Mumiy Troll interview: SXSW 2010 — spinner

Mumiy Troll interview: SXSW 2010

With a recent appearance on «The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson» and the April release of their EP «Polar Bear», Mumiy Troll is gearing up to become the first Russian band to perform at SXSW this week. Spinner.com spoke with band founder and front man Ilya Lagutenko to find out more about this dynamic band and their upcoming gigs in Austin.

How would you describe your sound in your own words?

Many ask, is it rock or is it pop? I came up with a word, «rockapops,» which I think is a good description of the serious messages of straightforward rock and the enthusiastic enjoyment of pop music.

How did your band form?

We formed a long time ago, as teens. Rock and roll had essentially been abandoned in our country. As a teenager, I remember reading Soviet articles about rotten Western pop culture and we became fascinated by that idea. We formed our band without really knowing what that music sounded like. It was pure fantasy and we had no illusion to make a career, but times changed and we explored the idea of making music as a profession.

What are your musical influences?

We have a diversity of influences. There was an underground movement of hard rock and heavy metal, but I was more into the New Wave and New Romantic music. Sometimes, in our hometown of Vladivostok, we could pick up stations from Japan with our AM radios. It would be this weird mixture of popular songs in Japan, as well as top songs from Britain and the U.S.

How did you come up with your band name?

Initially, we took the name from a Scandinavian fairy tale, but it seemed too childish, too cartoon character for a band. We felt it must be stronger. I like the play on words with Mumiy Troll, because of the Egyptian mummies and the Scandinavian trolls. The combination of magic and mystery seemed the perfect way to name the band.

What`s in your festival survival kit?

Knowing that you are never able to be 100% ready for any situation, we tend to just go with the flow when we travel. We don`t mind the weather, the other acts, the level of technical support available, etc. Going with the flow is the best way to go.

What`s your musical guilty pleasure?

I like gizmo`s which you don`t really need, unusual devices such as voice samplers which are used to make unusual sounds.

Beatles or Stones?

Stones, for sure. You know, we are called the Russian Rolling Stones, which always makes me imagine we are in our 70`s. Stones sounds a lot better.

Have you been to Austin before?

Yes, we have played here before and Austin is a great experience, a great city. You know, we will be the first Russian band to ever play at SXSW!

Macy Kauffman

Macy Kauffman is a contributor from Seed.com. Learn how you can contribute here.