DakhaBrakha will present a free concert on Sunday, September 7, 2014 from 1-3:PM at the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival in San Francisco
They presented their debut concert in Mexico on August 13, 2014. They also appeared in Philadelphia, Cleveland, Detroit, and Chicago on their USA tour this summer.
DakhaBrakha’s accordion, bass drum, mouth harp, and cello reveal both love of tradition and post-modern punk defiance. The quartet’s astonishingly powerful and uncompromising vocal range create songs that are steeped in Ukrainian folk tradition but not bounded by it; they deploy the piercing vocal harmonies of Balkan music, the drones and systematic unfolding of Minimalism, and the drive of African dance music.
Founded by former underground theater performers, the self-proclaimed “ethno-chaos group” possesses an incredible stage presence that transcends its eclectic repertoire and instrumentation.
The hometown of Dakhabrakha is Kiev, UA. From their Facebook page: “DakhaBrakha was created in 2004 at the Kyiv Center of Contemporary Art “DAKH” by the avant-garde theatre director – Vladyslav Troitskiy. Theatre work has left its mark on the band performances – their shows have never been staged without the scenic effects.
Having experimented with Ukrainian folk music, the band has added rhythms of the surrounding world into their music, thus creating bright, unique and unforgettable image of DakhaBrakha. Ukrainian folk music and songs will surely benefit from the overtones of another music, cultures and styles. It will help to open up the potential of Ukrainian melodies and to bring it to the hearts and consciousness of the younger generation in Ukraine and the rest of the world as well.
The name is original, outstanding and authentic at the same time.
DakhaBrakha means “give/take” in the old Ukrainian language.
The meaning of “giving” is obvious – to give music, joy, celebration, the whole spectrum of emotions, feelings and reflections that fresh music and singing bring with itself.
But where “to take” from? The energy can be taken not only from a native “source” but from anywhere…Modern ethnic music needs a sort of reconstruction and in a way it means to search roots, to move back in time.”
Members of the group are:
Marko Halanevych – vocals, darbuka, tabla, didjeridoo, accordion Iryna Kovalenko – vocals, djembe, bass drums, accordion, percussion, bugay, zgaleyka, piano
Olena Tsibulska – vocals, bass drums, percussion
Nina Garenetska – vocals, cello, bass drum
Iryna Gorban – manager
E-mail: dakhabrakha@ukr.net
