Looking for some aurally sexy new bands to turn your eardrums on? Sick
of trying to cut through the glut on MySpace and want a short cut to
the best of the newcomers of the last year? Allow me to introduce you
to the Mercury Prize.
An award aimed at embracing the best albums to come out of Britain and
Ireland each year, it would be the UK equivalent of winning the Grammy
for Best New Artist & Best Album, if only the Grammys actually
meant anything to anybody anymore. The fact thatAntony & the Johnsons
is a past winner (2005) goes a long way in underscoring the Prize's
integrity and willingness to venture far, far outside the box in their
thinking about music.
Their press peeps put it thusly, "The
Nationwide Mercury Prize is open to albums from all music genres. The
Prize focuses on the music on the album – it does not take into account album sales, media exposure or live performances. Each year the
shortlist celebrates a range of styles and genres of music from the UK
and Ireland."
Hence, the shortlist announced on
7/17/07 is just the cheat sheet any self-respecting music fan without a
lot of time on their hands to go digging for gold could desire. While the announcement of the winner in September is certainly an exciting
event, most folks who follow the Mercury Prize
are far more interested in the nominee shortlist, than the actual
winner. However, winning the Mercury Prize certainly does wonders for
raising the profile of its recipient. Again, I use Antony and the
Johnsons as an illustration.
So without any further ado, I present to you the 2007 Shortlist for the Nationwide Mercury Prize.
I
was lucky enough to catch three of this year's nominees under the same
roof, so to speak, at this year's Coachella Festival in Palm Springs,
CA. Check out some photo highlights from their shows:
Rock
the Bells 2007 was an incredible day of once (or twice) in a lifetime
reunions, the likes of which most will never see arrayed on the same
stage again. I mean, seriously, when would you ever expect to see Chuck
D and Flavor Flav sharing the same stage just a few short hours before
Rza, Gza, Method Man & Ghostface Killa? Would you ever expect to
see Mos Def & Talib Kweli bring Black Star back to life that same
day? I think not. But those of us lucky enough to catch one of the 14
dates on the Rock the Bells Festival tour can claim those bragging
rights.
>>L to R: Mos Def & Talib Kweli, Chuck D & Flavor Flav, B-Real of Cypress Hill, & Method Man of Wu-Tang Clan
I
caught the fest on the first of its two-day stop off at Randalls
Island, NY, on 7/28/07, and these shots are proof that even hip-hop
miracles do happen...
If you're like me, you've been thinking you and your groove thang won't
be fully sated after Rock the Bells this Saturday, despite their
incredible lineup that includes my personal faves, The Roots and Mos
Def. I mean, all that hip-hop warrants an all-night binge of rump-shaking, thigh-quaking action. Right?
We're
in luck, my friend! Something's in the air this Saturday, and all the
party promoters around the city have got some sort of wacky amusement
planned to tempt you from Randalls Island straight to their doors. Yo,
check it:
First off, there's the official Rock the Bells After-Party. Frank151 invites you to head to BB King Blues Club
on 42nd Street, and hang with DJ Muggs, DJ Synapse, and a bunch of
special guests. Will Mos Def be there? Crossing my fingers, I am...
Meanwhile, you'll need to head to Going.com to RSVP for this event, you want to make it on the list to mingle with Muggs & co.
Where will ?uestlove be? Spinning disk at Hiro for his special DJ set! Head
to Hiro, the Maritime Hotel's super-cool, super-sexy club on W. 16th
after 10pm, and you'll catch the rarest of rare sights: ?uestlove on
the decks. If his DJ set at the show he curated last summer at McCarren
is any indication, he'll be schooling the crowd on a mix of the old
skool jams that paved the way for the hip-hop and R&B tunes we love today. If the celebs aren't at BB King, they'll certainly be at Hiro,
cuz the mightily afro'ed mixmaster is a hero to most of hip-hop's
biggest stars. >>BUY ?UESTLOVE DJ SET TICKETS<<
Add a little Latin to your vocabulary with the White Party at Kama. Nope,
it's not affiliated with Rock the Bells in any way, shape, or form. But
if you want to talk about shape and form, they'll be in full display at
Kama on West 21st, where those bangin bods will be draped head to toe
in white. Or perhaps cleavage to mid-thigh would be a more apt
description. Again, head to Going.com to RSVP for this hot little number, featuring hip-hop, reggaeton, salsa, merengue, bachata, and house.
Last but not least, TheDanger bring us I (Heart) Danger at 3rd Ward! For
those of you who are Brooklyn-bound after the Bells, head out to
Williamsburg's 3rd Ward for dancing of a different kind. Yes, this is
where the artsy and fartsy will be letting our freak flags fly til a
blindingly bright 7am on the clock doth toll. Yes, this is where the hipster contingent will be heading, and for good reason. Check out the
deets from their official invite in the post directly below. Then find
out more about the lovely party promoters at TheDanger.com, and subscribe to the mailing list so you can feel special and get invites of your very own.
Hey
New Yorkers, this is the most happening thing happening from midnight
til dawn on Saturday night, in my humble opinion. Check out the deets
from the official invitation below, then decide if you're a 3rd Ward
kinda Williamsburger...
____________________________________
ArtistsWanted,
3rd Ward Brooklyn, TheDanger, Ad-Hoc Arts, The American Water Color
Movement, Subatomic Sound System, Black Crack Records & ImageNode
invite you to the return of:
I (heart) DANGER Details: http://www.thedanger.com
Saturday, July 28th, 10pm to 7am (or later...) Nine hours of interactive fire art, dj's, dance and aesthetic decadence launching our new project: Artists Wanted.
These are things we should never do...
Explore
a maze of beautiful detritus, danger art, dancers, dj's, bubble domes, ice-sculpture, and fire performance from the same artists and
mischief-makers that brought you July 14th's One Night of Fire.
In the room of Brick: The
American Water Color Movement (10pm) An inspiring mix of live groove
and visuals that is both frightening and calming all at once - it's a
strange groove, because it somehow inspires both movement and
paralysis. Movement because the rhythm is so intoxicating, and
paralysis because of the feeling that some major entropy is going down
and all you can do is stand back and watch.
Subatomic Sound
System (11pm) Born at the turn of the millennium during a collision of circuit boards, New York City asphalt, and human skin, this live group
of seasoned musicians experiments with hip-hop, dub reggae, dancehall
and drum and bass with excessive exposure to gamma radiation. They are
as danceable as they are poetic, a dangerous sound that is not to be
missed.
DJ's After Midnight: DJ Grimace brings classic
hip-hop and loin shaking street funk classics. $mall(c)hange continues
the classic theme digging deep into his endless crates upping the BPM
as the collective heartbeat of the dance-floor rises. Zemi17 plays
through sunrise with his eclectic mix of Indonesian house to
transcendent intelligent techno.
In the third floor Dome (you
gotta see it to believe it): The Imagenode Collective offer art, music
and wonderful things. Autophage brings ambient glitch-hop with a
nerdcore vibe. North guinea hills and dj prancecess will drop
everything from post-aphex gestures, to environmental kraut pulses, to
defleshed dubsteps, and the cultural detritus of the world hacked onto
skeletal beats. Leisure Muffin plays lofi chill to regressive epic
bleepblop. DJ Love Rocket takes you on a journey through distant
universes of warped and wandering soundscapes and celestial
soundtracks. With visuals by The Housewives' Guide To Anatomy &
Animitron.
In the Open Air Courtyard: Josh Kalin does live
ice-sculpting with a touch of flame while Debonair and SamiIam spin
fire with heat and beauty, rain or shine.
In the Gallery:
Massive projections from One Night of Fire by Jeanne Angel (if you were there you are now famous) and bring a shirt or flag for free fire
screen prints by Ad-Hoc Arts. It's like wearable vandalism.
Plus
Jeremy Nelson and Devin Elijah make you beautiful with pro portrait
sessions to be broadcast throughout the venue and online into
perpetuity. To see portraits from our last event look to:
http://jeremynelsonstudio.com/PortraitParties/PortaritParties/
All this with cheap booze and a few things you'd never expect at: 3rd Ward Brooklyn 195 Morgan Ave. Take the L train to Morgan Ave and walk 4 blocks north.
This Saturday, July 28th 10pm to 7am or later Only $10 - Strictly 21+
Details and directions: http://www.thedanger.com
Our
former party palace, the third floor of third ward, is deep under
deconstruction but we have cleared out a few rooms of bliss in the
midst of apocalyptic demolition. The result is about 15,000sqft of
party space set against beautiful ruin. Next week, it will be artists
studios.
____________________________________
Also,
for those of you that party-hop like we do, the event below is a few
blocks away from ours this Saturday. It's hosted by beautiful artists
and our closest crime partners within a Brooklyn art loft of the absurd
style and proportion that we no longer thought possible.
Saturday July 28th. House Of Yes. 19-49 Troutman St. 2nd floor. (L to Jefferson) Walk up Troutman 6 blocks to the corner of Flushing Ave. 9:45 pm till sunday morning. $cheap donation at the door.
Featuring bands: Sankofa (post punk/blues), The Smyrk (rabid rock), Lady Circus (interactive nonsense) . Dj's there after.
Indoor
parades, outdoor seating, a cheap bar and fruit feast at 7am. Expect
the type of spontaneous performance that makes you feel giddy the
morning after.
>>3rd Ward Atmospheric After Dark, Williamsburg, Brooklyn
The hip-hop festival of the summer? Rock the Bells, hands down. Now that it has
expanded to include 13 cities, it's officially a festival series! Ooh la la. Check out
the full list of dates and lineups below.
Wondering who's playing when? I certainly was! Hence, I've posted the schedules
and fest maps for the three original cities: NY, San Bernardino and San Francisco.
For some reason, that's all that was provided on their official site.
July 28th - New York, NY - Randalls's Island Festuring: RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, WU-TANG CLAN, CYPRESS HILL,
THE ROOTS, MOS DEF, TALIB KWELI, EPMD, PHAROAHE MONCH,
IMMORTAL TECHNIQUE, SAGE FRANCIS, DAVID BANNER, JEDI
MIND TRICKS,
MURS 3:16>>PAID DUES INDEPENDENT HIP HOP STAGE FELT,
LIVING LEGENDS, BROTHER ALI, CAGE, MR. LIF, GROUCH & ELIGH,
HANGAR 18, BLUEPRINT, LUCKY I AM,
VERY SPECIAL GUEST ARTISTS: PUBLIC ENEMY +PLUS SPECIAL
SURPRISE PERFORMANCES HOSTED BY: SUPERNATURAL DJ MIKE RELM + C-MINUS + ROCKY ROCK
>>Click to view full-size versions of the schedule & map<< _______________________________________________________________________________________
July 29th - New York, NY - Randalls's Island Featuring: RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, WU-TANG CLAN, CYPRESS HILL,
ERYKAH BADU, RAKIM, MOS DEF, TALIB KWELI, DOOM,
PHARAOHE MONCH, IMMORTAL TECHNIQUE, BOOT CAMP CLIK,
DAVID BANNER, JEDI MIND TRICKS,
MURS 3:16>>PAID DUES INDEPENDENT HIP HOP STAGE FELT,
LIVING LEGENDS, BROTHER ALI, CAGE, MR. LIF, GROUCH & ELIGH,
HANGAR 18, BLUEPRINT, LUCKY I AM,
VERY SPECIAL GUEST ARTISTS: PUBLIC ENEMY +PLUS SPECIAL
SURPRISE PERFORMANCES HOSTED BY: SUPERNATURAL DJ MIKE RELM + C-MINUS + ROCKY ROCK
>>Click to view full-size versions of the schedule & map<<
August 8th - Houston, TX - Reliant Arena Featuring: WU-TANG CLAN, UGK, NAS, DAVID BANNER, PHAROAHE MONCH,
IMMORTAL TECHNIQUE, JEDI MIND TRICKS,
PLUS ADDITIONAL ACTS TO BE ANNOUNCED HOSTED BY: SUPERNATURAL
August 11th - San Bernardino, CA - Glen Helen Hyundai Pavilion Featuring: RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, WU-TANG CLAN, CYPRESS HILL,
THE ROOTS, NAS, MOS DEF, TALIB KWELI, EPMD, PHAROAHE
MONCH, DOOM, IMMORTAL TECHNIQUE, SAGE FRANCIS, THE
COUP, DAVID BANNER, JEDI MIND TRICKS,
MURS 3:16>>PAID DUES INDEPENDENT HIP HOP STAGE
FELT, LIVING LEGENDS, BROTHER ALI, CAGE, MR. LIF,
GROUCH & ELIGH, HANGAR 18, BLUEPRINT, LUCKY I AM,
VERY SPECIAL GUEST ARTISTS: PUBLIC ENEMY +PLUS SPECIAL
SURPRISE PERFORMANCES
HOSTED BY: SUPERNATURAL DJ MIKE RELM + C-MINUS + ROCKY ROCK
>>Click to view full-size versions of the schedule part 1, part 2 & map<< _______________________________________________________________________________________
August 12th - San Diego, CA - Coors Amphitheatre (Parking Lot) Featuring: WU-TANG CLAN, CYPRESS HILL, MOS DEF, TALIB KWELI,
PHAROAHE MONCH, IMMORTAL TECHNIQUE, DAVID BANNER,
JEDI MIND TRICKS, HOSTED BY: SUPERNATURAL
MURS 3:16>>PAID DUES INDEPENDENT HIP HOP STAGE
FELT, LIVING LEGENDS, BROTHER ALI, CAGE, MR. LIF, GROUCH &
ELIGH, HANGAR 18, BLUEPRINT, LUCKY I AM
August 18th - San Francsico, CA - McCovey Cove (Parking Lot) Featuring: RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, WU-TANG CLAN, CYPRESS HILL,
THE ROOTS, NAS, MOS DEF, TALIB KWELI, EPMD, PHAROAHE
MONCH, DOOM, HIEROGLYPHICS, BLACKALICIOUS, MURS 3:16,
SAGE FRANCIS, IMMORTAL TECHNIQUE, THE COUP, DAVID
BANNER, JEDI MIND TRICKS,
VERY SPECIAL GUEST ARTISTS: PUBLIC ENEMY +PLUS SPECIAL
SURPRISE PERFORMANCES HOSTED BY: SUPERNATURAL DJ MIKE RELM + C-MINUS + ROCKY ROCK
>>Click to view full-size versions of the schedule & map<< _______________________________________________________________________________________
August 19th - Sacramento, CA - Sleep Train Amphitheatre Featuring: WU-TANG CLAN, CYPRESS HILL, MOS DEF, TALIB KWELI,
PHAROAHE MONCH, IMMORTAL TECHNIQUE, DAVID BANNER,
JEDI MIND TRICKS HOSTED BY: SUPERNATURAL
August 21st - Salt Lake City, UT - USANA Amphitheatre Featuring: WU-TANG CLAN, NAS, CYPRESS HILL, TALIB KWELI, PHAROAHE
MONCH, IMMORTAL TECHNIQUE, DAVID BANNER, JEDI MIND
TRICKS HOSTED BY: SUPERNATURAL
August 22nd - Denver, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre Featuring: WU-TANG CLAN, NAS, CYPRESS HILL, TALIB KWELI, PHAROAHE
MONCH, IMMORTAL TECHNIQUE, DAVID BANNER, JEDI MIND
TRICKS, HOSTED BY: SUPERNATURAL
August 26th - Chicago, IL - Charter One Pavilion Featuring: WU-TANG CLAN, NAS, TALIB KWELI, MF DOOM, PHAROAHE
MONCH, IMMORTAL TECHNIQUE, SLUM VILLAGE feat. Phat Kat- A
Tribute To Jay Dee, DAVID BANNER, JEDI MIND TRICKS, HOSTED BY: SUPERNATURAL
August 29th - Detroit, MI - DTE Energy Music Center Featuring: WU-TANG CLAN, NAS, TALIB KWELI, MF DOOM, PHAROAHE
MONCH, IMMORTAL TECHNIQUE, SLUM VILLAGE feat. Phat Kat- A
Tribute To Jay Dee, DAVID BANNER HOSTED BY: SUPERNATURAL
September 1st - Honolulu, HI - Blaisdell Center - On-Sale Sat, 7/28 @ 9am Featuring: WU-TANG CLAN, BONE THUGS N HARMONY WITH SPECIAL GUEST SUPERNATURAL
Eugene: I'm doing well. Covered
in sweat, actually. Today is the perfect day to talk, because today is
the release of our record.
TixGirl: Congratulations
on that! So you're currently out touring behind the new album. What
can you tell us about "Super Taranta"?
Eugene: It's
actually kind of a supernova for us, because you know we play supermusic. And
this time we wanted to make sure it was kind of full of epic stories
and a collection of instant classics.
TixGirl: I understand that you
guys kind of coined the term "gypsy punk."
Eugene: One
night I was basically sitting, thinking of how the hell to end this whole
problem with journalists not knowing what to say to describe us, and
just getting tired of unnatural descriptions. Stuff like
"klezmer-Russian-ska" and so on. And just wanted to say,
"What is the most driving forces of this band? What are the two
biggest inspirations? " And it's autobiographical, so it's my
Romani heritage, and it's punk
rock.
TixGirl: You've said you come
from a punk rock background. How did you get into punk?
Eugene: I
was already into rock and roll because of my Dad, back in Ukraine.
When he was younger he was playing in a band, and I grew into a major
fan of his music, like the Doors, and the Stooges, Rolling Stones,
Queen and whatever. Black Sabbath. But you know, I just added my own
taste in music, like Devo, the Dead Kennedys, Sex Pistols, and things
like that. So, I'd buy records on the black market.
TixGirl: Oh really!
Eugene: It
started out quite innocently, actually, cuz I originally went to black market
to buy stamps. You know, so I started out to collecting stamps, and I
made my way down to buy stamps for different countries. But then I
actually switched to buying records.
TixGirl: You
went to the store looking for stamps and came home with
Devo.
Eugene: I came home with Devo and leather
jackets, and stuff like that.
TixGirl: That's
classic! So where did your musical interests go from there? Because you really
do pull in influences from all over. You've mentioned your Romani
heritage, punk rock, and also ska. On this new album there seem to be
a lot of new influences, as well. I've even seen some people refer to
it as a mixture of ska and Tool!
Eugene: They
always come up with bizarre comparisons. I saw that one journalist said Gogol Bordello
mixed up System of a Down and Manu Chao! Which makes sense, you
know? There are some elements of Prog Rock, speed metal. And there's
that sound on some of the more trademark tunes, like "Ultimate"
and "Forces of Victory". Like gypsy-speedmetal-dub. The
truth of it is that the band and I never think about making it piece
all of this together and that together.
TixGirl: What's the process
of writing music like for you guys? It sounds, to my ears,
like something that would really come together in a jamming kind of
situation, as opposed to sitting down and writing an entire song,
altogether. But I could be wrong about that.
Eugene: I
will tell you exactly how it goes. There's no rules. Absolutely, it can start
from one word, or it can start with a melody. The song itself. But I
write the song originally. I write all the songs, but for me it's
important that they work on guitar already. I'll write the songs
and test them at a party, or a dub safari. Then it's a matter of when
I see the reactions. When I test a song and it turns out to be an
instant classic, then I bring it to the band. And there it becomes completely
something else. There it starts taking on life and becomes
Gogol Bordello material. The musicians we have, everybody has a very
distinct personal style. Amazing musicians, you
know?
TixGirl: And they're from all over the world,
aren't they?
Eugene: It's
like Refugee Information Processing Central. So I write a song from my
imagination, and suddenly Yuri will strike a chord and take my
imagination and take it somewhere else. Their personal styles start
expanding the material, and eventually we've boiled it to the
composition. So it's a casual band where everybody gets a
shot.
TixGirl: It really comes across on stage.
This incredible high-energy performance. I mean you guys are wearing
knee pads...
Eugene: You
have to! Otherwise you know it would be a really traumatic experience.
TixGirl: (laughs) And being onstage shouldn't be
traumatic.
Eugene: And it's also 9 people running
around stage like, fucking, the romper room in the match house. You
know? You have to have some pads. I would actually also like to have
some of those things that boxers have on their
teeth.
TixGirl: (laughs) So you don't go running
into the bass drum, right?
Eugene: Unfortunately,
though, to sing you know, you can't do that.
TixGirl: Yeah, it would
sound pretty funny. So I've noticed that it seems lately there's a sort
of "nouvelle gypsy" movement in indie rock right now. You
know, bands from all over the place bringing in accordions, and fiddles,
and brass, and all kinds of traditional instruments. And it really
seems to me that you guys were the ones who paved the way for this new
interest in traditional Gypsy music. Do you sense that there's kind of
a burgeoning community right now?
Eugene: Well
that's actually been going on for quite a few years. If you look at it just
like historical-wise, you'll see that Gogol Bordello has been doing it
for nearly 10 years. We started in '97. I moved to NY '97 and
immediately went to the first club and saidthat I needed a gig. Here I
am with my guitar. So they gave me 20 minutes on a Monday night. And
from that gig I started accumulating following, just by myself. And it became
two, and then three, and so on, and so forth.
But
the point is that in the past there was a genuine breakthrough of that music.
My whole idea was to make Gypsy music to be a part of subculture, to
bring it to kids, or into punk rock and reggae, and to other forms of
music that come from social unrest. Because that's very inspirational
music. And it's something that turns all negative energy into
positive. Punk rock, reggae, gypsy music, that's what got me through.
That's music of social unrest that comes from authentic social...
TixGirl: Dischord...
Eugene: Yeah,
it's just from specific places where social unrest does exist. But I just
wanted to comment on the rest of the question. The whole original
cohort of those bands was Taravteri Dukes, Mafar Chokerli, and Boban
Markovic. [Note: Please
forgive the hideous misspellings.] Those are bands from Eastern
Europe. And ours actually paved the way toward a lot of
them. And we're all coming out at the same time. And at this point,
actually, it became a lot more massive, but there's a lot of people just trying
to get on the bandwagon, you know, people trying to catch on with the
popularity. And you can easily tell those apart. They usually have,
you know, all their album covers look exactly the same, and they don't
really know anything about Eastern Europe. It's just
like this replica.
TixGirl: It's not
as simple as just adding an accordion.
Eugene: It's
totally not that at all. So after a while, I thought this whole thing started
poorly reflecting on us. And we decided to distance ourselves from it,
because reality is that we always did our own thing. It was that we
have our own massive scene, and our own grass roots following. And
that was due to our real fans. That was not due to press or promoters
who made big posters for us, or anything.
It was
authenticgrass roots following, and we've been playing to thousands of people for years.
Now we know our fans, and the communication we have with them. And then
at this point, we think that distancing ourselves from that movement
is actually a better thing, because a lot of those things are really
terrible, and actually just tasteless. You know like bands like,
fucking, Beirut is just like, even just purely from cultural point of view,
it's like real crap. Because trying to expand, trying to come through
in so many ways, expanding culture, and he's calling his record
"Gulag Orkestar." It's obviously someone that doesn't know
it's like calling it "Auschwitz Band." It's obviously fucking
somebody who doesn't know what those places are. And doesn't know
anything about anything. It's like for people who think that, like, Israel
is Balkan. You know?
TixGirl: It comes from a
place of ignorance.
Eugene: The
main thing about gypsy music is that it's fire. It's fire of catharsis. And we
have that. We take it and we carry it. And we also make it more than
entertainment. We make it "educ-tainment." You know? But
there is so much shit out there that not only can't be educ-tainment,
it's just a complete disinformation. It's pseudo-Balkan, pseudo-gypsy.
It's just plain fucking crap. And that's why we've said that it's
probably much better off to be content with being known as
"one-and-only." We don't really need all that
much "Movement." We know who our friends are, and we know
who the real pioneers of this music is, and the shows are unbeatable.
It's Mafar Chokerli, Taravteri Dukes, it's Kultur Shock from
Seattle.
TixGirl: I'm going to switch
gears a little bit. I know that Gogol Bordello is your main focus
now, but you've also become a really well-known person, not just in
the music scene, but also around the world for other projects you've
done outside the band. Like for instance, you played one of the
leading roles in one of my all-time favorite movies, "Everything is Illuminated."
Eugene: Thank
you so much!
TixGirl: Yeah, I'm serious, it really
is one of my Top 10 of All Time. I absolutely loved
it.
Eugene: Well, I try to keep a low profile, I'm
sorry.
TixGirl: (laughs) Do you foresee doing any
more projects like that? I understand you've recently completed a
documentary.
Eugene: Yeah,
that's actually coming out on September 3rd. That's about Gypsy camps.
That's about several things, but most of it is about Gypsy camps in
Ukraine.
TixGirl: And where are you from in the
Ukraine?
Eugene: I'm from
Kiev.
TixGirl: Were you looking for your family
who might still be there?
Eugene: I'm actually very
exact and certain where all of them are. I know. So I was trying to
find extended family. Because most of our family they all moved out
from that area in the mountains where all the Romanis came from in my
family. They all moved to Estonia,
or Russia,
or some of them are in Germany,
or parts of Kiev. We were very
aware of where. But I was trying to find the extended family that goes
back to like my grand-grand-grandparents. But when I got there it was
like, well, of course they remembered the ones that left like 10-15
years ago. But when I said like, do you know who else by thelast name
of Hütz that moved here, they said there are like 40 families by the
last name of Hütz in every village!
TixGirl: How
long were youfilming?
Eugene: It was probably about
a month journey.
TixGirl: Well that's not too much
time. It was proabably just about the right amount to bite off all at
once, right?
Eugene: Well,
it's a good film. It was already presented at many festivals. It was already
shown at Barbican,
which is one of the biggest Gypsy festivals in the world. In London.
It was shown there, and a lot of Gypsies were basically psyched
because it was showing Gypsies in a just straight ahead way. There was
no romanticizing. It was just an insider's look, you know? There was
no exaggeration. We were just basically knocking on the doors and
walking in on people.
TixGirl: And how did they
react to having cameras in their homes?
Eugene: You
know you have to watch out for that. Everything is in the film. If I was going
to get welcomed, I was going to get welcomed. And if I was going to
get my ass kicked... And acting, I just did another movie. I
had a leading role in a film called "Filth and Wisdom." That
was directed by Madonna.
Left: "Ultimate," at NY's Irving Plaza, 7/20; Right: "La Isla Bonita," with Madonna @ Live Earth
TixGirl:
Really? I'm curious, because I know that you just performed with her
at Live Earth, which was a huge audience, and great exposure.
Eugene: It
was seen by every 3rd person in the world!
TixGirl:
What's the Madonna experience like? How did you come to meet her? Did
she seek you out?
Eugene: Well,
I had heard for years that she was a huge fan of Gogol Bordello. Originally,
she heard it through Liev Schreiber. And I always heard about
it, but eventually, I heard in person! And she said she had a film in
mind, and she would love to have me do the leading role. And I said to
myself, Madonna directing me acting is going to be great. It's going
tobe out of control.
TixGirl: I can't even
imagine!
Eugene: You
know, it's pretty much my character. I'm basically playing the singer from
Gogol Bordello. And the whole band is in it. And of course every
morning I'd go there holding my guitar and whatever... There will be
my guitar. There will be freestyle Gypsy jam. We're
both musicians, we're both singers, and she really likes these songs that
we're singing. It ended up being, for Live Earth, just us freestyling,
and improvising. I was singing my songs, you know my Gypsy songs, and you
know, she found a way to work her song in. [Note: La Isla
Bonita]
TixGirl: And it's a really great match,
the way that it was orchestrated.
Eugene: It was
like completely spontaneous. It was like 10 days before the Wembley show that
it came together. And you know, we had all it takes to make it happen.
I was there, she had the last spot...
TixGirl:
(laughs) and the dancers...
Eugene: She
had the beats, I had the melodies. Everybody was psyched about it. And to
think about it, everyone enjoyed it. Ever since then my phone has been
ringing with from Ukraine,
and fans from the States, and from Russia,
and my friends call me like celebrating. They were like, "Hey
man, you got Madonna to sing in Gypsy, that's crazy!" Cuz you
know those were all Romaniwords. You know? And I was like, "Yeah
man, that's what I do!"
TixGirl: So
when is the film going to come out?
Eugene: It's
going to come out I think in the beginning of next year. It's a really
sweet, philosophical comedy. Fun fun fun fun, definitely. She's so fun
to work with, you know?
TixGirl: Is she? Cuz you
hear a lot about what a hard worker she is...
Eugene: She's
a totally hard worker, but it's dynamic. And it's like ideas non-stop. So sign
me up! That's what I like, and you know, itwas like, Gogol Bordello,
that's a bunch of hard workers, if you want to talk about hard work.
That was a perfect live match.
TixGirl: And a
match no one's ever seen before. I mean it really is unique.
Eugene: Yeah,
andhow many people would expect that? That's what I like, you know,
to challenge the people watching their televisions, including the
die-hard. But you know, the response has been so amazing. For people
in Eastern Europe, it's like a
cultural breakthrough, you know. To have somebody like Madonna give us
a spot to shine and represent our culture. On such a
scale.
TixGirl: Every demographic! You really are
cutting across everyone by playing with her.
Eugene: Because
for us, for Romanis to be seen as a positive force in global affairs, to play
Live Earth, is a whole other step. I mean the shit that we have to
deal with. And even moreso the actual people who live still in the
camps, you know? I mean, I made my way to be a cultural
representative. I am an entertainer. I live life of a rock and roll musician...
I'm more celebrated than them. Only once in a while will somebody show
up at a show and start handing out fucking pamphlets about white
power...
TixGirl: Does that actually happen at
shows?
Eugene: Yeah, it happened twice,
actually.
TixGirl: That's incredible.
Eugene: Yeah,
but you know, they are so outnumbered that they usually just leave, without a
big deal.
TixGirl: That's unbelievable, in this
day and age.
Eugene: Actually, in Ukraine it's the
worst that it's been. Like skinhead riots in Gypsy villages. And in Romania,
yeah, it's the worst. For us to be able to represent on a scale that goes
under the skin of the crowd is the last step toward altering Romani
perception, you know what I mean?
TixGirl: I
imagine your documentary will be a big step towards helping with that,
too.
Eugene: Yeah, well I don't know if every third
person in the world is going to see it, but it wasn't definitely meant
like that. It's too radical for that. But it's good to be heard, you know?
I mean, of course Gogol Bordello is always going to be a special band,
and with as big of an audience as it gets and as big of a story, it's
still a very unique band, that was never continually close to making
it. But it's good to be able to penetrate this far, and see who else
wants to join the party.
It also says a lot about her, about
Madonna, being so on top of what's happening
in subculture.
TixGirl: And she always
has been that, that's for sure.
Eugene: Yeah, and
it's like now everybody's acting like we've just flown out of the sky and
we're like everybody's Christmas present. You know, but we've been
around for nearly a decade, and we've been touring with an illegal
number of people in the band for years. And it became, ok, now we have
amuch better real touring bus and a crew, but there is still an
illegal amount of people on the bus. So everything just has two lanes.
But she knew about us years before, so everybody now
realizes it's Christmas.
TixGirl: Well I am just
so happy for you, because it really seems like the momentum is
underway and carrying you guys forward, and now you have this big tour
in front of you. So it seems like the timing is just
perfect.
Eugene: Yeah,
I mean I think that some birds you chase, and some birds just land on your
shoulder.
TixGirl: That's a great way of looking
at it.
Eugene: But you know, at the end of the
day, people respect the whole odd character, you know. Because for
humanity, that's one of the things we can probably take pride on, is that
we actually have the ability to not give up that easily, actually.
People are pretty strong, you know. They want to celebrate, you know?
They want to celebrate the depth of character.
TixGirl: And
your music is all about celebration. It's rawkus and high-energy. You can't
help but smile and want to jump around.
Eugene: Well,
that's the good side of life, and all I want to do is share it, and turn people
on. It's very contagious.
TixGirl: That's
a great word for it.
Eugene: It's actually
scientifically totally explained. It's the way we tune in to frequencies. If
you're tuned wrong, you're going to be suffering. By tuning yourself
to a different chord, your feelings are music. In our case, that's our
area of expertise. That's what fans are driving two hours for. They're
not really driving two hours fora show and for the band. They're
driving for something that gets them tuned in and lasts the next six months.
That's what the experience is all about. It's a shamanistic act. It's
a soul catharsis. It's a way of tuning into something that sustains
for a long time. That's why people get addicted to certain things,
because that's what makes them feel a certain way, and it's great so
far. And I'm just like that.
TixGirl: And
music is transporting. Well, like I said, I'm so excited for you. And I get to
see you on July 20th! I can't wait, I'll be right up in
front.
Eugene: Well comebackstage and we'll have a
drink!
TixGirl: Excellent, I will! Thank you! And
thanks so much for taking so much time to talk with me. Good luck with
the album release today!
And you thought music's best season was summer? Think again! Fall is becoming one of the most important seasons for touring, and this fantastic pairing is a perfect example. Mark your calendar and set your alarm! Tickets go on sale tomorrow morning! --NY on sale 7/20 at 9am --Atlanta & Detroit on sale 7/20 at 10am
One of the first must-see shows of the fall matches the ultimate Icelandic pixie, Bjork, with British electro-dance-rock outfit of the moment, Klaxons. It's a pairing the likes of which hasn't been seen since... well, since Coachella, actually.
First, find the most unusual, buzzed-about venue in town.
That way you know you can front-load your fete with fabulous people,
whether you've bothered to announce the musical entertainment or not.
They'll come just to satisfy their curiosity.
Second,
curate a show featuring a carefully edited selection of artists, from
hip-hop to hipster, who are certain to get the party started. That way
you're guaranteed of a far more photogenic crowd in the next day's
media coverage than if you'd hosted a homogenous crowd of samesters
from horizon to horizon.
Thus, the Fader Magazine Summer Music Party was born. The red velvet rope in and of itself was a spectacle to behold. Thankfully, a press pass allowed your very own TixGirl and crew to circumvent the sweaty and suspenseful crowd in line at the door, and head straight into Spiegelworld.
Yes, Spiegelworld.
It's a feature of the entertainment all on its own, with its unique combination of refined antique sensibility, circus tent atmosphere, and
breathtaking river views stacked with vistas of bridge upon bridge upon
bridge.
Originally
built in Belgium in the 1920s, it's a miracle of art deco architecture
and art nouveau design that was built to be dismantled and moved from
city to city on a whim, a wind and a prayer. Within the Salon Perdu,
the main Spiegeltent, you'll find teak wood floors, stained glass, and
over a thousand pieces of glass. I kid you not.
Among the masses of beautiful people outdoors were a collection of music insiders and celeb DJs, including Diplo and Prince Language. Meanwhile, inside the crowd was jumping to the sounds of old school hip-hop, from mic master DJ Quik. Yeah, definitely look him up.
When Bonde Do Role rolled onstage, the vibe went from low rider to dance rap. As with their fellow Brazilian countrywomen of CSS,
half the fun of Bonde Do Role are their wacky attitudes and boisterous
onstage antics. Not quite as tight in their live show as the music on their MySpace page
implies, they are nevertheless a hell of a lot of fun to see live.
Though their music is sonically completely unrelated to DJ Quik, they
are still brethren, as rappers and a turntablist.
The Fader folks know how to curate a show to please the widest variety
of celebrants. Obviously they do -- it's their job. And they did it
well.
About Bonde Do Role,
I'll say this: they are f-u-n, fun. They may not be songwriters. They
may not be sophisticated. They may not be tight. But what they are is a
pack of three energetic performers who know how to entertain any size
room. Feel like shaking your ass and having a good laugh while you do
it? Go see Bonde Do Role.
Nope, that's not the Beatles. Nor the Kinks. Nope, not the Stones, either. That infectious take on the mad British mod sound you heard Saturday at Southpaw wasn't even from across the pond. Unless you count crossing Lake Michigan as crossing a pond.
The blokes you saw in Brooklyn on Saturday, June 30 weren't Brits at all. Hailing from the Lakes Region -- of the MidWest, that is -- they were born and bred in Chicago. The city best known for beer gardens and the blues has given rise to the best British Invasion band that never came from Britain in the first place.
At this point you're screaming at your monitor, "Who already, TixGirl, who???" Now say it with me, write it down, and otherwise commit it to memory: The Redwalls. You'll thank me for it later.
The moment you hear the Redwalls for the first time, it's instantly clear that the Mods are their mentors. With a sound that pulls in elements of the Stones, the Kinks, and Bowie, it's still their core references to the Beatles that leave the listener in no doubt that these boys were born in the wrong decade.
But were they? Considering the revivalist tendencies of bands like Bloc Party, the Killers, Wolfmother and their contemporaries, it's clear there's an appetite on the part of the public for retro sounds refitted for today's tastebuds and earbuds. But have you heard anybody do justice to the Beatles without sounding like an audition for the cast of Beatlemania? Me neither. Not until now.
Best of all, the Redwalls can't be neatly tossed in the been-there-done-that "Derivative" dustbin of wannabe flunkies. These are their own tunes, their own harmonies, their own ideas. It's just clear that their collective creativity is filtered through a lifetime of listening to the Invaders from across the pond. (The really big, salty pond.)
I can just picture brothers Logan & Justin Baren, still in diapers, learning to sing by harmonizing their hearts out to John, Paul, George & Ringo. Give their tunes a listen on their MySpace page and you'll see exactly what I mean.
Now go catch one of their upcoming summer tour dates. You'll be so glad you did. BUY REDWALLS TICKETS
