Alexander Georgievich Vasiliev (born 1969) is a Russian rock musician, singer, guitarist, poet, composer, songwriter, founder and frontman of the Spleen group.
There are many interesting facts in the biography of Alexander Vasiliev, which we will discuss in this article.
So, before you is a short biography of Vasiliev.
Biography of Alexander Vasiliev
Alexander was born on July 15, 1969 in Leningrad. He grew up and was raised in a simple family that has nothing to do with music and show business. His father worked as an engineer, and his mother taught Russian language and literature.
Childhood and youth
Soon after his birth, Vasiliev moved with his parents to the African country of Sierra Leone. The family settled in the capital of this state - Freetown. The move was connected with the work of his father, who participated in the construction of the local port.
Mom Alexander got a job at a school at the USSR Embassy. The first 5 years of the biography of the leader of the Spleen group have passed in Sierra Leone. In 1974, the Vasiliev family, along with other Soviet citizens, were evacuated back to the Soviet Union.
The family lived for about 2 years in the Lithuanian city of Zarasai, after which they returned to Leningrad. By that time, Alexander was already keenly interested in music.
It is worth noting that his first acquaintance with Russian rock culture happened at the age of 11.
The musician's sister gave his brother a reel on which the songs "Time Machine" and "Sunday" were recorded. Vasiliev was delighted with the songs he heard, becoming an admirer of these groups, the leaders of which were Andrei Makarevich and Konstantin Nikolsky.
About a year later, 12-year-old Alexander first came to a live concert "Time Machine". The performance of familiar songs and the atmosphere that was present around him made an indelible impression on him that remained with him for the rest of his life.
According to Vasiliev, it was at that moment in his biography that he decided to seriously get involved in rock music. After receiving the certificate, the young man entered the Leningrad Institute of Aviation Instrumentation. In one interview, he admitted that he became a student of this university only because of the building of the Chesme Palace, where the institute was located.
Alexander gazed enthusiastically at the Gothic interior of the building: halls, corridors, flights of stairs, study cells. An interesting fact is that the musician expressed his impressions of studying at this institution in the song "Labyrinth".
At the university, the guy met Alexander Morozov and his future wife Alexandra, with whom he created the Mitra group. Soon they were joined by Oleg Kuvaev. Vasiliev was the author of songs that the musicians recorded at Morozov's apartment, where the appropriate equipment was located.
Music
In 1988, the newly formed Mitra group wanted to join the famous Leningrad rock club, but they failed to pass the selection. After that, Alexander went to the army, where he served in a construction battalion.
In his spare time, the soldier continued to write songs that would later be included in the debut album of the Spleen group, Dusty Byl. Returning from the army, Vasiliev became a student at the Theater Institute, choosing the Faculty of Economics.
Later, Alexander got a job as an assembler at the Buff Theater, where his longtime friend Alexander Morozov worked as a sound engineer. There he also met Nikolai Rostovsky, the future keyboardist of "Splin".
In 1994 the band presented their first album, Dusty Byl, which contained 13 songs. After that, another guitarist Stas Berezovsky joined the group.
In the 90s, the musicians recorded 4 more albums: "Weapon Collector", "Lantern under the Eye", "Pomegranate Album" and "Altavista". The group gained all-Russian popularity and was one of the most popular in the country.
By that time, Alexander Vasiliev had become the author of such hits as "Orbits without sugar", "The English-Russian dictionary", "There is no way out" and many others. An interesting fact is that when the legendary Rolling Stones rock group arrived in Moscow, they chose Spleen to warm up among all Russian bands.
In October 1999, Vasiliev, together with the group, performed at the Luzhniki Stadium, which attracted tens of thousands of fans of his work. In the early 2000s, "Splin" presented the albums "25th frame" and "New people". At the same time, Alexander recorded his solo disc "Drafts".
During the period of their biography 2004-2012, the musicians presented 4 more discs: "Reverse Chronicle of Events", "Split Personality", "Signal from Space" and "Optical Illusion".
The composition of the group changed periodically, but Alexander Vasiliev always remained the permanent leader. By that time, "Splin" was rightly attributed to the so-called "legends of Russian rock".
From 2014 to 2018, the rockers presented 2 parts of the Resonance album, as well as the Key to the Cipher and the Counter Stripe discs.
Over the years of the band's existence, the musicians have shot more than 40 clips for their songs. In addition, the compositions of "Splin" are found in dozens of films, including "Brother-2", "Alive", "War" and "Warrior".
Interestingly, according to the music site Last.fm, this group is the most popular among contemporary Russian bands.
Personal life
Vasiliev's first wife was a girl named Alexander, whom he met while still at the Aviation Institute. In this marriage, the couple had a boy, Leonid. It is curious that the musician dedicated the song "Son" to this event.
Olga became the second wife of the rock singer. Later, a boy Roman and a girl Nina were born in this family. Not everyone knows that Alexander is a very talented artist.
In 2008, the first exhibition of Vasiliev's paintings was organized in a Moscow gallery. The musician loves to “surf” the Internet, and also to play sports.
Alexander Vasiliev today
In 2019, the release of the next studio album of the "Splin" group - "Secret" took place. At the same time, the clips "Shaman" and "Taikom" were shot. The following year, Vasiliev presented an animated video clip for the composition "Balloon".
Alexander, along with the rest of the musicians, continues to tour actively in different cities and countries. Not a single major rock festival takes place without the participation of the group. Not so long ago, the guys appeared twice in the program “What? Where? When?". In the first case, they sang the song "Temple", and in the second, "Chudak".
The group "Splin" has an official website where you can get acquainted with the poster of upcoming concerts, as well as find out the latest information about the work of the group. As of today, the singer uses 2 instruments at concerts: the Gibson Acoustic Songwriter Deluxe Studio EC electric acoustic guitar and the Fender Telecaster electric guitar.
Photo by Alexander Vasiliev
