VIA Kaskad
VIA Kaskad ВИА Каскад | |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Bagram, Democratic Republic of Afghanistan |
| Genres | Pop music, rock music, military realism |
| Years active | 1983-Present |
| Labels |
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| Website | https://k-a-s-k-a-d.narod.ru/ |
VIA Kaskad (Russian: ВИА Каскад; English: VIE Cascade) is VIA band from the Soviet-Afghan War, formed in 1983. They regularly toured Soviet military bases during the war, and had over 400 concerts. The group’s music has been described as “military-patriotic”.[1][2]
History
[edit]The band was first formed in late 1983 from the band VIA Tankist (ВИА Танкист).[3] Kaskad was formed in a garrison house in Bagram, a town in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan. It was named for the Cascade detachment of the GRU.[4] Its key founder was Andrei Sukhov, a Soviet officer and military conductor.[2][5] it originally was a troupe, with dancers, magicians, and acrobats included alongside the band.[6]
Many of their early songs were based on poems written by Soviet military officers. The poem’s words were revised to become lyrics set to music that had been arranged, and Kaskad would then perform these. Initially, Soviet officials did not like the “freedom of expression” the group used to sing about the Soviet-Afghan War.[7] They were forced to perform their songs “underground”. These would be in remote military bases, and the songs could not be performed in cities like Kabul. Their songs were recorded on cassettes and became immensely popular amongst soldiers. They smuggled tapes out of the country in socks, soles, and heels. In 1985, the group was finally greenlit.[6][7]
Major Alexander Kolesnikov took over for Sukhov as the group’s artistic director in 1985.[5] He helped get their first official album, titled “ Let's Remember, Guys!” (Вспомним, ребята!) get released by Melodiya.[6] The band’s second lineup was the largest, with saxophone, trombone, and keyboard, among other instruments.[7] The band’s third lineup was formed in 1988 after another rotation," /> led by Alexander Khalilov.[7] They stopped using brass in an experiment and became more popin their next album, Kaskada. Due to ideological obstacles, there were songs included that were not very popular. Despite this, they played at over 400 concerts throughout the D. R. Afghanistan between the three ensembles.[7]
There were reliable rumors that the Soviet Union would soon leave Afghanistan.[5] A band member named Igor Morozov wrote a poem titled "We're Leaving."[8] It took three attempts, but it was eventually set to music, the song sharing its name with the poem. The song was performed at the “When Soldiers Sing” festival in Berlin. Kaskad was given first place by the chair of the jury, Alexandra Pakhmutova.[5]
The group seemed like it would end after the withdraw of Soviet troops from Afghanistan. However, the band was revived by one Ivan Khokhlov. By May 1989, the fourth lineup of Kaskad had been formed. The band recorded on Uzbek Central Television and Radio Mayak. They released a third album in 1991, titled “Southern Cross”, together with the band Kontingent.[7] The group was struggling with using other bands’ equipment until the Yaroslavl Regional Self-Supporting Association of Internationalist Soldiers helped with equipment. Sukhov, the original founder of the band, had created a new group. However, the Blue Berets suggested that Sukhov “dotted the i's and crossed the t's” and returned to Kaskad. He did and reorganized the group.[7]
The fifth lineup of Kaskad was formed in 2010 under the name Veterans of the Cascade Group. They still continue tours of the former Soviet Union.[7][5] They are based in Yaroslavl.[6]
Albums
[edit]| Name (Russian) | Name (English) | Year | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Вспомним, ребята! | Let's remember, guys! | 1987 | Melodiya |
| Пусть Память Говорит | Let Memory Speak | 1990 | Melodiya |
| Южный Крест | Southern Cross | 1991 | Melodiya |
| Виват, Шурави | Long live, Shuravli | Unknown | KDK Records |
References
[edit]- ^ "Споём, бача. Споём…". dervishv.livejournal.com. Retrieved 2025-10-26.
- ^ a b "Группа "Каскад"". vysotarb.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2025-10-26.
- ^ a b "Каскад (2)". Discogs. Retrieved 2025-10-26.
- ^ "Kaskad". YouTube Music. Retrieved 2025-10-26.
- ^ a b c d e "Antiwar Songs (AWS): Kaskad / Каскад - Мы уходим". www.antiwarsongs.org (in Italian and Russian). Retrieved 2025-11-03.
- ^ a b c d "Биография и подборы аккордов для гитары". amdm.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2025-10-26.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Группа "Каскад"". warchanson.ru. Retrieved 26 October 2025.
- ^ "The Russians in Afghanistan: part II". openDemocracy. Retrieved 2025-11-07.