Tell me about the show in Sochi.
We are doing this event called Red Rocks. It’s been sponsored by Russian banks as a tool to promote, you know, Olympic Games all over the country for the last two years. They basically staged gigs in major Russian cities where the Olympic fire would follow. So for two years, they had Russian and international acts get together to play music, sing songs together, the songs were recorded… They started in Sochi two years ago. And by the way, Scissor Sisters were the first band to ever play this event.
Oh yeah?
Scissor Sisters. Yes, you can Google that. They played in Sochi when they just started to advertise it—so I guess they were fine with it.
That seems fitting.
Yes. So they built a stage in the so-called medalists’s square where they present the medals and they have a free concert. We are doing it on the 21st (February).
Now, as a Russian. Are you proud of these Olympics in Sochi? I know there have been mixed feelings with these games.
To be honest, I don’t really have mixed feelings. I really love whatever is happening. I’m not a big sports fan, let’s put it this way. But with everything that is going on good or bad, and let’s be honest, any attention is better than no attention [laughs]. To be honest with you, as a person from the Russian Far East, from Vladivostok, I really have this feeling about Sochi. The place where I wouldn’t really go on holiday because at first it was too well-established, and all the sanatoriums and whatever. Sochi was known in the Soviet Union as [the place] where all the rich people would go and where all the crooks would get together. They even had this saying in Russian, I’m not really familiar with the gambling card terms, but I guess you could translate it like, “If I know where my Ace is or whatever, I would live in Sochi.”
We definitely know about that here.
Yes, so if I know where my best card is—then I would live in Sochi. Sochi was always kind of a place where everyone would want to go because it’s the only place in Russia with palm trees. but for me, it’s always been kind of tacky. It’s like here with South Beach. How can you compare South Beach in Miami with Zuma Beach in California? It’s like two different worlds. I always [preferred] my Vladivostok. Dramatic landscapes, nice people, proper oceans, over this Black Sea, hundreds of people, kids, babushkas, everything is expensive. But apparently now, and my friends texted me, they built everything new in the town. I always thought it was impossible to do that kind of stuff in Russia. We have a different approach. They would just fix things, or just (gesturing like he’s stacking blocks), or just put something in between—like what happened to Moscow. But I guess what they did in Sochi may be more attractive to people like me who were kind of snobbish about this “resort place”.
From a PR side, and a media side… Okay, my general opinion is that the Russian office, whatever, probably could have handled their own image better outside of Russia. Take Pacific Russia, Russian Far East. You can’t pour money into the area all the time, you have to develop it. It will only be possible with international corporations and economic business ties. We just have to work. [laughs].
Switching gears a bit. You recently released the English debut album (Vladivostok). So now what is the plan, are you going to continue to tour on this album cycle or go back into the studio?
No, my idea is first to concentrate on that movie. Hopefully it will be released later this year. And promoting our tracks outside Russia, one by one. We can’t really talk album terms anymore. It’s not the thing that you go shop around to record labels who would release your album. What they do now is put it online and sit and collect money and charge you commissions. This is what I can do myself. It’s more about collaborating with different like-minded music or music business people.
There is no certain path. You just have to explore possibilities. This is what we are trying to do. Trying to work in different markets, trying to be involved in different types of media like movies, animation, music, trying to get it together. You can’t be just the bass player. You have to do something else. It’s basically life as a young band again. You are not only playing drums. You are driving the van, you’re counting merch, you talk to press. Then you’re a band. All bands now have to be like little labels, little corporations, otherwise they get lost.
Anything else on the horizon for Mumiy Troll this festival season in the U.S.?
We will be at South by Southwest March 12th at SoHo Lounge. I’m also going to be taking some courses at UCLA on film financing.
What don’t you do?
You have to understand how it all works. I don’t want to be cheated, ya know?
Click here for more on Ilya Lagutenko and Mumiy Troll.
Submissions for the second annual V-ROX Festival are now open. Bands can submit for the festival here.
