CULTURE

chernov's choice

GEZ-21, or the Gallery of Experimental Sound, part of the Pushkinskaya 10 arts center, is closing temporarily in line with a number of other local clubs, who think that August is a bad month for holding concerts because the public tends to go on holiday away from the city during this time of year. But before the venue closes its doors until September, there will be one last concert of improvized music from a saxophone duo made up of Nikolai Rubanov of Auktsyon and Berlin-based Vlad Bystrov on Saturday.

Red Club, which is on holiday now, parted ways with its long-time art director, Claire Yalakas, who is widely seen as the person who helped to form the venue's strong music program which drew audiences to the place despite the annoying searches at the door and its uncomfortable interior. Rumor has it, however, that the club's artistic policy will not change much, and it is scheduled to reopen on Aug. 27 with a concert from Dva Samaliota.

This Friday, Dva Samaliota, who recently released the album "Ka-Ra-Bas," will perform at Moloko.

The Kinks-influenced band Wine is scheduled to perform at Fish Fabrique, also on Friday.

Meanwhile, it seems that the most interesting events take place somewhere else.

New York's latest musical sensation Scissor Sisters will play its one-off Russian concert in Moscow in mid-August. Described as "the coolest band on the face of the planet" by NME, the postmodern disco quintet, which released its eponymous debut album earlier this year, will rock the Moscow's Hermitage Gardens on Aug. 14.

Lambchop, an unique alt-country band from Nashville, Tennessee, will play Moscow's 16 Tons bar and concert venue on Aug. 18. David Byrne, who performed locally earlier this month, covered Lambchop's song "The Man Who Loved Beer" on his most recent album "Grown Backwards."

This Saturday, a dozen St. Petersburg bands as well as five from the U.K. will celebrate the Fender Stratocaster guitar's 50th anniversary at the free Miller Fender Fest on Bolotnaya Ploshchad in Moscow.

The legendary solid-body electric guitar designed by U.S. inventor Leo Fender was used by the best-known names in rock including Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan and Keith Richards.

St. Petersburg's Markscheider Kunst, Deadushki, Billy's Band will play at the Fender Fest, among others.

From the U.K. comes Kaiser Chiefs, a band often compared to Britain's other recent musical sensation, Franz Ferdinand. Hailing from Leeds, Kaiser Chiefs has yet to release an album but its single "Oh My God" has been recently named "The Single of the Week" by NME.

The other British bands taking part in Fender Fest are the glam-rock King Adora from Birmingham, the Scottish psychedelic/folk band Mystery Juice and no-frills punk band Gold Blade from Manchester.

Finally, Nashestviye (Invasion), the Nashe Radio-promoted festival of Russian rock will be headlined by Leningrad on Aug. 7. Leningrad, one of Russia's leading bands, is still "banned" in Moscow and the Moskovskaya Oblast because Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov's reportedly dislikes Sergei Shnurov's lyrics, but this year the festival will take place in a village near Tver, where Luzhkov has no power.

- By Sergey Chernov

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