Posts Tagged ‘punk traveler’

Punk Travel Show – Raw Travel

// September 29th, 2011 // No Comments » // Photos, Videos

One of the many happy by products of  my travels for Punktology, the documentary on the worldwide influence of punk, is a little project that turned into a big project called “Raw Travel”.

The idea was to create a more authentic travel show, one without a celebrity chef or host staying in 5 star hotels and visiting other celebrity friends in remote locales.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am a travel show fanatic and watch them any chance I can, even if so many seem to all revolve around food, which is just PART of a culture.

Colombia - In the Amazon

But there seemed to be a void, a disconnect between the travel I was experiencing and what I was seeing on television. First of all, most travelers I met weren’t staying in fancy hotels (mainly because they were real travelers not working with a big TV sized travel budget) and because they loved to travel so much, they wanted to stretch their dollars to do more of it, so they had to be a little more realistic about not only where to stay but where to dine and what to do. The frequent unintended result of this type of more frugal, budget traveling was an often more fulfilling and authentic experience

Colombia - Giving back in San Basilio de Palenque

They also seemed to have different expectations from traveling. Some wanted to give back, either to the environment or to humanity in general.

Others, seemed resolved to live their life in as non-traditional a manner as possible, challenging the expectations of modern society. Others were on sabbatical or a gap year and still others were breaking away from their work and normal routine for a short, but intense period of time.

People travel for many different reasons, but all passionate travelers seemed to share a common bond of a love of adventure, learning from other cultures and as a result of their travels, more responsible and empathetic living. I’ve tried to figure out what actually separates a traveler from a tourist. Maybe it’s that a traveler is involved where as a tourist is observing.

Trinidad - East Indian Culture

Whatever the differences, we resolved to try and create a more authentic travel show that incorporated a bit more of what we saw as an important but overlooked segment of the travel show category; real, independent travelers going to sometimes off the beaten path destinations and having authentic travel experiences.

We sought to produce a show that incorporated an eco-friendly message that included ways to travel and live in a more sustainable manner. A show that would ask people to look outwardly to see how others experience the world and then look inwardly and compare that to their lives.

A show that hopefully would encourage those that have the most freedom to travel but are the least worldly of travelers (U.S. citizens) to get a passport, get rid of the fear and get out of the U.S. and meet the neighbors, even if they speak a different language; maybe especially if they speak another language. Language barriers aside, travel has a way of humbling you if you need humbling, making you more confident if you need more confidence or maybe it just seems that way, but to me, travel makes me a better person.

Salta, Argentina - The crew gets doused with flour during Carnival

And alas, we wanted a show with a subtle but consistent subtext that would showcase the underground, punk aesthetic and way of life the world over, understanding that most people who would watch would not be punk fans, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have some connection to a punk attitude.

I’m not sure if we were successful, but we did get 4 pretty good 1 hour episodes in the can, produced independently (of course), with limited resources (AKA cash) and each episode I believe better than the one before. It was a labor of love, built from the ground up with the idea to do nothing but our very best in showcasing a way of living, of traveling that has changed my life and I believe can change others’ lives as well.

Making new friends in Ecuador

The shows are not perfect and there is much I want to improve moving forward. But I think/hope they are entertaining, enlightening and attractive for the right audience and hopefully, a network.

Below is a short little demo we produced (a little over 8 minutes) that tries to encapsulate what the show is about.

I hope you enjoy it no matter where you live or where your travels may take you.

 

Trinidad Punk Photos

// April 21st, 2011 // No Comments » // Photos

So I’m ending up my time here in Trinidad with a little photo montage of the good times had with the guys from “Anti Everything”.

Thanks again for the hospitality guys, it’s good to see that Caribbean punk is alive and well. Keep holding down the scene!

Remember to be on the lookout for their new CD which they are recording now and in the meantime you can visit them at their WEBSITE HERE.

Next stop for Punk Outlaw.. back to Colombia and then finally, Ecuador! Should be good, Stay tuned and enjoy!

24 Hrs in Trinidad, Punker than you think

// April 7th, 2011 // No Comments » // Photos

When you think of Trinidad what comes to mind? It could be “Carnival” or “where is that?” but chances are it’s not “Punk hotbed”… and you know what, you’d be right.

But having been in Port of Spain less than 24 hours (and most of those sleeping), I am here to tell you that this place has a bit more punk vibe than you’d think for a small Caribbean island off the coast of Venezuela.

First and foremost there are my boys from “Anti-Everything”, a really, really good punk band from close by St. Augustine. Now granted, I cheat a little bit when speaking of these guys because I researched the scene before I came  and found the guys’ MySpace page (MySpace is still good for something I guess) and we hit it off online a few weeks ahead of my arrival.

It helps that Trinis speak English, but let me tell you when you factor in the accent with the insane amount of slang, I still only understand about 50% of what is being said. In other words, I understand Trini about like I understand Spanish.

But Randall from Anti-Everything is so cool he insisted that he pick me up from the airport and take me to my hotel, even though I landed around 1 AM and he had class the next day. Talk about a cool cat.

Anti-Everything enjoying Shark n Bake (Randall 2nd From Left)

We stopped off for a local “Stag” beer (ladies, order this in Trinidad if you want to raise some eyebrows. It’s marketed aggressively to men on the island) and Randall filled me in on the punk scene in Trinidad and Tobago and guess what? It’s really, really small!

Well, hell.. everyone says that about their scene, even in punk hot spots like Bogota, Medellin or Los Angeles and New York City.  By definition of being an underground culture, punk is bound to be small in relative terms.

But in Trinidad when Randall means small, he means small. The island is famous for it’s carnival, it’s steel pan / calypso style music and it’s diversity.

My First Shark N Bake

There are East Indians, Africans, tons of Asian influence as well as the occasional white, Caucasian like me. The religions range from Hindu, Muslim and all colors of the rainbow of Christian. Despite the fact that I stand out much more here being a white dude, I get stared at MUCH less than in other countries, like Colombia. Maybe people are more used to diversity here and that would apply to things like Punk.

But in an island that is inhabited by a little over 1 million people, the punk scene by definition, once again, is going to be small.

However, I’m here to tell you it’s more punk than you think…or since you probably didn’t even think about punks being in Trinidad, let me revise that statement, “its more punk than I thought”.

Cases in point:

1) Anti Everything – Already covered above.

2) Social Distortion - when I see a Social D shirt in NYC I get excited. But here I am in Port of Spain and who passes me but a completely tatted up, hardcore punk looking dude wearing a Social Distortion wife beater. I was so excited I wanted to hug the guy but thought better of it and said instead “hey man, Social D! they are great!” and he looked at me like I was crazy and kept walking. Hey, I said Trinidad is more punk than I thought, not friendly. Good thing I didn’t hug him.

3) Johnny Cash – Roughly 20 minutes after making an ass out of myself to the random Social D. fan, I am walking to my hotel and what do I hear cranking out of one of the houses, but good old Johnny Cash. Now when you say a place is punk, your probably thinking Sex Pistols, Ramones, or maybe the newer stuff like NOFX, Pennywise or Bad Religion.  Well, me too. But you never can tell til you get to a place and of course, Johnny wasn’t a punk artist per se, but he was one influential cat to all genres of music including the aforementioned Social Distortion among others.

Now these are random observations from a guy LOOKING for signs of a punk life everywhere I go. I’m part anthropologist, part filmmaker, part fan and part curious traveler. I don’t know why this interest me so much but it does so I’m making a film about it “Punktology”, and granted I’m taking my slow, sweet time.

Maracas Bay

But when I first arrive to a place like Trinidad, the 1st day is crucial. That is when my senses are on overload and hyper aware. They’ve yet to be lulled to sleep by the routine that eventually falls into place everywhere I’ve ever been. My survival instinct is on high alert.

“Is this dangerous?” “Should I be walking or taking a taxi?” “Holy shit look at that crazy character” “Oh man, did he see me staring?”, “Just smile and say good morning”, “Don’t be that a..hole tourist”..  these are typical stream of consciousness thoughts of about 0.03 seconds of my first day in a country. And I love it.

In the afternoon, I hooked up with Randall and some of the other guys from Anti-Everything who took me to Maracas Bay about an hour outside of Port of Spain to experience the beach and to sample the famous Shark and Bake sandwich (worthy of the hype I might add). And while punk rock and beaches don’t seem to naturally mix so well, I like punk and I like beaches and we’re in Trinidad so I’m going to experience both to the best of my ability.

A Global Warming Machine

On the way up we mostly talked about what life was like living in Trinidad and tried to get out of the destructive path of this incredibly polluted automobile that was in dire need of an exhaust overhaul (passing this guy was not an option, roads are incredibly winding).

Oh did I mention Trinis drive on the other side of the road, with the steering wheel on the RIGHT hand side, I’m still wigging over that cause I eventually have to rent a car and remember to stay left is so anti-well, anti-everything I’ve ever experienced driving (sorry). I’m not a great driver when the steering wheel is on the right, excuse me correct, excuse me again, North American side of the car so this should be interesting!

But on the way back we got a chance to discuss the punk scene some more and Randall and I know some of the same people including the really burgeoning Puerto Rican Punk scene (I’m coming soon guys, hang on). He turned me on to a compilation CD of some of the best punk in countries you wouldn’t expect (like Trinidad) and I can’t wait to give it a listen.

Maracas Bay Beach.. really chill on a Wednesday

Randall’s a really smart cat and the guys I’ve met from Anti-Everything are super cool and laid back (all Trinis are so far). I’m gonna go limen (hang out) with the guys over the next few days and of course an interview for Punktology as well as a rehearsal or even studio session (they are currently recording their 2nd CD) is in the works here so I hope you’ll stay tuned as my Trinidadian experience continues.

 

 

 

Buenos Aires Take 2!

// March 7th, 2011 // 1 Comment » // Photos

So we’ve been in Argentina/Uruguay almost 3 weeks and it’s been a little hectic to say the least. I’ve hardly had time to sleep, much less update you guys on things, but that doesn’t mean we haven’t been rocking.

As posted (see previous post), we enjoyed a great show with our amigos Rudos Wild in Montevideo, Uruguay and we’ll have some video of that show up just as soon as I get near a decent internet connection.

Merch table @ Salon Pueyrredon

In Buenos Aires, it’s been damn cool as well.

As you may or may not know, I was in Buenos Aires for 3 weeks last February 2010, when I was robbed by a fake taxi driver and lost most of my valuables including laptop, passport and most importantly my cameras which had all my footage on it. (Click HERE to review that archive post)

My first couple of days in BA this trip, I revisited the scene of the crime just to exorcise some ghosts and in some lame hope I’d see the shady, fake ass taxi driver fuck who stole my shit.  What would I have done had I actually seen him? Not sure, but it would have been cool to find out.

Batra from Salon Pueyrredon

Romina & Evangilina @ Salon Pueyrredon

Anyway, I’m not hung up on it, that was a year ago and a lifetime away. My insurance paid for my valuables, I learned a good lesson and to be honest with you, other than the severe inconvenience at the time, I’d be cool with the whole thing with one exception… the lost footage! That stuff was irreplaceable and included some nice little nuggets like a rehearsal and a backstage interview with BA homeboys “Dos Minutos”. Click HERE to see that archive post.

Mundo Bizarro Waitress

But since I’m back down this way, I figured I may as well visit my buddies I made last time out so we swung by Mundo Bizarro where our guy “Pinata” came down to see us and mix us a martini despite being under the weather.

Mundo Bizarro is one of my favorite hangs in Buenos Aires and it always has a cast of characters hanging out, some rockabilly and some just regular folk. If you go to BA, you gotta check out Mundo Bizarro and be sure and tell Pinata Punk Outlaw sent you.

The Crowd @ Salon Pueyrredon

The Humanoids Play Salon Pueyrredon

Another place you should see if in BA is the famous “Salon Pueyrredon”. We dropped by there on a Friday night to see the owner “Batra” and the gang and the place was packed.

There was a ska and surf band playing live for the crowd and I ran into some cool rockabilly artistas, “Evangilina” and “Romina” who had designed some of the artwork hanging in the venue. They were cool enough to pose for pics and allow us to get some close ups of their kick ass tattoos.

Cool Tats

We also dropped by Galeria Bond Street and I found a great little clothing shop there called “Faith” with all original designs by the owner Sebastian, a cool rockabilly/punk cat. Sebastian is not only very cool, he’s very, very talented and I hope to get a video interview we had with him up on here soon.

Chillin @ Mundo Bizarro in my new "Faith" duds

I bought a couple of his pieces and hope I can get by there again before I head home as I absolutely love his designs.

Galeria Bond Street is also a must stop where you can get all tatted and pierced up if you like, buy some cool music or cool clothes. If you do get by, do check out Faith. I’m not kidding, that shit is sick and 10x better than anything I’ve found in the States (at a fraction of the price too).

Hanging Out @ Galeria Bond Street

OK well I’m still here for a while long and I’m still doing work so hopefully I’ll have more to report soon.

In the meantime enjoy the pics and if your in Buenos Aires, enjoy the rest of the holiday!

Helping Out.. A punk rock thing to do

// January 26th, 2011 // No Comments » // Photos

She's all smiles, but needs our help

Why are there suddenly photos of adorable little kids on this blog? No, this isn’t a feature on the future punks of the world (FPOTW) or cute kids of punk rockers. These are kids who need help.

For those of you who don’t know, I’m working on developing a travel show called “Raw Travel” that is in it’s infancy at the moment, but is going really well.

Spare Rollerblade with handles. Now thats punk!

It’s a perfect way for me to continue my travels for the documentary, Punktology, and this blog covering the world wide punk, rockabilly and psychobilly scenes while doing something that may actually help me pay the bills someday (and for all this traveling).

The show will be a bit punk rock in itself, no 5 star hotels, no fancy makeup or famous host (he, he) and it will hopefully help people travel and learn about other cultures in a “economic” (i.e. cheap), “eco-friendly”, “socially aware” and “sustainable: manner (did I include enough buzz words, or should I add a couple more?).

No? So here is another for ya, “Voluntourism”! Though I really don’ t like that word, I like what it represents, which is giving back while traveling to another country.

Me.. actually shooting a camera

But that is not what this is about and that is not why there are cut little kids on this otherwise, big and scary punk rock website.

Punks are by their very definition a socially conscious bunch and so I thought this might interest some of you. Last week, while taping for Raw Travel, I took a tour with World Vision or Vision Mundial as it is known in Latin America, you know the humanitarian organiziation that helps poor kids and their families in almost 100 countries.

Peter Singer asks "What Are Their Lives Worth?"

We toured one of their most dangerous barrios, Comuna 8, in Medellin, Colombia which is completely controlled by the gangs. We were able to go in with our cameras with World Vision shirts and with the gang leaders’ permission to help kids and their families that are crippled by poverty and all the crap that brings with it (lack of health care, nutrition, often violence in the home, etc.).

I also spotted a real live scopalamine (zombie drug) tree, saw a memorial  where a landslide buried almost 1,000 people alive  in the 80′s and the whole thing was a big crazy trip and in my view, and a very punk rock thing to do.

We Don't Need No Stinking Famous Host!

I documented it all here on the Raw Travel Blog and our sister site, “Don’t Drag Me Down”.

I also talk about being inspired by a book I recently read called “The Life You Can Save” by Peter Singer and the myths of U.S. charitable giving (you often here we’re a charitable country spouted by news media and politicians, actually, uhhh… not so much when you analyze it).

I hope you’ll check it out as it explains why there are cute kids on the site this week.

Don’t worry, we’ll get back to featuring some ugly punks and their music on the site real soon.

In the meantime, enjoy the cute little kids.

I'm a daddy! well, sort of, I sponsored this kid for less than $20 U.S. a month

You can learn more about the show at www.RawTravel.tv and follow our travels and our adventures at www.RawTravelBlog.com

CHECK OUT MY TRIP TO COMUNA 8, SEE MORE PHOTOS, SEE HOW YOU CAN HELP HERE!

Punk Rock – Medellin Style

// January 17th, 2011 // No Comments » // Photos

It’s been a 2 month delay (what can I say I’ve been traveling a lot!) but we finally got the pics up from the big “Rock en Medellin” concert last November in, you guessed it, Medellin, Colombia.

If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you know I’m very high on the punk scene in Medellin. It’s a great scene with a really intense and friendly community of hardcore punk fans with very some talented bands to boot.

Not the least of which is Punk Outlaw Records’ own “Los Suziox” who performed to an enthusiastic hometown crowd at Rock en Medellin.

Thanks to my friend and associate Renzo Devia for helping to snap some of these pics. To see all the great pics from the show you can visit

Check all the photos at our FLIKR PAGE. Enjoy!

Exclusive Interview With Moscow Punks “Tarakany!”

// December 6th, 2010 // No Comments » // Videos

MOSCOW RUSSIA:

Here is our exclusive interview with the long running punk band Tarakany! (Cockroach).

Last Night in Moscow – Video of Betty Boop Lovers

// November 4th, 2010 // No Comments » // Videos

MOSCOW, RUSSIA:

After "Betty Boop Lovers" Interview "Backstage"

My final night in Moscow was a Saturday night and I was to head to St. Petersburg the following day. I hadn’t planned enough time in Moscow and I ran out of time before I ran out of interviewees.

I had a few interviews that I really wanted to get including one of the old punk legends from the Moscow scene “Zhaber Punk” . “Zhaber Punk” and I had a communication issue with my Russian being non existent and he not speaking English, but mainly it was a time issue. I just didn’t have enough time in Moscow to secure an interpreter and garner the interview.

Also Vladimyr, a music writer for the Moscow Times and punk fan who wrote an excellent English language article about Russian Punk Music scene you can read from my previous post HERE. Unfortunately, Vladimyr and I made contact after I had already left Moscow.

Moscow Punk Band "Eorsi"

And then there was Dmitry from the Moscow punk band (Eorsi). Same as Vladimyr we also made contact after I’d already left Moscow. But I did get the chance to listen to Dmitry’s band at their Last FM web page and fell in love with their music, especially a couple of songs called “About Punk” and “Black Flag”. Give em a listen if you get a chance.

Eorsi has been around for 7 years and Dimitry told me they even had a “grenade get dropped” at one of their shows to which the Russian press completely ignored. Now that is punk! Maybe a little too punk?

Next time I’m in Moscow will definitely profile these guys for you. I’ll be sure to wear my flap jacket though. Keep up the good music guys!

Betty Boop Lovers @ The Real McCoy in Moscow

In the meantime, my last night in Moscow, my new rockabilly friend Viktor (AKA DJ Spaceman) took me to this cool little bar called “The Real McCoy” that was decorated like a speak easy from the U.S. in 1920s prohibition era and I might add, make a mean chicken burrito (not surprisingly, the only Mexican food I had while in Russia).

"Betty Boop Lovers" Interview

On this particular Saturday night the bar featured a bop inspired rockabilly band called “Betty Boop Lovers” . I was able to interview the guys in between sets and shoot some video of their performance which featured mostly covers but did include a performance of a catchy original called “I Can’t Touch” that I really dug.

Betty Boop Lovers

Here is some video from my last night in Moscow at the Real McCoy with my friend Viktor tearing up the dance floor to the Betty Boop Lovers. Enjoy!

STAY TUNED: Tonight is the long awaited return of Social Distortion here in New York City so look for photos and videos tomorrow! And then, FINALLY, I’ll feature some pics and videos as I made my way to St. Petersburg, Russia!

Rockabilly Roundup, Russian Style

// October 27th, 2010 // 3 Comments » // Photos

MOSCOW, RUSSIA- Day 2 (Still!)

My first full day in Moscow, Russia was intense for a guy still groggy from an 8 hour time change that had my alarm going off at 1AM.

With the "Beat Devils" @ The Grease Bar in Moscow

But I was in Moscow for only 3 days so I had to quite whining about  a little thing like sleep and “man up”.

I started off the day with punk band “Tarakany!” (Cockroaches) as they  rehearsed for a big fan club concert coming up (SEE POST), then I hit Red Square and had a “red scare” from the police (SEE POST) with Maria from Moscow, who filled me in on the scene and other local punk bands.

Now it was time to hook up with Viktor (AKA DJ Spaceman) and partake in a little rockabilly, Russian style. Now in all my travels I’m not sure I’ve ever met a character as interesting and dedicated to rockabilly as “Viktor from Moscow” as he’s better known by Rockabilly bands the world over.

Viktor from Moscow (On Left)

Viktor IS the personification of real rockabilly. He lives it, he walks it, he breathes it. Viktor has a kick ass record collection (over 22,000 records); he once self published a kick ass rockabilly magazine; he still promotes some kick ass rockabilly events and he seems to know everybody in rockabilly not just in Russia and Europe but in the U.S. and Japan as well.

In short, and I don’t type these words lightly, but I have NEVER met anyone as dedicated to authentic rockabilly as Viktor from Moscow.

Viktor's Rockabilly Zine "Hepcat"

Viktor is a executive during the day and at night he listens to rockabilly tunes at this new rockabilly spot in Moscow called “The Grease Bar”. On this Friday night, Viktor had arranged for me to accompany him to see a rockabilly band from neighboring Ukraine called “The Wise Guys”.

When I first walked into “The Grease Bar” I felt I’d taken a trip back in time some 50-60 years ago to the Southern U.S.

One of the first things I notice is the preponderance of confederate flags all over the walls. Now I’m originally from the South, but I’ve lived in New York for the past 14 years. I have to tell you, even down south it’s a little rare to see confederate flags prominently displayed these days.

Over the past 10-15 or so years it’s slowly but surely become politically incorrect to display the confederate flag in the U.S.

This message has not made it to Russia or if it has, they’ve ignored it. I find during the course of my interviews, that this has nothing to do with race or the civil war, or anything  like that, some lazy thinkers might want to label.  It’s quite simply a decorative prop and symbol of what many Russians rockabilly fans consider a time and place for authentic roots rock music in the 1950s southern United States.

My observation is that most Russians simply are note aware of the flag’s controversial symbolism in present day U.S., just as most Americans have no clue about Russia’s history.

Russians have understandably been preoccupied by contemporary history closer to home, like the fall of communism, the Caucuses, terrorism, etc.

The preceding decades and centuries haven’t been a cakewalk either and go well beyond the scope of my expertise to even attempt to explain here.

No wonder everyone I spoke too said punk and rockabilly music’s main purpose was to entertain and make people “happier”, not to further depress people.

I’ll just suffice it to say that while it may be politically incorrect to display the confederate flag in certain parts of the U.S. (and some might argue that point as well),  it’s obviously not in Russia. Alas, it’s not my job to judge, but it is my goal to report, so report I shall.

Now where were we? Oh yes, the decor. Well in addition to rebel flags there were all sorts of items from the American past including an Elvis Presley stage backdrop, doo wop artwork and when you threw in the steady stream of hepcats and cool pin up chicks streaming in, well as I said, entering the Grease Bar felt like I had left Moscow and entered the Southern U.S. in the 1950s, with decidedly different accents.

Ukraine's "The Wise Guys"

One thing no one could find not argument with was the quality of the music. The “Wise Guys” from Ukraine cranked out some first rate rockabilly to which the appreciative crowd danced like they knew what they were doing!

The aforementioned Viktor was one of the best examples, dancing what can only be described as a hillbilly jig when alone or swinging the ladies around expertly when he partnered up.

The dancing at the Grease Bar in Moscow rivaled that of any I’ve seen at events like “Viva Las Vegas” or any number of rockabilly weekenders.

It was Friday night, the crowd was primed and I was busy interviewing the gang from “Wise Guys” as well as another band in attendance, “The Beat Devils” and some other folks.

I’ll have lots of good video  as soon as I get back to the states and an internet connection that will allow for some video uploads.

In the meantime, enjoy some of the pics from that night and remember to see the complete set visit the Russian Punk & Rockabilly Sets @ the Punk Outlaw FLIKR PAGE HERE.

And remember if your ever in Moscow craving some authentic rockabilly head to the Grease Bar and you’ll be in business.

STAY TUNED: More coverage from the Moscow Punk & Rockabilly scene coming up.

Moscow Madness: Cockroach On The Loose

// October 25th, 2010 // 5 Comments » // Photos

MOSCOW, RUSSIA:

Lets kick off our Russian trip coverage!

Disoriented, sleep deprived and confused. This describes how I felt when I woke up my 1st morning in Moscow.

Dima - Lead Singer for "Taratany" (Cockroach)

The day before, Dima, lead singer and one of the original members of the long running punk band (17 years) “Tarakany!” (Cockroach!), had arranged for me to attend their band rehearsal at 11AM  and I was to meet him at the Metro (subway for you New Yorkers) station at 10:45AM Moscow time (yup! that’s 2:45AM NYC time and to my poor unadjusted body).

What punk band, hell, what musician rehearses at 11AM? Well, as I was to find out Dima and his crew at “Tarakany!” are a hard working, disciplined bunch. Maybe that explains their staying power for so many years.

The guys were preparing for a big concert for their fan club and they don’t mess around. They rehearse hard.

The metro stations in Moscow are incredibly crowded and for the uninitiated and jet lagged, chaotic and slightly intimidating.

If you have ever been to New York City and experienced Grand Central or Penn Station at rush hour then you sort of, slightly get the picture.

Having never met Dima and only glanced his photo on MySpace and being without a local cell phone to make contact, I thought it would be a miracle if we actually were able to get together in the madness of this Moscow train station.

With Dima’s instructions to “meet in the middle” I wasn’t even sure where the middle was? The middle of what? Well, as I later discovered during my trip  this is a very common (and reliable) meeting place for Muscovites as the trains are the most efficient means of travel in Moscow, so almost everyone takes them as car traffic above ground is a legendary mess.

Now in Latin America it’s pretty easy to meet up with people I’ve never met,  because I’m obviously one of a handful of gringos, often the only gringo. But in Moscow, I could easily pass for Russian (until I spoke). So Dima and I each arranged to be wearing our respective CBGB’s shirts.

So I’m in the middle of the train station with my coat open to prominently display my CBGB’s thermal and Dima spots me right on time, 10:45AM. Another thing I was to learn that Muscovites seem to be very punctual, even musicians and yes, even punks!

Dima kisses his girlfriend goodbye and I try to keep up with the long legged (think Joey Ramone kind of tall and lanky), fast walking lead singer as we walk at an incredibly fast pace to rehearsal. Moscow is the only city I’ve seen to beat New York’s hustle and bustle… it is one intense city, even for and maybe especially for punk musicians.

Dima says he learned English like a lot of people I’ve gotten to know over the course of my travels for “Punktology”, from listening and playing American Rock music.

The rehearsal space is fairly typical and we pretty much have the place to ourselves (it is 11AM after all?!). It’s a very professional rehearsal space, complete with all the latest audio equipment and a “green” room to hang out in.

After some brief introductions to the guys in the band, they jump right into rehearsal and I’m thrilled when they rip into a kick ass version of Social Distortion’s “Cold Feelings” . It may be 3AM NYC time, I may be exhausted, jet lagged and confused but this gets me in the mood. Social D. is better than coffee!

Dima’s voice has a powerful, raspy and dare I even say slightly Mike Ness quality. He’s professionally trained and you can tell he’s dedicated to his craft. The whole band is.

They get right to it in rehearsal with very little horsing around and as Dima tells me, they will often rehearse 3 or 4 hours per day. Though they occasionally have to get other work to pay the rent (Moscow is an extremely expensive city), most of the time music is their full time gig and it shows.

I was really impressed with their work ethic. They barely took time for the interview in between rehearsal sessions.

I discovered these guys are not only hard working but damn good musicians. I guess years of rehearsals at 11AM pays off.

They rip through a couple more covers including a ditty from the Ramones “Poison Heart” and I think that is so appropriate because if I had to describe the style of these cockroaches, it would be Social Distortion meets Ramones meets Moscow. It’s a unique sound but with some familiar touches.

Next they tear into their originals of which they have a significant number including a new song “Dog’s Heart” which is due out this year.

As I said, we were able to knock out a very quick interview during a break in between rehearsal sets and Dima invited me out that night to a punk club with them where one of their friends was playing.

I really wanted to go but it was a case of bad scheduling because I had another commitment with Victor (AKA DJ Spaceman) who already had me scheduled for a pretty heavy agenda of interviews that evening, including a rockabilly band that made the trip in all the way from  Ukraine, whom I couldn’t disappoint.

I needed two of me, cause I’m really bummed I didn’t get to see the punk show that night and even more bummed I didn’t get to see Tarakany! perform for their fans on Sunday night. If it was anything like their rehearsal I know it kicked ass.

The band’s heavy punk sound suits my personal taste but alas, I have for you dear viewer a couple of clips from rehearsal, including their version of “Cold Feelings” by Social Distortion and “Dog’s Heart” their new song. Both of these are coming up real soon as soon as I find a wi-fi connection that can handle the upload.

I also have several of their CDs and I plan on getting a nice feature segment on them together so you’ll be able to hear more from these Russian cockroaches right here real soon so just stay tuned.

In the meantime I’d like to thank Dima and the guys from Tarakany! for their gracious hospitality allowing me to sit on an important rehearsal. So sorry I couldn’t make the show guys.

I hope you will be sure to check out their MYSPACE Page where you can sample more music and get to know the Tarakany! from Moscow, Russia. Who knows, maybe they’ll be in a city near you soon so look out for them.

Up next: I narrowly escape arrest by police as I clandestinely film an interview in Red Square. STAY TUNED!

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