ARTIST INFORMATION

Text translated from a March 1990 Moskovsky Komsomolets article. Writer was not credited where I found this.

'Миссия' (Missiya) – time and place of birth: 7 May 1989, Moscow.

The young friends were organized and rallied around themselves by the famous jazz musician Leonid Plavinsky.

The group recorded their first tape album, filmed it on video and are finishing up work on their second album.

They debuted in Moscow at the festival 'Звуковой дорожки', participating in 'Интершанс' and other major festivals, in the All-Russian Charity Action and charity concerts. They've been to a lot of cities in our country and performed in Belgium, where they got much good feedback in the press, where they were invited again and where a half-hour movie was made about them and shown on European television.

The group was filmed in Moscow by FRG television – the program 'Peters\pop-show', which was shown in many countries and where the guys performed together with the greatest musicians in the world. Western producers were interested in the group, and there are interesting offers to record albums and tour Europe.

According to the music chart 'Вечерняя Москва', 'Миссия' has already been in the top 10 for many months.

Quite a lot accomplished in six months, isn't it?

Consideration should be given that the guys are working almost single-mindedly on enthusiasm – in the current 'free' market of domestic-style 'show business', which looks, alas, not like the notorious pop-industry of the world of pure money, but on some predatory, rat-infested matchup, payment 'by labour' (and indeed any payment at all) is guaranteed only to 'promoted' teams. What about groups that don't have solid, but faceless sponsors, whose backs are not backed by some unknown, almost mystical forces, and who find it as difficult to be heard (just to be heard!) as it is to win at the sports lotto! And they, 'Миссия', want to be heard. They want to be a commercial band – and that's natural for an artist.

The membership of 'Миссия' is guitarist and composer Oleg Molchanov, poet Arkady Slovorosov, vocalist Sergei Vorobev, bass guitarist Gena Krivonosoe, keyboardist Evgeny Avdeev, saxophonist Sergei Slukhanov, and drummer Gayar Nezametdinov. There are no suck rockers who would dream of singing songs without words in an empty, dark hall, but if he declares it, he is either flaunting, or – pardon me – as Dr. Kashpirovsky puts it, 'incompetent'. The idols of 'Миссия' – the Beatles – were (and are) the most commercial band in the world. But we are not talking about the big guys on the provincial streets of Liverpool... We're talking about the Moscow group 'Миссия', which, for what it's worth, has already happened.

Unlike many of the most 'hyped' of our stars and starlets who get fabulous royalties but exist only on the level of a mirage or fleeting hallucination, 'Миссия' already exists as a phenomenon (this is my personal opinion – it may not be the same as even the Editorial Board itself, but no one is going to take it away from me either).

There is this phenomenon in nature, culture, society – and from it nobody can escape. And no matter how much we're persuaded by reputable experts – from B. Grebenschikov to A. Troitsky – that rock and roll is dead, some of us still listen to it now. Everything that contains the inner essence, the self, or more simply put – the Soul – is indestructible. 'Миссия' simply works its best, maybe not really hoping for much of anything (like all of us), but truly believing. Its credo can be explained in a few words:

Simplicity – but not banality
Sensuality – but not vulgarity
Energy – but not destruction
Openness – but not prostitution
Professionalism – but not snobbism
Work – but not not for your uncle
Joy, and more joy, in spite of fear.

Guys – in these cruel and rather cynical times – don't fear such eternal (some might say 'beaten') words, like kindness, love, faith, death, God.

'All you need is love' (see the song of the same name by John Lennon and Paul McCartney). They believe that a man is not just the 'sum of social relations', not simply a 'piece of biological polymer'. He only ceases to be human when he forgets that he (every person!) exists in this world with a mission, thanks to our world which still exists. The first album of this group is called 'Миссия любви'.

The group is searching for sponsors, ready for a targeted order in order to promote it.
P.S. The second album of the group, which will release soon, will be called 'Мы одной крови'.

The manager of 'Миссия' is Leonid Plavinsky [Telephone number removed because it probably doesn't work anymore].