Evgueni Naverniouk was born in Moscow, Russia during the harshest Russian winter in half a century. Fearing oppression at the hands of the leftist regime, Evgueni’s family bundled together and walked 40 miles through the dense snow towards the city. The tired family boarded a Soviet-made aircraft and flew to a new life thousands of miles away, in the city of Vancouver. This journey, although ultimately beneficial, took it’s toll on the young Evgueni leaving his heart encased in a thin layer of ice that would never completely melt.
It was at the age of nine that Evgueni’s musical training began. Evgueni approached the piano like he would all instruments later in life, gently, making a whisper where a shout was expected. Later doctors would speculate what effect his frozen heart had on this phase of his musical development, although no consensus was achieved. It was, with this same quiet and careful demeanor that Evgueni spent his early days at Hugh McRoberts Secondary School. More interested in computers than attending the upper-class, cocaine-fueled parties thrown by his peers, Evgueni began to make a name for himself on the internet, staring his own experimental electronic music project. Evgueni’s talents as a musician were flourishing.
Evgueni met fellow outsider, Sam Fenn, at the 90th birthday celebration of a family friend of Christopher Biasutti, bassist and then band-leader. Sam Fenn was chosen by Christopher to play guitar at this function, and Evgueni got his first shot at drums. Along with local musicians Tim Havas, Jeff Laing and Geneva Gamble, the newly instated group played a grueling four hour set, eventually picking charts at random from their fake books. The gig was decidedly a success when it finished at a gas station, where Christopher handed each player a $50 bill. The band, named by Sam Fenn, The Expendables, would see several players come and go although the core (Fenn, Naverniouk and Biasutti ) would never change. It was in the Expendables that Evgueni would spend his time studying Sam Fenn’s song-writing technique, and would for the first time pick up a guitar. In time, he would develop his own unique sound.
It was, unfortunately, in the Expendables as well that Evgueni got his first taste of mutiny and betrayal, and would take a long musical hibernation after the band dramatically imploded in 2002. Fenn and Evgueni however would remain close friends, spending time in local pool halls, but for the most part leaving their guitars and drum sticks lying about an abandoned room, collecting dust. In the winter of 2006, Evgueni revisited old compositions without much ambition and more to pass the time than anything else, while he completed his final year at McRoberts. He wrote charts for other musicians that were never intended to be performed, and penned lyrics he never expected anyone to hear.
Sam Fenn, tired and unsatisfied dropped out of college, where he was studying music and got a job selling CDs at a local record store. He too, began to listen to old tapes and root through boxes full of old chord changes. For Sam, like Evgueni, this was only a fulfillment of his nostalgia, an exercise that would bear no fruit. The two composers thought so little of their reminiscent writing and editing that they didn’t even bring it up during their frequent meetings. On the 19th of May there was a terrific storm and both Evgueni and Sam were struck with a sudden, all-encompassing and inexplicable change. Energy that they had lacked before was now easy to come by.
"I remember the first week... we must have stayed up for 3 days straight," laughed Sam, "but it was like we had been working for the music for so long, and then all of a sudden, the music started working for us." Evgueni, smiling, agreed as a sizable piece of ice fell from his heart and shattered on the floor.
The 7th Guest, is essentially a second chance. Evgueni, who is The 7th Guest’s captain and inspiration, now approaches each song carefully. His pure, soaring voice strains from time to time, reflecting his lost innocence, but never compromising the music. A 7th Guest song is often both sweet and sad, remorseful and brimming with youthful anticipation, complete with teen angst and sage wisdom.
Not to worry, you've already figured it out. Just like the button you just pressed, there are others all over the site and they will display information about the upcoming album. If you still don't get it (you are a hopeless case) - click on the coffee cup at the bottom of the page.
The lyrics for the song Coffee of Tea were written while Evgueni was sitting at a local Starbucks® coffee house. He had ordered a cup of tea - how ironic! Of course, we know now that he probably didn't care. Afterall he later said, "coffee or tea, makes no difference to me."
Are you trying to close the site? That's not cool. Check out this song the band recorded under a different band: Chiropraction - Pretty For Party. Who knows... maybe Chiropraction will make it big some day.
No, the song Winter from the new album is not about the supposed winter during which Evgueni was born. Evgueni was actually born in the fall, and the song is about seeking comfort in one's own shelter.