The Red Elvises aren't your average Southern California rock band. For one thing, bassist Oleg Bernov, guitarist Zhenya Kolykhanov, and vocalist/guitarist Igor Yuzov are all Russians; drummer Avi Sills is the only American. Then there's the group's sound- a blend of surf guitar, rockabilly, Motown, traditional Slavic melodies, and furious klezmerish instrumentals, all peppered with quotes from film scores and TV theme songs. Headquartered in the beach community of Venice, the Red Elvises have two self-produced CDs to their credit and ply their trade at local clubs, private parties and colleges. After their performances, they are invariably asked, "What the heck is that big red triangle thing?" Well it's a kontrabass balalaika, the largest version of the centuries-old Russian folk instrument. In Bernov's hands, however, it's played in anything but an antiquated style.

Born in Vologda, a small town northeast of Moscow, Oleg studied accordion as a child.Years later in Moscow, he garnered experience as a street performer, playing upright bass at a pedestrian mall as much as 12 hours a day. On a U.S.-Soviet peace march during the mid '80s he met Igor, whose band, Limpopo, provided the music for the march. In '91 Bernov found himself in Los Angeles, where he joined the transplanted Limpopo. He stayed with the band for five years, appearing on Star Search, a Jerry Lewis telethon, and a commercial for Kit Kat chocolate bars. "We were playing Russian folk music, but it wasn't going anywhere," remembers Oleg. "Igor wanted to do more rock & roll, so he started writing songs in English. We hooked up with Zhenya, who was in a Texas Gypsy band, and we started playing on the Santa Monica Promenade."

After performing as the short-lived Flying Balalaika Brothers, Oleg, Igor, and Zhenya created the Red Elvises, landing their first gig at a Las Vegas electronics convention in early '96. "Limpopo was too complicated for the average college kid," Bernov explains. "It was okay when we played in L.A., Berkeley, or New York, but when we went to Iowa it was like, 'Uh ... what's that language they're singing?' The idea behind the Red Elvises was to make music that's so simple anyone can just tap his foot and sing along."
This doesn't take into account the eerie, theatrical quality of the Elvises' tunes, many of which would fit perfectly in a David Lynch film soundtrack. "Lots of people have mentioned that," notes Oleg. "We use the Gypsy scale a lot, which gives it that Eastern feel. Zhenya's a master at it; he's like a Gypsy violinist with a Telecaster. [Ed. Note:The Gypsy scale, also called the Hungarian minor scale, is a harmonic minor with a raised 4th.( We've actually done music for a couple of independent films already. Being so near Hollywood, it makes sense to work in film. It's a whole new way to express ourselves."

Onstage Oleg switches between an early-'90s Fender Precision and his red balalaika, to which he's added a shoulder strap, a J-style pickup, and a wooden tailpiece. With its whopping 44½" scale and trapeze-artist action, it's a monster of an instrument that requires extremely strong hands-especially for Oleg, whose lines are full of slides, bends, and tunky thumb-slapping breaks. It's tuned MD, like a conventional bass but without the G. "The traditional bass balalaika stands on a peg and is played with a leather pick, but I can't do that," Bernov says. "This is a rock & roll balalaika, used mostly for shock value. It's not that comfortable, though, so I'm having Carruthers build me a solidbody electric bass balalaika." Bernov uses GHS Baby Bass strin~"btight flat-wounds that sound much better than regular contrabass strings." In clubs, Oleg plugs an Audio-TechnicaATW R10 wireless into a 200-watt Nemesis combo; outdoors he uses a 45-watt Anchor Liberty 4500 MPB.
With a third CD planned, the Red Elvises aren't slowing down-although they maybe changing their approach slightly. "We already tried to break through with bizarre stuff We're keeping some ethnic influences in our music, but we want to be understood by as many people as possible. It's tricky, though. What's commercial, and what's being true to yourself? 'Commercial' just means evetyone listens to it, and there's nothing wrong with that."

The Red Elvises can be contacted at

Box 5155, Santa Monica, CA 90409

BASS PLAYER March 1998