Capital Concert Series Featuring Gogol Bordello

Since 1999, international punk band Gogol Bordello, led by Ukrainian frontman Eugene Hütz, has been filling up rooms with an energy that could run a whole city. Their latest album "Solidaritine" is no exception, going back to their hardcore roots. The band has lit up stages around the world alongside System of a Down, Primus, Rancid, Dropkick Murphys, dueted with Regina Spektor, appeared in films such as Liev Schreiber’s "Everything Is Illuminated" with Elijah Wood and Filth and "Wisdom" helmed by Madonna, and cut albums with legends Rick Rubin and Steve Albini. Russia's war in Ukraine is personal for Eugene & the band, who have been tirelessly advocating for Ukrainian solidarity, partnering with Nova Ukraine, ArtDopomoga, and beyond. In 2023, the documentary "Scream of My Blood: A Gogol Bordello Story" (Executive Producer Liev Schreiber) had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, taking home a Special Jury Mention for Best New Documentary Director Award.

Traditionalists or progressives? Fronted by the charismatic Jamaican-born singer and songwriter Nee Nee Rushie, the seven-piece New York band The Big Takeover plays original music that is rooted in and reverent toward the genres and rhythms of Jamaican pop: reggae, rocksteady, ska. They are devotees of Desmond Dekker and the way the old school did it. At the same time, The Big Takeover crosses lines and blends traditions like global pop fusionists. Their deceptively complex arrangements and big hooks connect with the spirit of Motown and the uptown sophistication of the 21st century retro soul and R&B revival scene.