Russian musicians in the USA talked about the realities of show business: 'the competition here is huge'

Musicians Psoy Korolenko, Fedor Chistyakov and Vanya Zhuk moved to the USA for one reason or another. Having lived there enough time to draw conclusions, they told the publication New Newspaper about how they live today and what needs to be done to survive in New York in the realities of show business.

While disputes continue in Russia about whether to go to the “Invasion” and whether Monetochka is as good as Zemfira, Russian musicians in America have a difficult time: they take up any work, and travel around with concerts in their free time. .

“This is more like show business than partisan warfare on foreign territory. They have a close-knit community, excellent self-organization skills, faith in ideals. That is, everything that once, in the eighties, was here, but we lost it, but they don’t, ”the newspaper writes.

Psoy (Pavel) Korolenko

Author-performer, lives and works in two countries - in the USA and Russia

According to Pavel, the most striking in the Russian musical life of America today is the JetLAG festival, which this year celebrated 10 years. It was created by the Russian diaspora, and most of all it is visited by guests from Russia

“Auktsion came, there was a concert line-up of Nord-Ost,” he said.

But at the same time, Pavel noted, this is the intersection of Russian and American cultures, and not only.

Speaking of Russian musicians in New York, Pavel named such names: Yuri Naumov, Fedor Chistyakov, Maxim Pokrovsky. “I’ll also name Zhenya Kolykhanov, he participated in the rather famous group Red Elvises, now he has the Flying Balalayka Brothers project, they play huge balalaikas and guitars. They make an interesting sound, ”he said.

That is, in the USA, a peculiar social environment has developed that provides home and club concerts, office workers, synagogues, and librarians. Not always at such gatherings play Russian music. “But there’s no getting away from the past,” said Pavel. “To this day, there are nostalgic parties with Soviet music, Soviet song, Soviet vinyl.”

Of course, there are a large number of festivals, not just one JetLAG.

If we talk about Russian Brighton, where many say that songs of Shufutinsky and Tokarev rattle without interruption, then, according to Pavel, today this is not a very relevant idea. “Mythological Brighton has receded into the background, it does not play a significant role,” the musician emphasized.

Tokarev himself and Shufutinsky returned to Russia, now their main audience is there.

In general, the newspaper writes, the Russian scene in America is local by definition.

When asked to the musician about whether one of ours was able to break through to her, Pavel called Regina Spector. “She is known regardless of her Russianness. The middle name is more difficult to name. Say Gogol Bordello is clearly a successful project. True, he is not entirely Russian, there is an international composition and a multilingual repertoire. But in general, there are few such examples. However, there are few of them in other diasporas, ”he added.

Perhaps the reason for this is the divergence in the tastes of the American and Russian public.

In Russia, the viewer expects the artist to shock and undermine the basics. And in America, undermining the basics is not an ultimate value.

Russian immigrants who moved to the United States continue to keep in their hearts the music of those times when they left the Union, said Psoy. At the same time, they managed to get acquainted with the American canons and media, and now exist in these two prisms.

“Him (immigrant. - Ed.), maybe Monetochka and Buckwheat are not so important, but he is aware that they are, since he reads Facebook, - said the musician. - Here it is necessary to clarify that the very concept of emigration has changed. Now it’s more like migration without an “e”: many live either in America or in Russia, therefore they fall into both information fields at once. ”

At the same time, Psyoy suggested, few people in Moscow will listen to the conditional ensemble “Good fellows” or “Leysya, song!”, And they will definitely go to New York.

This allows people to "remember youth, to catch a spiritual hallucination, returning to the Soviet past."

The musician said that such famous rockers as Grebenshchikov, Shevchuk, Butusov, Leningrad, Arbenina, Zemfira often come to America. “They all assemble large halls, much more than local Russian musicians,” he added.

Concert ticket prices range from $ 10 to $ 30 on the alternative stage, and sometimes performances are generally free.

As for polarization by political views, when some musicians are called to perform, while others who have opposing views are not, Psyo could not recall such situations. “Both Makarevich and Sklyar came. Which does not cancel out polarized views, ”he said. He added that in the 2014 year a “natural consensus” was formed, and people understood: it’s better not to argue because of politics, because otherwise the community will not survive.

At JetLAG, for example, people come from all sorts of different views, but they are not particularly keen to talk about politics. “Someone is watching Russia Today, someone is listening to the Voice of America, someone is this and that. So what? ”Said Psoy. And he added that “you need to look at the substance of the issue, and not at what party is giving you information under the bar.”

At the same time, he added, one can always argue about politics. But here it helps to avoid conflicts that there is always someone who says: “Okay, let's not talk about it,” and the conversation will go into the field of music, or sports, or literature. “Music in this respect belongs to the primacy, it is apolitical, integrative in nature, it is a non-partisan thing,” summed up Psoy.

Fedor Chistyakov

In the past, the leader of the Zero group

The musician moved to America in the summer of 2017 in connection with the recognition of Jehovah's Witnesses in the Russian Federation as an extremist organization.

Speaking about life in New York, he noted: “It is difficult for Russian musicians in New York, but not because they are Russians, but because they are musicians,” he said.

Firstly, it is difficult due to the huge competition. This is the city where the number of musicians per square meter is the largest in the world. “Recently I was in a small club, listening to local jazz musicians. They urinate so that my jaw dropped, this is a high class. And the input is $ 5. I wondered how much they earn. Almost nothing, ”he said.

On the subject: 'I will never Americanize': a Russian musician spoke about life in the USA

Another problem is that "we are all self-employed, self-employed." “And the self-employed in America does not have normal health insurance, other social bonuses, it is not always possible to consistently pay on loans. You can’t even rent a good apartment, since the realtor will most likely require a certificate of employment, a tax certificate, and a certificate of income. Here they take this seriously, ”Fedor emphasized.

Therefore, in New York, everything is injected a lot. “It happens that one group goes on stage three times a night, and every time it goes all out, like the last, in full,” he added.

And despite the fact that in terms of technology, America has long been living in the XXII century, the Russian diaspora is back in the future. At least with regard to show business, the musician said. “I seemed to be back in the eighties, all this once already happened to me. In Russia, the institution of apartment owners has practically died - and here it is in full bloom. In Russia, nobody has long been singing, “My dear, the sun of the forest” - but here they drag themselves from such things, ”Fedor wonders.

The musician recalled how he had been at one rally called Prostokvashino. Their slogan was: "Uncle Fedor is back!" "Everything is very moving, bonfires, tents. I haven’t seen this for a long time, ”he said.

For example, in Russia, famous performers earn money by music, and here even famous performers do something else, because there is no other way to survive. All this is similar to the Leningrad Rock Club, where the main principle is self-organization, the musician added.

In the USA, unlike in Russia, it is not possible to collect large halls. “Let's say you gathered a thousand people in St. Petersburg for a concert, so here you will collect a hundred,” the musician noted.

At the same time, he added, the audience here is grateful. “In Chicago, a woman signed up for my concert, and then she could not come, something did not work out for her. So she sent an apology note and attached one hundred dollars to that note. In Russia, I can’t imagine such a thing, ”Chistyakov wonders.

Probably because in Russia everyone is fixated on success: either you made it or you became a failure. In the United States, contrary to common stereotypes, there is no such fixation.

“People are very respectful that you basically work, and not mess around or engage in crime. If you have a small business, and not a huge one, it’s still ok, well done, ”the musician said.

He recalls that in the old days he had big shows in large halls, with well-placed lights, with decorations. “But it’s already clear that this will not happen here, it’s worth forgetting about it,” he said.

At first, the musician tried to ride with an electric train, then he found a partner - “a cool jazz guitarist Slava Tolstoy”. With him, they can play "in any conditions on any device." This is an interesting and convenient format, Chistyakov added.

Also in America, the proceeds from concerts are different from those in St. Petersburg. In Russia, Chistyakov could experiment with the money earned, invest it in projects that did not bring anything. “Here it quickly ended - you only do what really works. I’m not ready to waste time and effort if I don’t have an order and prospects, ”Fedor said.

At the same time, Chistyakov added, “it’s a sin to complain.” Indeed, for a year and a half after moving to America, he managed to release an album, regularly goes on tour, produces other people's recordings, and even wrote music for the new animated series about Prostokvashino. “A rare year in Russia was more saturated and successful than this,” he concluded.

Vanya Zhuk

The Naekhovichi group, lives in Moscow, regularly tours in the USA and Europe, outplayed with dozens of our musicians living abroad

“I am surprised at the homogeneity of Russian groups based in America. There are few international compositions. Almost always their own musicians, Russian. For me, if you already left, play with the locals, why did you go then? ”Ivan is surprised.

He noted that for him the main and only reason for the move would be the opportunity to play with the best musicians, but this almost never happens.

Accordingly, the American public rarely visits these concerts, the guy concludes.

Perhaps because "Russian rock" or "Russian bard rock" in America is not very successful. “The main Russian musical exports are Tuvan singing and academic music. However, all this concerns the authors-performers and the type of rock bands, ”he stated.

At the same time, Beetle noted, there are a number of professional instrumentalists who are fully integrated into the real world of American music.

If we compare the situation with show business in Russia and the States, then, according to the musician, it is approximately similar. “And here and there, 95% exist outside the system, are engaged in self-management, self-promotion, logistics, apparatus, disc production - they do everything themselves. This is a global trend, ”he explained.

Also, equally little can be earned solely by music in both countries.

“Either you need to have a“ normal ”job, or be a cool pro, and then you are invited to projects, or have a name,” Ivan emphasized. - Our situation is a little more relaxed, in New York a little tougher, but the essence is about the same: music is not the best way to get rich. Engage in, say, IT, more profitable at times. "