Gogol Bordello / Devotchka

Here's a post in tribute to a concert happening at the Sound Academy on 4/20/10 - Gogol Bordello with opener Devotchka. If you haven't experienced Gogol Bordello's Gypsy-Punk Revolution, you're in for a bit of a shock. Singer Eugene Hutz's odd project blends genre both familiar and foreign with about as much energy as one can fill a stage with. However, compared to many other rock-as-spectacle groups, Gogol Bordello really brings the music.

Here's their performance on Letterman of "Wonderlust King", followed by Devotchka playing their dramatic "How It Ends".

Interesting trivia note: "How It Ends" was adapted for Little Miss Sunshine (scored by Devotchka) but also used in the trailer for Everything is Illuminated, a decent film starring Elijah Wood and Eugene Hutz from Gogol.

Robert Cray - "Poor Johnny" / "Time Makes Two"

There's not too much to say in introducing Blues Legend Robert Cray. The man's an incredible guitar player and a smooth singer. Some of his songers could rival John Mayer if he only looked like him. Here's a couple tracks from his shows at the Crossroads Festival.

The Snake the Cross the Crown - "On the Threshold of Eternity" / "Behold the River"

There's something romantic about having a band all to yourself; it's as if they made music just for you. That's somewhat the way I see Alabama's the Snake the Cross the Crown - definitely one of the best-bands-you've-never-heard-of. On the flip-side, bands that nobody's heard of usually don't last too long. There's just not enough in it for them - you can only make music for yourself so long before you need to actually earn some money. Further to that point, bands that nobody has heard of don't tour a whole lot, and thus, I'll never see the Snake live. You can add them to the likes of Led Zeppelin as bands I'll never get to see in person. Hell, there's only a few poor-quality You-Tube clips on the internet for them.

I could go on and on about what a magical band they are and how impactful and honest their music is. I'd rather just ask you to invest a few minutes and listen to something pretty amazing. The first clip is the song "On the Threshold of Eternity", a beautiful song I've had stuck in my head for about 3 months. And by that I mean I sing/hum it to myself constantly...for the last three months. I'll say up-front that the quality is not top-notch, but God bless the guy who took it. I'd have done the same. It's a wonderful song with a wonderful build and an emotional climax (starting roughly 3:30 in), joined by the band Mewithoutyou.



Fortunately, the band and a videographer put together a documentary called "On a Carousel of Sound We Go Round", which has a better quality version of "Eternity", but it's not online. Here's the trailer though, featuring a full-length excellent "Behold the River".

Arcade Fire - "No Cars Go" / "Neon Bible"

Without doubt, one of the greatest bands to arrive in the "aughts" were the Arcade Fire. Their first major release, Funeral, made a big impact on the indie scene and earned them die-hard fans worldwide while still simmering under the radar. But then their live performances wrote the book on viral music, with rumours of busking and epic spontaneous encores in lobbies making the rounds on the internet.

The Arcade Fire are likely the best of the "community" artists. Not only are they a large band - a community in itself - but their connection to the audience is incredible. The audience becomes part of the performance, part of the band, and because of that, their live dynamic is ever changing and always unique.

Due for a new album sometime mid-2010, one can only hope they play Bonnaroo in June. Please...

Here's a clip from their incredible Glastonbury set a few years back, followed by a little creative number beautifully filmed with the whole band crammed into a service elevator, courtesy of Le Blogotheque.

The National - "Fake Empire"

Here's another fabulous clip from Letterman, featuring the National. The song is Fake Empire, the opening track to their brilliant album, Boxer. They're playing Massey Hall June 8.