Musician, songwriter, and producer, Diedrich Donald Weiss knows that the best writing comes when we most need it, and it’s proven to be his motivation in much of his music. Writing under the alias Red Bird Rising, Weiss’s latest single, ‘My Revolution’, is testament to this, and the love song and anti-war statement features Ukranian husband and wife team Taras Kuznetsov and Ana Pshokina – who know quite a lot when it comes to urgency – on lead vocals and bass respectively.
Speaking about the track, Weiss says,
I have a world worn faith in the power of music to effect people’s lives positively. It’s from this place that inspired me to write ‘My Revolution’ in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It may be naive to think a song could in any way substantially effect something as dominating as this horror, yet it was my answer to the inner question, “what can I do?”.
I initially thought of the invasion as life or death. Soldiers, tanks, missiles, guns, blood. My mind touched the images and information coming in and it quickly separated to protect me from the intensity. It filled in the blanks with past wars in modern history. But the battle is not what this song is about.
All these elements should make the song moving enough, but Red Bird Rising takes it one step further with a music video that includes footage filmed in Odessa, Ukraine, while they were under the threat of Russian missiles. Once again, creativity shows that it cannot be silenced, and is at its greatest when under the most harrowing of circumstances.
The story of ‘My Revolution’ is very personal, having been written about Taras Kuznetsov himself. Taras is a 32 year old full time remote freelance vocalist, producer, arranger, audio engineer, drummer, and pianist. In short, a very talented man. The song is set in March 2022, a mere 6 weeks after Russia first invaded Ukraine, and the location is Odessa, the Ukrainian port city vital to the import and export of that country.
In ‘My Revolution’ we hear Tara singing of the decisions he has to make. He sings in the opening verse, “passport be damned, take all I can, get out now like I should”. Sense tells him he should flee: as a man he’s unable to legally leave the country, but that’s certainly not stopped those who’ve escaped to places like Poland and Turkey. He gets access to a gun, for his own personal safety, and that of his family. “I was given a gun, I can take out some Russians, bring those reptiles down”. It’s a harsh reality and made all the more potent in the music video, as we feel the tension of the situation. Taras has choices to make, and if the Russians were to invade Odessa, he would use the gun – but until then – he and his wife Ana work in their studio, doing what they do best – creating music.
Despite all the horrific backstory, ‘My Revolution’ is nonetheless a very enjoyable song to listen to, with a rock soundtrack that will have you bopping out as you contemplate the deeper meaning of the lyrics.
You can watch the official music video for ‘My Revolution’ here, and stream it on Spotify.
Taras is aware of the missiles and bombs, aware of the rape and torture happening in occupied cities and towns. He is a well informed, thoughtful man, who loves his country, yet what will he do? What can he do? It is a moment to calibrate inside himself and chose how to respond in the large context of his own singular inner life. This tension within is expressed in the video through the exquisite dance sequences of Melina Acune where she struggles and leans into the fight to find grace within.
The song gets to the heart of what matters most to him in the bridge. “If it wasn’t for you, you are enough, my love”. His wife Ana, whom also plays bass guitar on the track, chose to stay with Taras in Odessa rather than flee to neighboring countries. Together, they are united to survive, yet what makes them extraordinary artists is that they are determined to keep moving forward with their music. They understand that music is what they need to contend and thrive. He sings, “I can’t lose my mind checking the headlines, play my piano instead.” Music is their sanctuary.
Music is also their source of a powerful union with a strength within. In the words of Taras, “Music is about me and I’m all about music. Throughout my career I’ve been and I continue to be a pianist, keyboard player, drummer, singer, sound engineer, mastering engineer and sound producer. And I’ve just only started. I have a beautiful bass player and singer wife, Ana Pshokina and we’re going to share our music with the world. The time has come.”
Ana expressed her reliance on music during the invasion on an Instagram post. She wrote, “I’m still alive. I have a warm dinner and an undamaged home. I have no words to express my gratitude for our soldiers for the opportunity to keep practicing and working. Music is my only weapon. Music is almost the only thing that can distract me from the news. Music can help draw attention of the people from other countries to the real situation in Ukraine. I want to share it with you as long as I have this opportunity.”
If you want to know more about Taras Kuznetsov, you can find all his profiles and music here https://linktr.ee/taraskuznetsov
If you want to know more about Ana Pshokina, you can find all her profiles and music at https://linktr.ee/ana.pshokina
Both Taras and Ana are available for interviews.
The Making of “My Revolution” – Recording & Video
An original song and video by RED BIRD RISING featuring musician Taras
Kuznetsov contending with the Russian invasion living in Odessa, Ukraine.
“I believe in the magic that only exists when two or more artists engage
themselves fully within the natural energy of music.”
“I have a world worn belief and faith in the power of music to significantly
change people’s lives.”
Diedrich Donald Weiss wanted to do something in response to the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. An artist from Minneapolis, MN living in Colombia, South America has little influence from a far.
But Weiss wrote “My Revolution”. He shared it with producer, musician and mixing engineer Mariano Cukierman whom he’d recently collaborated with on a song. Cukierman, an Argentinian whose studio is in Buenos Aires, agreed it would be right to find an artist in Ukraine to sing it.
Weiss discovered Taras Kuznetsov’s profile on the remote musician website SoundBetter. He liked Kuzentsov’s vocal on his profile song and searched the internet to find that he and his wife Ana Pshokina are experienced live performers and studio recording artists. They could fulfill the project professionally, but there was the issue of recording during invasion conditions.
Weiss contacted Kuzentsov to learn that his studio was accessible for recording. Kuzentsov, whom speaks native level English, also felt the music fit his voice and taste and that the lyrics of “My Revolution” authentically expressed his experience. The project started to gain momentum.
Back in Buenos Aires, Cukierman took Weiss’ demo of “My Revolution” and recorded rhythm guitars, organ, electric piano and scratch bass guitar. He added fellow Argentinian Fernando Moreno on drums while keeping Weiss’ electric guitar riffs, electric piano intro melody and his backing vocals. Cukierman created a polyrhythmic rock groove with uniquely voiced guitar parts in a version that elevated the core of the track’s rhythm bed.
Hereafter, “My Revolution” came to full life in Odessa as Kuznetsov recorded lead vocals in their professional studio with Pshokina recording bass guitar. The spine of the song now completed, Kuznetsov developed a demo string arrangement to augment the dramatic movements of the track.
Weiss had previously worked with string arranger and violinist Megan Gould who lives in New York. After discussing ideas and approaches, Gould wrote the string arrangement performing on violin and viola with sessionist Eleanor Norton on cello.
With all tracking complete, Cukierman mixed the song over four sessions. Weiss participated over video chat with notes he and Kuznetsov prepared. Cukierman in real time executed the vision they together had evolved.
Early on in the project, it became clear to Weiss that a video would be most powerful to express Kuzentsov’s experience. He shared his idea with Cukierman and he connected Weiss to filmmaker Flor Giardino in Buenos Aires. Giardino had recently made a short film with dancer and choreographer Melina Ascune called Exclama. When Weiss viewed this film on Giardino’s website, the connection between the dance and the inner experience of the song’s lyrics was uncannily synchromatic. Even more, the location of the shots on the rocky banks of a large body of water in Buenos Aires looked similar to the shores of Odessa on the Black Sea. Giardino and Ascune gave Weiss permission to use the Exclama shots in the video.
Kuznetsov and Weiss then collaborated on the story for the video. Kuznetsov and Pshokina shot in multiple locations in Odessa. From here, Weiss edited the video using the Exclama dance shots, the Odessa shots from Kuznetsov and Pshokina, and footage found from sites such as Dattalion, which is an archive of video stories documenting the invasion, and Ukraiine Today on Telegram, the frequently used social media site for people sharing about the invasion. Giardino as Colorist then completed the final master of the video.
The video production in Odessa called for video to be shot in public, both during the day, and at night. The bombings by Russian missiles to Odessa’s energy infrastructure after the explosion on the Crimea Bridge made collaboration on the video more difficult with Taras having less access to electricity and internet. But when there was electricity and internet, Taras and Diedrich together fulfilled the visual story that felt needed to be told.
Naturally, personal connections evolved with such commitment and trust essential to creating what is a deeply personal and artistically powerful piece of music and video. At the heart of this project is each artist, from Colombia, Argentina, the United States, and Ukraine, rising to pull everything they as artists have within them engaging personally and passionately as if all in one studio together.
March 2022 – December 2022
* No music samples were used in this recording. All performances are by instrumentalists listed in the credits.
Lyrics
There are days I dream of leaving for good
Passport be damned, take all I can
Get out now like I should
Poor me, my life is stuck underground
Well I was given a gun, I can take out some Russian
Bring those reptiles down
My revolution, My revolution begins
My revolution, My revolution begins in my world within
There are times you know we all need a rest
Can’t lose my mind, checking the headlines
Play my piano instead
Good good, they haven’t yet bombed my home
But I can not go out, so I rule my own house
Work like a bee in honeycomb
My revolution, My revolution begins
My revolution, My revolution begins in my world within
If it wasn’t for you, you are enough, my love
If it wasn’t for you, you are enough, my love
I can’t just go along, I can’t just sing this song
My revolution, My revolution begins
My revolution, My revolution begins in my world within
Songwriting & Production
“My secrets, especially those I protect from myself, are always trying to be told to me privately through music.”
“I believe in the magic that only exists when two or more artists engage
themselves fully within the natural energy of music.”
“Vibe is definitely an element I’m listening for as I work. Hopefully a sonic
narrative emerges and then I’m in a realm that only exists in music.”
Many songwriters write in bunches coming from a similar voice. The songs take on a consistent feel and perspective. I’m compelled to go deeper and deeper into one song so it becomes a distinct world unto itself. A creature separate from me yet I carry inside myself. Mostly, I write in the voice of someone else from song to song. Within creating their stories I discover revelations I needed.
My secrets, especially those I protect from myself, are always trying to be told to me privately through music. When creating in pre-production, I have an intention of listening for a cinematic movement to how the lyrics and melody are accompanied. I want the story to be told inside an imaginary location and scene as visual as a moving picture. To me, the song itself is the lyrics, structure, and melody, but also the character of atmospheric vibe. Vibe is definitely an element I’m listening for as I work. Hopefully a sonic narrative emerges and then I’m in a realm that only exists in music.
I’m not committed to a consistent “sound” to my productions. I think it’s ok to have entirely different sonic characteristics for each song. I’m open to collaboration beyond the bones and character of a song for a more diverse and kinetic production process. I believe in the magic that only exists when two or more artists engage themselves within the same endeavor.
The production of a song is where collaboration begins. Remote collaboration puts a boundary around the relationship to being solely about creating the music. There isn’t the extraneous that usually accompanies in-person collaboration within a music community or band. The bulk of the correspondence is in writing, voice messages and sharing of tracks. It’s highly intentional, focused, and occurring in an abstract non-physical world that music itself resides in.
Releasing singles rather than working on full length albums is more in synch with how I approach material. Choosing a producer and mixing engineer is an inquiry into finding if they have artistic sensibilities to hear the soul of a particular song, not hear me as an artist encompassing all of my material. Together we begin a journey to hit certain targets of expression, but also into the unknown.
“My Revolution” is significantly different in production and process than songs currently in production to be released soon. Purposely each has a different producer. And if I feel another lead vocalist is better than my own voice to represent and express the story and music, than I search for this artist. That is what I chose to do with “My Revolution”, naturally, as it’s directly about a man in Ukraine in this unique moment of historic and personal confrontation. I was fortunate to find Taras Kuznetsov to sing and guide me on creating something authentically his story inside both the audio track and video. To have even found him speaks to the inception of the magic that can happen in collaboration.
Music Credits:
Songwriter/Diedrich Donald Weiss
Producer/Mariano Cukierman, Diedrich Donald Weiss
Mixing Engineer/Mariano Cukierman
Mastering Engineer/Pablo Peyrano, Greg Reierson
Lead Vocal/Taras Kuznetsov
Bass Guitar/Ana Pshokina
Electric Guitar/Mariano Cukierman, Diedrich Donald Weiss
Acoustic Guitar/Mariano Cukierman
Synth Keyboard/Mariano Cukierman
Electric Piano & Organ/Mariano Cukierman
Drums/Fernando Moreno
Backing Vocals/Diedrich Donald Weiss
String Arrangement/Megan Gould
Violin & Viola/Megan Gould
Cello/Eleanor Norton
Video Credits:
Producer/Diedrich Donald Weiss
Director/Diedrich Donald Weiss, Taras Kuznetsov, Flor Giardino
Writer/Diedrich Donald Weiss, Taras Kuznetsov
Editor/Diedrich Donald Weiss, Flor Giardino
Color/Flor Giardino
Video Music Mixing Engineer/Mariano Cukierman
Video Music Mastering Engineer/Pablo Peyrano, Greg Reierson
Actor/Taras Kuznetsov
Actor/Ana Pshokina
Dance & Choreography/Melina Ascune
More Info:
Artist Name: Red Bird Rising
Location: Colombia, South America
Release Title: My Revolution (feat. Taras Kuznetzov)
Release Date: TBD
Label: Independent
Similar/RIYL: Bob Mould, Mark Lanegan
Genre(s): Rock, Indie Rock
Tracklist: My Revolution (feat. Taras Kuznetzov)
Websites:
Instagram: @Redbirdrisingmusic
Spotify: Red Bird Rising
Youtube Channel: Red Bird Rising @redbirdrising5734
Artist Contact Email: redbirdrising@gmail.com
Artist Biography:
I have a world worn faith in the power of music to significantly change people’s lives. I first started playing guitar in an inpatient mental health unit I found myself in after a drug induced psychosis at 19. Music felt to me like the key to the escape from my suffering I was actually looking for. It was and has been ever since.
In this solitary room, finally all the black on white poetry I’d written since discovering Jim Morrison at 14 became as if full fleshed colors lighting up the page. Me and my guitar and notebooks went back to college after taking a few months off learning guitar and started a band. I wore my leather pants on the inside not fearless or revolutionary. Yet inside me, a personal revolution had begun like flint to spark to flame.
From basement house parties to college events to opening gigs at Minneapolis clubs, I was stepping through a door into a world I’d only been imagining from collective pieces like a mix of album art from my record collection. There’s a professional video on YouTube of one of my most successful bands that I did not post and will not voluntarily share. I’d rather share a photo of my girlfriend at the time. She was a fascinating and pastel soul who taught me more about creativity than this band who punished 20-30 people in smaller dark bars with excessive volume and pretentious masculinity. It was fun and cathartic, but I longed for more time with my acoustic guitar and notebook where my secrets, especially those I protect from myself, are always trying to be told to me privately through music.
After recording a solo record, I took on the game of promotion and building an audience. Website, posters, press release and CD release party; a little campaign. This was before streaming and social media was the main way an audience heard of a new artist. I did not have the personality traits and connections to get enough people beyond my close friends and musical collaborators to my shows in order to be invited back. The promotion game was a numbers game. And unlike in past band releases, the independent music radio station that used to help promote shows of local bands I was in was replaced by national programming of only major artists.
Eventually, I still had many boxes of CD’s that I ceremoniously threw into a lake like cremated ashes. The name of this solo album was Public Songs For Private Use. Revisiting it from time to time doesn’t invoke regret, sadness or anger in me. The record may not have had much public reach, but in my own privacy, it was useful for to write, record and to at least try and make it of use for others.
So, to this date, I have zero music accolades in the public sphere. I have many magical and mystical music moments, that even though not of public record, directly impacted myself and the people involved as artists or audience. There are stages of performance that are informally created that show the empirical truth of the power of music.
One example is that I performed my songs each Friday for 6 years for patients, family and staff on the cancer and mental health unit of a hospital. It was the same hospital I was born in and a patient in the mental health unit when experiencing the drug induced psychosis. My day job was booking music and art for a locally owned franchise chain of cafes. One Friday I arrived to the cancer unit to see a musician whom I’d booked many times.
Tim had late stage cancer and rolled out of his room in his wheelchair and IV tree to greet me. The next Friday I arrived to again see Tim roll out to greet me, but this time he had his baby Taylor acoustic guitar. I strummed chord progressions that were good to solo on top of, and Tim played for 45 minutes straight, my hands cramping, and his d-string breaking but continuing to play with fire and focus.
Slowly a crowd emerged. People and staff from other floors began to fill the hallway and the electricity of a private spontaneous show filled the energy. As I learned after, Tim knew this would very likely be the last time he’d play music. The following Friday, I learned Tim had died leaving 4 children and his wife behind.
It’s time to release my music again with “My Revolution”. It makes sense to me that my first release would be inspired by throwing a musical stone into the lake of suffering to see the ripples and wake it creates in the lives of others. The revolution of music continues and I want to use it and be of use with the work of RED BIRD RISING.
