Eugene Hütz of Gogol Bordello

Eugene Hütz is a Ukrainian-born singer, composer, disc jockey, actor, and frontman of the Gypsy Punk Gogol Bordello!

 

Perseverance carries us through the most turbulent, traumatic, and trying of times. When all hope seems lost, it shines a light from the inside that’s impossible to extinguish. That light also burns bright at the heart of Gogol Bordello. Since 1999, the band has consistently riled up audiences with an inimitable patchwork of raucous punk and Eastern European Gypsy-swing. Since then, these sonic insurgents have been on the verge of infiltrating the mainstream, remaining undeniably embedded within the zeitgeist. A multicultural band that combines Eastern, Western, and also Latin traditions, they’re the rare force who could light up stages alongside System of a Down and Primus, go on Warped TouralongsideRancid and Dropkick Murphys, a duet with Regina Spektor, cut an album with Rick Rubin or Steve Albini, or appear in art house films such as Liev Schreiber’s everything is Illuminated with Elijah Wood orFilth and Wisdomhelmed by Madonna. Gogol Bordello is also the subject of several documentaries, including Gogol Bordello Non-Stop, ThePied Piper of Hutzovina, and a new one in the making.“Just as Adrenaline is the substance that is linked with alarming us and often preserving our lives, SOLIDARITINEis all of that...plus empathy and unity. It’s kind of a collective Adrenaline,” explains frontman Eugene Hutz about the title of their eighth full-length studio album SOLIDARITINE. This title reflected the shift of the times in terms of political and cultural polarity, violence, and strife, addressing it head-on.“Songwriting is a sacred craft, and punk is a great place for it,” says Eugene. “For me, punk rock was always about that WoodyGuthrie-ness and work ethic: ‘All you fascists are bound to lose!’ It’smusic of pure impact with that experience-driven intellectual insight into the class struggle that comes only with working-class territory without the bullshit or pseudo-musicality. “The New York-based collective—Eugene Hutz (vocals, guitar), Sergey Ryabtsev (violin), Pedro Erazo (vocals, percussion), Boris Pelekh (guitar), Ashley Tobias (vocals), Korey Kingston (drums), and Gil Alexandre (bass) proclaim the spirit of resilience in the face of adversity louder than ever onSOLIDARITINE (Casa Gogol/Cooking Vinyl].“Our music was always about perseverance,” says Eugene. “Take a group of people who have endured immigrant traumas and dislocation, and then through the magic of band-synergy and band-alchemy, they make something out of it—like an uplifting gypsy punky party that entertains and inspires people worldwide. Suddenly, humankind encounters a worldwide pandemic, war, and multiple calamities. This is when punk rock is needed the most and where Gogol performs the best because that’s where we came from. It’s not like we're invincible, but I feel like maybe we got a bit of natural resilience.WhentheChernobyl disaster happened in 1986, I was only 13. That was my first evacuation.”In 2021 as the live music world reawakened from the pandemic pause, Gogol Bordello was one of the first to restart touring, but inevitably several members caught Covid and left the tour to recover. Eugene grabbed an electric guitar along with his usual acoustic and played them both interchangeably to finish the tour.

 

 

Gogol Bordello's info

http://www.gogolbordello.com