Umka i Bronevichok is a Russian rock band formed in the mid-1990s around the charismatic figure of Anna Gerasimova, known by her stage name Umka.
Anna Gerasimova (Umka)
Anna Gerasimova is an unusual figure, combining academic literary scholarship with musical work. Trained as a philologist, she defended a dissertation on «The Problem of the Comic in the Work of the Oberiuts» and was a recognized specialist on Daniil Kharms, Alexander Vvedensky, and other members of the OBERIU literary group.
In 1993, Gerasimova compiled a collection of Daniil Kharms’s prose titled «They Call Me a Capuchin,» notable for its original selection and arrangement of texts. Her scholarly work, essays, and articles on the Petersburg Oberiu writers were considered among the best in the field.
The transformation of a serious literary scholar into a rock musician happened in the mid-1990s. Taking the stage name Umka, Anna Gerasimova became the band’s songwriter and frontwoman, bringing a distinctive poetic sensibility to the Russian rock scene, shaped in large part by her deep knowledge of avant-garde literature.
Musical Style
The band’s songs blend Umka’s own poetry with arrangements in the style of American and British guitar rock of the 1960s and ’70s. Their musical palette ranges from hard-edged rhythm and blues to psychedelic compositions in the spirit of the Grateful Dead, producing the group’s distinctive sound.
Band Lineup
The core lineup of Umka i Bronevichok, which settled into place by the late 1990s, included:
- Umka (Anna Gerasimova) — vocals, guitar, songwriter
- Borya Kanunnikov — lead guitar
- Mikhail Trofimenko — bass guitar
- Borya Markov — drums, percussion
A fifth member, on harmonica, often rounded out the group — at various points filled by Vovka Kozhekin (1995–1999), Igor Oistrakh (1999–2008), and Dan Shilnikov (from 2009 onward).
The Album «Zanachka» (2001)
The album «Zanachka» («Stash»), released in 2001, was the band’s eighth release. Conceptually, the disc is split into two parts — a «winter» side and a «summer» side, meant to imitate the format of a vinyl record. The first part was written and recorded in winter 2001 at Barracuda Records studio; the second, in summer of the same year, at the MYM computer studio.
A distinctive feature of the album was the use of specially recorded sound interludes between tracks, for which the band members recorded various everyday sounds and railway noises. Rhythm guitarist Denis Dudoladov, who’d come from St. Petersburg, took part in recording the album for the first time.
The song «A Tree Without Roots,» which plays in the novel, is on the album’s «winter» side and is one of the band’s best-known compositions, showcasing Umka’s characteristic blend of philosophical lyrics with energetic rock sound.
Note: By the end of 2014, Umka i Bronevichok had disbanded, after bassist Mikhail Trofimenko and drummer Borya Markov left the group. In 2015, Umka assembled a new lineup called «Umka i Novy Sostav» («Umka and the New Lineup»).