For many people in the West, knowledge of the punk rock scene in Russia and the former Soviet Union starts and ends with Pussy Riot and maybe Svetlanas and probably Gogol Bordello who are technically from New York. As you should expect, however, a part of the world that has long been ruled by authoritarian regimes of all makes and models has, in fact, been a breeding ground for a turbulent, defiant subculture and spawned several generations of punk rock bands in myriad different, sometimes unconnected, scenes.
Massachusetts native Alexander Herbert spent several years off an on chronicling the Russian punk rock world, and has penned a compelling dissertation as a result. It’s called What About Tomorrow? An Oral History of Russian Punk From The Soviet Era To Pussy Riot, and it’s due out in September through Microcosm Publishing.
You can pre-order the book here – I highly recommend it – and you can head below to find out where Herbert will be speaking and promoting the book near you. His book tour kicks off September 26th in Buffalo, and dates are scheduled through February in Atlanta, with a West Coast swing to follow.
Sep 26th – Buffalo, NY, Burning Books, 420 Connecticut St., 7PM
Sep 28th – Montreal, QC, L’Euguélionne – librairie féministe, 1426 rue Beaudry, 6PM
Oct 9th Pittsburg, The Big Idea, 4812 Liberty Ave, 2:00PM