Having ridden the short bus to anything pop-trendy-cool in the music department, I just may be the last person on the planet to ever hear of Gogol Bordello , which I caught part of an interview on NPR last week and immediately went on a Youtube quest:
Gogol are excellent, I saw them in Budapest three weeks ago and they kicked ass Was a fan before that, of course, so I met up in a gas mask, a Norwegian flag and a purple long-sleeved shirt. The violinist is way cooler than the singer, though, at least live
Oh, if you like them, you should check out the Norwegian rock/oompa band Kaizers Orchestra and the Russian ska-band Leningrad. There seems to be a high overlap of fans.
Gogol Bordello is the best “new” band I have stumbled upon in the last decade, without a doubt. We saw a commercial for Gypsy Punks when it first came out, were intrigued and went and bought it, and pretty much did not stop listening for the next year.
You absolutely must see them live to really appreciate how fantastic they are, I have never seen a more high-energy show. We were lucky enough, after seeing them for the first time in Vegas, to meet every member of the band, and they are all awesome and friendly people. Sergey (the violinist) is such a sweetheart, and Eugene is drop-dead gorgeous in person - probably the only person on the face of the earth who can really pull off the handlebar moustache look.
Be sure to check out their older albums as well, Voi-La Intruder, Multi Kontra Culti vs. Irony, East Infection and Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike as well as Gogol Bordello vs. Tamir Muskat under their side project J.U.F.
Oh, and I second the recommendations to check out Kultur Shock and Leningrad - both wonderful bands we discovered through Gogol Bordello. You may also want to check out Balkan Beat Box.
I knew that my dearest pals here on the Dope would know who they are and then recommend something new for me to squeeee squeeee squeeee all the way to an Amazon Music linkypoo poo.
I knew they would come back to haunt me one day. I saw them live once and it was one of the most horrible things I have ever seen. Bad droning, bad singing, one of the few bands I have ever walked out on. And the gypsy punks are some of the most obnoxious people I have ever met.
But hey it’s just music, not trying to put anyone down.
Saw them at the TLA a few years back. Fantastic show!
If you like that style of music, also check out Golem. Golem are modern Klezmer, but it’s a fairly close sound, equally uptempo, great trombonist (really).
Was a fan before that, of course, so I met up in a gas mask, a Norwegian flag and a purple long-sleeved shirt. The violinist is way cooler than the singer, though, at least live 