VAL GA<i>NA. FORUM Валерия Гаины и трио КРУИЗ. СНОВА ТВОЙ

Who Was That Masked Man?
Valeri Gaina (KARMA)

It`s a safe bet that there aren`t too many guitarists making the Hollywood scene who began their careers playing Moldavavian folk songs. But Valeri Gaina, the smilling guitar wizard of KARMA, grew up in Rumania and Russia,where, at a very young age, he developed a mastery of his homeland`s folk musics. Somewhere around his 14th birthday ,he picked up a guitar and started playing along with tapes of Hendrix and Led Zeppelin. «That was it. I said good-bye to folk music», he explains. «But grooving up with music all around me was the perfect musical education. I found my way to rock-n-roll, but I can still hear some of the Rumanian scales and melodies in my playing.»
KARMA has been building a steady buzz in the clubs for over a year, and has a few showcases and a pair of demos under its belt. But if things go well , and the band scores a record deal ,it won`t be first time that Gaina has enjoyed musical success. In the early 80s, he started a band called KRUIZ in Russia. That band eventually relocated to the more open cultural climat of Germany and, playing what Gaina calls «heavy alternative thrash» began performing regularly in arenas. It was a satisfying time for Gaina,but after a major label deal went sour, the lure of Hollywood proved irresistible.
Gaina`s playing can range from delicate fingerings that sound like the work of a string quartet to thunderous mosh-chords that sound like all hell breaking loose. His work has impressed the likes of MEGADETH`s Marty Freedman , and his energetic stage presence never fails to fire up a crowd. «I like to go crazy» he admits. « I`m just playing the way I feel, and I like to use up all the energy I can». And his global wanderings have given him plenty of experience to draw that energy from. «I like to mix things up», he says with a laugh. «I feel like a pilgrim. I love music and I love my band. Now I`ve just got to work a little more on my English.»