Europe they toured with legendary drummer Marky Ramone of The Ramones, first performing their own material and then playing a set of The Ramones’ immortal songs with Marky as drummer.
Tarakany! has released almost a dozen full length studio albums, numerous splits, concert albums, compilations and bootlegs and Tarakany! was Russia’s first punk-rock band to feature music videos shot by some of Russia’s top directors. Always careful to nurture up and coming punk & rock bands, Tarakany! works hard to help other bands from all over the world break into the huge Russian market.
With their forthcoming release from U.S. based Punk Outlaw Records, Tarakany is re-recording several songs from their massive catalog specifically for the North & South American markets for the first time. Contributors on the new release includes members of the legendary U.S. bands Anti-Flag, Useless I.D., Frank Turner as well as Russian guest artists as well, making this a truly international, collaborative punk effort.
The label and band are planning a special effort to continue global awareness and outrage over the fate of the unjustly imprisoned members of the female Russian punk band “Pussy Riot”. Their To Be Titled debut release for Punk Outlaw Records is due out November 2013.
Stay tuned to www.Tarakanyband.com for more information and updates.
Great band. If they tour the states, they better still play Russian songs.