Dark and rootsy, primitive and musically
developped at the same time, semi-acoustic combo with double-bass, electric
guitar, accordeon, flute, pipes, percussion and vocals. Western listeners
would perhaps put them in the field of Dead Brothers, Morphine and De
Kift, while in a Russian perspective they would probably fit in the
tradition of legendary bands like Nol' and perhaps Auktyon.
Although often dark and moody sounding, there tend to be a tenor of
joy and lightness in their music as well.
Long and unpredictable path from wild
punk through hardcore, psychedelia with a touch of North Russian and
Irish folk, led finally to their own original, even peculiar, style.
SKAZY LESA (Forest Sagas) is a concentration of powerful and vehement
energy, their music is beautiful and mature, their lyrics are intense
and impressive.
SKAZY LESA were born in 1996. Their name
is well known in music-lovers circles of Russia. Andrey "Figa"
Kondratyev, the leader and the vocalist of the group, has been on stage
since 1991, where he's been appearing with different line-ups, just
as under different names playing differing music. But in very Sagas
the creative alliance between him and poet Pavel Vlasov thrived. Bringing
in folk pieces accomplished this unique Russian rock-project.
Kondratyev plays accordion and fully
dedicates himself to singing, his style being a tribute to the harsh
climate of North Karelia, to the Ladoga Lake, on one of the islands
of which he lives with his family and to the spirits of the Nordic nature.
The lyrics abundant with epithets and
sounding like a veritable poetry are a creation of Pavel Vlasov. He
is also the one playing the gravely sounding bass drum.
Musical structure is further enhanced
by the fiddler Pavel Shikhardin and the piper Vladimir Molodtsov, who
both add a gentle Celtic touch to the Nordic expression of accordion.
The overall large-cell texture is completed by contrabass and percussion.
The full picture of the sound can be
portrayed as the aurora borealis observed from the window of a freshly-built
Karelian log-house. Accelerating rhythm adds to the overall impression
of shaman songs and polkas beating the floor.
Members:
Andrey “Figa”Kondratyev– accordion, vocals
Roman Tentler - double bass
Pavel Vlasov – bass drum
Sergey Kiryanov - guitar
Petr Sergeev - percussion
Vladimir Molodtsov – flute, pipe
Dmitriy Shihardin - fiddle
Aleksandr Nakolyushkin - bass
Aleksandr Pogorelov - drums
