Red Elvises

Last Friday was Megan's birthday, and since I was out of town we celebrated last night with dinner and a concert. The concert was The Red Elvises, who call themselves "the kickass rock band from Siberia" and "your favorite band." We saw them last about six months ago in Santa Fe, and had a lot of fun so we were looking forward to their return.

The concert was about the same as the first one. A lot of fun with some great musicianship and songs in broken English. The lead, a hulking Ukrainian, would begin songs with a little intro in a thick accent such as "okay, now comes song about tragedy, The Strip Joint is Closed." He was accompanied by a blond flattopped Russian who played a bass shaped like a giant balalaika, a dour Ukrainian guy playing sax, flute and clarinet, a young woman in a spangly, shimmery red dress who simply looked like she was having an orgasm everytime she touched her keyboards, accordion, or other keyed instrument, and an American drummer who was quite good. All of the men except the drummer were dressed in loud, zebra or jaguar print suits.

The band is built for showmanship, and it doesn't disappoint. By the end of the evening, the crowd was doing everything the lead singer asked, whether it was moving the pelvis suggestively or simulating a disco dancer. At one point, he conducts the crowd in a scream off during a song, making it fit into the music they are playing. And always, after a song, he demanded that the audience roar its approval even more. The audience always did.

This band seems to be touring every day of the week, so undoubtedly they will be near you sometime. Check them out at their website. Oh, and here's our favorite song of theirs, "Closet Disco Dancer."