Q: Hey Fedchenka, how are you guys today?
A: Busy ;-)
Q: First of all, can you give a short introduction of who Fedchenka are?
A: Fedchenka are 4 Dutch friends with a common love for Rock & Roll
Q: Fedchenka, an interesting band name. Where does it come from, and what does it mean?
A: Chris (lead guitar) used to work in Moscow & had a friend called (Etta) Fedchenka. We didn’t want an English power frase like “kick” or “sway”. Something Russian would be much less attractive, haha.
Q: The members of Fedchenka have seen much of the world. Does this reflect in your music?
A: I guess so. It kind of chainges your perspective a lot.
Q: You guys have worked with big names, for example Fish. How was the experience of supporting Fish?
A: Well Fish & of course Marillion have payed their dues, and are great musicians. It’s kind of cool to be allowed to see them work the trade. As a bonus, equipment and such is usually very good at those gigs, so we get to go all the way.
Q: You released two studio albums “Rocket Dog Sessions” & Mary & Other Assorted Love Songs, both of which got fairly good reviews in the press. What are the key differences between the albums?
A: “Rocket Dog” was recorded in a week, or less, shortly after I had a pretty bad run of luck and was recovering from a car accident. Also, we were starting to find our routine again, and wanted it to be raw & direct. Mary is more of an eclectic concept album (the title of course refering to Derek & the Dominoes) We like many styles & genres and wanted to try many different aproaches to the “Fedchenka feel”. Of course we’ve had a lot of recording experience the last 2 years, and got to work with people like Hans Weekhout and the Stylus Horns (Rotterdam Philharmonic) and do it in a studio where people like Prince had recorded. It was quite a ride.
Q: And what song do you guys enjoy playing live the most?
A: Well I think the live version of Hard Times is always just special to take part in, and when Sharon’s around I get to do duets, we have a lot of fun together. But the guys have their favorites and some nights are not like others….
Q: If people want to purchase your albums, where should they go?
A: Well, there are hotlinks on our site for CD Baby etc. In the Benelux just order it at your record store. For Germany, Switzerland and Austria order it at Uber.
Q: Speaking of playing live, if you guys could play anywhere in the world, where would you want to play?
A: Glastonbury would be nice, ;-)
Q: And if you could also pick one band or musician to tour with, who would it be, and why?
A: That’s easy. The Rolling Stones, we all have a thing with the Stones. There’s nothing quite like them.
Q: Who would you consider to be the biggest influences on your sound and song writing?
A: Haha, take a guess. Chris and me write most of the material together, but we also just play for fun. I’ve learned a lot from playing all those great songs like Love in Vain or Stray Cat Blues or Dead Flowers It’s about stacking up parts that would fall down on their own to make something more I think.
Q: At the moment Fedchenka is on a break. Are you guys planning on touring or recording again in the near future?
A: Sadly Gerben, our drummer, quit the band a while ago. We’ve been trying to replace him but that didn’t quite work. So we’ve started playing with a very different sort of drummer. We plan to start recording this winter, and go from there.
Q: Where can we go to learn more about Fedchenka?
A: www.fedchenka.com, youtube.com, myspace.com, or just google us & find out.
Q: Okay a few random questions now.
Q: Are you guys readers? If so, what kind of books do you read? What authors do you like?
A: We all read a lot, Chris takes his share of travel stories and bio’s, Sander will read just about everything but I think is inside The Cossacks (Tolstoy?) and I like English lit. & the Beatniks (Kerouak, Burroughs, etc).
Q: Day or night?
A: I’m trying for day, but need a lot of shade.
Q: Club venue or arena venue?
A: Club venue
Q: CDs or digital music?
A: Any kind is fine
Q: Okay, final question. What are your thoughts on people downloading music, both legally & illegally?
A: Well CDs are pretty expensive in our country, and kids are lucky to gain access to the great archive so easily. I wouldn’t have done any different at 18. Now, I think about the people who put in the hours to get it out and figure they deserve to get paid just like everyone else. It’s a tie.
Thanks Fedchenka! This was a great interview.
A: Busy ;-)
Q: First of all, can you give a short introduction of who Fedchenka are?
A: Fedchenka are 4 Dutch friends with a common love for Rock & Roll
Q: Fedchenka, an interesting band name. Where does it come from, and what does it mean?
A: Chris (lead guitar) used to work in Moscow & had a friend called (Etta) Fedchenka. We didn’t want an English power frase like “kick” or “sway”. Something Russian would be much less attractive, haha.
Q: The members of Fedchenka have seen much of the world. Does this reflect in your music?
A: I guess so. It kind of chainges your perspective a lot.
Q: You guys have worked with big names, for example Fish. How was the experience of supporting Fish?
A: Well Fish & of course Marillion have payed their dues, and are great musicians. It’s kind of cool to be allowed to see them work the trade. As a bonus, equipment and such is usually very good at those gigs, so we get to go all the way.
Q: You released two studio albums “Rocket Dog Sessions” & Mary & Other Assorted Love Songs, both of which got fairly good reviews in the press. What are the key differences between the albums?
A: “Rocket Dog” was recorded in a week, or less, shortly after I had a pretty bad run of luck and was recovering from a car accident. Also, we were starting to find our routine again, and wanted it to be raw & direct. Mary is more of an eclectic concept album (the title of course refering to Derek & the Dominoes) We like many styles & genres and wanted to try many different aproaches to the “Fedchenka feel”. Of course we’ve had a lot of recording experience the last 2 years, and got to work with people like Hans Weekhout and the Stylus Horns (Rotterdam Philharmonic) and do it in a studio where people like Prince had recorded. It was quite a ride.
Q: And what song do you guys enjoy playing live the most?
A: Well I think the live version of Hard Times is always just special to take part in, and when Sharon’s around I get to do duets, we have a lot of fun together. But the guys have their favorites and some nights are not like others….
Q: If people want to purchase your albums, where should they go?
A: Well, there are hotlinks on our site for CD Baby etc. In the Benelux just order it at your record store. For Germany, Switzerland and Austria order it at Uber.
Q: Speaking of playing live, if you guys could play anywhere in the world, where would you want to play?
A: Glastonbury would be nice, ;-)
Q: And if you could also pick one band or musician to tour with, who would it be, and why?
A: That’s easy. The Rolling Stones, we all have a thing with the Stones. There’s nothing quite like them.
Q: Who would you consider to be the biggest influences on your sound and song writing?
A: Haha, take a guess. Chris and me write most of the material together, but we also just play for fun. I’ve learned a lot from playing all those great songs like Love in Vain or Stray Cat Blues or Dead Flowers It’s about stacking up parts that would fall down on their own to make something more I think.
Q: At the moment Fedchenka is on a break. Are you guys planning on touring or recording again in the near future?
A: Sadly Gerben, our drummer, quit the band a while ago. We’ve been trying to replace him but that didn’t quite work. So we’ve started playing with a very different sort of drummer. We plan to start recording this winter, and go from there.
Q: Where can we go to learn more about Fedchenka?
A: www.fedchenka.com, youtube.com, myspace.com, or just google us & find out.
Q: Okay a few random questions now.
Q: Are you guys readers? If so, what kind of books do you read? What authors do you like?
A: We all read a lot, Chris takes his share of travel stories and bio’s, Sander will read just about everything but I think is inside The Cossacks (Tolstoy?) and I like English lit. & the Beatniks (Kerouak, Burroughs, etc).
Q: Day or night?
A: I’m trying for day, but need a lot of shade.
Q: Club venue or arena venue?
A: Club venue
Q: CDs or digital music?
A: Any kind is fine
Q: Okay, final question. What are your thoughts on people downloading music, both legally & illegally?
A: Well CDs are pretty expensive in our country, and kids are lucky to gain access to the great archive so easily. I wouldn’t have done any different at 18. Now, I think about the people who put in the hours to get it out and figure they deserve to get paid just like everyone else. It’s a tie.
Thanks Fedchenka! This was a great interview.