Louis Marshall-The Tortoise and the Hare

After such a tense week Gogol Bordello's performance last night at the Barby couldn't have come at a better time. Captain Eugine Hutz and his international crew mates swept us all away with gypsy punk galore and we were captivated, not wanting the night to end. It felt that the feeling was mutual and they played song after song long after the encore, just after Eugine casually invited us all to an after-party at a tiny Tel Avivian bar. They even sang along to Johnny Cash and Joe Strummer's cover of Redemption Song, very fittingly chosen as the 'lights on' number to signal the end of the show. What I liked best was the rare feeling of community, and the fact that unlike at the Rolling Stones, there weren't too many smartphones in sight-everyone was too busy dancing and enjoying the moment. But luckily there is this footage which captures the wild atmosphere. "This is a therapy session but not a conventional kind" (or something like that) Eugine said at one point and it really did feel therapeutic. After an anxious week this is exactly what we needed before going back to endless news coverage, military analyses and political debates. And it feels like the worst is yet to come...
If Gogol Bordello are pirates of the night, the members of Louis Marshall are pirates of the day, perfect companions to sunny summer daydreams. Louis Marshall began with a collaboration between longtime friends Dan Toren and Yuval Mendelson which developed into a super group with Yuval Shefrir (HaZvuvim, the Portis brothers and more), Roi Hadas (Kerach Tesha, Yali Sobol and more) and Ofer Koren (Algiers, Yermi Kaplan and more). Yuval Arel wrote that their sound is a continuation of the legendary band Tamouz and I completely agree. So refreshing and at the same time very comforting.

The deal got complicated
She didn't bother to tell me how
When and why she decided to leave
The principle is just awful
You need to hit a bull's eye
Before you divide the spoils

What's mine is now hers
What's hers stays hers
I admit I didn't make any plans
In the matinee
The lights are on in the meantime
Remains sitting
When the credits appear

There are many fish in the sea
But it's enough for a drop of blood
To wake up all the sharks
Summer sun in the sky
We're both drying in the heat
And if there's nothing more to say we'll say goodbye

Headphones on the ears
No holes in the shoes
And walking down the street is free
The punks are still there
There's no longer fire in the water
In that fountain by Yaacov Agam

I continue from here to Chile
Only if I won't have hernia
This story is heavy on my back
It moves away when approaching
And then derails
The parable of the tortoise and the hare