Gypsy caravan
Gogol Bordello tour heads to Boston, raises funds for Ukraine
Gogol Bordello’s Eugene Hutz and Les Claypool of Primus have always fought propaganda with art. Both leaders of genre-defying rock acts more concerned with breaking rules than following formula, Hutz and Claypool watched with horror as Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. Then the two went to work.
“Les called me on the day when the invasion began,” the Ukrainian-born Hutz told the Herald. “It was really great to hear a heavyweight musician like Les, who is not from Ukraine, be righteously concerned. … We decided right there to do something about it.”
To raise money for Nova Ukraine, a non-profit that gives humanitarian relief to the people of Ukraine, Hutz, Claypool, Sean Lennon, Police drummer Stewart Copeland and others recorded a blunt, bold charity single with a defiant tone, full of East-meetsWest art punk grooves and lyrics that celebrate Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenksyy’s epic display of courage.
“We wrote lyrics that are very affirmative for a song that calls for unity and resistance to unjustified aggression,” Hutz said ahead of Gogol Bordello’s tour kickoff in Boston at the Royale on Wednesday. “Gogol Bordello music has always been about uniting people against oppression.”
For Hutz, the Russian campaign of terror is deeply personal. The singer, songwriter and frontman extraordinaire grew up in Ukraine when the Soviets tried to crush the country’s culture. His family fled after the Chernobyl meltdown in 1986, eventually landing in Vermont just as Hutz was finishing his teenage years. By the ’90s, he had started Gypsy punk outfit Gogol Bordello in New York City with fellow immigrant musicians — the band has included expats from Russia, Ethiopia, Ecuador and more.
“It’s always been a band of immigrants and a pretty good example that these people can cooperate successfully for decades,” he said.
Gogol Bordello will continue to exemplify the idea that people from different worlds can come together to make radical, joyous art that mixes everything from Eastern European folk to hardcore to hip-hop – the band’s tours have always felt like traveling parties where all are welcome. This one, Gogol’s first major trek in two years, has been dubbed the “Solidaritine” tour, “dedicated to the brave Ukrainian defenders,” with a significant portion of proceeds going “to Ukraine’s battle for democracy.”
“Not everybody can see straight these days,” Hutz said. “That’s why it’s important to connect with people who can see through propaganda … who can see where the people’s struggle is.”
Hutz also points out that this Gogol tour — as it winds through Boston and Birmingham, Tel Aviv, Istanbul and Athens — continues a struggle that’s been going on for generations.
Yes, globally, but also very specifically in Ukraine.
“The very name Gogol Bordello speaks this story,” he said. “(19th century writer Nikolai) Gogol was a Ukrainian writer who, according to Moscow, was Russian. That is the statement that we have been bringing worldwide since the beginning of the band. Russian politicians and propaganda has gotten way out of hand in claiming other people’s accomplishments, other people’s territories, other people’s cultures.”
For tickets, details and ways to support Ukraine, go to gogolbordello.com.