Standing Before Kings

"Standing Before Kings" was originally formed in 2002 under the band’s previous name “Sika”. After coming to the U.S. from Russia to play college tennis on scholarship, Aleksey (bass, lead vocals) and his brother Sergei met Rocky (guitar, vocals). The three became quick friends with the common dream of becoming world class tennis professionals. To pass time between tennis training, beer, and studies, the boys found another common bond -- music. “Sika” was formed when the teammates, and now band mates, began gigging around Minnesota in between tennis matches and classes. While on a visit back home to Russia, Sergei was jumped by thugs and nearly beaten to death leaving him comatose for 10 days. After several brain surgeries, he recovered. Unfortunately, due to the tragic accident and other events, Sergei was unable to return to the states and continue playing with the band. After college, Aleksey and Rocky competed on the professional tennis circuit for a time and Aleksey received an ATP world tennis ranking. Eventually, "tennis burn-out" set in and they decided to hang up their rackets and focus on something easier than the pro tennis tour-- a full-time music career. Aleksey and Rocky moved to L.A. and renamed their project “Standing Before Kings”. Their sophomore single “St. Helena” released in December 2018 and they are planning international tour dates for 2019.