Music
Press
New Yorker by way of Moscow, Alla Ivanchikova sings rousing rock songs of girlfriend love/lust and feminism. Which is not to say such things naturally go together, just that in her case they happen to. Pretty listenable stuff it is too.
The production is surprisingly polished for a DIY release without ever becoming too slick. Ivanchikova possesses a great voice, shades of Hynde, DiFranco, Harvey and whatnot. There's also a not-as-good-as-the-original, but cool nonetheless cover of Bikini Kill's "Rebel Girl."
From Ivanchikova's embarrassing heartbreak of discovering, "the woman I love is fucking straight," to wishing she'd been 21 in 1967; the songs flow with a natural humor and soulfulness.
Most here would be radio-friendly ready were this 1978, given that she often sounds of that era. The songs also have the feature of across-the-age-range appeal. So, enjoy them with mom or something.
If such description makes Ivanchikova's music sound like the corporate rock of yore (Heart, Benatar and such) well, it kind of is. But it also has a genuineness of spirit absent most of the former and, that she delivers such a finely crafted disc without watering her message down rates another plus.
- Matthew Smith - GirlPunk.Net 2003 (Oct 6, 2005)
Praise Alla! Young Russian-transplant (now anchored down in Buffalo) Alla Ivanchikova's debut CD, Missing the Earth, is a charming, charismatic slice of empowered Indie Pop that showcases her intuitive songwriting and contemplative lyrical style.
Perhaps taking a cue from that other Buffalonian, Ani DiFranco, the singer/songwriter has taken the DIY route, producing and releasing her disc while plugging away on the road, playing everything from coffeehouses and outdoor festivals to lesbian bars and good ol' dirty Rock & Roll clubs.
Going simply by Alla, Ivanchikova connects the downtown, poetic brashness of Patti Smith (she also shares some vocal qualities with the legend) to the more contemporary Grrrl Rock with an almost folksy, organic grace.
Alla's original songs are somewhat simply structured, but it's the overall package of Alla's personality shining through that is most grabbing. If you had to get a good idea of what Alla's all about in just one song, dial up "Rebel Girl," a superb Bikini Girl cover.
Ivanchikova infuses the angst-y cut with the same warm intimacy that makes her EP such a pleasurable listening experience. It's not that Alla's music doesn't have teeth -- she just chooses to reveal more than one aspect of her personality, another trait she shares with the aforementioned Buffalo gal. (MB)
- M. Breen - City Beat, vol. 16, Feb. 26-March 4 (Cincinnatti, OH)
Alla - "Missing the Earth"
Alla recently filled in at the Mohawk Place's Rasputina gig when one of the other bands couldn't make it. Not only did this indie-rock band surpass the opener's pathetic whining, front-girl Alla Ivanchikova, a graduate student at UB, had the crowd firmly on her side by the set's close.
The recent release of their independently recorded album, "Missing the Earth," is a blend of skilled guitar music and challenging, touching lyrics. Comparisons to Ani DiFranco wouldn't be amiss, but Alla's musical sophistication far outstrips those of DiFranco's early efforts.
Aside from a cover of "Rebel Girl," "Missing the Earth" features seven original tracks. They're taking most of December off but will return to Mohawk Place on Jan. 4.
- Rachel Lynn Brody - The Spectrum, Dec. 9 2002 (Buffalo, NY)
She was hard to miss at this year’s outdoor stage at the Pride festival in Memorial Park. She was the very slight woman decked out in black leather pants in the heat of the day, crunching
out punk tunes with her three-piece band. Her name is Alla Ivanchikova, she was born and raised in Moscow, she plays the guitar, and she describes
herself as angry. She arrived at our arranged meeting spot with what I
described as a 50 Cent entourage, but she didn’t think that was very funny. Lucky for me, the entourage did though.
After responding to drummer Karen H.
posting on the Winnipeg
Musician’s Network, Alla auditioned for a project that Karen was working
on. After the audition Karen said, “Why don’t I play with you?”
“I thought she had a lesson or two, so I thought it might be worthwhile
playing with her,” Karen says with a laugh, “I think we just clicked right away.”
Having a lesson or two is an understatement
to be sure. Alla is a classically trained guitarist who’s been playing since the age of eight and who
now teaches guitar. She’s a musician that puts her training to use, blending
the driving punk sound with “classical little breaks,” as Alla puts it.
...
Currently, Alla is working on a Ph. D. in comparative literature, but when asked about exactly how many
degrees she has, in true punk rock fashion she’s loath to respond saying
“never mind” but goes on to say, “I don’t know if I want to be a professor
or to just keep playing. I don’t think that punk rock and thinking go against each other, I think they
go well together. You gotta think to protest and to fight and it helps to
study. At least it helps me, there’s no common recipes.”
Alla is currently working on her second album, tentatively set for a fall release and entitled "Invisible". For
Alla, the new album is the sound that she’s been searching for and therefore represents a musical maturing for her.
“It’s more punk-rock driven. It has a crunchy guitar and it’s all about the
drive. It has almost no slow songs. It was sort of my dream to go in this direction because I want more energy on stage.”
After finding success in Buffalo, where she spent the last five years studying, Alla is up for the challenge of once again building up an audience for her brand of folk-inspired, intelligent punk rock.
- Jan Guenther Braun - Swerve, August 2005 (Winnipeg, MB)
See full text of the chapter in "Homocore: The Loud and Raucous Rise or Queer Rock", by David Ciminelli & Ken Knox - Alyson Books, LA, 2005
See full text of interview with Alla in the issue of Artvoice!
- Artvoice, 2002 (Buffalo, NY)
'Praise Alla! Young Russian-transplant (now anchored down in Buffalo) Alla Ivanchikova's debut CD, Missing the Earth, is a charming, charismatic slice of empowered Indie Pop that showcases her intuitive songwriting and contemplative lyrical style.' -CityBeat
'Going simply by Alla, Ivanchikova connects the downtown, poetic brashness of Patti Smith (she also shares some vocal qualities with the legend) to the more contemporary Grrrl Rock with an almost folksy, organic grace.'
-Citybeat
'Ivanchikova infuses the angst-y cut with the same warm intimacy that makes her EP such a pleasurable listening experience.'
'The recent release of Alla's independently recorded album, "Missing the Earth," is a blend of skilled guitar music and challenging, touching lyrics. Comparisons to Ani DiFranco wouldn't be amiss, but Alla's musical sophistication far outstrips those of DiFranco's early efforts. '
-Spectrum
'The production is surprisingly polished for a DIY release without ever becoming too slick. Ivanchikova possesses a great voice, shades of Hynde, DiFranco, Harvey and whatnot. '
-GirlsPunk.Net - read full texts below
Discography
"Missing the Earth", 2002 (independently released)
"Invisible", 2005 (forthcoming, independently released)
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Alla was born and raised in Moscow, Russia and has been a songwriter all her life.
Currently promoting her second independent release, "INVISIBLE", Alla has created a stable and loyal following. Looking to expand her fan base across Canada and united states without pinning a specific audience, Alla can be found playing in coffee houses, bars, outdoor festivals, college campuses and inside rock clubs.
In only three years, Buffalo, and later Winnipeg based singer/ songwriter has generated enough waves in the music scene to make the cover of two major regional arts magazine in Buffalo, NY (Artvoice, Outcome), open for such varying artists as The Butchies, Jump Little Children and Rasputina, and independently record, produce and release two cds.
Recently, a chapter on Alla, titled "New York state of mind", appeared in a newly published book "Homocore: the Loud and Raucous Rise of Queer Rock" by LA authors David Ciminelli and Ken Knox.
Alla pulls together influences from the likes of Bikini Kill, pj harvey, and Patti Smith. One critic in particular says “The songs are damn good, and anyone who covers Bikini Kill’s “Rebel Girl” is more than alright in my book.” –(MH, Artvoice June ’02) It’s that eclectic mix of influences, classical guitar training and sometimes tongue in cheek lyrical content that give Alla’s music a refreshing new take on the underground girl-punk rock that made Kathleen Hanna a household name.
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