This concludes the musical section of the 2025 Restoration Project!

I got introduced to the music of Gogol Bordello through one of my roommates, Daniel Trotta, in 2005.  I became an instant life-long fan.  Coincidentally, a few months later, I heard they would be doing a show nearby.  I’m not sure why Eugene Hutz and his motley band of gypsies decided on performing in Park City, Utah, but I knew I had to be there.  

I had no faith that I’d get clearance to shoot a big name touring band, so my intention was to just attend the event and enjoy it.  Then my friend Mike Snyder came into the picture; he played bass in quite a few Salt Lake City bands, and on the studio recordings for The Downers.  He was more of a behind-the-scenes engineer. The two of us had behaved irresponsibly on several occasions, and got to know each other.   

He also doubled as a concert promoter… And happened to be in charge of the upcoming ‘Bordello’.  He got me in the door, with full clearance.  A rare light shined down.  Now I needed to get busy and not fuck it up.  I had my brother on the second camera.  His station was further back and above the crowd, to get the stable shots I couldn’t, being pressed against the stage by a wild crowd.   

The Panasonic AG-DVX100’s were still the best in those days.  They never failed me.  Snyder was operating the venues dynamic lighting rig, and our lenses handled it well.  I had the best audio engineer I knew, Dave Marshall, on deck.  I found I never worried about anything when Dave was around.  He also taught guided meditation, and I took his classes.  Club Suede had an interesting vibe, located in Kimball Junction, slightly outside of the city.  They were shutdown at the end of the following year.    

I don’t think the footage needs much commentary.  It’s unforgettable.  I trusted my intuition and just rolled with it.  I chose to always keep members of the audience between the cameras and the stage, to ramp up the energy even more.  

*

A few weeks after I finished editing the video (I uploaded it to a thing called YouTube, which was still in its infancy), I was roaming the streets late at night with Snyder.  We got invited to a house party.  I’d never been to that address before, and didn’t recognize anyone there.  But, in the living room, there was a group of people huddled around a tv screen.  They were watching my movie.  It stunned me. 

Mike got their attention, and announced:

“Hey, y’all, do you know who this guy is?” he asked, pointing at me.  

“No.” They said, shrugging their shoulders.

“He’s the guy that made the show you’re watching”, he stated.

They all turned and looked at me.  After a pause, they said, “Thank you.  This is awesome!” 

I expressed my gratitude.  Then, I turned around and walked back out of the house.  I stood alone on the front porch for a while, in the dark.  And I cried.  

I couldn’t hold it back.  I let go, and I cried. 

*

Back to 2025 – Eugene and his band are currently fighting the good fight, bringing awareness to the war in Ukraine, with their new music documentary ‘Scream Of My Blood: A Gogol Bordello Story’

Celebrate your friends, everyone.

The living and the dead.