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Slava Neskubin (Grandees): The most important thing for us is to rock the house
 When Bizarre Music first saw Grandees live, we were stunned by their charisma and energy of this young band. They stormed onstage and their music has broken all the borders of dullness and ordinarity. We couldn't miss such a great talent and talked with Grandees' frontman and founder Slava Neskubin.
When and how did Grandees start and what made you set up the band?
Actually I started playing music not so long ago – about three years ago when I started to learn the guitar. I’ve always wanted to set up my own band. I played in some bands of different styles but then realized that they were not my cup of tea. There people wanted to play for their own pleasure but I was already looking for some development not only in terms of music, but also in terms of career. That was when in September 2009 I disbanded the previous Grandees’ line up (which I also formed myself) and started searching for people who shared my views on music and development. It turned out pretty difficult to find such people in our times, but those who search always find what they need : ) So, I’ve been looking for people and have found those who now are the current Grandees line-up. We all share the same ideas on music,  world outlook and images. In our band we pay special attention not only to the music side, but also the appearances, which I consider very important if you want to achieve success and draw the attention of the audience to you. So in December 2009 we played our first show and its attendance was very good for the newbie band – there were about 100 people at that show. Not everyone can boast it! : )
Do you remember that gig? Was there anything special about it?
Yes, I remember it very good. We’ve been preparing for two months. We’ve thought over everything down to how to appear on the stage, what kind of intro to play, things like that. The audience was really great that day and by the end of our performance they were already singing along with us : ) It was insane! But there was a small incident when the smoke machine went off and the stage drowned in smoke so that I couldn’t even see the guys.
How was the name "Grandees” born? And your logo is awesome! Who made it?
 Our former drummer made up this name. Okay, I know it’s not very modest : ) And the logo was made by our designer Christopher Rave. In it he revealed our character, soul and style in general.
Could you introduce all the band members and say a few words about them?
Well, I’ll start from the first person I invited to the band. It’s our bass player Denis. He’s very hard-working, full of ideas, responsible. The second one is our drummer Dima. He’s crazy in a good sense of it, immensely lively. You’ll never get bored with him. And finally our guitarist Sergey. When I first saw him play, I was stunned! He’s the king of guitar strings.
What are you main achievements so far?
Right now the most important thing for us is that our fans and people who first see us live like our music. And speaking about some things in particular, we’ve already had two big shows for half a year. The first one was in April when we opened up for Sonic Syndicate in the packed  Plan B [club] and the second one – also at the end of April: we were invited to the God of Broadcasting Award.
Which musicians influenced you?
It’s different for each of us. I’ve always been influenced by Rammstein. But as a band we were influenced by Nickelback, Papa Roach, Three Days Grace and Seether.
How would you characterize Grandees in general – the band’s philosophy, sound?
We play very diverse music which is available for everyone and can suit any mood, but most of all we’re energy-oriented. The most important thing for us is to rock the house and make people forget about their problems. Headbanger.ru called our sound a mixture of alternative rock, nu metal and punk rock : )
 What are your plans for the future?
Well, it’ll be the shortest answer. We wanna develop, move further and make the band better!
Grandees Online
Interview and translation: Olga PolomoshnovaPhoto courtesy: Grandees(c) Bizarre Music | 
