Last Friday (October 17th) The Red Elvises took the stage at the Pour House to rock out a very psyched crowd. Knowing absolutely nothing about them, I was invited to the show by a long time friend. I was in for a very entertaining and fun-filled evening, as I got to experience siberian surf rock/rockabilly for the first time – a rather unique genre of music. They are often referred to as the Russian Rockenrol Revolution.

The Red Elvises have been around for a long time -  thirteen years. They were founded by original members Igor Yuzovand and Oleg Bernov in Los Angeles in 1995. The name is a derivation of two influencing factors in the originating band members’ lives: Elvis, and the color red, the national color of their mother country.

One of the first things you may notice about the band is the almost obscenely large Balalaika Bass, a traditional Russian instrument with three strings that may have first entered the the American lexicon with the Beatles’ iconic track “Back in the U.S.S.R“.

One of the most energizing parts of the show was the keyboardist, Sasha. She not only played a traditional keyboard and keytar, but an accordian as well (as seen in the first photo). She was exceptionally talented at getting the crowd riled up.

The band members are usually decked out head to toe in animal print outfits, and dance to the music as much as the crowd does. They are keen on encouraging the audience to participate in the show, by holding the mic into the crowd and performing the song while the crowd sings the lyrics.

If after reading this you are the slightest bit curious as to what Siberian Surf Rock is, I encourage you to head over to the official Red Elvises Facebook page to listen to several full length tracks for yourself. It was a fantastic and entertaining show, and I’ll certainly be on the lookout for them the next time they play in Raleigh.