Vladislav Parshin is a very interesting musician playing in several different bands with the same vision, from Motorama, Utro, Leto V Gorode to TEZ.

If Motorama is more indie pop based, Utro takes us into deep post punk territories, while Leto V Gorode and TEZ and more guitar based projects. Parshin is also running his own label in a true DIY spirit. I’m Home Records is a Rostov-on-Don based label founded with intention to be able to release a variety of projects he’s working on and so becoming home to his artistic vision.

“All my different bands are just like one band for me”

Would you like to talk a bit about your background? Where did you grow up?

Vladislav Parshin: I was born in Rostov-on-Don in 1985, and still live here. My mother is a teacher, father is a carpenter and a music listener. I learned music from his collection.

How did you first get involved with music? Was there any local alternative music present where you grew up?

I grew up listening to the music from Soviet cartoons and movies, westerns, 80s and early 90s new wave and post-punk from Leningrad and Moscow. I discovered the music of the Rostov independent scene only at the beginning of the 2000s.

Was there a certain moment in your life that you knew you wanted to become a musician for the rest of your life?

No, music was only a part of many things that I was interested in. Mainly I was only a music lover, without an idea of creation. My dreams were about illustrator work. Drawing was my favorite type of activity. At the same time, I always loved the sound of an acoustic guitar, and in the year of 2000 I asked my parents to let me go to guitar classes with my old friend. Then my parents bought me an electric guitar. In general, all that music adventures happened to me accidentally.

Is Motorama your first band or were you in any other bands as well? Tell us about it.

In 2002, I played as a guitarist in another band for a short period of time. It was a garage rock with Zvuki Mu and The Velvet Underground influences, partly in Russian language, partly in English.

How did the group get together and who are other members of the band?

Speaking about Motorama — there were several time periods. 2005—2007 we only played several concerts, and made almost no records. The band was driven by a former bassist and me. Then we disbanded again, but the name remained the same. It was almost another band. I invited my friends to join it. I had several homemade demos, and that’s how the first records came out. We discovered the home recording process and the video editing for our early clips together with Maxim Polivanov, who played guitar and made several really great arrangements for some early songs. Now we play like a four-piece band with my wife Irina on bass and Mikhail Nikulin as a drummer. I also asked Maksim Bondarev to join us as a tour member for the second guitar.

Would you mind taking a trip down the memory lane and tell us what you recall from working on ‘Alps’, ‘Calendar’, ‘Poverty’, …

That’s a tough question, I doubt I can write this 14 year opus.

What’s your creative process like? Does it differ when it comes to different projects?

Yes, it’s different in terms of technology and approach. For Motorama and TEZ — the main instruments are bass and guitar, so I use only guitars for the songwriting. For Leto V Gorode and Utro it’s different. Songs can start from a drum machine loop or a piano harmony. Or just a vocal melody line. Normally, I record everything by myself.

I see that you recently released some new tracks with Motorama on Bandcamp.

That’s what I’ve made in the last months.

Are there any other local bands from Rostov-on-Don that you enjoy? What about nationally?

Yes, there was a band called Futbol, one of my favorite Russian bands.

Another great band was Elen.

And these guys:

And these:

Also, Urblud Dramader.

What’s the idea behind Leto V Gorode or Letovgorode? Tell us about your work with this band.

I started this project in 2012, to clean my head from guitar music and to experiment with synths.

What about TEZ?

It’s a guitar band. I’d like to tell you that all my different bands are just like one band for me. I don’t know why I made so many titles for them. Maybe I will make more. They are partly different, but, in general, they are all about the world around me. I’m making different dresses for them, but, mainly, they are all about the same, my recent musical and lyrical interests. When I’m tired of one band — I’m coming to another, with another collection of songs, that’s my fuel.

I first got to know about your music via Utro. What’s the concept behind this incredible project?

It’s a post-punk band with the sounds that I always loved. I was a follower of Urblud Dramader from Rostov, I guess, they were one of the main influences for Utro. And also Durnoe Vliyanie.

And Vecherniya Shkola:

Hugo-Ugo:

I’ve added a tiny drop of Russian folk to Utro and that’s it.

What are some of the strongest memories from writing, recording and producing your debut album in 2010?

It was a fast process. I had many demos for the songs and the sound idea. We’ve recorded instruments live in a small home studio in Rostov. Then me and Maksim Polivanov, we compared them in songs on a laptop, adding some extra arrangements and reverbs.

Would you share your insight on the albums’ tracks?

I really don’t remember how it was, unfortunately. It was so long ago.

What’s the story behind the album artwork?

I found this picture at the flea market in Rostov, in the box with unnamed pieces of books and photos. I do not know what area is depicted there. I liked this weird white background and the sharp black tone of the buildings. It was an intuitive choice.

There were two more albums and some EPs released later on, but there isn’t much information about it, would you like to discuss it?

Not that many things to discuss there, they are just songs collected on albums or singles. Musical ideas of that period of time.

What kind of gear, effects, pedals and amps do you use?

A laptop, cassette or digital portastudio and plugins. We used pedals from the very beginning but then only plugins without amps, just guitars plugged directly to the audio interface or portastudio.

Is Utro still active? Are you planning to record more material?

Yes, we record new songs and play concerts.

How would you describe your sound?

Motorama and TEZ – guitar music. Leto V Gorode – electronic. Utro — post punk.

Motorama (2019) | Photo by Alexey Trineev

Are you involved in any other bands that we haven’t mentioned or do you have any active side-projects going on at this point?

No, only four bands at the moment.

What are some bands/musicians that have a big influence on you?

Eduard Atmeviev:

Ennio Morricone:

Rostov post punk, shoegaze scene: Futbol, Nyk Antares, Ritmika, Urblud Dramader.

Moscow post punk scene: Zvuki Mu:

Nikolay Kopernik:

Do you often play live? Who are some of your personal favorite bands that you’ve played with over the past few years?

Yes, it’s not that intensive right now, compared to how it was several years ago. But I still think of how we have to perform the recorded songs live. My favorite band with whom we played — Woven Hand. They make honest music that speaks to me.

Motorama (2023) | Photo by Mikhail Parshin

What are some future plans?

I’m in the process of recording the new tunes. We also plan concerts in Moscow and St. Petersburg, a tour in China and concerts in Mongolia for Utro and Motorama.