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Gogol Bordello is an American
punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...
band from the
Lower East Side The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Historically, it w ...
of
Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
, formed in 1999 by musicians from all over the world and known for theatrical stage shows and persistent touring. Much of the band's sound is inspired by
Romani Romani may refer to: Ethnic groups * Romani people, or Roma, an ethnic group of Indo-Aryan origin ** Romani language, an Indo-Aryan macrolanguage of the Romani communities ** Romanichal, Romani subgroup in the United Kingdom * Romanians (Romanian ...
and Ukrainian music mixed with
punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
and dub, incorporating
accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German language, German ', from '—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a Reed (mou ...
and
violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...
(and on some albums,
saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to p ...
). The band has appeared in several popular films, most notably ''
Everything Is Illuminated ''Everything Is Illuminated'' is the first novel by the American writer Jonathan Safran Foer, published in 2002. It was adapted into a film of the same name starring Elijah Wood and Eugene Hütz in 2005. The book's writing and structure rece ...
'' (2005) in which lead singer Eugene Hütz co-starred with
Elijah Wood Elijah Jordan Wood (born January 28, 1981) is an American actor and producer. Wood made his film debut with a minor part in ''Back to the Future Part II'' (1989) at the age of eight and achieved recognition in the early 1990s as a child acto ...
in a
dramedy Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...
/adventure story about the Nazi purges in Ukraine. The group appears playing a
brass band A brass band is a musical ensemble generally consisting primarily of brass instruments, most often with a percussion section. Ensembles that include brass and woodwind instruments can in certain traditions also be termed brass bands (particularl ...
in a set that included the "
Star-Spangled Banner "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written by American lawyer Francis Scott Key on September 14, 1814, after he witnessed the bombardment of For ...
" and the traditional Yiddish song " Bublitschki". Gogol Bordello contributed the song "
Start Wearing Purple "Start Wearing Purple" is a song by gypsy punk band Gogol Bordello, written by frontman Eugene Hütz. The song was packaged as a double single along with " Sally", and released as the band's second single in February 2006. It appears on their thi ...
" to the film's score. The band is the focus of the 2008 documentary '' Gogol Bordello Non-Stop''. The band recorded the song "Let's Get Crazy" for
Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings ...
's
Euro 2012 The 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2012 or simply Euro 2012, was the 14th European Championship for men's national football teams organised by UEFA. The final tournament, held between 8 June and 1 ...
advertising campaign.


History and influences

"Gogol" comes from
Nikolai Gogol Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol; ; (; () was a Russian novelist, short story writer, and playwright of Ukrainian origin. Gogol used the Grotesque#In literature, grotesque in his writings, for example, in his works "The Nose (Gogol short story), ...
, a classical writer of Ukrainian origin. He serves as an ideological influence for the band because he "smuggled" Ukrainian culture into Russian society, which Gogol Bordello intends to do with Romani/East-European music in the English-speaking world. "
Bordello A brothel, strumpet house, bordello, bawdy house, ranch, house of ill repute, house of ill fame, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in Human sexual activity, sexual activity with prostitutes. For legal or cultural reasons, establis ...
", in
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
, refers to a brothel or a "gentleman's club". The band was originally titled Hütz and the Béla Bartóks, but Eugene Hütz says that they decided to change the name because "nobody knows who the hell
Béla Bartók Béla Viktor János Bartók (; ; 25 March 1881 – 26 September 1945) was a Hungarian composer, pianist and ethnomusicologist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century; he and Franz Liszt are regarded as Hunga ...
is in the United States." The band played their first show as the unofficial band at an after-hours club called ''Pizdetz'' where they became the house band and DJ Hütz became the house DJ. Gogol Bordello's first
single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...
was released in 1999, and since then they have released six full-length
albums An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...
, and one EP. In 2005 the band signed to
punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
label
SideOneDummy Records SideOneDummy Records is an independent record label based in Los Angeles. It was founded in 1995 by Bill Armstrong and Joe Sib. The label began as a way for them to release music for their friends' bands. Thereafter SideOneDummy launched the care ...
. On 27 April 2010 Gogol Bordello made its major record label debut with '' Transcontinental Hustle'' on
Rick Rubin Frederick Jay Rubin (, ; born March 10, 1963) is an American record producer. He is a co-founder of Def Jam Recordings, founder of American Recordings, and former co-president of Columbia Records. Rubin helped popularize hip hop by produci ...
's American Recordings, a subsidiary of
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...
/
Sony Music Entertainment Sony Music Entertainment (SME), commonly known as Sony Music, is an American multinational music company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. It is the recording division of Sony Music Group, with the other half being the ...
. Many of the songs on ''Transcontinental Hustle'' were inspired by Hütz's move to Brazil. The band has toured extensively throughout
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
and
America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. They have made numerous appearances at international festivals and have toured with such diverse bands as Primus,
Flogging Molly Flogging Molly is an Irish-American seven-piece Celtic punk band formed in Los Angeles in 1997, led by Irish vocalist Dave King, formerly of the hard rock band Fastway. They are signed to their own record label, Borstal Beat Records. Histor ...
, and
Cake Cake is a flour confection usually made from flour, sugar, and other ingredients and is usually baked. In their oldest forms, cakes were modifications of bread, but cakes now cover a wide range of preparations that can be simple or elabor ...
. In an interview with
NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...
, frontman Eugene Hütz cites
Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...
and
Parliament-Funkadelic Parliament-Funkadelic (abbreviated as P-Funk) is an American musical collective, music collective of rotating musicians headed by George Clinton (funk musician), George Clinton, primarily consisting of the funk bands Parliament (band), Parliame ...
as among the band's main musical influences. They have also mentioned
Manu Chao Manu Chao (; born José Manuel Tomás Arturo Chao Ortega on 21 June 1961) is a French-Spanish musician. He sings in French language, French, Spanish language, Spanish, English language, English, Italian language, Italian, Arabic, Catalan language ...
,
Fugazi Fugazi (; ) is an American post-hardcore band formed in Washington, D.C., in 1986. The band consists of guitarists and vocalists Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto, bassist Joe Lally, and drummer Brendan Canty. They were noted for their style-transc ...
,
Zvuki Mu Zvuki Mu ( , roughly translated as "Sounds of Moo", sounding to the Russian ear as a humorous abbreviation of ''Zvuki Muzyki'', the Russian translation for ''The Sound of Music'') was a Russian alternative rock/indie rock, indie/post-punk band ...
, Karamelo Santo, Sasha Kolpakov and
The Clash The Clash were an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they are considered one of the most influential acts in the original wave of British punk rock, with their music fusing elements ...
as influences. They performed live at the
Bonnaroo Bonnaroo (or Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival) is an American annual four-day music festival developed and founded by Superfly Presents and AC Entertainment. Bonnaroo has taken place at what is now Great Stage Park, a 700-acre (280 ha) far ...
Music and Arts festival 2011 for Bonnaroo's 10 year anniversary, playing a 1.5 hour set in the middle of the night and performed with
Devotchka DeVotchKa is an American multi-instrumental and vocal ensemble formed in Denver, Colorado, in 1997. The band consists of Nick Urata (vocals, guitar, theremin, bouzouki, piano, trumpet), Tom Hagerman (violin, accordion, piano), Jeanie Schroder ( ...
. Gogol Bordello released "Let's Get Crazy" in 2012, the new song was part of
Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings ...
's advertising campaign for the European Football Championships, which were part-hosted by
Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...
. The track samples one of their earlier singles, " Wonderlust King", and the Coca-Cola advertising jingle. In 2012 former guitarist Oren Kaplan sued Hütz for personal damages. The 2010 song "Immigraniada" was remixed by
Bassnectar Lorin Gabriel Ashton (born February 16, 1978), better known under his stage name Bassnectar, is an American Disc jockey, DJ and electronic music producer. With a career spanning several decades, Bassnectar has gained recognition for his innova ...
. Following the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...
, Hütz released a video on social media condemning the Russian invasion, and has remained vocal about raising relief funds for the victims of the invasion. Gogol Bordello announced a benefit concert shortly after which sold out quickly, followed by announcing a benefit tour. Bordello collaborated with
Les Claypool Leslie Edward Claypool (born September 29, 1963) is an American rock music, rock musician. He is the founder, lead singer, bassist, and primary songwriter of the band Primus (band), Primus. Listed as one of the greatest bassists of all time by ...
of the band Primus on the song "Man with the Iron Balls", praising Ukrainian President
Volodymyr Zelensky Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy (born 25 January 1978) is a Ukrainian politician and former entertainer who has served as the sixth and current president of Ukraine since 2019. He took office five years after the start of the Russo-Ukraini ...
's courage. The proceeds of the track are set to benefit Nova Ukraine, a non-profit organization that provides humanitarian relief to the people of Ukraine.


Film appearances

* 2004 – ''
Kill Your Idols Kill Your Idols is an American hardcore punk band from New York, active from 1995 through 2007 and again from 2013 to the present. They were signed to SideOneDummy Records. Their releases on SideOne were Funeral for a Feeling (2001), a split ...
'' – Hütz was interviewed in this documentary about New York's "
art punk Art punk, or artcore, is a subgenre of punk rock in which artists go beyond the genre's rudimentary garage rock and are considered more sophisticated than their peers. These groups still generated punk's aesthetic of being simple, offensive, and ...
" music scene. * 2005 – ''
Everything Is Illuminated ''Everything Is Illuminated'' is the first novel by the American writer Jonathan Safran Foer, published in 2002. It was adapted into a film of the same name starring Elijah Wood and Eugene Hütz in 2005. The book's writing and structure rece ...
'' – In
Liev Schreiber Isaac Liev Schreiber ( ; born October 4, 1967) is an American actor. He has received numerous accolades including a Tony Award as well as nominations for nine Primetime Emmy Awards and five Golden Globe Awards. Schreiber's early film roles incl ...
's directorial debut, which stars
Elijah Wood Elijah Jordan Wood (born January 28, 1981) is an American actor and producer. Wood made his film debut with a minor part in ''Back to the Future Part II'' (1989) at the age of eight and achieved recognition in the early 1990s as a child acto ...
, the role of Alexander Perchov was played by Eugene Hütz. It includes cameo appearances by other Gogol Bordello members in the train scene. * 2006 – ''The Pied Piper of Hützovina'' – Documentary by Pavla Fleischer about a road trip she and Eugene Hütz took to Ukraine to trace his roots. * 2006 – '' Wristcutters: A Love Story'' – "Eugene", played by American actor
Shea Whigham Shea Whigham (born January 5, 1969) is an American actor best known for portraying Elias "Eli" Thompson in the drama series ''Boardwalk Empire''. He also appeared in the first season of ''True Detective'' and the third season of '' Fargo'' a ...
, is partly based on Eugene Hütz, whose music ("Through the Roof and Underground", "Occurrence on the Border", and "Huliganjetta") is featured in the film as that recorded by the character's old band. Contrary to the belief that he has received no credit for this, the film credits show the copyrights for both Gogol Bordello songs, as well as giving thanks to Eugene multiple times throughout the credit roll. * 2008 – ''
Filth and Wisdom ''Filth and Wisdom'' is a 2008 British comedy-drama film directed by Madonna (in her directorial debut), starring Eugene Hütz, Holly Weston, Vicky McClure and Richard E. Grant. It was filmed on location in London, England, from 14 to 29 May ...
'' – The entire band appeared in this independent film directed by
Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...
. Eugene Hütz is the protagonist. Madonna also allowed Eugene to add his own dialogue into the script. * 2008 – '' Gogol Bordello Non-Stop'' – The development of the band was documented in this film directed by Margarita Jimeno. It follows the band's rise from underground legends to international fame from 2001 to 2007. * 2009 – ''Larger Than Life in 3D'' – Live High-def digital concert footage shot in stereoscopic 3-D at the Austin City Limits festival in October 2009. * 2009 – ''Live From Axis Mundi'': Professionally recorded live concert footage shot in New York. * 2011 – ''Grain'': Short film, 'Against the Nature' appears on the credits. * 2013 – 'Not a crime' Grimm Season 2 Episode 18 "Volcanalis". Adalind Shade arrives at Rom camp * 2017 – "American Wedding" '' Fargo'' Season 3 Episode 2 "The Principle of Restricted Choice" closing credits * 2017 – "Risky Bismuth" '' The Tick'' Season 1 Episode 10 "Trans Continental Hustle" closing credits * 2018 – “I Would Never Wanna Be Young Again” intro plays during monster wedding scene in ''Hotel Transylvania 3'' * 2023 –
Scream of My Blood: A Gogol Bordello Story
is a documentary about Gogol Bordello. * 2024 – Multiple Gogol Bordello songs, including "Start Wearing Purple" and "American Wedding", appear in the score of the first season of the
DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...
animated series ''
Creature Commandos The Creature Commandos are the name of several military special forces groups appearing in American comic book, American comic books published by DC Comics. Co-created by writer J. M. DeMatteis and artist Pat Broderick, the team first appeared i ...
''. The band also appeared as a cameo during the episode ''The Tourmaline Necklace'', in a flashback sequence, while playing "American Wedding".


Members

; Current members * Eugene Hütz (lead vocals, acoustic guitar, percussion) – Ukraine (1999–present) * Sergey Ryabtsev (violin, backing vocals) – Russia (2000–present) * Pedro Erazo (percussion, MC) – Ecuador (2007–present) * Korey Kingston (Drums, percussion) (2020–present) * Gil Alexandre (Bass, backing vocals) – Brazil (2021–present) *Erica Mancini (Accordion, backing vocals) (2023–present) *Leo Mintek (Guitar, backing vocals, 2021-present) ; Former members * Pamela Jintana Racine (percussion, backing vocals, dance, general performance) – United States (1999–2017) * Eliot Ferguson (drums, backing vocals) – United States (1999–2009) * Sasha Kazatchkoff (accordion) (1999) * Vlad Solovar (guitar) (1999) * Oren Kaplan (guitar, backing vocals) – Israel (2000–2012) *
Yuri Lemeshev Yuri Lemeshev (born 1954 or 1955) is an American accordion player and former member of gypsy punk band Gogol Bordello.accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German language, German ', from '—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a Reed (mou ...
, backing vocals) – Russia (2001–2013) * Ori Kaplan (saxophone, backing vocals) – Israel (no relation to Oren Kaplan, co-leads
Balkan Beat Box Balkan Beat Box (BBB) is an Israeli musical group. Founded by Tamir Muskat and Ori Kaplan in 2003, BBB was later joined by Tomer Yosef who became a core member. The group plays Mediterranean-influenced music that incorporates Jewish music, Jewish, ...
with Tamir Muskat) (2001–2004) * Katheryn McGaffigan (percussion, backing vocals, dance, general performance) – United States (2001, 2002, 2005) * Susan Donaldson (percussion, backing vocals, dance, general performance) (2002–2003) * Andra Ursuța (percussion, backing vocals, dance, general performance) – Romania (2003–2006) * Chris Tattersall (drums, backing vocals) – United Kingdom (2004) * Elizabeth Sun (percussion, backing vocals, dance, general performance) – China and Scotland (2004–2016) * Rea Mochiach (bass, percussion,
electronics Electronics is a scientific and engineering discipline that studies and applies the principles of physics to design, create, and operate devices that manipulate electrons and other Electric charge, electrically charged particles. It is a subfield ...
and beat programming in the studio, backing vocals) – Israel (2005) *
Karl Alvarez Karl Matthew Alvarez (born March 10, 1964) is an American bassist and songwriter for both the Descendents and All, the band that resulted after the Descendents disbanded again in 1987. Alvarez joined the Descendents after the '' Enjoy!'' alb ...
(bass) – United States (2006) * Oliver Charles (drums) – United States (2009–2016) * Michael Ward (guitar) – United States (2011–15) * Pasha Newmer (
accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German language, German ', from '—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a Reed (mou ...
; backing vocals) – Belarus (2013–2018) * James Ward (accordion) – Scotland * Kristian Mangieri (harmonica, general performance) * Thomas ‘Tommy T’ Gobena (Bass, backing vocals) (2006–2021) *Alfredo Ortiz (Drums) (2016–2020) * Vanessa Walters (percussion, backing vocals, general performance) (2016–2018) * Ashley Tobias "TOBI" (backing vocals, dance, percussion, general performance) – United States (2017–2024) * Boris Pelekh (guitar, backing vocals) – Russia (2015–2024)


Timeline


Discography


Albums

* ''
Voi-La Intruder ''Voi-La Intruder'' is the debut album by Gogol Bordello. It was released in 1999 by Rubric Records. Track listing Notes The album is composed in two Movements. *Tracks 1-10 are Movement One - Songs of Immigration, appx. 35.01 min. *Tra ...
'' (1999) * '' Multi Kontra Culti vs. Irony'' (2002) * '' Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike'' (2005) * '' Super Taranta!'' (2007) * '' Trans-Continental Hustle'' (2010) * '' Моя Цыганиада'' (2011) * '' Pura Vida Conspiracy'' (2013) * ''
Seekers and Finders The Seekers, or Legatine-Arians as they were sometimes known, were an English dissenting group that emerged around the 1620s, probably inspired by the preaching of three brothers – Walter, Thomas, and Bartholomew Legate. Seekers considered a ...
'' (2017) * '' Solidaritine'' (2022)


EPs

* ''
East Infection ''East Infection'' is currently the only EP by Gogol Bordello, released in 2005 by Rubric Records. Released prior to the album ''Gypsy Punks'', it consists of leftover tracks from that album's sessions. The title track remains a live favourite. ...
'' (2005)


Compilations

* ''Punk Rock Strike Vol. 4'' (2003) * ''2005 Warped Tour Compilation'' (2005) * ''2006 Warped Tour Compilation'' (2006) * ''
Gypsy Beats and Balkan Bangers ''Gypsy Beats and Balkan Bangers'' and its follow up ''Gypsy Beats and Balkan Bangers Too'' are two compilations of Eastern European-inspired music tracks, compiled by DJs Russ Jones and Felix Buxton (of Basement Jaxx). The album was released on Ba ...
'' (2006) * ''The Rough Guide to Planet Rock'' (2006) * ''2007 Warped Tour Compilation'' (2007)


References


External links

* * * *
Interview at NPR's Studio 4A (2006) with several songs performed
{{Authority control Musical groups from New York City Gypsy punk groups 1999 establishments in New York City ATO Records artists Cooking Vinyl artists American Recordings (record label) artists Folk punk groups Musical groups established in 1999