Red Elvises in Red Lodge, Montana
May 8, 2009
By Saint Cronin, a.k.a. Patrick Kelly Cronin
(Article written May 9th, 2009, as a comment on an online entertainment board called drownedinsound.com).
I don't care what gigs you've been to in your illustrious gig going life, if you haven't seen The Red Elvises: YOUR'E A CHUMP!!!
I don't mean to be off-putting but seriously you haven't lived till you've seen Red Elvises. In reviewing my illustrious gig going career The Red Elvises make my memory of the B52's seem like going to a Jesus and Mary Chain gig on Quaaludes & cognac.
The Red Elvises, last night at the Bull & Bear, RED Lodge, Montana…
They are now billed as Igor & The Red Elvises and I suspect that is Igor flexing his muscles a bit after their recent line up change which has left out bassist and co-founder Oleg Bernov (who usually plays a huge triangular shaped stand up electric two [sic] string bass/balalaika). I further suspect that they will soon return to just being The Red Elvises again because try as he might to be the frontman of the group Igor is constantly out shined by every member in his amazing line ups. They still have their mind blowing American drummer Adam Gust (six foot seven, makes Ginger Baker look like a piker) and also returning is the temptress pixie Elena Shemankova, whose stage presence is a cross between Ann Margret and Josie & The Pussycats but she is ten times more talented than Ann Margret and nearly as beautiful (gotta give Ann her due cause she is smokin’). Elena plays synth, accordion, soprano sax and KEYTAR!!!! On "I Am A Closet Disco Dancer" she always does a blistering keytar solo while doing a good imitation of Salome in "Dance Of The Seven Veils;” undulating and writhing erotically, igniting every member of the audience (men and women) as [they] succumb to her sensual vibes ready to deliver John The Baptist's head on a plate - it's really just amazing fun & good times.
New to last night's line-up was Milka Ramos on rhythm guitar & scat vocals, Lior Ron on Trumpet, Kfir Melamed on 5-string bass & Oran Ben-Avi on Tenor Sax. It was pretty impressive to see this radically different lineup doing a radically different set having the same intoxicating effect on the audience. They did some of the Elvis classic songs like "Ticket To Japan," (Your love is) "Better Than Cocaine," "My Love Is Killing Me," "I Wanna See You Belly Dance" and "I Am A Closet Disco Dancer." The promoter kept signaling Igor to do "Twist Like Uma Thurman" (from their last album "Drinking With Jesus" but he claimed this line didn't know it.
All I'm saying here is: If you are a promoter; you owe it to those you serve to bring them The Red Elvises and if you are a gig goer you owe it to yourself to see them whenever they're in town.
Join the Russian Rokenrol Revolution today Comrades!
With special thanks to:
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