Which of us did not dream to escape from the gray routine and fall into a fairy tale? Fortunately, the modern world provides many opportunities for this: a variety of films, fantasy literature, role-playing games, theaters, etc. And for the most sophisticated, there is an amazing Russian folk group "Mill"!
Group biography
The once popular team called Til Uhlenshpigel, which included the current lead singer of the Mill group, broke up in the fall of 1999. However, under the strict guidance of Natalia O'Shey (Helavisa), the team was restored under a new name and successfully continued his musical career.
In 2005, the songs of the Mill group were included in the Chart Dozen hit parade, which is well known to fans of the Our Radio wave. From that moment on, their work not only gained popularity, but also became a frequent guest on the air.
In December 2005, part of the team broke away, organizing a little-known group "Sylphs". However, they were replaced by new musicians, including the second vocalist Alevtina Leontyeva, who is well known for the album “Call of Blood”. However, two years later she also left the group.
Group toolkit
As already mentioned, the Mill group is a very unusual team that plays in the style of folk rock. It is worth noting that musicians do not limit themselves to one direction and try to diversify their work not only with acoustic, but also with electronic music. Separately, we can distinguish non-traditional tools that give the team uniqueness:
- cello;
- miserable;
- Irish harp;
- the flute;
- visp;
- melody
- acoustic and electric guitar;
- drums;
- Bas-guitar;
- accordion.
Composition of the group
The Mill group, like any other collective, has changed its composition repeatedly over the course of its creative life. Some left the team, others came, bringing fresh ideas for creativity. If you look at today's squad, it looks like this:
- Natalia O'Shey (Helavisa) is a vocalist, author of music and most texts. Instruments: percussion, Irish harp, acoustic guitar.
- Alexey Orlov. He joined the team in December 2005. Instruments: electric and acoustic cello, mandolin.
- Alexey Kozhanov. He came to the group with the namesake. Instruments: bass, acoustic guitar.
- Dmitry Frolov - drummer, also joined the band in December 2005.
- Sergey Vishnyakov - guitarist, solo, backing vocals, appeared in the group in 2010. Instruments: acoustic and electric guitar.
- Dmitry Kargin. He was one of the last in the team and is responsible for winds. Instruments: flute and others.
Helavisa
Natalia O'Shey, the vocalist and author of many songs of the Mill group, is certainly the leader of the group. At 39 years old, she will give odds to many young performers in positive and active manner.
An interesting story is the appearance of an unusual surname for a Russian girl. The fact is that Natalya always had a weakness for Celtic culture and the Irish language. She graduated from the institute and graduate school, and also managed to work as an assistant in the department of Irish and Celtic philology in 1999-2004.
During an internship in Ireland, Natalia met James Cornelius O'Shea, whom she married on August 21, 2004. Since that time, Helavisa lives in Europe with her husband and two charming daughters, and visits Russia only during concerts.
Group discography
Throughout his career, the folk rock band Mill has released many discs. Among them are 6 studio albums, 1 concert, 1 collection of the best songs, 2 mini-albums, 1 single and even 3 video clips.
The first full-length CD, entitled "Sleep Road," the Mill group released in 2003. This is perhaps one of the most popular and beloved by fans of albums. And in 2004, the team recorded the disc Master of the Mill, which did not leave anyone indifferent. True, it cannot be called a full-fledged album, since there are only 7 songs that were previously released in collections. Of particular value to this disc was the fact that only 1,000 copies were released specifically for the concert in DK Gorbunov, so it was impossible to find it on sale.
In 2005, the songs of the "Mill" group gained popularity, and another CD, "Pass", was released, in which male vocals appeared (A. Sapkov). Not everyone liked these changes, and the fans split into two camps. However, soon everyone got used to it and passions subsided.
The year 2006 brought the audience “Call of Blood”, along with the songs “Vozhi” and “Dragon”, which are still popular today. In addition, two bonus tracks - “Rapunzel” and “White Cat” - entered this disc. Although you can only meet them at the gift edition.
After a three-year hiatus, Helavisa and her team once again delight their fans with a new album called Wild Herbs. And again, many songs appear among the top lines of the charts on Our Radio.
Another limited edition of 2000 discs, released for the concert in 2011, is called "Christmas Songs". It also cannot be found for sale. This album contains songs that have never been released before.
One of the group’s most unsuccessful albums was the album “Angelophrenia” in 2012, which was later also released in the live version. However, the group quickly corrected itself and in 2015 pleased the listener with the new songs of the album “Alchemy”, the official release of which took place on October 9 this year.