HISTORY

Billy Novik, the founder of The Billy’s Band, was born on October 30, 1975 in St.Petersburg suburban
area Kupchino. In 1980-s being just a teenager he created his first band REANIMATSIYA (REANIMATION).
The most prominent achievement of the band was its participation in a municipal contest of amateur musicians
coming from St.Petersburg’s schools and colleges in spring 1990. REANIMATION got the third prize and a set
of domestic pop singers albums. However, just after the event REANIMATION fell apart. As for Mr Novik,
for the next five years hewas a solo guitar player in OSKOLKI (SPLINTERS). The leader of OSKOLKI was a
singer and a bass guitarist Alexei Krivsky

OSKOLKI played regularly at The Beatles birthdays. The events were organized by
Kolya Vasin at rock`n`roll clubs, which were very few those times. Having lost any interest in music
Billy Novik leftOSKOLKI in 1995. The band gradually failed to exist. During the next four years Mr Novik was
engrossed in studying pediatrics. He got his degree in St.Petersburg Pediatric Medical Academy. For three years
he was an intern prosector in Children Hospital No.5 and would not even dream about the stage.

Nevertheless, in July 1999 he surprisingly found himself back to the showbiz. He became Director of
a new club The Boom Brothers opened in the basement of a multistory apartment house on Okhta Street in
St.Petersburg. Andrey “Ryzhik” Reznikov, a young guitar player, became Art Director of the club. Previously he
had played grunge and punk-rock in PYATNO (SPOT) and DEN D (DAY D) bands.

At approximately the same time the album Early Years Part I (1971) opened Mr Novik the door to
Tom Waits’ Art.The very earliest works of the American composer, singer and movie actor were presented
in the album. While trying to imitate Mr Waits’ songs Mr. Novik found out that people liked his execution.
After that he dared to perform his interpretations on-stage and invited Mr Reznikov to support him. That was
the beginning for the future Billy’s Band.

On October 3, 1999 An Evening Party of Cowboy Music was held at The Boom Brothers. The club
was richly decorated with ears of corn and the musicians were disguised in cowboy costumes. Initially, the band’s
repertoire was diverse: some Country music, Surf, a few interpretations of Mr Waits’ songs, a few English folk
songs like My Bonnie Is Over The Ocean, etc.

The band was named The Billy Dilly’s Band after one of the characters of an old folk ballade
Stagger Lee(Stag-O-Lee)- a gloomy lethal outcome story about two card-sharps. In the beginning of 1959
that song performed by Lloyd Price topped American charts for a whole month. Later the song became a
hitperformed by Wilson Pickett, Tommy Row, Nick Cave, etc .

Nothing special happened during the next season. The number of the band’s participants was growing.
Thus a percussion player Karen Hazhakyan joined The Billy Dilly’s Band. At The Boom Brothers
the guys played all styles of music, from RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS to retro tunes from Mr Tarantino’s movies.
The club itself had bad times. Dwellers of the block apartment house were unhappy with crowds of youngsters
downstairs and started to write letters of complaints to the local authorities describing The Boom Brothers
either as ‘a joint’ or ‘a sect’.In spring 2001 Billy Novik left his post in the club. He decided to devote himself
to music only. In 2000 and 2001, Andrey Reznikov simultaneously played not only in The Billy Dilly’s Band
but also in a blues-and-rock band GENERATOR PA(GENERATOR PA). He even took part in recording their
debut album PO VZROSLOMU (AS ADULTS) (2001).

In the beginning of 2001, Anton Matezius (born on July 24, 1973 in St.Petersburg) joined
The Billy Dilly’s Band. He played the percussion and the accordion. Previously he had worked for the groups
MUZYKA T (MUSIC T), FLIRT (FLIRT) and AD LIBITUM (AD LIBITUM). Marc Titov, the son of
Alexander Titov, a bass-guitar player of the legendary Aquarium and KINO, became a percussion player
for The Billy Dilly’s Band. To put an end to the reshuffle of percussion players Dmitry Maximachiov agreed
to join the band during his free time from playing with his own band TANKI (TANKS).

In 2001, The Billy Dilly’s Band started to give rare concerts in night clubs, like: Fishfabrique, Lisa,
Powder Keg.In spring 2001 they participated in program The English Day, on The Zoo Club stage. At that time,
The Boom Brothers hosted a group of German tourists. In return, the Germans invited all the club staff, including
The Billy Dilly’s Band, to Germany. Deciding the trip was to be of practical use The Billy Dilly’s Band
gave a concert in the so-called Cold Tube. After that the guys took a monthly off-the-cuff concert tour around
Germany. The Billy Dilly’s Band had a number of concerts in Berlin and Munich, both in clubs and in the
streets. Billy Novik changed the guitar to the contrabass. Currently, he plays the instrument got from Vladimir
Volkov (VOLKOV TRIO). Mr Novik and his colleagues do believe that the story of the band actually starts
from the event.

Right before his leave Mitya Maximachiov managed to record the band’s nineteen songs in The Zoo, which
became, in fact, the debut album of The Billy Dilly’s Band named Being Tom Waits. On return from Germany
the band hired a new Director Maxim Novy. Mr Novy combined his directorship with being the leader of
S.O.K. band. He pushed The Billy Dilly’s Band forward. The area of the clubs they played in expanded,
e.g., Irish pub Mollie’s and other respectable St.Petersburg’s restaurants invited them. Well-established
Moscow clubs, like Kitaisky Liotshik(Chinese Pilot), Project OGI, Bunker, Rythm-and-Blues Cafe,
were hosting them. And then theatrical stages came out of the shadow to greet the band. They were
Stray Dog, The Comedian’s Rest, Mr Chaplin. The changes made the band think to give their songs a
theatrical interpretation.

As soon as their concert activity increased, both percussion players (Karen and Mark) left the band.
The Billy Dilly’s Band reduced to a trio and shortened their name to a lapidary The Billy’s
Band since The Billy Dilly’s Band sounded a little bit light-minded,

In March 2002 The Billy’s Band paid the second visit to Germany. Their coming had been
preceded by another record session in The Zoo. This time, Billy Novik recorded his own compositions
as well.

In May The Billy’s Band participated in the second stage of St.Petersburg’s rock festival
Open the Windows! in Polygon club. Their charm was so irresistible to the jury that they easily
paved their way to the gala night on June 23, 2002 on Kirov stadium, St.-Petersburg. The festival
attracted about 25,000 people!

In the end of July The Billy’s Band went to Germany for the third time and spent the fall 2002 in Paris.
Max Novy, furious about the guys’ long absence, could not stand that any longer and “DIVED INTO ART”.
From that moment and up to date Alla Reznikova carries the “unbearable” responsibilities of the band’s
Director on her fragile shoulders. And she is a success!

In November 2002, the band recorded its first long-play album in Russian named The Parisian Seasons.

Its release was organized in January 2003 in St.Petersburg’s The Red Club. Suddenly, the backbone of the trio:
Billy Novik, Anton Matezius, Andrey Ryzhik were noticed to be accompanied by famous and magnificent
St.Petersburg jazz musicians. The explanation was easy: from that time on when knockdown big concerts
were needed The Billy’s Band transformed into The Billy’s Big Band, which included jazz musicians.

Another album (a concert version), named A Postcard From…was released in summer of 2003.
Vasily Savin with his hoarse trombone excellently opposed Billy Novik with his bulldozer-like vocal.
Alexander Butkeev’s masterly piano passages ideally interchanged with deliberate slipshod jazz accords.
That made the overall sound dopy in a real Dixieland way, so characteristic of the band! At the same time
it was very lyrical and tough. Imagine Mikhail Zhidkikh’s saxophone and Andrey Ryzhik’s guitar solo
conversed like too brawlers. Eugene Bobrov on drums and Mitya Maximachiov on whatever musically
appropriate or not (e.g.: washboard, bell, pan) provided back-ground sound.

 “While composing music, says Billy, - you DO hear it in your ears, it DOES play in your head
and you know for sure; here it is to be the sax, here two trombones in the tierce. But the most pleasant
thing is, when every member of the band donates something of his own to your idea; externalizing it even
better than it was expected!”

Despite the fact that most of the concerts were performed by the trio only, all the musicians were invited
to record the second studio album A Bit of Death a Bit of Love (2004). At approximately the same time
Mr Novik declared himself the Founder of Domestic Ecological Jazz-Shit.

The Billy’s Band was named a discovery of the year at the festival NASHEstvie 2003
FREE ENTRANCE. Tours in Estonia and Finland, Germany and Lithuania. Lots of concerts in
Moscow: B-2, Club naBrestskoy, Crimean Holidays. Two songs: I Could Have Been Him and
Winter Dream (written by A.Shevchenko) were rotated on NASHE RADIO. Winter Dream rose up
to the fifth position in the chart of Kaliningrad radio Baltic Plus’. In December 2003 in DK Gorbunova,
Moscow, the second joint concert of The Billy’s Band and Garik Sukachiov was held.

During 2003 The Billy’s Band was welcomed to various TV and radio broadcasts: CHANNEL TVC,
CHANNEL ORT, CHANNEL NTV, RenTV, VGTRK, STS, STO, CHANNEL NEVSKY,
NASHE RADIO, ROKS, ROSSIYA, ECHO OF MOSCOW.

On the New Year Eve 2004, The Billy’s Band performance followed The President Speech
on one of the Federal TV CHANNELS.

At the annual ceremony Night Life Awards in February 2004, The Billy’s Band was nominated
the best club group of 2003 throughout St.Petersburg and Moscow. In March of the same year,
The Billy’s Band got ПОБОRLL award (the special award aimed to stimulate live music) in the
nomination Burst-In Band of 2003.

The third album A Bit of Death A Bit of Love was presented on March 28, 2004 in B-2 club.
Instead of reposing on its laurels, the band started recording the fourth studio album Having
Fun St.Pete Style.In summer 2004 its release was forestalled by the release of a single,
with the same name. The single combined original, jazz and instrumental versions of Having Fun
St.Pete Style. The album contained the song Cemetery Of Girls’ Hearts in a version with
Garik Sukachiov’s participation.

The presentation of Having Fun St.Pete Style album took place on February 13, 2005
in B-2, Moscow; and on February 18 and 19, 2005 in St.Petersburg The Red Club.

In winter 2004 / 2005 The Billy’s Band recorded the sound track to Sergey Selianov’s film
All-Night Shop Assistant.

Besides club concerts, the band staged two theatre performances: Blues In the Head based
on blues songs and tunes written by Mr. Novik and Being Tom Waits consisted of Tom Waits’
songs in the band’s interpretation.

Performances are held on professional theatre stages, like Teatr Estrady in St.Petersburg,
CDKH and Teatre Kinoactyora in Moscow.

During 2005 the album "BEING TOM WAITS" and DVD "LIVE CONCERT IN NOVOSIBIRSK"
were released.

By Andrey Burlaka

/Tr. by Darya Bialecka, ed. by Joshua Wi & Cadfael/

Билли Новик
Андрей Бурлака
(http://www.rock-n-roll.ru)

OFFICIAL DISCOGRAPHY:
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Billy's Band- История группы