It has been 5 years since “the proud King of the Jesters” —Mikhail Gorshenev — went into the quiet rustles of our dreams… and at the same time an entire era of Russian punk rock, which lasted 25 years, ended. It’s a pity that we won’t hear any other terrible tale anymore … But there were many of them in the 25 years of the existence of The King and the Jester.
Some were just creepy, some took a lot from … lyrics, although the lyrics are special, no less scary. The presence of such a musical instrument as a violin contributed to the manifestation of the lyrical figurative sphere in the music of "Chisha". For 6 years, the part of the violin was performed by Maria Vladimirovna Nefedova, "violinist Masha."
King and the Clown
The group "King and the Jester" and the buffoon appeared back in 1988. Initially, it was called the “Office”, it included 3 classmates: Mikhail Gorshenev - “Pot”, Alexander Schigolev - “Lieutenant” and Alexander Balunov - “Balu”. Musical compositions were composed in the style of "punk rock". A significant event was the arrival in the group "Prince" - Andrei Knyazev, who began to write music on mini-stories with a variety of contents.
In 1990, the group acquired its famous name, and other musicians gradually began to join. The first studio recordings appeared. The band’s first unofficial album, “Be at Home as a Traveler, ” was recorded in 1994 in a limited edition and was considered a rarity.
In 1996, a television program was shot about the group, which allowed the group to shoot 4 low-budget videos. Now special effects only make you smile, but for work 20 years ago it’s very good.
After that, the first numbered album "Stone on the Head" appeared. In 1998, 2 violinists joined the group: Maria Bessonova and Maria Nefedova for recording "Acoustic Album".
As a result, Maria Vladimirovna Nefedova stayed in the group for a long time - until 2004. The popularity of the group grew. Sometimes the composition changed somewhat. The most significant change was the departure of the "Prince" in 2011. He was not only a vocalist of the group, but also an artist - he created drawings for albums.
In the last years of his work - 2012-2013, the leader of the group, Mikhail Gorshenev, is working on a musical, or "zong opera" (as the author defines the genre), "TODD", which tells of the revenge of the barber Sweeney Todd. The musical is presented in the form of two studio albums, this is the largest scary fairy tale from the group. Unfortunately, the group did not manage to shoot a high-quality video version of the "zong opera". July 19, 2013 Mikhail Gorshenev, starring Sweeney Todd, the leader of the King and the Jester band, passed away. Along with the death of "Pot", the activities of the group ceased.
Creative biography of Maria Vladimirovna Nefedova before "The King and the Jester"
Maria Vladimirovna Nefedova began her music in the group "Tanks" in 1997-1999. She participated in the recording of the first album of the Rowan Tower band - The Freak March. Also in 1998 - early 1999 she performed with the group "Pilot", participated in the recording of the album "The Tale of the Jumper and the Slider", reading a text from the author in the company of Yuri Shevchuk.
Violinist Masha in the "King and the Jester"
"King and the Fool" appeared in the life of Mary by chance. She and Maria Bessonova were noticed and invited to record "Acoustic Album". Since then, Masha Nefedova is the royal violin of the Jesters. It was her participation in the Kish group that made her famous. The group "Cockroaches" even dedicated a song to her, which is called "Masha - violinist from" King and the Jester "."
With the participation of Maria, 7 albums were recorded:
- "Acoustic album".
- "The men ate meat."
- "Heroes and Villains."
- "Like an old fairy tale."
- "Sorry no guns."
- "Dead Anarchist."
- "Concert at the Olympic".
Maria not only performed the part of the violin in the band's compositions. She also acted as a backing vocalist in a number of compositions, for example, in the song "Kuzma and Barin".
