Red Square Criminals

In Russia in the 1960’s, particularly in Moscow, there began to appear music written by individual singer-songwriters outside the Soviet establishment. What came to be known as bard songs in part grew out of the older Russian “city romances” that had been popular in the late 19th-early 20th centuries. Red Square Criminals continues the traditions of those bard songs that were sung in Moscow’s courtyards and stairways of apartment houses, in restaurants on the outskirts of the city, and at the clandestine parties that young people held when their parents were away. The songs performed by Red Square Criminals, are all original and new, but they include the elements of nostalgia, longing, and hope that characterized the Moscow bard songs. Various genres influence the music from classical to jazz to French chansons to rock. Written by Regine “Re” Rayevsky, the songs in Russian are full of humor, melancholy, and warmth. And in the performance by lead singer Rob “Ro” Rayevsky and four musicians, Red Square Criminals turns into a cabaret that excites and attracts the audience.
Recent performances: Uzbekistan Restaurant, Alaverdi Restaurant, and Tritone Bar, Philadelphia; various private parties in New York City and Washington, D.C.