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Gogol Bordello is an American punkband from the Lower East Side of Manhattan, formed in 1999 and known for theatrical stage shows and persistent touring. Much of the band's sound is inspired by Gypsy music mixed with punk and dub. The band incorporates accordion and violin (and on some albums, saxophone).[1]
The band has appeared in a number of popular films, most notably in 2005's Everything Is Illuminated in which the lead singer, Eugene Hütz, co-starred with Elijah Wood in a dramedy and adventure story about the Nazi purges in Ukraine. The entire group was present for one shot in which they played a brass band in a set that included the "Star-Spangled Banner". They also played the traditional Yiddish tune "Bublitschki". Gogol Bordello contributed the song "Start Wearing Purple" to the film's score. The band also has their own documentary called Gogol Bordello Non-Stop. This documentary was filmed in 2008 and follows the band's progress. In 2012, the band recorded a song titled Let's Get Crazy for Coca-Cola's Euro 2012 advertising campaign.[2]
History and influences
"Gogol" comes from Nikolai Gogol, a classical Ukrainian writer, born in today's Ukraine. He serves as an ideological influence for the band because he "smuggled" Ukrainian culture into Russian society, which Gogol Bordello intends to do with Gypsy/East-European music in the English-speaking world.[3] "Bordello", in Italian, 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 is in the United States."[3] 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.[3]
They performed live at the Bonnaroo 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.
Gogol Bordello released a new song titled Let's Get Crazy in 2012 as part of Coca-Cola's advertising campaign for the European Football Championships, which were part-hosted by Ukraine. The track samples one of their earlier singles, Wonderlust King, and the Coca-Cola advertising jingle.[5]
In 2012 former guitarist Oren Kaplan sued Hütz for personal damages.[6][7]
Film appearances
2004 - Kill Your Idols - Hütz was interviewed in this documentary about New York's "art punk" music 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, 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 - The entire band appeared in this independent film directed by Madonna.[8]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.[9][10]
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.[11]
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
Members
Current members
Pedro Erazo and Sergey Ryabtsev at Lollapalooza 2015.