Slavic

Artur Pirozhkov (Артур Пирожков) is a stage name—one of many—for entertainer Aleksandr Vladimirovich Revva (Александр Владимирович Ревва). Of Estonian ancestry, his family immigrated to Donetsk, Ukraine, where their last name was eventually Slavicized to Revva (from Erwa). His father, a renowned mathematician and professor in Donetsk, and his mother separated when he was fairly young. He […]

Staisha is the stage-name for one Nastya Aleksandrina (Настя Александрина), a Moscow-born hip-hop, reggae, and R&B singer/songwriter. Trained as a singer from a young age, she would go on to graduate from the Gnessin State Musical College, where she studied jazz and pop vocal styles. Although she began her career as a backup singer for […]

Roads Change Color (Дороги Меняют Цвет, or ДМЦ) is an alternative Russian-singing folk-rock band from Poltava, Ukraine. Originally a two-piece group composed of vocalist Andrey Grechanik (Андрей Гречаник) and guitarist Sergeу Starostenko (Сергей Старостенко), the band has since expanded to include a keyboardist, bassist, drummer, and, for a brief period prior to her tragic death, a violin […]

Olga Arefyeva (Ольга Арефьева) is a Russian singer, published poet, dancer, theater actress, and educator. Born in a small town (Verkhnyaya Salda/Верхняя Салда) outside of Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg) in 1964, she—along with her band, The Ark (Ковчег)—has released a staggering 18 albums since the early 1990s and composed more than 400 original songs. She is […]

5’nizza (pronounced “Pyatnitsa,” Russian for “Friday”) is a Russian duet who plays across the genres of hip-hop, reggae, and funk. Originally from Kharkiv, 5’nizza existed from 2000 until 2007 and then, after a long hiatus, re-formed in 2015. They have played shows around Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, and the United States. 5’nizza consists of Sergei Babkin […]

Patrick the Pan is a Polish soft rock band consisting of frontman Piotr Madej, Justyn Małodobry, Kuba Duda, and Adam Stępniowski. The band’s first album was composed, recorded, and performed entirely by Madej. Patrick the Pan’s music is soft and sad, as well as artfully composed. In Madej’s own words, their songs are “sad songs. […]

Lao Che is a Polish rock band that plays a crossover of alternative rock, punk, ska, ambient, and folk. Lao Che was formed in 1999 by former members of the seminal Polish band Koli. The band’s popularity grew quickly after the release of their album Warsaw Uprising (Powstanie Warszkawskie), a concept album that was nominated for a […]

Skubas is the stage name of Radosław Skubaja (formerly known as Sqbass and MC Sqbass), a Polish musician. As Skubas, Skubaja performs acoustic guitar songs that straddle the line between folk and grunge. Skubas is known for his unique and distinctive voice, as well as his grungy guitar riffs and melancholy lyrics. Born in 1981, […]