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About this event

WORLD MUSIC PRESENTS RUSSIA’S LEGENDARY CULT BAND

AUKTYON

Friday, March 24, 8pm
Somerville Theatre

"Auktyon are consistently and wholly original. They are quite simply the best music out of today’s Russia." -- Village Voice

Boston, MA – World Music presents the incomparable music experience of Russia’s Auktyon on Friday, March 24, 8pm at the Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square, Somerville. Tickets are $25. For tickets and information call World Music (617) 876-4275 or buy online at www.WorldMusic.org.

A legend in Russia and a cult band across Europe, Auktyon (pronounced auction) is notorious for its boundless energy and instantly memorable melodic hooks. Featuring Leonid Fedorov’s molasses-coated voice along with guitars, tuba, keyboards, sax and multiple percussionists, the band fuses traditional folk with punk and jazz to bang out an inexplicably diverse sound.

Auktyon was formed in St. Petersburg in 1978, gathering steam in Russia’s complex underground music scene through the early 80s. Originally, the group had an intensely theatrical feel, utilizing characters, costumes and make-up. As the years went by, Auktyon moved away from this showy feel and focused more on their anomalous music. Traditional folk, alternative rock, punk, and jazz inexplicably fused with various performing techniques, odd rhythms, melodious vocals, astonishing energy and drive all contribute Auktyon’s raucous live performances.

Auktyon is also known for their Dadaist lyrics, emphasizing the phonetic and melodic qualities of the words and phrases rather than the meaning of the words themselves. In the 1995, Auktyon recorded Mountaintop Dweller using the poetry of an avant-garde Russian poet, Velimir Khlebnikov, who used similar linguistic principles in his poetry. Since then, Auktyon lyrics have taken a sharp turn in that direction, valuing the sound and rhythm of the words instead of the meaning.

The band’s releases include Return to Sorrento (1986), How I Became a Traitor (1989), Asshole (Erio, 1990), Hangover (SNC, 1991), Bird (Dyadyushka Records, 1994), Best Of (SNC, 1996), Warpings (2001) and This Is Mom (2002). A new compilation is due out this year.

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