The best description I’ve read of Gogol Bordello is that they’re “a bit like The Clash having a fight with The Pogues in Eastern Europe.” Their new album, Super Taranta!, is out today and features an even wilder mix of accordion-driven gypsy, punk, reggae, ska, flamenco, and dub than their previous efforts. Frontman Eugene Hutz explains the inspiration behind the new album:
“Super Taranta! is our interpretation of tarantella, a ritual music from Italy… I saw a painting in Tuscany of a woman in convulsions and guy playing a violin. He’s leaning over her, playing music to cure her hysteria, put her into a trance and exorcize her demons. It was sexual, mystical and cultural, almost obscene — all the qualities of Gogol Bordello.”
Of course, Gogol Bordello’s reputation isn’t built on their recordings, but on their frenzied, sweaty live shows (which usually involve Eugene crowd-surfing on a bass drum). The band hits the East Coast later this week (check our calendar for dates) after making an impromptu appearance at last weekend’s Live Earth concert in London, adding some much-needed gypsy flair to Madonna’s set.
One band I missed in my SXSW accordion recap was Shawn Sahm and the Tex Mex Experience. As you might have guessed, Shawn is the son of the late Doug Sahm, founder of the Sir Douglas Quintet and Texas Tornados.
The Tex Mex Experience is quickly making a name for themselves with their high-energy, accordion-fueled Texas rock, and have opened shows for Los Lonely Boys, Robert Cray, and Susan Tedeschi. And this review of their SXSW showcase suggests they’re ready to break out:
“The fusion of all-out rock, hot-licks accordion and guitar, spot-on vocals and catchy, hook-laden songs is irresistible. If the business types from the music industry are worried about marketing a rock band with an accordion, they need to get over it, strap on their dancing shoes and unleash the Tex-Mex Experience.”
Here’s a live clip of the Tex Mex Experience playing “Why Doncha?”; watch for the accordion solo (by former Texmaniac Michael Guerra) halfway through.
Seminal Irish punk band The Pogues are currently on a mini-tour of the East Coast, having just finished a series of shows in Boston. Unfortunately, an injury suffered by lead singer Shane MacGowan during Sunday’s show forced them to cancel tonight’s Roseland Ballroom show at the last minute. Given the fact that Shane has played gigs from a wheelchair, though, gives one hope that they’ll still make the tour’s final show: St. Patrick’s Day (Saturday) in New York City. (Update: Despite Shane being under “constant medical supervision and analgesic control,” he and the band will continue on with the tour.)
To get you ready for your own St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, here’s some excellent live Pogues footage from 1985 — nearly 20 minutes worth. (From the “Golden Age of YouTube”, before the 10-minute limit on videos.)
If you’ve been watching prime-time TV on NBC lately, you’ve seen their barrage of commercials for a new show called The Black Donnellys. The show follows four Irish-American brothers living in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen and depicts their transformation from boys to mobsters. Now a show about rowdy Irish-American guys has to have some accordion in it, right?
As it turns out… it does! The pilot episode, airing next Monday at 10pm (after Heroes), features a tune by eclectic Bay Area band The Mad Maggies. Keep your ears open about seven minutes into the show as “Sleepy Maggie”, a Mad Maggiefied version of a traditional reel, plays over a slow-motion fight scene. You can hear more on their excellent new album, Magdalena’s Revenge. And don’t forget to set your Tivo!
“We don’t need no education… we don’t need no thought control…” But what we do need are more bands like Polka Floyd, which plays — you guessed it — polka-style covers of Pink Floyd songs. There’s a rough clip of “Another Brick in the Wall” up on their MySpace page and it’s actually not half-bad. Polka fans might recognize two of the band’s members (accordionist Eric Hite and drummer Frank Dramczyk) from Eddie Biegaj’s Crusade.
If you’re in the Toledo area and have always wanted to hear Dark Side of the Moon with a 2/4 beat, you can catch Polka Floyd tonight at Mickey Finn’s Pub.
I saw this classic video over at the Those Darn Accordions blog and just had to share. It’s a clip of TDA doing their unique rendition of Elvis Costello’s “Pump It Up” on local San Francisco’s Fog Town Network, circa 1994. Note that there’s barely enough room in the studio for all eight accordion players.
A quick note for Decemberists fans: the band has a new EP, Live from SoHo, available only through iTunes. It’s a recording of their six-song performance last November at the Apple Store in SoHo, New York City. And because it’s a stripped-down acoustic show, Jenny Conlee’s accordion comes through loud and clear on every track. (Just as it always should.)
Posted January 18th, 2007 in Reviews, Rock · Comments off
We’ve shared our disappointment in the rock accordion lesson books of the past, but now there’s a DVD aimed at a new generation of budding rock accordionists.
Matt Hensley, accordionist for the punk/Irish band Flogging Molly, announced today that he’s leaving the band to spend more time with his family. Matt, a professional skateboarder, will probably also spend more time at Innes Clothing, the skateboarding clothing company he founded with his brother in 1996. From his farewell letter to the band’s fans:
“I would have never thought that playing the accordion, an instrument that almost got me shot when I first was learning, would have led me down a road to Molly Malone’s, Dave King, and an extended family called Flogging Molly. I have been blessed to be so lucky.”
Flogging Molly starts a month-long tour on February 22nd; no word yet on whether they’ll be replacing Matt anytime soon.
How can you go wrong with a band that claims to “make music to bake pies by”? After all, what household couldn’t use more pie-baking music?
Sure enough, you can practically smell the apple pie on the window sill when you’re listening to Yard Sale — an all-female country/folk trio from Oakland. Accordionist Melanie de Giovanni, bassist Jill Olson, and guitarist Denise Funari each take turns writing and singing on the band’s debut album, Everything’s a Dollar. Nothing fancy here — just honest, heartfelt lyrics, great harmonies, and a laid-back vibe that begs you to put your feet up and crack open a beer.
The best description I’ve read of Gogol Bordello is that they’re “a bit like The Clash having a fight with The Pogues in Eastern Europe.” Their new album, Super Taranta!, is out today and features an even wilder mix of accordion-driven gypsy, punk, reggae, ska, flamenco, and dub than their previous efforts. Frontman Eugene Hutz explains the inspiration behind the new album: