Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how your childhood impacted your musical direction?
A: Anastasia was born in Moscow, Russa, and grew up listening to her father’s music collection that included Pink Floyd, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Animals, Deep Purple, and Slade, while her mother’s included Queen, Michael Jackson, Boney-M, and Abba. She started taking piano lessons at the age of 5, and attended a music school for 7 years, graduating with honors in piano. At 13 years old she discovered Radiohead, Portishead, and Manic Street Preachers, and Massive Attack on the British side, and Nirvana, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, and Rage against the Machine, falling in love with social-political commentary of brit-pop and the melancholy of trip-hop. Anastasia moved to the US just before her 15th birthday, and has been the leader of bands since she was 17 years old, while also studying cognitive psychology. She received her PhD from the University of Arizona, where she also studied music, in particular, piano and jazz history. But it was during her year studying for the Master in Business Administration degree at the University of Oxford, when she learned that in order to succeed, one must work way more than 8 hours a day. And the only way to do that without going insane is to do what you are passionate about. That way it doesn’t feel like work.
Martini was born in Porto Alegre, Brazil, but his family moved to Sao Paulo when he was just 1 year old. He was influenced by his family’s diverse music collection, which ranged in genres from rock’n’roll and classic rock to blues and Brazilian music. His father gave him his first Epiphone when he was 13 years old, which immediately because Martini’s obsession. His main influences include Slash, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Gary Moore, Zakk Wylde, Eddie Van Halen, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, David Gilmour, Yamando Costa, Paco de Lucia, Andy Timmons, Eric Gales, Marty Freedman, Alex Lifeson and Jason Becker, among others. When he was 18 years old, he dropped out from the EM&T music and technology institute, where he was studying electric guitar, and moved to Barcelona, Spain, to study flamenco guitar.
Q: How are you planning on growing your fan base and sharing your music with the world? What message do you have for anyone who is about to discover “Martini Russa”?
A: In the next two years, we are planning to release 7 singles, which were recently recorded. Each has a message of hope, and taking responsibility for one’s own life. Martini Russa believe that music, curiosity, and self-education will save the world: “The only defense is your mind, so keep it sharp and ablaze“- a lyric from Anastasia’s song Midazolam Daze.
Q: Who is the most inspiring artist for you right now? And where do you find inspiration for making music?
A: The inspiration comes from within as well as from our life experiences. It’s more of a drive, a necessity – we cannot survive without making music – rather than an inspiration. The artists that most inspire us are the same as those who inspired us in our childhood. Thom Yorke, Freddie Mercury, David Gilmour, Nina Simone, Jeff Beck, Ray Charles, but also new artist like Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, Black Pumas, and Beth Hart.
Q: Can you tell us about the story or message behind the song, “Hangover.”?
A: The song tells the story of forbidden love and bad decisions. It is soaked in melancholy and regret of keeping interpersonal secrets that turn into barriers to intimate relationships, ending them before they could blossom into something beautiful. Instead of turning into love, they turn into an emotional hangover.
Nevertheless, like Martini Russa’s many other songs, Hangover is not without a theme of hope for the future, felt in the soaring bridge before the final chorus. Martini’s guitar whales, Ruslan Parkanoff’s slightly delayed downbeats and the rest of the song’s arrangement accentuate the melancholy of the lyrics and Anastasia’s hauntingly beautiful voice.
Q: How would you describe your sound in one word for potential listeners?
A: This is silly:) It’s impossible to describe sound, feelings, music, love or life in one word. But here are a few of our attempts: Meaningful, powerful, progressive rock.
Q: Did you face any challenges while writing or recording “Hangover”?
A: Yes, the song originally had four chords going all the way through, and when Anastasia brought it to the band, she said it sounds too pop, and asked the band members to do something about it. The genius insight came from Martini – he proposed dropping the B chord from everywhere in the song except the bridge – thus creating a sense of tension and frustration, which created a grungy, suspenseful feeling of uncomfortable longing, of an emotional hangover.
Q: What is the message of your music? And what are your goals as an artist?
A: Our goals are to bring Rock music back to the mainstream, because we want to inspire our listeners to educate themselves, because we believe that education is the only thing that can safe humanity from enslavement, brain-washing and extinction. In the age of misinformation, propaganda, and social and political uncertainty, education becomes each person’s own responsibility. Without education, thinking for yourself is impossible. We would like to be the force that inspires people to take that responsibility seriously, without telling them what to think.
Q: Who is your dream artist to collaborate with? (dead or alive)
A: Slash! He already has a song called Anastasia:)
Q: What is your advice for people interested in pursuing music as a career or for those trying to enter the industry?
A: Advice from Anastasia: Start early, go “all in”, don’t listen to nay-sayers, don’t grow up, and don’t give up. Hone your talent, learn from others, stay true to yourself, and perform as much as possible!
Advice from Martini: Be disciplined, organized and polite! Find people who can help you with social media, graphic design, accounting, driving, etc. (all the business aspects of music), and cherish them, never let them go!
Q: If you could go back in time and give a younger you some words of wisdom, what would they be?
A: Don’t waste your time on anything else but music!
