https://www.high-endrolex.com/18

Video Interview: Igor Sidorenko of Stoned Jesus

stoned jesus

Last month, Stoned Jesus played. On a stage. With people there. Some people, anyway. The show, held in their hometown of Kyiv, Ukraine, was of course set up for social distancing, and in addition to that new territory, it also marked the first time the three-piece of guitarist/vocalist Igor Sidorenko, Serhij Sljussar and drummer Dmytro Zinchenko performed acoustically. It was reportedly taped for posterity and videos will likely surface at some point later or sooner. As it is, the photos the band has posted on social media make it look all the more like the special night it must’ve been.

Count Stoned Jesus among the multitudes with ‘best laid plans’ for 2020. Among other tours they had in the works for Europe, South America, etc., they were to have made their US debut at the second Desertfest New York and tour around that — an initial incursion to American soil that would have only furthered their status as one of Europe’s leading purveyors of heavy rock. Instead, a live stream of a show at Green Theatre from 2019, pro-shot, pro-audio, pro-edit, was aired for fans missing seeing them on stage — or those like myself, who’ve yet to be so fortunate — and unlike other come-and-gone livestreams, the band and Napalm Records have been kind enough to keep it available for the public. I’ve included it here, if only because it’s worth watching.

It’s hard to do interviews these days and not talk about what could’ve been in an alternate reality 2020, but Sidorenko is a personable cat. In addition to the November show and the livestream, he chatted about songwriting, the deeply personal relationship he has to the songs on the band’s most recent LP, 2018’s Pilgrims (review here), the enduring legacy of 2012’s Seven Thunders Roar (review here), the reissue of their debut album, 2010’s First Communion (complete with product placement!), his love of Elephant Tree‘s latest record and much more. Of special note is the section where he discusses the direction of the next Stoned Jesus full-length, for which writing is in progress, and the idea of songwriting as an end unto itself in a multimedia-driven age. Also his foray into stand-up, at which one imagines he’s quite good.

It was a fun conversation. I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for reading and watching:

Stoned Jesus Interview with Igor Sidorenko, Dec. 11, 2020

Stoned JesusPilgrims and the reissue of First Communion are out now and you can still watch the Green Theatre live show below.

Stoned Jesus, Live at Green Theatre

Stoned Jesus on Twitter

Stoned Jesus on Thee Facebooks

Stoned Jesus on Instagram

Napalm Records website

Napalm Records on Thee Facebooks

Tags: , , , , ,

Leave a Reply