Gogol Bordello to play free benefit in Tompkins Square Park
By Cory Olsen
On April 27th, Gogol Bordello, along with some of the legends of New York Hardcore music such as Madball and Murphy’s Law, will be uniting in Tompkins Square Park to raise funds to help Jesse Malin, longtime friend and “keystone figure” of the New York Hardcore scene. Malin, frontman for the seminal hardcore band Heart Attack as well as D Generation, suffered a rare spinal stroke leaving him paralyzed from the waist down.
For those unfamiliar with Gogol Bordello, the band formed in 1999 on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Having emerged from New York’s Punk and Hardcore scene, they’ve brought that drive and energy and blended it with styles from around the globe. With its strong Ukrainian influences, the mix of accordion and violin give the raw sound a strong dose of folk flavor. In over two decades of touring they have amassed a fan base that spans the world.
The uniquely blended sound of Gogol Bordello is due in no small part to the background of frontman and founding member Eugene Hütz, a Ukrainian immigrant. “I arrived in 1990 to New York and then was shipped to Vermont, where my refugee program was, which turned out to be a great, American, artist-spirited town. The mayor was Bernie Sanders at the time, and his wife, Jane Sanders, they established this teen center, which became a home for hundreds of hardcore shows,” Hütz said.
The significance of these shows at the teen center played a key role in Hütz’s future. “I was an immigrant kid with no place to go essentially, and going to the shows with not only American kids, but a large number of kids from Indonesia and Philippines and from Czech Republic, and Poland were also gathering at these shows, you know, all wearing Dr. Martens and flight jackets and tee shirts, it was kind of a sanctuary. People have a misconception that, when you’re an immigrant, you’re part of this immigrant community, and in a way you are, but if you’re an immigrant punk rocker that’s very different. Immigrant communities are already kind of on the fringe, but immigrant punk, then you’re on the fringe of the immigrant community too.”
In addition to finding a sanctuary, Hütz began making some of the connections that would shape the future for him and his band. After leaving Vermont, Hütz moved to New York and continued to be heavily involved in the Hardcore scene. By 1999, Gogol Bordello had formed and released their first single. The band has seen an eclectic mix of musicians from around globe and people from the local scene.
One of the most pronounced influences in Gogol Bordello’s music is an eastern European sound. “Even in my early hardcore bands that I was in Vermont, there was an element of that, and actually, it was a pretty pronounced element, but it became more so. The longer I was away from the homeland the more I think subconsciously I was missing that,” Hütz said.
Rhythms and melodies from around the world can also be heard. “We’re the kind of band that thrives on building bridges, and exploring other cultures. Going to punk and hardcore shows was a kind of adventure. Beside hearing mind-blowing, adventurous music, you also were constantly meeting mind-blowing characters. That kind of open-minded cultural environment helped me to form Gogol Bordello. We’ve had members from all of the continents at this point.”
Given Gogol Bordello’s deep roots and long-term connection with the hardcore scene in New York, it’s not hard to understand their desire to support other members of that community. “The hardcore community has been absolutely instrumental for me and for Gogol Bordello. It made me feel at home here when I first immigrated. This community, this hardcore scene, has that unifying quality, this kind of special kind of force. This is a community of musicians that have that kind of a communal rescue response. So, when one of my favorite front men of all times and a friend, Jimmy G from Murphy’s Law, asked us to play, the answer was of course, yes.”
More information about the Jesse Malin benefit can be found at https://www.sweetrelief.org/jessemalinnyc.html .
(Photo by Alison Clarke/Cliqmo)
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