 "Photo: Photo courtesy of GOGOL BORDELLO")
If you haven’t heard of Gogol Bordello yet, stop. Put down this article and find a copy of 60 Revolutions. Fall in love.
Done? Okay. Good news: They’re playing at Stubb’s BBQ on Nov. 1.
The self-described gypsy punks are admittedly a bit of an acquired taste, mainly because — well, who listens to Eastern European folk music? Few people are already into the sort of rock music that includes a fiddle and an accordion. Their recordings are typically lo-fi and messy, their performances are energetic and messier, and their sensibilities are quirky, to say the least.
Take the lyrics to “Wonderlust King.” Not only is the song partly in English and partly in Ukrainian (lead singer Eugene Hutz has also been known to sing in Spanish), the song references such diverse topics as “homemade sex toys,” “travelling the seven seas” and “Chinese discotheques.” The song drunkenly veers between relatively slow bass-driven verses and light speed “la-la-la” sections. It’s the patchwork technique of lyric and songwriting that sets this band apart.
Gogol Bordello is also known for its theatrical live shows. They say on their Web site they are on a mission, in the same vein as namesake Nikolai Gogol, to spread Ukrainian culture and folk music throughout the U.S. They’ve been surprisingly successful, a feat that may be in large part due to — of all people — Madonna.
While the band has been together since 1999, they were barely a blip on the radar until they joined Madonna onstage during the Live Earth concert in 2007. Since then, their popularity has mushroomed, and they have appeared on numerous talk shows and members have starred or made cameos in several indie films, including “Everything is Illuminated.”
Although they haven’t released an album since 2007’s Super Taranta, the band is still on tour and there are no plans for a new album anytime soon. Since the tour is in its third year, the band is more likely at this stage to include songs from 2005’s edgier and, in my opinion, superior Underdog World Strike as well as Super Taranta.
This is okay, since Gogol Bordello is one of those bands whose charm and quirkiness increases tenfold live. From their folk-ish dancing onstage to the insane speed and energy they put into every song to the confidence of a band that has been doing this for a decade — it’s a show you can’t afford to miss.
WHAT: Gogol Bordello w/ Apostle of Hustle
WHEN: Sunday, 6 p.m.
WHERE: Stubb’s, 801 Red River St.
Tickets: $25
MORE INFO: stubbsaustin.com
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