Aleksey Zharinov (lead vocals, bass, acoustic guitar)
Nate McLain (guitar, back-up vocals)
Torgo (keyboards, programming, back-up vocals)
Dave Crevier (drums)
Sika formed in 2002 in Minnesota. Aleksey (bass), his brother Sergei (lead guitar), originally from Russia, joined Nate (rhythm guitar) to form the original line-up. Nate and Aleksey had met as teammates playing D1 tennis for the University of Minnesota, and the three of them formed the band out of Nate's mom's basement. Nate eventually asked his friend and former band mate Dave to join the band on the drums. The band became complete with the addition of John as keyboardist and programmer of electronic sounds.
From the beginning the band set out to create a sound they had never heard before. The idea was to combine their various influences and integrate them into one style with no rules but their own collective taste. The band draws influence from such diverse sources as Muse, Radiohead, Sigur Ros, Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode, Rammstein, and others.
After months of practicing, Sergei's visa expired and he was forced to return to Russia, and it was unclear whether he would be able to come back. Then one night on a dark Russian street, he was jumped by several thugs, mugged and severely beaten. Sergei suffered swelling of the brain as a result of the beating he took that night, and underwent a total of three brain surgeries, as well as some plastic surgery. After the operations, he fell into a coma, and it was uncertain whether he would ever wake up. Upon hearing the news, the band was devastated. Sergei finally emerged from his coma after 10 days. After his accident, the rest of the band unanimously decided to name the band after Sergei's traditional Russian nickname: Sika. Strangely, while he was in his coma, Sergei had a vision of himself playing with the rest of the band at a large venue. Although he has indeed been unable to return to the United States thus far, he was honored and happy to learn that the band decided to name themselves after him.
So, in 2003, Sika crystalized as a four-piece band, but they still lacked a lead singer. After auditioning many singers without success, Aleksey stepped forward and volunteered, despite having no previous experience as a vocalist. But through perseverence and a work ethic honed to a razor's edge from a lifetime of Tennis practice, he proved himself to the band beyond all doubt. Nate then moved to lead guitar duties in Sergei's absence, and Aleksey continued playing bass in addition to his new vocal duties. In January of 2004, the band's first demo CD was completed and Sika performed their first live show in Duluth, MN in front of 250 people. Sika's music was generally well-received, but still the band was young and in-experienced, their new sound innovative, but so far immature. In the next year and a half Sika played every venue they could in Twin Cities and performed at their first outdoor festival in Wisconsin, Newpalooza in the summer of 2006.
In early 2007 Sika released "The Phenomenon EP" featuring four songs, and began playing more favorable spots locally with hopes to become a recognized band on the scene. In 2008 Sika came out with their second EP, "How To Dream With Your Eyes Open" which again was well received in the Twin Cities music scene. Further developing their sound, Sika's musical taste and skill continued to climb with the release of their second EP. Sika began opening for numerous national live acts such as The Secret Machines and The Helio Sequence, and found their way to #62 on the internet Cities 97 radio chart scoring over 2,200 plays.
The members of Sika are as determined as ever to make a career in the music business and create a new sound, and are setting appropriate goals in order to make their dreams come true. Meanwhile, Sergei remains the band's biggest fan, and even though he has been denied a visa five times at the American Embassy, he still hopes to someday come back to the US and rejoin Sika.
