San Diego, CA–After some doubt about whether the band would be trapped in Ukraine by the Russian invasion, La Jolla Music Society will present the Ukrainian folk “ethno-chaos” group DakhaBrakha on April 22 at The Conrad in La Jolla.
Attendees will have the opportunity to donate to relief efforts in Ukraine or to directly support the band, whose members left families in Ukraine.
The band members, Marko Halanevych (vocals, goblet drum, tabla, didgeridoo, harmonica, accordion, cajón, jaw harp), Olena Tsybulska (vocals, percussion), Iryna Kovalenko (vocals, djembe, flute, buhay, piano, ukulele, zgaleyka, accordion), and Nina Garenetska (vocals, cello) were caught up in the war but were finally able to leave their country safely and are currently on tour in the U.S.
“We’re glad to support them, as artists from the Ukraine and refugees from their homeland, and we hope their tour will help connect Americans more personally with the lives and culture of an unfairly attacked people,” added Rosenthal.
“All members of our band are safe, if not the majority of Ukrainians,” Halanevych and Tsybulska said in a recent statement posted to Facebook. “Our country is firmly opposed to Russian aggression. We protect our freedom and democracy. But your support and your understanding are very important to us.”
A platform has emerged where the public can choose how to support the band’s cause at https://www.prorizne.org.
The public can help band members and their families directly through a fund set up by SFJAZZ: https://www.sfjazz.org/support/donations/dakhabrakha-fund/
The fund will remain active through April 27, with 100% of the funds going directly to the band to support their families during this crisis. This is not a 501(c)3.
A sonic feast as well as a visual spectacle, Kyiv-based DakhaBrakha weaves ancient Ukrainian folk melodies into a subversive musical tapestry that embraces indie rock, pop, hip hop, the avant-garde, and traditional instrumentation from around the world. With a name (ДахаБраха) that translates as “give/take” in old Ukrainian, the quartet began over a decade ago as the musical component of avant-garde stage performances at the Dakh Theater in Kyiv, cementing their unique visual image and signature theatrics.
