Check Out Gogol Bordello

I went to the CAKE concert last night at the 930 club in Washington DC. CAKE was on their “Unlimited Sunshine Tour”, featuring Gogol Bordello and Tegan and Sara.

First, the 930 Club, which gets some great bands, is a facility that has cruddy accoustics, and is located in the middle of urban blight central in Washington DC. The buildings surrounding the club are either condemned or SHOULD be. Once inside the club, you are met with darkness, extremely high priced beer, and a balcony section that provides a pretty good view of the band. However, the same balcony would become a firetrap in an emergency since there is only a narrow staircase as an exit for the thousand-plus patrons that they allow upstairs.

CAKE was excellent. It would have been nicer if they were amplified a bit more. I had to struggle to hear them over some very loud drunk women who were chatting it up as if the concert was a mere social setting such as the neighborhood Applebee’s rather than a rare appearance in the region by this band.

Tegan and Sara were okay. There were many technical flaws to their performance, but this was due to the lousy accoustics and what seemed to be a rookie soundman at the mixer board. Sara’s microphone was way too low, and her guitar was way too loud, and the reverb off of the walls really muddled their sound. I am not a big fan of their music, but they did cover their hits.

The biggest surprise was Gogol Bordello, which put on a great show, with great music, and a fabulous stage performance. Gogol Bordello is a Gypsy Punk Rock Band. What is so gypsy about it? Along with all of the usual instruments- drums, bass, electric guitar- throw in an accordian and an electric violin, a stand-up bass drum, and even some washboards, and you have the East European sound of Gogol Bordello.

As stated earlier, the accoustics and the sound mixer was bad, but it didnt stop me from enjoying the great music these guys generated. The violinist was snapping his bow strings across his fiddle, and gypsy girls danced, sang, and beat on the standup bass drum while the lead singer was crowd surfing, and singing in a mix of english and Ukranian. The music was vibrant, the performance was fun, and the band is a must see. Check out their tour dates, and if they come to a town near you, you chould check it out.