The Red Elvises were founded in 1995 by Igor Yuzov and Oleg Bernov, two Russians living in Los Angeles, California. Igor and Oleg met during a Russian-American peace walk and subsequently played together in a Russian folk-rock band called Limpopo. The band’s third original member, guitarist Zhenya Kolykhanov (he later legally changed his last name to “Zhenya Rock”), had also emigrated to America and had been spending time playing in Texas. For the first few months Andrey Baranov was the band’s drummer, but within that year, the first American in the band, drummer Avi Sills from Austin, Texas, was added to the lineup. The four of them got their start playing on Santa Monica’s 3rd Street Promenade.
When they weren’t playing on the road they were busy recording and self-producing their own CDs. Grooving to the Moscow Beat was the band's first release in 1996, followed by Surfing in Siberia in 1997. In 1998, the band released their breakthrough CD, I Wanna See You Bellydance. Their music filled the soundtrack of Lance Mungia’s independent film released in 1998, Six-String Samurai, a film in which they also had small roles and screen credits. With Mungia directing, the band also produced two music videos of songs from the Six-String soundtrack, Lovepipe and Boogie on the Beach, that year. A full-length concert video, Live on the Pacific Ocean was also released, showcasing their appearance at the Santa Monica Pier’s Twilight Summer Concert Series.
The small screen also beckoned with television show appearances, resulting in Red Elvises’ guest spot in an episode of the now-defunct Fox television series Melrose Place (Episode #206, "Suspicion") which aired on November 9, 1998. Near the end of that year they appeared on FX’s Penn & Teller’s Sin City Spectacular accompanied by Penn & Teller’s show dancers, which aired in January 1999. They released three new recordings in 1999, two studio-produced and one live. The band's fourth and fifth studio albums, Better Than Sex and Russian Bellydance, a Russian language version of their smash album I Wanna See You Bellydance from the previous year, were both released in March 1999. Later in that same month Red Elvises’ performance im San Francisco was released as the band's first live double album, Live At The Great American Music Hall.
In the summer of 1999 the FX television channel hired Red Elvises to play in Malibu on the beach for their Beverly Hills 90210 Swimsuit Beach Party highlighting a marathon airing of syndicated episodes of the hit series. FX held and flew the winners and ten of their friends to the beach party to appear on TV and dance to the band’s music. February 2000 heralded a brief change in musical direction for the band with the release of their seventh CD, Shake Your Pelvis, a more electronic techno/disco style CD that greatly differed from their earlier releases. December 2000 also saw an end to Avi Sills’ association with the band with his decision to move on to other musical opportunities.
The band persevered as an all-Russian three-piece during 2001 with Bernov giving up the big red balalaika bass and taking over much of the drumming. In March two new studio CDs were released, Welcome to the Freakshow, written entirely by Yuzov, and Bedroom Boogie, written entirely by Rock. The band continued their non-stop touring across America throughout the year and also toured their native Russia.
In 2002 Rokenrol was recorded entirely in Russian with the exception of two songs, Juliet by Yuzov and Sunshine by Rock, both sung in English. Rock began a side project, Zeerok, going in a completely different musical direction, and by the end of the year decided to commit to his new band full time, announcing his departure from Red Elvises. The band kept busy during the summer months with a tour through Russia that included some filming for the upcoming film Mail Order Bride, a romantic action comedy starring Danny Aiello, Vincent Pastore, Ivana Milocevich, and Robert Capelli, Jr., returning home in August to record the soundtrack. The band also returned to television with an appearance playing themselves in an episode of the Fox action series Fastlane (Episode #3 "Gone Native").
In 2003 Yuzov switched back to guitar, this time on lead, and Bernov returned to the large bass balalaika. Completing the new lineup were another Russian, Oleg "Schramm" Gorbunov on keyboards and accordion and new American drummer Adam Gust. In 2005 they were asked to perform in the Moscow Live8 concert, along with the Pet Shop Boys and a number of local performers. In 2006 Elena Shemankova from Moscow, the first female to ever play with Red Elvises, joined the band on keyboards and was very well received. Later that year they were joined by female guitarist Beth Garner from Texas, who continued to tour with them until the end of 2007.
In 1999 and 2002 the Red Elvises released CDs in Russian, which were very well received in Russia. Subsequently they have been invited to perform there every summer, and they spend a couple of months playing in clubs in larger cities such as Moscow and Saint Petersburg, as well as Yuzov's hometown of Odessa in the Ukraine.
The band's line-up is slightly different in Russia than in North America, and features many Russian musicians who are hired specifically for that tour.
Discography
* Give Us A Break (as Limpopo) — 1995
* Grooving To The Moscow Beat — 1996
* Surfing In Siberia — 1997
* I Wanna See You Bellydance — 1998
* Six-String Samurai soundtrack — 1998
* Russian Bellydance — 1999 (in Russian language)
* Better Than Sex — 1999
* Live At The Great American Music Hall — 1999 (live album)
* Shake Your Pelvis — 2000
* Bedroom Boogie — 2001 (written and performed by Zhenya Rock)
* Welcome To The Freakshow — 2001 (written and performed by Igor Yuzov)
* Rokenrol — 2002 (in Russian language except for two songs)
* Lunatics and Poets — 2004
* 30 Greatest Hits - 2007 (greatest hits compilation)
* Drinking With Jesus - 2008
www.redelvises.com/
Venice USA
Red Elvises Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dreams are melting, in the sun
I'm rolling down on BCH
Hare Chrishna, here I come
Oh she looks like silver screen
Smile like fashion magazine
Showing of your pretty skin
Faces look a little stoned
All dressed up in silicone
Talking bullshit on the phone
She tells me that, she tried it all
Menage á trio, and fancy drugs
She's waiting tables, all night long
She's no big friend of, moviestars
Oh she looks like silver screen
Smile like fashion magazine
Showing of your pretty skin
Full of lotion and sun screen
Surface look a little stoned
All dressed up in silicone
Talking bullshit on the phone
(Interlude)
Oh she looks like silver screen
Smile like fashion magazine
Showing of your pretty skin
Full of lotion and sun screen
Surface look a little stoned
All dressed up in silicone
Talking bullshit on the phone
Yeah... Woah... Barapba... Subididubidu
The lyrics of Red Elvises's song Venice USA paint a vivid picture of the environment and culture of Venice Beach, California, particularly the people who populate it. The singer describes the heat and the sweat dripping off his face, as well as his own melting dreams, possibly implying the difficulties of surviving in such a place. He then offers a reference to the Hare Krishna faith, indicating the spirituality and diversity of the location.
The song focuses heavily on the women of Venice Beach, who are described as looking like silver screen stars and fashion models, dressed up in silicone with perfect skin and faces that look a little stoned. This highlights the idealization and often superficiality of Hollywood culture. The singer implies that even these seemingly perfect women are not immune to struggles, as one tells him she's tried everything from threesomes to drugs and is waiting tables all night long.
Overall, the lyrics of Venice USA capture the gritty and chaotic energy of Venice Beach, contrasting with the superficiality of Hollywood and emphasizing the struggles and complexities of the people who live there.
Line by Line Meaning
Sweat is dripping, of my face
I am sweating profusely under the hot sun of Venice Beach, Los Angeles.
Dreams are melting, in the sun
My visions and aspirations are fading away and disappearing under the heat of the Californian sun.
I'm rolling down on BCH
I am cruising down the beach walkway overlooking the Pacific Ocean, known as Beach Bike Path (BCH).
Hare Chrishna, here I come
I am ready to immerse myself in the bohemian, hippie culture of the area, chanting the Hare Krishna mantra that symbolizes a desire to attain spiritual enlightenment.
Oh she looks like silver screen
There is a woman in my midst who appears as if she were straight out of a Hollywood movie, with her stunning features and impeccable beauty.
Smile like fashion magazine
Her smile is so radiant and flawless, that it resembles those glossy, Photoshopped models in fashion magazines.
Showing of your pretty skin
She is flaunting her toned and smooth skin in revealing clothing, in order to garner attention from onlookers.
Full of lotion and sun screen
She is drenched in sunscreen lotion, in a bid to protect her fair complexion from the harsh UV rays of the sun.
Faces look a little stoned
Many of the people around me here seem to be under the influence of mind-altering substances, causing them to display bewildered or drowsy facial expressions.
All dressed up in silicone
The women are heavily augmented with breast implants, giving them an artificial and plastic-like appearance.
Talking bullshit on the phone
People are talking gibberish or nonsense while speaking on their phones, perhaps due to their altered states of mind.
She tells me that, she tried it all
The woman I spoke of earlier reveals that she has experimented with everything - from unconventional sexual practices to exotic drugs.
Menage á trio, and fancy drugs
She confesses to having been involved in threesomes or group sex, as well as trying out high-end, expensive and rare narcotics.
She's waiting tables, all night long
She works tirelessly as a waitress at nearby nightclubs or bars, serving drinks to the party-goers and earning her livelihood.
She's no big friend of, moviestars
Contrary to popular belief, she does not hold Hollywood celebrities or films in high regard or as her role models.
Contributed by Ethan H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.