Coachella Spotlight: Gogol Bordello
A gypsy punk revolution is how Gogol Bordello describes themselves and I’ve never heard a more accurate explanation of a band. Gogol Bordello, comprised of frontman Eugene Hütz, Elliot Fergusson (drums), Oren Kaplan (guitar), Sergey Ryabtsev (Violin), Yury Lemeshev (Accordion), Pamela Racine (Percussion, Dance), Elizabeth Sun (Percussion, Dance) and Thomas Gobena formed in 1999 in fabulous New York, New York. Since then, the band has become famous for their energetic stage antics, paired with their strong musicianship. Gogol Bordello is a festival favorite and a show that shouldn’t be missed at this year’s Coachella.
The name Gogol Bordello, takes the last name of Nikolai Gogol, the Ukrainian writer, and combines it with the word Bordello, meaning brothel. This combination of intellect and partying is one of the many reasons that make the band so great. Eugene Hütz opens their myspace page by saying “There are many of us for whom music is an irreplaceable part of life. We rely on it to take us out of sadness, pressures of poverty, youth, age, etc. Mixed with alcohol it seems to be a remedy for just about anything. Be it a rapid fire of notes exploding in catharsis all over the major key or an obsessive marathon of soul-searching sounds crawling around minor it all appears somehow more solid and present in our lives than materials something we can always address and hold on too. At its best music connects us to a feeling as large as the whole goddamn universe itself…”. Admit it… you’re intrigued to learn more, aren’t you.
Seeing Gogol Bordello live is like an athletic event, both for the band and for their fans. Hütz commands the stage, and it’s difficult to take your eyes off of him. He is all over the place and frequently jumps up on the bar that separates the crowd from the band. All at once, he seems completely in control, while still providing the feeling that anything can and will happen. Back up dancers and percussionists, Racine and Sun, are like cheerleaders for the band. They run all over the stage, sharing mics and dancing with the other members of the band, before coming right to the edge of the stage and staring directly at members of the crowd. Ryabtsev and Gobena each take turns in the spotlight, and Fergusson, Kaplan, and Lemeshev seem to be the glue, never flinching the rhythm amongst all of the craziness.
I saw Gogol Bordello last March and I am hooked. The stage show is so much fun that you almost don’t realize howeach and every member of the band is so musically inclined . They play in complex keys with nearly impossible rhythms, all while jumping, running, chasing and dancing for nearly two hours. Gogol Bordello is playing Coachella Sunday night on the main stage. After seeing such an event, you will definitely be exhausted and ready to sit back, relax and let Roger Waters blow your mind.
Check Out:
Gogol Bordello - “Start Wearing Purple” (Glastonbury Live)
hutz is in it though.
2 Jay Ziegler: Several bands play music in this movie. You can hear Russian band called “Leningrad” more often, than Bordello )
Watch the movie “Everything Is Illuminated.” Not only is it awesome, but Gogol Bordello does all of the soundtrack as well.