Why I love Gogol Bordello
I thought I should take a moment to write why I love Gogol Bordello so much. It's a little hard to understand and even harder to explain, but here goes.
First of all, Gogol Bordello was one of the first shows that I saw in Winnipeg. It started a habit that has given me so many great experiences since then. And that first show was a revelation. Here was a relatively unknown band, that I personally had never heard of, that played something they call "Gypsy Punk". What that is, in reality, is a frenetic blend of Old World music fused with modern instruments and styles. That's a pretty weak explanation though, and doesn't do it justice.
That show was at the old West End, so it was only 300 or 400 people packed into a tiny room. The vibe was extraordinary. That concert lives on as one of the greatest shows I've ever seen. To top it off, I met a few people that night who I'm still friends with. And that's one of the great things about Gogol Brodello: it's a tremendously bonding experience. How many times we've talked about that show since, I don't even know. But that is something that I share with this group of people. I know that they love them as much as I do and that unites us.
But there's a more personal meaning for me too. I've listened to the album Underdog World Strike countless numbers of times by myself, but what's more is that the kids and I have listened to it together almost as much. Driving to Banff and back, we probably heard the album at least 10 times, and so many times since then. I was amazed and surprised that they liked it too, especially not having seen that first show, but they did and that was something that we shared during those endless hours on the road, just the three of us. So, when I heard the group were coming back, I knew we had to go.
And this show was everything I hoped it would be. The energy was incredible. I just can't grasp how some people could simply sit and watch as if they were at the symphony. It's not that kind of music. It's a get up, dance and scream your head off kind of music.
The lead singer wears a very uncool sort of Euro-trash moustache that has become a sort of trademark. His English is a little broken, but that just adds to its charm. One of the better known songs is entitled "Undestructable". I'm sure that, by now, he knows that the proper English word is "indestructible", but the song remains the same, as it should. He's not a particularly good singer either, but what he lacks in technique he more than supplies in effort, and this too, just makes the whole thing better.
As we were leaving, I overheard one older gentleman say, "It makes my Slavic blood boil!" My thought in response was that the music makes Slavic blood boil in all of us. I wanted to understand why the music seems to transcend both age and nationality. I think that it has a lot to do with their raw, unbridled energy. The band was fuller and tighter this time around, but even if it wasn't, that would have been fine. You're carried into this realm of furious violin, infectious, pounding rhythms and relentless guitars. There's a heavy Eastern European influence in the music, especially in the violin, which lends the 'Gypsy' feel. As you listen, you know you are alive.
The lyrics, while drawing very much from the personal experiences of Eugene Hütz, the frontman, are strangely universal, too. If nothing else, you're reminded of your humanity as he sings about happiness, despair, alienation, sex, hope, life, freedom, and hard-won experience, all while being completely unafraid of admitting just who he is. This, of course, is beyond the kids, but you don't need to understand it to appreciate it. It resonates throughout the music on a visceral level.
The back of my new t-shirt from the show says "Live from the intersection of all dimentions" and I think that pretty much sums it up.
Labels: Bands, concerts, Gogol Bordello, reviews, shows
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