Sneak Preview - Red Elvises in 2003
By Kayt

Word has it that Red Elvises now have a new drummer, whose name is Adam Gust. According to my source (thanks, Vladimir!), “he is a very good guy and plays drums very well.” This observation shouldn’t surprise anyone familiar with Our Favorite Band; Red Elvises have always attracted good people in general and have always consisted of extremely talented musicians. That’s all the information I have as yet on the new drummer but will report more details, including, yes, girls, what he looks like, next month after I see them play at Rusty’s on February 21st.

Another non-surprise is that the extremely talented guitarist who recently left the band has proven so difficult to replace that the guys decided to go in a different direction and find a keyboard or saxophone player to round out the new lineup. So they found a keyboard player who also played sax, but then he decided that he couldn’t travel as much as being a member of this band will require. I’m sure everyone involved appreciates his honesty early on, as once a group of people are on the road it’s a bit trickier to handle the realization that someone is miserable with the musical gypsy lifestyle and really wants to be anywhere but there. With four or five guys in a van for hours (which probably seem like days at times) on end, everyone needs to be committed to the cause and up for the experience as much as possible. So another keyboard player stepped in to replace the first one. I don’t yet have information on the new keyboard player’s name, and things may not even be completely set in stone yet as backup options are still a possibility if everything doesn’t seem to gel just right. But as of mid-January, the tentative plan for the immediate future calls for rehearsals with the new musicians, with Igor on guitar and Oleg back on Big Red, the bass balalaika that so many fans have missed.

The next few weeks hold a lot of promise and hopefully only good surprises. Anyone able to get to Rusty’s on February 21st will get the first face-to-face look and listen, so if you can’t make it there then, be sure to read the March issue of The Red Pages for the new lineup’s first concert review. I know we all eagerly look forward to seeing and hearing the 2003 configuration of Our Favorite Band, so let’s all wish them lots of good luck!