«Russian rock band breaking barriers» — Daily Local News (USA, Westchester)

Russian rock band breaking barriers

The rock band Mumiy Troll has come a long way, literally and figuratively.

The band from Vladivostok, Russia, will be in Philadelphia tonight for a show at the TLA.

Mumiy Troll (pronounced Moo-Me Troll) was banned by the Communist Party in the group`s early days. Now, the band has played more than 1,000 shows all over Russia in the last eight years and has achieved international success.

Mumiy Troll`s popularity has become so big that the band is now included in school textbooks — and that`s definitely coming a long way.

The group, which includes founder Ilya Lagutenko (lead vocals, guitar) along with Eugene Zvidionny (bass guitar), Oleg Pungin (drums) and Yuri Tsaler (guitars, keyboard, saxophone), released its «Comrade Ambassador» album in the U.S. this year, and has a new digital release of an eight-song EP, «Paradise Ahead.“ It`s the band`s first recording in English

“We`re in the middle of a two-month tour of the United States right now,» Lagutenko said during a phone interview. «America — It`s pretty challenging. We`re playing gigs in new places — in small clubs. In Russia, we play much bigger venues. Basically, we`re trying to introduce ourselves here.

»Earlier this year, we released our album in the states in Russian — not the smartest of moves. «But it got good reviews and it was a good experience.

“All of this is a good experience — a new, fresh experience. Back in Russia, we can`t tour by bus. In some places, there aren`t even roads. Here, we have a bus that is like a traveling home. This is a great trip for us, not only from a performer`s point of view but also from an explorer`s point of view.»

Lagutenko has the soul of an explorer. In the mid-1980s, the Communist Party labeled Mumiy Troll as «one of the most socially dangerous bands in the world.“ Lagutenko stayed one step ahead and went from being shadowed by the KGB to becoming a respected member of the military.

“I joined the Russian Air Navy just before the Soviet Union collapsed,» he said. «For me, the change was great because I wanted to learn different languages and study different things. I studied economics and Mandarin Chinese when I was in the Navy.

“And when you grow up in Vladisvostok, you dream about being a sailor. Me, Oleg and Eugene all did military service in the Pacific Navy. Now we are all like sailors on a different ocean.»

«On this tour, we`re doing half the set list from `Comrade Ambassador` and `Paradise Ahead,`» Lagutenko said. «We`re also doing songs from the past. We want to paint a full picture of what Mumiy Troll is all about.»

By DENNY DYROFF