Russian post-grunge rockers Remark are hot off the release of their most recent EP: Keep Running. The release packs a wallop for the fans, drawing influences from across the rock spectrum, even including a couple of covers. While the EP more than speaks for itself, the same cannot be said for the band. That’s why we had a small chat with REMARK, and managed to get a glimpse at what makes this up-and-coming quintet so special.
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
We are five guys from Moscow. We love music, and of course our fans!
How did you meet?
We all met together by chance and now, we are really good friends.
How long have you been playing as a band?
Our first rehearsal was in 2009. There, we composed our first song immediately. This song can be heard on our first, self-titled album.
Before you get sick of being asked… Where does the band name come from?
It was a very prolonged search of our band name. Moreover, we changed the name several times. Finally, we decided, during a brainstorming session. REMARK has the same pronunciation in all languages and it is easy to remember.
What are your influences?
Oddly enough, we listen to different music and we like different bands. The sound of REMARK is the sum of our ideas and thoughts. All in all, I think that the grunge bands of the ’90s, and post-grunge bands of the 2000s, influenced us a lot. That, mixed up with our own desires and strangeness, poured directly into this EP.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
Reconcilability makes our music unique. We are not in the status of stars yet, but once you hear our tracks, you’ll probably remember them. We try to make an honest sound with minimum production.
Do you have any particular lyrical themes?
We do not have one main idea in all of our songs. We believe that music is more important and it is universal, an understandable tool in any language. We are an apolitical band and avoid the political or social topics in our songs.
What’s your live show like? How many shows have you played?
Not as much as Guns’n’Roses, but we strive to it! Thus, we give a maximum amount of energy at our live concerts. The most important thing is that you must be honest with your fans.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
Once, at a concert for the Bloodhound Gang, the bassist tied his balls to a big box and dragged it across the stage – some things, we are not ready to repeat.
What kit do you use / guitars do you play / etc.?
Firstly, we wanted to achieve the most honest sound – the minimum production, only live instruments, microphones and other old-school stuff. Therefore, everything that you hear is the result of the sound searching, which includes the arrangement and setting of the drums setup and ending with competent work with plugins. We have a great vintage Yamaha drum-set and microphones. For the guitar sound, big thanks goes to Fortress Amps; it is a small Moscow company that makes gorgeous sounding amplifiers, cabinets, and pedals. But the most important element is our sound producer and sound engineer Andrew Konoplev. He helped us to sound exactly as we want. He organizes the recording process as comfortable and professional as possible.
What, if anything, are you plugging/promoting at the moment?
Nowadays we are currently working on promoting our latest release EP Keep Running. By the way there are new videos to songs from the EP, so a lot of interesting things.
What are your plans for 2018?
Try to take over the world with our music, which is pretty modest?
If you were second on a three-band bill, which band would you love to be supporting and which band would you choose to open for you? A chance to plug someone you’ve toured with, or a mate’s band we’ve not heard of before!
It would be nice to share the stage with Red Sun Rising. They are very cool, we saw them when they supported the Skillet in Moscow. If we could have the chance we would be supported by the Moscow band Vervs. Their music is very close to ours, and the guys playing sound very powerful.
From previous Band of the Day Empire Warning: If a Norse God had to take over from one band member what god will it be, what position would they be filling?
We will not let any Norwegian God take over anyone from our band. Together, we will transform into a huge Power Ranger and we will fight back!
From another BotD, The Crawling: Being in a band can be as much of curse as a source of enjoyment and satisfaction. What keeps you going when things get tough?
Firstly, we are good friends who can listen to each other and we can make compromises. We support each other in difficult situations and enjoy rehearsals as much as the live shows.
And from King Bison (UK): If you could join any band on stage for one song, who would it be and what track would you play?
If this opportunity presents, we would have to play with Alter Bridge, especially their song “Lover”! It would be really cool!
Keep Running is out now and is available to order here.
REMARK: official | facebook | instagram | bandcamp | youtube
