Reelroad plays traditional Russian music in an original post-folk style in concert halls and festivals throughout Europe and Russia. In 2008 the band crossed the Atlantic to perform at world music festivals in Mexico and the United States. In early 2009 Reelroad celebrated its 10th anniversary. Reelroad’s repertoire favors obscure folk songs from northern Russia and central Siberia, music driven underground for decades.
Reelroad has two styles of performing Russian folk music. The first echoes the village with the sound of Russian instruments such as the gusli (zither), zhaleika (fife) and kaljuka. Traditional vocals are prominent, due in part to Reelroad members Anastasia Karaseva and Aleksandrs Dmitrijevs, founders of the authentic village choir “Dubinushka.” Acoustic guitar, violin, flute and bagpipes round out the sound. In the second style, developed for the large stage, Reelroad projects and amplifies the village sound with bass guitar and drums.
All seven Reelroad members are musicians. Four serve as vocalists as well, singing in traditional Russian village voice. Anastasia Karaseva plays the tin whistle, pandereta and Irish harp. Alexey Belkin plays Galician and Scottish bagpipes, zhaleika (fife) and winged gusli (psaltery). Aleksandrs “Kep” Dmitrijevs plays acoustic guitar, banjo and harmonica. Natalia Vysokikh is a professional violinist. Alexey Skosyrev made the fretless bass guitar he plays, as well as Anastasia’s harp. Svetlana Kondesyuk, a graduate of the Academy of Arts, plays the flute and Galician bagpipes. Denis Nikiforov learned to play the drums in the army, studied at the Academy of Arts, and works at the famous Hermitage museum.
In addition to concert performances, Reelroad teach Russian folk dances in clubs and dance schools. The band welcomes dancers of all skill levels and aims to dispel the belief Russian folk dances are boring or difficult. Also Reelroad often presents Russian folk dance classes at the concerts so everyone may experience this new form of performance art as well.
“Reelroad crafts a sound that is fresh and modern, catapulting Russian folk music on to center stage of the new folk sound” (World Music Central)
“Reelroad’s appeal to youthful audiences and the manner in which its music can transcend national and linguistic barriers were very much in evidence” (Dan Tam Do and Mark Trotter, Outreach Notes, USA)
“So genuine in their music and their way of delivering it” (Louise Wohlafka, Choir director at Bloomington High School North, Bloomington, IN, USA)
SELECTED PERFORMANCES:
- Rainforest World Music Festival, Malaysia (2010)
- Ivan Kupala Festival, Moscow, Russia (2004, 2010)
- Wild Mint Festival, Moscow, Russia (2010)
- St. Patrick’s Day International Festival, St. Petersburg, Russia (2004, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010)
- Dom Cultural Center, Moscow, Russia (2010)
- Knights Castle Festival, Viborg, Russia (2009)
- Maslenitsa Festival, St. Petersburg, Russia (2009)
- Lotus World Music & Arts Festival, Bloomington, IN, USA (2008)
- Detroit Institute of the Arts, Detroit, MI, USA (2008)
- Bronson Gilmore Center Auditorium, Kalamazoo, MI, USA (2008)
- Chicago World Music Festival, Chicago, IL, USA (2008)
- Globalquerque!, National Hispanic Cultural Center, Albuquerque, NM, USA (2008)
- Princeton University, NY, USA (2008)
- Cornell University, NY, USA (2008)
- Milwaukee World Music Festival, Milwaukee, WI, USA (2008)
- Madison World Music Festival, Madison, WI, USA (2008)
- Go Global Festival, Aalborg, Denmark (2008)
- Hadsund Kulturcenter, Hadsund, Denmark (2008)
- Midsummer Folk Festival, Viborg, Russia (2007, 2008)
- St. Petersbourg International Carnival, St. Petersburg, Russia (2008)
- Ollin Kan Festival, Mexico City, Mexico (2008)
- Rigas Latviesu Biedribas Nams, Riga, Latvia (2008)
- Folk-Navigation Festival, Moscow, Russia (2007)
- Russian Seasons Festival, Helsinki, Finland (2007)
- Slovenian Keys Festival, Izborsk, Russia (2007)
- Spotkania Folklowe Festival, Czeremcha, Poland (2007)
- Pervomai Festival, Petrozavodsk, Russia (2007)
- Casablanca Club, Riga, Latvia (2006)
- Latvijas dzelzcela vestures muzejs, Riga, Latvia (2006)
- Yara Zhivitsa Festival, St. Petersbourg, Russia (2006)
- Anticipation of Summer Festival, Moscow, Russia (2006)
- Ethnolife Festival, St. Petersbourg, Russia (2003, 2005, 2006)
- Inlakesh Festival, St. Petersbourg, Russia (2005)
- Harvest Folk Festival, Moscow, Russia (2004)
- Faces Folk Festival, Karjaa, Finland (2004)
- Festival of Modern Folk Music, St. Petersbourg, Russia (2004)
- Folk Marathone Festival, Petrozavodsk, Russia (2004)
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