Igor and the Red Elvises to play tonight
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ESCANABA -- After Music Monday was postponed due to storms yesterday, the band that had been slated to perform is now due to appear at the Karas Bandshell tonight. They’re Igor and the Red Elvises, an internationally-recognized band that plays “Siberian surf rock.”
Frontman Igor Yuzov, according to his biography on redelvises.com, was born in Germany, raised in Ukraine and studied in Russia. When the land had been the Soviet Union, Western-style rock and roll music was frowned upon, particularly in the 1980s.
Yuzov was reportedly a rebel who wanted to rock, and he left for the United States with his band Limpopo, whose tunes have been described as folk, jazz, spoken word, folk and rock and roll. Limpopo’s origins were in Moscow in 1986; they reformed in 1991 in the U.S. as a “four-member folk and comedy troupe,” says event website The Bash.
“Listening to Limpopo, one cannot help but to be massively entertained,” reads a description of the band on broadjam.com. “The most impressive thing about Limpopo is how much fun these guys are definitely having.”
Legend has it that Elvis Presley came to Yuzov in a dream and told him to start playing rock and roll in 1995.
Yuzov and his bandmates in California became the Red Elvises.
“Siberian surf rock” was reportedly a term used by a fan that stuck. The band’s music includes funk rock, surf, rockabilly, reggae, folk rock, disco and traditional Russian styles.
“As an independent band, Red Elvises have produced 12 studio albums, two live albums, a live concert DVD, and a Greatest Hits compilation,” their website says. “Red Elvises have performed for large festivals, private parties, and played on massive stages.”
Currently, Igor and the Red Elvises are on their “Today, Tomorrow and Forever” tour, which began in March. In the last four months, they’ve played over 50 shows in Arizona, Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Colorado, New Mexico, California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Montana and Wisconsin.
They played at Northern Waters Casino in Watersmeet the 17th and 18th, then at PetSkull Brewery in Manitowoc on the 19th.
Their Escanaba performance, organized through the Bonifas Arts Center, had been scheduled for Monday the 20th, but was postponed when thunderstorms were predicted. The show is expected to go on at the bandshell in Ludington Park this evening from 7 to 9 p.m.
On Wednesday, Igor and the Red Elvises are booked to play at the Rapid River Pub. After that, they’ll play a couple shows around the Midwest before returning to Delta County to play at the Nahma Inn on July 31.
The “Today, Tomorrow and Forever” tour is scheduled to include a couple dozen more shows through November.