We have some news to report relating to one of our recent Tuesdays Travels pick, Louna. Also, I must tell you I carry my Louna CD from car to car wherever I go. It is one of my favorite CDs and we have all been rocking out to it since we saw them earlier this month in San Francisco as they played with Heaven’s Basement and The Pretty Reckless.
Louna is such an amazing band of talented musicians who not only produce excellent rock n roll and recently were going to be part of the MTV Documentary Series, “Rebel Music”. They were going to have a worldwide platform to share their music and what they stand for. One thing is for sure, this band is so deserving of the feature and they are incredibly talented and deserve to be heard but unfortunately, that will not be so.
It was reported today that Louna’s Inclusion in Forthcoming MTV Documentary Series “Rebel Music” Cancelled by Viacom Due to International Pressure from Russia. We wanted to share with you their complete statement on the situation which you can read below.
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We are disgusted. Tell your local news stations. Call the networks. This is exactly what we have been fighting against for years in our own country, and now it is affecting the US and the rest of the world as well.
LOUNA Makes Official Statement: Inclusion in Forthcoming MTV Documentary Series “Rebel Music” Cancelled by Viacom Due to International Pressure from Russia
On Tour in the U.S. with THE PRETTY RECKLESS and HEAVEN’S BASEMENT Now
Official statement from LOUNA’s management team:
LOUNA’s inclusion in the forthcoming MTV documentary series “Rebel Music”, set to air in November on MTV, has been cancelled by Viacom due to international pressure from Russia. In a letter to LOUNA’s management, the producer of the MTV series, Raeshem Nijhon, expressed her disgust for the decision and explained that LOUNA’s removal from the series was the result of pressure placed upon MTV Russia from unknown sources. The genesis of this pressure, according to her, was due to the airing on the last VMA awards of a Pussy Riot clip.
LOUNA’s song ‘Storming Heaven’ was selected as the title theme music for the entire documentary series. The trailer includes images of LOUNA’s sold out concert in Moscow in October of 2012 as well as of front woman Lousine Gevorkian. Signs counter to Russian governmental policies can be seen in this trailer as well. The original trailer indicated a 7-part series featuring seven countries around the world where musicians are making a stand against government oppression. Now, however, LOUNA and the entire Russian episode has been cut.
This episode was described by its producer as “the crown jewel” of the documentary series, stating in an email to LOUNA’s management, “we have been forced by Viacom to replace our Russia episode with a different piece. We haven’t been given a lot of explanation but I am speculating this is in response to major pushback Viacom experienced after showing a short Pussy Riot clip last year at the VMAs. The irony of this situation is profoundly disturbing and I wanted to share this with you right away. I’m truly heartbroken and incredibly disappointed.”
LOUNA front woman Lousine Gevorkian said of this situation, “this is just more proof of what we have been trying to tell people about for years with our music. When we finally get an opportunity to have a worldwide forum for our situation it is clear to me that the Russian government really will do anything to hide the situation from the rest of the world that exists for us as a part of our daily lives. This is a purely political decision that has nothing to do with music and everything about information control.”
More information on the band’s involvement in this documentary and this on-going situation will be disclosed when available.—
LOUNA is recognized internationally as a musical voice positioned to oppose tyranny and question the world, so the enlightening message in the band’s latest single, ‘Up There’, comes as no coincidence. The music video for ‘Up There’ was premiered via VEVO earlier this month. Take a look here:http://vevo.ly/oGRIwL
LOUNA is currently out on their first U.S. tour with The Pretty Reckless and Heaven’s Basement. See below for all confirmed tour dates:
LOUNA On Tour with THE PRETTY RECKLESS & HEAVEN’S BASEMENT
10/29 – Columbus, OH, A&R Music Bar
10/30 – Pittsburgh, PA, Stage AE
10/31 – Cleveland, OH, House of Blues
11/01 – Cincinnati, OH, Bogart’s
11/03 – Washington DC, The Fillmore
No other rock group from Russia has exploded onto the music scene quite as rapidly as LOUNA. Their first English language album, Behind A Mask, was released on April 30, 2013 via Red Decade Records and MEG/RED. Frontwoman Lousine Gevorkian was named the best female rock vocalist in Russia in February of 2013 at the annual Nashe Awards, the closest award show in Russia to the Grammy’s or American Music Awards for rock musicians. She was nominated for the same award the year before.
LOUNA are the most commercially successful rock band of the modern protest movement (of which Pussy Riot has become the most internationally renowned). After the release of their first EP, which lyrically focused on the many modern social problems that exist, they were quickly named the 2009 Best New Artist of the Year at the annual Russian Alternative Music Prize (RAMP) awards. They released their first album, “Let’s Get Louder” in December of 2010, selling out every venue during their first national tour of Russia supporting the album. Two singles, “Fight Club” and “Let’s Get Louder” reached #1 on the Russian radio charts, with “Fight Club” remaining in the top 10 for a record-breaking 16 weeks and also being named the 2011 Rock Song of the Year at the annual Nashe Awards. Along with this, LOUNA was nominated for Breakthrough Artist and Solo Performance of the year. “Mama,” their first single from their February 2012 album, “The Time of X”, went straight to #1 on the Russian radio charts.
LOUNA has performed on the main stage as a headliner at every major festival throughout Russia, and is almost universally considered the most in demand young rock band in all of the Russian world. They have played in Russia with numerous international artists such as Limp Bizkit, Billy Talent, Paramore, The Killers, Bullet for My Valentine and many others. In early 2012, they were invited to perform as one of the main headliners at the 50th-birthday concert festival honoring Russian rock legend Victor Tsoi of the band KINO, playing to audiences of over 15,000 people in both Moscow and St. Petersburg.
LOUNA is:
Lou Gevorkian (vocals)
Vitaly Demidenko (bass)
Rouben Kazariyan (guitar)
Sergey Ponkratiev (guitar)
Leonid “Pilot” Kinzbursky (drums)
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We will continue to keep you updated as to any changes but for now, show your support for Louna. Visit their social media sites, catch them at a show, buy their albums, let their voices be heard! Here is my original post on Louna as our Tuesdays Travels Pick.
Louna was in San Francisco performing with Heaven’s Basement and The Pretty Reckless for their Going To Hell Tour which in itself is quite historic with American, British and Russian bands together on the bill. Louna came out on stage and just rocked the place. Lou Gevorkian on vocals has not only has spectacular vocals but a high energy stage presence that reminds me of the days of the Runaways or early Pat Benatar. On bass, Vitaly Demidenko is jumping around with adrenaline flowing through his veins and gives us some crunchy bass lines. On guitars you are treated to a double dose of blistering guitars by Rouben Kazariyan and Sergey Ponkratiev. Bringing the sound all together with his lively drumming is Leonid “Pilot” Kinzbursky.
Together, this band shows us that even though they may come from a country halfway across the world, they ROCK JUST AS HEAVY AS WE DO! They currently have an album out, “Behind a Mask” produced by Travis Leake, mixed by Dan Kornett and mastered by Ted Jensen for Sterling Sound in New York. It really has some intense hard rock that will have you wanting more from this Russian masterpiece. You can pick it up today on Itunes here.
You can check out one of our favorite songs from Louna “Let’s Get Louder” in this tribute video made by Rockin Ryan and includes photos and footage from their San Francisco show!
~ Marisol
Upcoming Tour Dates:
Information & Links:
- Website: http://www.lounarocks.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LounaRocks
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/LounaRocks
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