Localized: Nadezhda

Let’s rock this joint! Kilby Court isn’t ready for the hardcore hellstorm that’s about to be unleashed! Join us for SLUG Localized on Thursday, March 19 to see heavy-hitters Gracemaker and Nadezhda, with Macana as our haymaker opener. Be there or be square, dweebs! Grab your tickets here.

*Editor’s note: Within a minute of pausing the interview, we were passed by a man who very intentionally paused to cropdust the table VERY loudly.

Since the release of their debut record, Battery, just over two years ago, the heavy grunge group Nadezhda have proven themselves as a tour de force in the Salt Lake underground hardcore scene that the members have grown up and come to know each other — and themselves — in. Due to the five-piece being two couples, they jokingly refer to themselves as “hardcore’s Fleetwood Mac.” Guitarist Derek Ballard, a lifelong Nirvana enthusiast, alongside partner and vocalist Brighton Ballard, sought to start a project wherein the sounds of grunge met the intensity and conviction of hardcore. Fellow guitarist, longtime friend and Despite Despair bandmate Kai Cox was on board with the concept, along with drummer Trey Bird, who played previously in Problem Daughter. The only missing piece was soon found in Trey’s partner, Erika Bird, the group’s bassist (whom he has known for over two decades adorably).

“Even if there’s not a ‘10 years from now,’ there is a hope for the now and the present.”

Beneath the surface layer of Nadezhda’s high-energy catchiness is a powerful battle cry for class consciousness. Any room they play is filled with a raw, collective catharsis felt strongly by the audience members who resonate with the message they put out. It’s a message of rage at the inequitable systems we exist under — “All of us are held down by the same conditions,” says Brighton — but it’s a message of hope nonetheless. The band’s namesake is Nadezhda Krupskaya — wife of Vladimir Lenin and revolutionary Bolshevik leader, educator and political theorist — but that given first name directly translates to “hope.” “Even if there’s not a ‘10 years from now,’ there is a hope for the now and the present,” says Brighton. She adds that the shared joy of shows helps to cultivate that hope for the moment. Derek expresses that participation in arts and culture pushes forth the fight for a better world, and Kai adds, “There’s always something somebody can do. You can’t solve every problem at once, but you can move it an inch.”

There’s also a contagious joy and a passion in every Nadezhda set. “We just love playing,” says Derek, adding that having the means to play music is a great privilege, and that the anticipation of a practice session or show is what gets them all through the work day.

“The power in print is that it lives outside of an algorithm,” Derek says. “It can’t be controlled. That’s why physical releases are really important to [us].”

Visual art is a strong component of the Nadezhda brand, thanks to Derek and Trey’s work as graphic designers and Erika’s work in production and prop design. Derek and Brighton also screenprint all Nadezhda merch — Trey says it’s the first time he’s ever worn his own band’s merch — and believe in the significance of visual art and physical and print media. “Design and music for me have always been intertwined,” says Derek, who, similarly to Trey, got into design through album art. “The power in print is that it lives outside of an algorithm,” Derek says. “It can’t be controlled. That’s why physical releases are really important to [us].”

Nadezhda now lives the dream of many local Salt Lake City bands, seeing their name on the Kilby Block Party lineup. Each member describes the way they struggled to keep it together after seeing the email. They mention Show Me the Body and Die Spitz as artists they’re particularly excited to share the stage with. The flipside of that excitement is anxiety: “The nightmares have started,” jokes Brighton. Only time will tell if Nadezhda follows their Woodstock ’99-inspired concept of a nu-metal medley cover set on the KBP stage.

Nadezhda fans can also look forward to the release of a once-EP that’s now looking to be closer to a full-length record. Kai jokingly refers to the record’s musical direction as “Danzig meets Bee Gees,” but it’s certain Nadezhda could deliver a gutpunch of a record melding those influences.

Catch Nadezhda at SLUG Localized on March 19, at Kilby Block Party this Spring and at your next corporate mixer or team-building exercise if you reach out to them on LinkedIn.

Read more past Localized interviews:
Localized: The Apathetics
Localized: Punks & Punchlines