Igor and The Red Elvises come to Gutters
“We haven’t been there in ages. I’m very excited to be back in Taos. I love that place — very unique.” — Igor Yuzov, Igor and the Red Elvises
THIS SATURDAY (SEPT. 24), Igor and the Red Elvises are coming to Taos with their brand of “Siberian surfrock.” The Red Elvises will be performing at Gutters Bowling Alley, 520 Cañon Drive, from 7 to 10 p.m..The Red Elvises were founded in 1996 by Igor Yuzov and have been relentlessly touring ever since. The band has penned some surfrock songs tinged with Russian folk influences. Their music finds themselves in the company of Dick Dale and Reverend Horton Heat. A few notable songs include: “Surfing in Siberia,” “Better Than Cocaine,” “She Works for KGB,” and “My Darling Lorraine.”
Rockabillies might also remember the band for their contributions to the soundtrack of the 1998 cult classic film “Six-Stringed Samurai.” The actioncomedy film follows a rock ‘n’ roll samurai (presumably Buddy Holly), with a guitar in one hand and a samurai sword in the other, traveling through a post-apocalyptic Nevada desert to succeed Elvis as king of Lost Vegas. “A couple of actors had sun stroke in Death Valley … I think it’s great people are still talking about the film,” Yuzov said.
Aside from adding to soundtracks of other films, they’ve toured all over the U.S., Europe and Asia. They’ve performed countless music festivals. Yuzov said their biggest performance was Live 8 in 2005.
“It was great to be broadcasting between Madonna and Paul McCartney,” Yuzov said.
The band tried their best to perform during the initial lockdown of the
Covid pandemic, performing at open air venues around the East Coast. Now the band is touring for several months playing back-to-back shows. They also have a drummer from Brazil who has “added new colors to the band’s sounds.”
This past year, Yuzov saw himself in the middle of the Ukrainian-Russian war. Yuzov, who has family and friends in both Ukraine and Russia, never expected a war between the two countries.
“It’s just insane. No one believed that it would happen,” he said. “Even two days before the war started, people couldn’t believe it. The sooner it’s over the better.”
FYI
Igor and the Red Elvises will be at Gutter’s on Saturday (Sept. 24), from 7-10 p.m. Cover is $10 at the door and a $5 dollar cover for bowling. Attendees 16 and younger enter free. For more information visit taosbowling.com. For more about the band visit redelvises.com.