A six-piece ensemble who play a diverse range of genres (from folk and jazz, to chamber music and world music) while also singing in multiple languages (Italian, Russian, Bulgarian, Hebrew, Romanie and English), Chaika create music that transcends labels.
A band who lived for life on the road touring pre-COVID, the group of Susie Bishop, Laura Altman, Emily-Rose Sarkova, Laura Bishop, Johan Delin and Rendra Freestone continue to work on new material for their next studio project (following their ARIA nominated 2019 album 'Arrow').Ahead of their co-headlining appearance at the 2021 River Folk Festival (in the Yarra Valley) in October (their first festival appearance and only their second live performance post-COVID), the group's accordion, piano player and co-vocalist, Emily-Rose shares some insights about how the band is handling the COVID chaos, the importance of playing to regional audiences, their ARIA nomination experience and skinny dipping in Tasmanian rivers.
For those people who turn off when 'folk music' and 'world music' is mentioned what's your message to them about the style of music Chaika make?
Labels don't define your experience. Because our music traverses many different soundscapes, it is difficult for people to imagine what it is like without listening. If you switch off from something because you think a label defines what you will experience, then you are missing out on so much the world has to offer.
If you have ever enjoyed film scores, classical music, ambient music, a cappella vocals, acoustic instruments, complex time signatures, singer-songwriter music, music of different cultures other then your own, jazz, Balkan dance music; well you probably will enjoy something of Chaika. Don't fall into the trap of wanting your life to fit neatly in boxes – it gets boring.
The inner workings of the band; how does it all come together in terms of writing new music and the roles each member has?
This is something we are currently re-working a little in the band.
We have mostly created our new music from different members bringing ideas (or sometimes fully formed pieces in some way), into our rehearsals, and then spending A LOT of time exploring sounds collectively, jamming, recording, reflecting and talking.
Some members bring chord charts and lyrics, others bring a riff idea, others bring some fully notated scores. This kind of thing works really well when we have multiple days in a row away from our normal day-to-day lives. It might be a residency or a few days set aside on a tour.
It requires us all to be in the same place away from the city for multiple days – that gives us enough time and space to break away into smaller groups to work on particular sections and hone specific ideas – and due to COVID, this hasn't been very possible at the moment.
So, right now, we are planning to get together in smaller group composing sessions of two or three people (some zooms planned) and make sure we have workable charts to work on when we can finally rehearse as a group again.
The band has a festival date on the horizon to look forward to; you'll be one of the co-headliners at River Folk Festival, an event you were supposed to play last year but was one of the first music events to be cancelled when COVID arrived – pumped to get back to the Yarra Valley?
We are incredibly excited to be doing a real live festival again.
It will be [our] first one since March 2020. We have all fingers and toes crossed of course that the borders will be freely flowing again by then. Despite not being able to go ahead with the full festival back in March, Sam and the River Folk Festival team was so accommodating and welcoming, and still made our stay in the Valley an absolute pleasure (since we had already arrived when the festival shut down).
The entire live music industry is hurting massively; but is it extra special to be able to perform to regional audiences, like River Folk, who don't have access to the type of events that are commonplace in cities?
Chaika's specialty is regional audiences. We have made most of our connections, friendships, fans and bonding moments in regional communities – especially up and down the east coast of Australia.
Regional festivals are an absolutely ESSENTIAL part of small community living and are usually better attended and genuinely appreciated than the big city events. They are always a home away from home for us.
Given the live audience and tour life is such a big aspect for most folk and world music artists, the distinct lack of that world 'cause of COVID; how have the band managed to deal with everything that has happened the past 12-18 months?
I am (Emily-Rose) going to be bold, and say we haven't really dealt amazingly with it as a band.
Going on tour together, playing shows and having rehearsals are the glue that keeps us together as a band family. When it all disappeared suddenly in 2020 right in the middle of one of our most successful tours yet; well it was a big shock to the band fabric.
We have managed to do a couple of live-streamed gigs in 2020 and even one real life gig, but without the draw of the festival circuit and tours, it has been hard to keep the momentum up. Combined with some of our own individual struggles, the band's productivity and ability to communicate has gone a little downhill.
However, in saying all that, perhaps this forced break will allow us to return to our creative practice together with renewed perspectives and a deeper appreciation for each other as friends and fellow musicians.
It has also given each member an opportunity to explore and pay attention to different parts of life and music – other musical collaborations, upskilling in tech, veggie gardening, physical and mental healthcare and visual arts are some things that come to mind.
Being nominated for an ARIA Award for 2019 album 'Arrow'; what was that experience like and what doors have opened since that may have remained closed without the nom?
We were over the moon to be nominated for a prestigious music award, and it's been a handy thing to add to the bio – so perhaps some people reading it would be more keen to book us as artists now than before.
The actual awards were an underwhelming experience though. It was clear that world music, classical music, film scores, children's music and music teaching awards are not high up on ARIA's priority list. We only found out about the nomination via Instagram, and the award ceremony was a 9am morning event where all the presenters looked like they still wanted to be in bed.
We were not given an invite to the main event and on the way out we were handed a flyer with all the official ARIA nominated artists, of which no one from our category was included. I don't know why it was such a surprise, but we had hoped it might have been a more welcoming atmosphere.
There are also so many Australian artists making incredible music that never get a look in with the ARIAs – it's all about who you know, and nowadays we are the ones being asked at how to get a nom.
Where is the band at in terms of another studio album; what creative directions can fans expect from the next collection of Chaika songs?
We have a very, very full list of new tunes we are working on. There are a lot more original songs in English happening, and more moving around of instruments. We've introduced a bit of banjo and are also experimenting with drum kit possibilities.
There are definitely some classic Chaika style vocal harmonies happening, and we are drawing inspiration from sounds as widespread as Rachmaninov, neo-soul grooves, Sting, Irish tune sets, Dirty Projectors and 'Sesame Street'.
Some fun questions: With six people in the band, life on the road must be a little hectic; is it a little like a family holiday when Chaika go on tour?
Definitely, but with a much more hectic agenda. We all tend to assume roles that we are good at – different people cook different meals on alternating days, a couple of people are really good at packing gear, someone is on the socials and taking videos, and the morning people take the early driving shifts.
We have been told though that we tend to have a very well organised and considerate agenda – with focus on good meals and enough downtime in between shows and rehearsals. Having some time in nature is usually a big priority.
When it comes to eating meals on the road, who is the group's go-to chef (other than Uber Eats that is, ha!)?
Most of us like to collaborate in groups of twos on meals. A common comment from Rendra is that Chaika always eats the best out of any band he has been on tour with. We also tend to stay with some incredibly generous hosts who love to put on a spread for us. They are the BEST!
Does Chaika have a serial prankster who keeps the mood light and humorous?
Laura Altman and Susie Bishop seem to be able to really get some classic giggles happening. I feel a band that is keen to skinny dip together in Tasmanian rivers are pretty set to have a lot of laughs in general though.
What celebrity/ famous person would you love to be spokesperson of the band?
I'm not sure what a spokesperson would do exactly, but perhaps someone who is also a wonderful cross-genre collaborator and champion of diversity in music like Anoushka Shankar.
If you had to live in a city abroad, where would you choose and why?
Well, collectively as a band we were really looking forward to going to Sweden for some shows in 2020 or 2021, and as our double bass player Johan is from there, I'm thinking a place like Malmö would be perfect for us for a little while. Both he and Susie Bishop are partners and usually visit every year when COVID isn't a thing.
Three people you'd like to invite around for a dinner party?
This is only Emily-Rose's wishes – one of my absolute besties Owen Salome who is living in Argentina and who I would usually go and visit in a non-COVID world, and my Grandpa and Grandma who I loved dearly and who are no longer with us.
Last show you binge-watched (and what kept you glued to the screen)?
'Anne With An E'. The absolutely stunning cinematography and gorgeous score.
What's your favourite app at the moment?
Picture This – a plant identifier app; very handy for the gardeners and for identifier plants on bushwalks.
Chaika co-headline River Folk Festival (alongside Cigany Weaver and The Northern Folk), which takes place at various venues in Warburton (Victoria) 22-24 October.
