From Russia with love – an interview with THE BOJARSKI!

Hey guys! Happy Holidays :) How are you and your preparations to make this year’s holidays stress free? How’s Tula this fine warm Winter?

Misha: Hi Karol! my name’s Misha and I’m a singer in the BOJARSKI. first of all I’d like to say happy holidays to you too and wish you all the best from all of us. In general in Russia most favorite holiday is New Year. But i still don’t feel these holiday feelings, but everything around changing. City starts to shine with decorations and illuminations. I like to talk to and catch memories from the childhood’s past, because now you haven’t this sacral feeling of this time of year.

This time winter is nice and i so delight because it is so warm outdoors. Think it will be perfect if in New Year Eve and on whole holidays weather will be the same. Temperature above the zero and some snow…perfect! It is not usual, because this time of year we have frost and snowfalls, but maybe global warming did that.

Arthur: Hi I’m Arthur and i am shocked! I’ve been waiting whole year to do some snow drifting on my Subaru, but all i have is +6 in 23 of December!

Andrey: Hi Carol! My name is Andrey, a play guitar. This tear winter is total crazy. In December it is above aero outside. If it winter will be this way I’m going to ride my bike!

Vasya: Hi! I’m not gonna whine about weather, because this December was full of stress for me. And just now everything is back in normal. So maybe a little later I’ll join my buddies in this weather-whining marathon.

Denis: Hi buddy! This is Denis I am very pleased to participate in interview! All Holidays i will spend with my lovely girl! Weather it is a real apocalypse!)))) I love the warmth!)

Haha, great! I hope you are having awesome presents and a great time with your family and friends during this holiday time!

Since there’s not too much information about your band available online, please tell us a bit about your background, other bands you’ve been involved in and the story of forming THE BOJARSKI.

Hah! There is not much history of it all. Band was formed to have fun and most time of its existing band wasn’t some kind of serious project. I’m in a band since it was formed, so I can provide chronology.

2004-2006 youngsters playing their first show and band members come and gone frequently.

2006-2009 first 2-song demo was recorded, still searching ourselves and do experiments.

Since 2009 we exist as a band doing concerts, records, tours and sometimes doing an interview.

2009 another demo was released

2010 LP The World You Chose.

2012 split w/ our friends MAD SOX

2015 LP Don’t let yourself to step off

As I said, band members come and gone frequently, and since 2006 its almost not changed. Except 2 moves – Vasya come to change bassist Voloyda, whom become professional doctor and Andrey come to change Alexander, whom became professional father.

We traveled almost all European part of Russia, reached Urals! Made first euro tour. In the end of January we play in Arkhangelsk (it’s over the polar circle!).

I’d like to notice Artyom who played major role in the early stage of band now play in the band called THE AUDIOTAPES, which gonna be world famous.

Vasya: We all friends since we’ve been teenagers. And it was cool to play in different bands earlier, and it even more cool to play now together. It is perfect when you play music you love with a people you love.

Why “BOJARSKI”?

Misha: Name is the oldest thing in the band. It was before every current band member. In general it is an old local joke. I don’t think I can explain it properly. But in the past it looked like not bad name for a band. I don’t think we’ll give a band such name, because it too joky and meaningless for us now. But then it was fun. The band was born with this name and the band existing now is totally different. But changes was occurred in band and in ourselves was in so slightly and natural way that we just didn’t notice them. We just keep changing and was the band and the persons we wanted to be. We did not thought we need to change band name during changing the music we play. Now it is how we called and it’s something like that.

Vasya: I’ve always liked band name. Because it’s something not like every other bands’ names. It is a bit strange, a bit stupid, just like we are.

Haha, ok. Fair enough :) Ok, so you have a new record out now. It’s called “Не дай себе остыть” (“Don’t let yourself to step off”). What does it mean to you and what message do you try to get across with this album?

Misha: I’d not about to call us quick guys. Perhaps, because of that writing and recording this piece took us so much time. We’ve been talked about this during recording a lot. It was something like “wow! it gonna be cool record those songs finally, it lasts like ages”. In those times we’ve been living so much different periods of life. It is defiantly affected record we made, I think. Those 10 songs was born in very wide time period. But somehow the sounds got together.

First of all for that piece mean we finished it and still want to do the music, make new songs and records.

It’s kind of Rubicon, and like couple words for myself “Don’t let yourself to step off”.

Andrey: Yep, about being quick I agree, sometimes we are too slow. I remember first tour i made with guys. They laugh on me all the time, because I was first to go. I was dressed, in the doors with my stuff in hands, while Vasya are going to do shit before going away.

Vasya: I’m totally lazy in normal life. It took me 2 hours to wake up and be ready to go outside in general. But in tour I always hurry and try to get next place with some time in reserve.
The fact we made this record mean for me a lot. Some song’s lyrics are so personal to me, like I wrote it. While we was making this record in my personal life was made great change, so release was like “look, everything become so cool”. I love our songs :)

Is it an entirely DIY release? Apart from your official Bandcamp profile, where can we get it from?

Misha: Yeah, I think it is DIY record from the each side. Generally I can’t imagine how such a band like ours can make non-diy record. If some label will us in our backwoods and make a proposal to make everything for us it gonna look like someone’s joke. I tell a story. In 2004 book of vocalist of popular in Russia band TARAKANY was released. It calls “Stupid punk rock for intellectuals”. I had read this book in a day. It had a great impression on me, as did on many others punk-rockers in Russia. There was written that everything band did was diy, no support from others, everything in band was made by band members. And I was like ”Wow! Such a great band and they do everything by themselves! That’s really cool!” So I grew up and we do the same things. Because if you want to do something you do it by yourself. There is no sense to wait for help.

I think our bandcamp page is main place to find our music. Maybe soon we release CD and 12”. But at this moment we only making plans about this. Considering the depreciation of ruble it becoming more and more difficult to do this. But I still love to listen music on physical media, such a vinyl.

Ok guys, so what are your plans for 2016? Any plans to once again hit the road?

Misha: Play as much shows as it possible, try to make a new record. Really want to make a new tour. that’s a fact. Just now we came back from trip to far north. We played in Arkhangelsk city. It is above polar cycle. It was great! It most north place we’ve played for now. We really want to go the west as far as we can go and then go to the east. Perfect plan is to make a euro tour with Lisbon as farthest west point and Krasnoyarsk or Irkutsk as farthest eastern point. If we can make this real it gonna be grandiose!

How do you remember your previous European trek? Can you share some stories and lessons you’ve learned from touring in general?

Misha: Eurotour as every tour we had a bunch of memories. And most of them enrapture. Not we the first, not the last to tell every band “make a tour”. When I start to think about eurotour I start to drown in memories. I want to tell you every story at once, but I understand that we don’t have enough time for this.
The most important thing is no matter how far you are from home you will find persons who on the same wave with you. You will not be divided by language, borders or something else. You will find the loved ones.

Vasya: because it is punk rock, man :)

Ok guys, let’s get a bit political for a while. Are there a lot of socio-political influences in what you guys do with this band?

Msha:Ok, great! It’s cool to talk about everything. Answer for this question is that our position is freedom for every individuality, peace around the world and for happiness for everyone. Our songs is all about it. From time to time we support local initiatives. For example a couple years ago Artur made a new year benefit show for an orphanage. We take a part in charity shows. I think it is normal personal activity, that everyone should do.

Andrey: In general it is not my favourite theme for conversation. Especially in present. For now it is everywhere – Putin, Ukraine, Obama, Ukraine, Putin. I’m totally sick of it.

Vasya: When I was younger I was total anarchy kid. I thought if someone want happiness around the world he must be vegan and anarchist. Veganism = Anarchy. Now I think you have to be a someone to follow. Be a cover of ideas in your head. I’m vegan for a long time. So I look and act not like crazy-vegan-asshole talking about corpses and so. I think it is must be personal and deliberate choice. I’m not involve everyone in veganism. I even don’t think I’m an anarchist anymore. It is a something closer to socialism. But I think everyone equal. And conscience must be main decision-making thing.

How do you understand Putin’s efforts in Ukraine and Syria? What is your sense of Russia’s current diplomacy and international strategy? How much do you care?

Misha: It is exist around us. We see it every day one way or another. I see it as a part of global politics game. War is the thing we will never support. We wish no one will have to live in conditions like people that now part of civil wars do. War is madness with people who engaged at will. It’s hard to see people who excuse to kill each other and politicians do not search the way out for peace. Unfortunately, war – is for warriors, but civilians are involved without asking.

Andreas: My homepage is news site. And every time I open browser I hope see news about Metallica’s new album, but I see this: presidents of USA and Russia reach an agreement about one thing, authority of Syria did the other thing, as usual everything fucked up in Ukraine. Bunch of assholes in authority whack something and ordinary citizens have to suffer because of it. That’s sad.

How do these actions compare to those from the past Soviet times? Do you, your family and friends tend to make some references back to the Soviet Era? How has Russia changed?

Misha: I was born in soviet union, but i have just a little bit memories about it. I remember how USA bomb Yugoslavia and Iraq spreading “peace” and democracy and now Russia do the same thing. It’s hard to compare nowadays with soviet union era, but I think we cannot discuss such things then. I think even idle talk can not be this easy. Sometimes I meet with opinion Russia is an empire as Soviet Union was. But I don’t think it is so. At least I don’t feel it, and such opinions aren’t common. Also I can not say I meet comparison between nowadays and Soviet Era among my friends and relatives. I think everyone treat this period of time like past as it is.

When I talk about changes we see now, I think all those changes are temporary and new time bring new things. Generally I found some interesting fact. In 2001 top song on each radio station was TaTu song about gay boy. And In TaTu was singing two lesbians. It was scandal, bot then was no hate towards them.

Hate waves for everything is nowadays sign. But I’d like not to think about it and concentrate on negative factors. It’s springtime towards us and I see a lot of bright people. And I think every action have a reaction.

Andre: I don’t know what it was like in Soviet time, because then I did not exist. But older people, as my grandma is, say that now is total disorder.

Is there anything that can be, or should be done to put some pressure on the Putin regime? Do you even call it that way?

M: I don’t have an answer for this question. All I know is nothing is lasts forever. No matter good it or bad. I’m not call this regime because we can discuss tis freely. You should know a lot of people support president. Also restriction of freedoms taking its place everywhere and I hope we not gonna go to the Orwell’s 1984.

Ok buddies, thanks a lot for answering my questions. It’s been a nice chat! Feel free to add your last words and may the light shine on you path :)

Misha – Karol, first of all thank you for giving us the opportunity to express a few of my thoughts. Chatting with you was very nice, I hope to see you in the real world, good luck to you in all things. Come to our shows and not our too.

Andrey – Thank you for your interest) It was nice to answers from you. Good luck)

Denis – Dude! Thank you very much for the interview! Good luck in everything!

 

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