Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin is a pop/rock band based out of Springfield, Mo., with songs about “girls, mountains, mysteries, bedrooms and stairways,” said guitarist Will Knauer. Setting aside the girls aspect, stairways and mysteries are certainly a nice change from the many eyeliner-wearing, moody bands that have emerged since the exile of boy bands. Despite the obvious differences in sound and attitude from both boy bands and those in eyeliner, one also cannot quickly assume that the band takes themselves too seriously, adding a fun, different and entertaining element to the current indie pop crowd. You only need to hear their name to know that this band has something new to offer.
The four members met and formed the band at a Super Bowl party while still in high school in 1999 and eventually found themselves touring the United States and Europe. The unusual name was adopted for purely humorous purposes after one of the members came up with it following the resignation of Boris Yeltsin. The rest of the band found it catchy, and the name stuck. According to Knauer, “It’s fun to learn about Russian presidents.”
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin has a pop sound similar to The Beach Boys, who they claim as one of their influences, or even the Beatles. Their music is lighthearted with lyrics such as, “Oregon girl, with your lips and your curls, I want a taste of that Oregon girl,” or “Wait for me, another year or two, I will graduate and marry you.” These lyrics, coupled with foot-tapping, bouncy tempos, make people want to sing along. Like the style of their music, the band is also known to perform fun shows, many times inviting people to join in onstage.
Often abbreviated SSLYBY, the band holds a special connection to CU, as they signed to Champaign-based record label Polyvinyl Record Co. in 2006. The label released a remastered version of their debut album, Broom, in 2006 and the widely acclaimed Pershing in 2008. Blender magazine named the band’s song “Dead Right” as one of its top 144 songs of 2008, which is a pretty cool feat for a fairly under-the-radar band.
Don’t miss the chance to honor mountains and mysteries as Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin brings their catchy beats to the Courtyard Café joined by Company of Thieves and Unicycle Loves You at 8 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 25.
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