Friday, September 29, 9 p.m.
Rock Island Brewing Company, 1815 Second Avenue, Rock Island IL
Playing their distinct blend of funk rock, reggae, surf rock, disco, and traditional Russian stylings, Igor & the Red Elvises makes a return appearance at RIBCO – the latest tour stop in the Los Angeles-based band's twenty-third year of performance.
Founded in 1995, the group originated after Russian musicians Igor Yuzov and Oleg Bernov met during a Russian-American peace walk in L.A., and subsequently played together in the Russian folk-rock band Limpopo. Enlisting guitarist Zhenya Kolykhanov and drummer Avi Sills, the quartet made its Red Elvises debut with 1996's Grooving to the Moscow and had a breakthrough hit in 1998's I Wanna See You Bellydance, which led to music videos, regional tours, and an appearance on TV's Melrose Place.
In the years since, Igor & the Red Elvises has released nine other studio albums and five compilation and live albums, and in addition to the musicians' national-tour schedule, they continue to play overseas every summer, performing in Russian cities including Moscow and Saint Petersburg, plus Yukov's Ukraine hometown of Odessa. Describing the band's style to the Phoenix New Times, Yukov said, “I am serious about my music. But to me, music is fun … and mixing rock 'n' roll and humor has a certain musicality to it – even a circus feel about it. I like a show to be fun and even oddball.”
September 29's Igor & the Red Elvises concert opens with the set by the One Night Standards, tickets are $12, and more information is available by calling (309)793-1999 or visiting RIBCO.com.
