MUSIC From Russia comes the colorful musical spirit

A scholarship to study in the U.S. changed the singer's outlook.
By JOHN BENSON
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
Singer-songwriter Marina Verenikina (she goes by Marina V) learned how to speak English from the songbook of John, Paul, George and Ringo.
Considering she grew up in Moscow, Russia, before the fall of the Soviet Union, this was a difficult and oftentimes dangerous affair where Western music was illegal. Still, songs like "Yesterday" and "Here Comes the Sun" opened her mind to not only a new language but the limitless possibilities of music.
"It really helped me because somehow I got printed lyrics and I just sat down with my dictionary and was looking up every word," said Verenikina, calling from Los Angeles.
Assuming that "goo goo g'joob" is not in the dictionary, it's a good thing she didn't hear "I Am the Walrus."
Verenikina was born with a colorful musical spirit into a gray and dreary world that frowned upon individual expression. From an early age, she was taught Russian classics but disliked the rigidity of music in her homeland.
What changed
Things would change dramatically for Verenikina when at the age of 15, she won a scholarship to study in America.
She landed in Springfield, Ill., a quiet, shy girl who was unsure of herself.
She left 10 months later a different person, which was obvious to her family and friends back in Moscow. She had become a stranger in her homeland, enchanted not only with the land of opportunity but its artistic freedom.
"I always wanted to sing but I didn't know it was possible," Verenikina said. "To be honest, in Soviet Union, people didn't pursue their dreams and their talents. Often they just got education like everybody else and got a job. So I never thought I could do this professionally until I came to America."
Getting back to America would prove somewhat difficult for Verenikina.
After a year-and-a-half wait, she received a scholarship to attend Illinois College, where she graduated four years later with a degree in international politics and business. Not surprisingly, music became her focus when she won a campus talent competition as a freshman performing her original song "Leaving."
Positive feedback
The response from her classmates was so strong that she took pre-orders to pay for studio time to record a CD's worth of material. Verenikina was on her way performing what she calls pop rock, from Bjork to The Beatles.
"I also was very influenced by Jewel," Verenikina said.
"She really inspired me to pursue my music because I never heard that kind of stuff on the radio before. I thought, 'Oh my God, she's doing exactly the style of music I'm doing. And if she can be successful, why not me?'"
After graduation, Verenikina moved to California where she is pursuing her recording career.
On tour with her latest album "Simple Magic," Verenikina makes her Cleveland debut Friday at the Beachland Tavern, opening for The Churchills.
It's no coincidence that in many ways Verenikina is still fulfilling her duty as an exchange student, educating Americans, whether it be in a small school in Illinois or in a small club in Ohio, with Russian culture and music.
"Absolutely," Verenikina said. "That's actually a part of my mission in life, to treat audiences to Russian stories and my passionate music."