The Kropotkins are an American avant-garde music collective based in Memphis and New York City founded in 1994 by drummer Jonathan Kane and

Dave Soldier David Sulzer (born November 6, 1956) is an American neuroscientist and musician. He is a professor at Columbia University Medical Center in the departments of psychiatry, neurology, and pharmacology. Sulzer's laboratory investigates the interact ...

, who is best known as a violinist but plays banjo in the group. Its other members have included Lorrette Velvette (vocals),

Samm Bennett Samm Bennett is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Samm Bennett is a singer and songwriter, a drummer and percussionist, and a player of string instruments such as the stick dulcimer (sometimes called a dulcitar) and the ...

(percussion),

Moe Tucker Maureen Ann "Moe" Tucker (born August 26, 1944) is an American musician and singer-songwriter who was the drummer for the New York City-based rock band the Velvet Underground. After they disbanded in the early 1970s, she left the music industry ...

of the

Velvet Underground Weave details visible on a purple-colored velvet fabric Velvet is a type of woven tufted fabric in which the cut threads are evenly distributed, with a short pile, giving it a distinctive soft feel. By extension, the word ''velvety'' means ...

(bass drum), Mark Feldman (violin), Mark Deffenbaugh (bass, also known as Dog), Alex Greene (bass drum and keyboards) and

Charles Burnham Charles Burnham may refer to: * Charles Burnham (politician) (1847–1908), American manufacturer and politician in the Wisconsin State Assembly * Charles Burnham (geneticist) (died 1995), American plant geneticist * Charles Burnham (musician) ...

(violin). The band is named after Russian anarchist Peter Kropotkin. In 1999, the group had six members. Soldier had the idea to start the band while performing with John Cale at a concert in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

; Soldier has described this idea as "a kind of epiphany." Their CD "Portents of Love" features a cover pencil sketch portrait of Federico Garcia Lorca with some of his Spanish lyrics transplanted from Andalusia to north Mississippi, and was produced by

Bob Neuwirth Robert John Neuwirth (June 20, 1939May 18, 2022) was an American folk singer, songwriter, record producer, and visual artist. He was noted for being the road manager and associate of Bob Dylan, as well as the co-writer of Janis Joplin's hit s ...

Critical reception

Tony Scherman awarded the Kropotkins' eponymous debut album a B+ grade, describing it as "funky and listenable." David Krasnow reviewed their May 2001 performance at

Joe's Pub Joe's Pub, one of the six performance spaces within The Public Theater, is a music venue and restaurant that hosts live performances across genres and arts, ranging from cabaret to modern dance to world music. It is located at 425 Lafayette St ...

favorably, writing that "This is reality music, man, and we need more of it.". Gary van Tersch writing in SingOut writes "Named after the Russian anarchist prince Peter Kropotkin, this New York City and Memphis-based sextet was created in 1994 by singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and neuroscientist

along with adroit percussionist Jonathan Kane after they were exposed to the homemade abandon of North Mississippi rhythm ‘n’ blues and fife and drum music. Soldier also acknowledges both

Bill Monroe William Smith "Bill" Monroe (; September 13, 1911 – September 9, 1996) was an American mandolinist, singer, and songwriter, who created the bluegrass music genre. Because of this, he is often called the " Father of Bluegrass". The genre take ...

(a bouncy vision of his instrumental gem “Stoney Lonesome” is here) and

Howlin’ Wolf Chester Arthur Burnett (June 10, 1910January 10, 1976), better known by his stage name Howlin' Wolf, was an American blues singer and guitarist. He is regarded as one of the most influential blues musicians of all time. Over a four-decade car ...

as influences along with some unreleased hill country tapes recorded by folklorist Alan Lomax and cassettes of

Junior Kimbrough David "Junior" Kimbrough (July 28, 1930 – January 17, 1998) was an American blues musician. His best-known works are "Keep Your Hands off Her" and "All Night Long". Early life Kimbrough was born in Hudsonville, Mississippi, and lived in the no ...

, R.L. Burnside and

Othar Turner Othar "Otha" Turner (June 2, 1907 – February 27, 2003) was one of the last well-known fife players in the vanishing American fife and drum blues tradition. His music was also part of the African-American genre known as Hill country blues. Ea ...

that venerated journalist Robert Palmer gave him." The New Yorker writes "The Kropotkins, a long-standing avant-blues group based in New York and Memphis, début new material for a forthcoming record called “Union Square.” The group’s musical passions encompass both classical icons like Charles Ives and bluesmen like Mississippi Fred McDowell, and this new record will continue in that catholic vein, featuring covers of Gershwin and Bill Monroe tunes."; and "In 1994, inspired by the fife-and-drum blues of northern Mississippi and the bluegrass inventor Bill Monroe, the iconoclastic downtown composer and scientist Dave Soldier (he’s a professor of neurology at Columbia) formed the Kropotkins, named after the Russian anarchist Peter Kropotkin. While the group is conventional by the standards of some of Soldier’s other projects (he once created enormous instruments for a group of Thai elephants to play), it can nonetheless seamlessly weave a Charles Ives cover into a set of soulful, if sometimes angular, country- or blues-tinged originals. Besides Soldier, who plays violin and banjo, the sextet includes the co-founder Jonathan Kane on snare drum, the Memphis-based singer Lorette Velvette, and the sweet-toned violinist and singer Charlie Burnham."

Discography

*''The Kropotkins'' ( Mulatta Records, 1996) *''Five Points Crawl'' (Mulatta, 2000) *''Paradise Square'' (Mulatta, 2010) with B.J. Cole on pedal steel guitar *''Portents of Love'' (Mulatta, 2015)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kropotkins Musical groups established in 1994 Avant-garde music groups American blues musical groups 1994 establishments in the United States