Who says you can’t have your cake and eat it too?
At next week’s Unlimited Sunshine show at the Fillmore, headliner Cake will please many of the concertgoers, but there will be a sizable contingent that will head down primarily to see opener Gogol Bordello, whose rabid style of Eastern European-flavored Gypsy punk has set it apart and gained the eclectic outfit a devoted fan base.
This will be the first time the band has performed in one of Denver’s larger venues. Past dates have packed the house at the Larimer Lounge, Bluebird Theater and 15th St. Tavern, but Gogol frontman Eugene Hütz says that although he digs the intimate settings sometimes, the band is more suited to larger spaces.
“People don’t think about it, (but) we are a big band physically; nine people don’t fit on a small stage,” Hütz said. “We still play small venues for the claustrophobic insanity,” he added, speaking in his heavy Ukrainian accent. “We are adaptable; our whole philosophy is not demanding, but indestructible. But the full choreographic assault fits better on a large stage.”
Bring on the assault, I say. But it might be a major letdown when the crowd has to adjust to a massive energy level change, moving from Gogol Bordello’s barely controlled chaos on stage to Cake’s more sedate musical stylings. Many Cake fans may not know what to make of Gogol Bordello. Hütz, however, isn’t concerned.
“It might be a new crowd, but we are always doing our own thing,” he says. “Our band has no fear. We are equally obscene anywhere, in any circumstance.”
He even has plans to organize his own tour if he can pull together the right bands. His ideal tour mates include groups with similarly altered interpretations of global culture and rhythms: Asian Dub Foundation, Kultur Shock and Manu Chao. He’d call it the Underdog World Strike tour after Gogol Bordello’s latest album, 2005’s “Gypsy Punks Underdog World Strike.”
Hütz has every reason to feel confident. The past year has treated him extremely well. The band continues to gain momentum – they’ve been around since 1999, but the past few years have brought wide exposure. His DJ gigs, where he spins transglobal rarities as DJ Hütz, continue to impress, and his starring role in the 2005 indie flick “Everything Is Illuminated” upped his profile several more notches.
He also just got the final version of a documentary that follows his travels back to his Ukrainian, Russian and Romany roots as he brings his modern, unorthodox Gypsy music to the traditional gypsy camps in Eastern Europe (look for it at this summer’s film fests).
Though he’s still not exactly a household name, Hütz sees his success as the result of many hard years of work, and a natural progression. “I never had it easy,” he says. “We all worked hard through thick and thin. We have our own credibility and artistic solidarity now.”
Catch Gogol Bordello opening for Cake on the Unlimited Sunshine Tour on Wednesday at the Fillmore Auditorium. With Tegan & Sara, 7 p.m., 16+, $25, Ticketmaster.
Juggling acts
Local music man Mark Sundermeier has his hands full these days. His band The Trampolines is heading out for its first West Coast tour next week, hoping to turn industry heads in Hollywood before heading north toward Portland and Seattle.
On top of that, he’s just switched day jobs, from booking shows at the Soiled Dove to a similar gig handling booking at The Walnut Room, 3131 Walnut St. (The Soiled Dove closed as a music venue last weekend; look for the space to reopen as The Tavern Downtown in a few weeks, with the new Soiled Dove Underground opening in a Lowry location in the summer.)
The Walnut is celebrating its first year of operations this weekend, with two nights of talented locals hitting the stage to celebrate. Tonight, head down for Red Line Defiance, More Than Medium and Epilogue. Saturday, it’s Askimbo, Meese, The Trampolines and Russell Stafford. Both shows 8 p.m., $7, 21+, 303-292-1700.
Kat Valentine writes about nightlife Fridays in 7Days. Reach her at kat@kingproduction.com or call 303-820-1568.
