Fan of the Month!
Interviewed by Kayt

Our Fan of the Month for May is a Texan, after three Californians in a row. He is the Red Pages' own Assistant Editor, Medved!

For the record, what is your name?
Roland "Medved" Viera. "Bear" has been my life long nickname. When I first met the Red Elvises Oleg christened me with the name "Medved," which is the Russian word for "Bear."

Where were you born, and where did you grow up?
Born, raised and life long resident of El Paso, Texas.

What were your main interests, entertainment and otherwise, growing up? Any obsessions you don’t mind people knowing about?
Growing up my interests were sports (football and baseball mainly). However I wasn't "athletic" enough so I then took an interest in music. Was a "choir boy" in junior high, actually took 1st place in a solo contest. Towards high school I became interested in computers and technology. Aside from my day job I have my own web site, burningpages.com, am involved with The Red Pages as the Assistant Editor, and recently became webmaster for Zhenya Rock's band ZEEROK.

Tell us about your musical endeavors and any musical instruments you play.
I played some sort of a wooden flute in junior high in my Choir class but as far as instruments go I don't play any. Would love to learn to play bass guitar, which by far is my favorite instrument in a rock band. I can see myself as Gene Simmons of KISS in full makeup, costume, breathing fire and spitting blood, and playing a mean bass!

What accomplishments are you most proud of at this point in your life?
Last year I was promoted from the paraprofessional/clerical level to an administrative level after 12 years in the school district I work for. Of course being webmaster for ZEEROK is a big accomplishment too!

What are your favorite movies?
Far too many to name: The Godfather films, Star Wars films, The Sting, just about anything by Al Pacino. I like Sci-Fi films but I also am a history buff. Films from medieval times (Braveheart, Excalibur), American war history (The Patriot, The Blue and the Gray, Saving Private Ryan), I could go on and on.

Do you have any favorite books?

Don't read many books anymore, really don't have the time for it. But at one point my favorite author was S.E. Hinton (The Outsiders, That Was Then This is Now, Tex). Another favorite book of mine was "Catcher in the Rye." I related so well with the characters in all of those books.

What music are you into, in addition to Red Elvises?
Growing up was rock (KISS was the first band I was exposed to) which then evolved to heavy metal. I attended my first concert on my 13th birthday (Billy Idol). Have seen over 200 shows since then. Within the past decade I've turned back the clock towards classic rock (Peter Frampton is one of my favorite artists). I like some of the newer music by Creed, Linkin Park, etc. Still follow the metal scene like Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. Hate rap! Of course I follow ZEEROK as well!

When, where, how did you first meet them?
My cousin "Rasputin" Roy Torres first exposed me to the Elvises' music through the CDs he had. I first saw and met the band in March 2002, well after Avi had already left the band. It was one of the wildest stage shows I had ever seen.

About how many times have you seen them?
So far I've seen the band four times - three times in El Paso and once in San Antonio.

What is it about Red Elvises that draws you to them, that you like the most?
It's a different style of music, funny yet entertaining, and of course it's the type of music you can dance to.

What’s the furthest you’ve traveled to see them? And do you have a good story around that?
As a last minute decision during my Spring Break vacation I drove about 550 miles one way from El Paso to San Antonio. Only saw the first half of the show, unfortunately I was too tired out from the long drive. But the place was packed, proving the band can still draw and entertain a crowd.

Any other standout, all time great memories of shows you’ve seen so far?
Making new friends the first time I saw them, hanging out with the band after their last show in El Paso. I have a detailed review of that show on my web site burningpages.com.

What are your favorite Red Elvises songs?
Just about all of them. Zhenya's guitar work on "My Love is Killing Me" is absolutely fantastic. “Red Lips, Red Eyes, Red Stockings,” “Gypsy Heart,” “I Wanna See You Belly Dance,” and of course “Suzanna.”

What would you like to see them do in the future? Any ideas? Anything you'd like to say to the band?
Since the new line-up has only been playing together for a couple of months I'll give them more time to "gel" together and perfect their sound. Previously my main complaint was that the band needed a drummer, which they have since resolved. I would like for the band to play in places they haven't played before. Read their guestbook and you'll see what I mean.

Okay, last question…Do you have anything you’d especially like to say to all the fans?
All things must change. Give the new line-up a chance. The Red Elvises can still be "Your Favorite Band." Support ZEEROK. Check out my web site at burningpages.com. Stay "Red."