In the meantime we are taking this opportunity to give you many things. Yes we are that kind. People say they have desire to see Nazzine once more and as we have been saying only short time ago, we will be bringing it to you very shortly, please be patient. Yes, in the meantime, please stick yer yockers on these postings as we are being very nice in allowing you to visualise old interviews and happenings in Nazzine.
The first interview we are bringing to your attention is from the fiery Trans Siberian March Band. They played a Naz at the great venue that is known as The Shakespeare, a long time ago. This interview is from the very first embryonic issue of Nazzine. We think we shall place interviews in order of publication as we think that is making sense. No?
Ok, Ok, here is short introductory interview with the band that is marching across Siberia in more ways than one I think. Yes?
Can you give us a lowdown on the band. How you guys came together and who’s in the band?
Well some of us were the wind section with the London Gypsy Orchestra, got fed up with taking turns with the strings, just joking. We were turned on by the Balkan Brass bands like Kocani Orchestra and Fanfare Ciocarlia; by many burlesque brass bands in continental Europe and by the Hungry March Band in NYC.
We have Issy on Clarinet, Sally on sax, Kath, Pippa and Catherine on trumpet, Lucy on tuba, Bryony on French Horn, Donald on bass trombone, Nick on guitar and Rob on percussion. Six of us were in the LGO at some point. The LGO is great for that; it takes conventional musicians and develops them. A few bands have come out of the LGO.
Why did you decide to leave the LGO to form Trans Sibs?
Well we are a lot more flexible on gigs thats for sure.
Can you tell us a little about the name?
Some of have worked in Siberia. Love the people. Love the idea of Tran Siberian Marching! We are unusual having a front line of girls. Never happens in the Balkans and there’s something pretty cool about women playing brass. Brashly and loud and out-doing the blokes! As we are an all-girl band, some wear dresses for the Burlesque effect. We do have one TV in the band but you’d never guess. So we like the Trans thing.
You’ve been called the Sex Pistols of Balkan Brass? How punk are you and do you see that as complimentary?
We love that label. We don’t try and imitate the Balkan bands. We are a bit punky in the sense that we take stuff and keep it simple and danceable rather than working it into a strange time signature that’s hard to dance to after a few drinks. We see it as a visual concept as well. We have crocodile suits, all sorts of costumes and so on. We can get people going big time.
Your set is a mixture of covers and originals?
We do a lot of our own arrangements and like taking old ottoman battle tunes and scaring people with ‘em; taking straight Balkan tunes and ‘ska-ing’ them up (Ska Maro means Ska-ladybird, I think); also taking stuff from ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ and reggaeing it up in a Balkan way (Politburo Reggae); making Balkan tunes sound like a Mariachi band (Kustino Oro) and so on.
Most of our set is brassed up, re-arranged covers of traditional folk songs. We have a tango we are just about to learn that’s original and too cool for words!! And we love ‘Besame’, though our fave song at the moment is ‘Meschachina (Moonlight) - a Balkan tune that has sort of been nicked by a Serb Nationalist. We were really worried about playing it in Bosnia but they loved having a London band come back and give the tune back to them. It went down a storm.
Some of your songs you describe as Ottoman Battle Punk. Sounds a little aggro? Can you tell us about these songs that you play?
Simple tunes designed to scare people. Hypnotically, rhythmic and quite threatening. We march in with these tunes or play them if we are actually marching. Audiences don’t expect them and it’s always cool when we do them.
Can you tell us more about your influences? You may need to tell us about sub-genres here!!!
Klezmer Reggae - well that’s Politburo Reggae from Tradition. Opening number of ‘Fiddler On The Roof’.
Yugoslav Mariachi - Kustino Oro - we sounded like a Mexican band by accident and liked it so much we left it that way.
Balalikal Brass - Well that’s back to some of us working in Irkutsk / Lake Baikal where there’s some great music and we are arranging some of the shamanistic orientated music to be a bit like the Ottoman stuff.
When you cover more traditional songs are keeping true to the originals or are they bastardized - so to speak!!
Bastardized for sure!!! We don’t want to imitate. We are very keen on musicianship. We don’t change stuff for it’s own sake. Often we do stuff that has not been brassed up before but it will work for (e.g. Bublistchki that Gogol Bordello did a version of).
Your Balkan tour. Any highlights, low points? Some people might say it’s like taking coal to Newcastle! But do tell us how it went down!!
Low point was coming home. It was great! They loved us and we loved them.We are a girl band basically and that was a blast for the audiences (normally fat blokes). No one is playing their brass tradition anymore. Lots of smaller groups, or Euro pop with a keyboard, drum kit and guitar. No colour.
Have you any recordings available?
One EP.
Finally, you are planning a tour of North and South Ossetia, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia next year. Looking forward to it and your motivations?
We have an interest in conflict resolution and some of us have worked in the Caucuses region. We need to save money and hope its cool to get there. The music in the regions is great and we would do some songs to take with us. Its hard to be in conflict when you are dancing!
Sorry but all photos are copyright Nick Royles. Not to be used without permission. Please contact me if you require any.
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