Seva Gakkel brought the old spirit of “Aquarium” to Moscow

Vsevolod Gakkel sits on a chair in the center of a tiny stage at the Chinese Pilot Jao-Da club, the capital’s informal musical mecca. “I’m not a guitarist, I shouldn’t have gone on stage with a guitar at all, but since it happened, be patient …” The rock legend’s proud posture and St. Petersburg irony go well together. There are a little more than two dozen people among those who are ready to appreciate this, but for the atmosphere of a housekeeper, just as much is needed.

For the St. Petersburg rock underground, Vsevolod Gakkel is something like a gray eminence with exceptionally good intentions. A young man from a good family (his father is a famous Soviet oceanographer, his grandfather is an aircraft designer) graduated from a music school in the cello class and in the seventies quite predictably “fell ill” with the Beatles. After serving in the army, Vsevolod joined the “generation of janitors and watchmen” and began to write songs. “Then only the lazy did not write them,” the musician himself recalls. After trying to play in different bands, Gakkel became a part of Aquarium and between 1975 and 1989 took an active part in recording albums that turned millions of people’s idea of ​​music upside down.

According to the old rock and roll tradition, Vsevolod often helped other groups record and eventually left his mark on Kino’s 45 and Head of Kamchatka, as well as on the Energy album, which became the manifesto for Alisa. Then, thanks to the efforts of the musician and rock enthusiast, the Tamtam club was opened, which became downright St. Petersburg’s CBGB (the cult New York club where punk rock originated). As a result, probably, the entire rocker Petersburg in the range from “Chimera” and “King and Jester” to TequilaJazzz is ready to embrace Gakkel for his help and kindness.

Some time ago, music faded into the background for Vsevolod, but more recently, songs have begun to reappear. And on February 23, he played a warm-up set at the Aquarium concert in St. Petersburg. This was the last performance of the group in Russia at the moment, and, probably, it is very symbolic that two main people in the history of the rock legend met at it.

Gakkel with a guitar is probably not the most explosive action in terms of action, but the voice of a man who will turn seventy next year can still keep people in suspense, and author’s songs can intrigue in earnest. “You can immediately see: I am a foreign agent, a mile away with the naked eye,” the musician proclaims, and he wants to believe. Gakkel’s new songs contain all the fears and anxieties that can fall on a person living in Russia in the twenties of the new century. And they still hear the same old “Aquarium”, which many still love. According to Gakkel’s songs, it becomes clear that Colonel Vasin is still going to the front and his train is on fire. That Mochalkin Blues is not at all tired and somewhere there is probably a city of gold. So far, all this is in the form of sketches, although if desired, an album could be recorded.

“I work in the “songs on the table” genre, Gakkel remarks after the performance, washing down his concert impressions with mineral water. – Of course, if everything is adequately recorded in one concept with one producer who would understand how it can be brought to something complete, then maybe an album would have turned out. But for now, these are just songs recorded at home. Everything is more for internal use.

It is difficult to blame Vsevolod for taking himself as an author too seriously. He honestly admits that he writes under the influence, and is not at all shy about it. “McCartney, Gabriel, Bowie, all borrowing, nothing to the soul,” he says from the stage. However, when he sings “Bunta Street” (that’s how they call Vosstaniya Street in St. Petersburg), it turns out to be a really explosive Neva folk from the thick of things.

“There is no hatred in my songs, rather, it is sarcasm, an epigram, a political pamphlet. I do not name anyone directly, perhaps something is read allegorically and someone may be offended. But what can you do. It will be funny if sent Cossack women were sitting at the concert today, ”the musician smiles. And he adds in a more serious voice: “All this, of course, is monstrous, we found ourselves in a terrible situation. I am not such a media figure to be a mouthpiece, to be listened to. As we can see, my songs are for an audience of twenty people so far. But if we agree with them in some views, in vibrations, that’s already good. In general, if you sing this from the big stage, then I will become a tasty morsel for the repressive authorities.”

Vsevolod can be called a kind of symbol of the rock and roll brotherhood. He found and finds a language with artists of various generations and musical views, but even his seventies pacifism does not allow him to close his eyes to the fact that a “Berlin Wall” has grown in the middle of the local rock community. And the musicians, who found themselves on different sides of it, are now unlikely to find a common language, having become disagreeable and consonant.

“The latter do not yet understand that because of cowardice, money or some kind of career considerations, they did not even expose themselves to ridicule. They simply deleted themselves from the history of Russian rock music, Gakkel is sure. “And this is a very sad fact.”

“Gorky Park” again trains the American accent

In honor of the 35th anniversary of his famous center, Stas Namin gathered for a two-day festival, probably all the rock stars who are still allowed to go on stage. The shows started around lunchtime, went on almost until nightfall, and Alisa, and Garik Sukachev, and 25/17, and Kalinov Most, and Pelageya, and many others managed to perform at the Green Theater, including, of course, the group “Flowers”. But the most curious plot of the festival was the performance of the new composition of Gorky Park.

Here it is necessary to explain some details of the biography of this group. In fact, this is the production project of Stas Namin, and it is the producer who has the rights to the title. Thus, under this label, he can recruit any musicians and record anything with them.

Relations with the past “Gorky Park” at Stas Namin were bright, but not cloudless. In peace and harmony with the producer, the group released only one album – Gorky Park. It happened in 1989. The album entered the Billboard Top 100, and the Bang single spent two months on the US MTV Top 15. But then there was a small rebellion in the group, as a result of which vocalist Nikolai Noskov left, the contract with a large American label was immediately terminated, and Namin immediately abandoned his producer functions.

In the next few years, the lineup, where Alexander Marshal sang, released three albums: Moscow Calling, Stare and Protivofazza. None of the records really hit the American market. Something went well in Europe, something in Russia, something passed by both here and there. Nevertheless, the group toured successfully for some time, buying out, according to rumors, the possibility of using the name. At the turn of the century, Gorky Park practically fell apart, but in 2002 guitarists Alexander Belov and Yan Yanenkov reassembled the project. There were many tours, and in the summer of 2019 even the single Hello My Friend was released.

Against this background, Stas Namin’s decision to make his own “Gorky Park” looks largely unexpected, but absolutely legitimate. So, guitarists and vocalists Oleg Izotov and Pavel Popov, drummer and vocalist Alexei Baev, bass guitarist and vocalist Marco Mendoza appeared at the festival under the still well-known brand. Sergei Arutyunov was also announced as a vocalist, but on the day of the concert, the son of the famous, unfortunately, now deceased bluesman Nikolai Arutyunov, fell ill and is ready to appear at the next performances.

In all this company, the American Marco Mendoza looks very exotic. He has been collaborating with Stas Namin for a long time and took part in the anniversary shows of the Flowers group. But the once unified musical world after the well-known events became like a minefield. The very fact that Marco managed to break through all the “iron curtains” and the closed sky already evokes associations with a thriller.

However, taking into account the European schedule of Mr. Mendoza’s group in the activities of Gorky Park, he will be more a participant in recordings, rather than concerts. But on the stage of the Green Theater, he still lit up. The others were not far behind either. Nikolai Noskov acted as a bridge between generations. After suffering a stroke, of course, it is very difficult for him to work as a rock star, because he sits during the performance. However, Bang and “It’s Great” sounded with a bang, and the audience expressed deafening delight about the musician’s appearance on stage.

In addition to classic hits from the first release of Gorky Park, three new songs were performed. And this is again booming, sweeping glam rock. Moreover, it is in English, which now does not look like the most strategically correct decision. However, it is difficult to blame Stas Namin for wanting to adapt to some trends. In the status of a legend, he has long been doing only what he himself likes, and this approach always deserves respect.