Nashville is roughly 5,500 miles away from Ukraine, but the impact of the ongoing war was still on full display Thursday night.
In a blend of beautifully mixed harmonies and defiant political messaging, Ukrainian folk-punk band DakhaBrakha showcased the Ukrainian spirit that has been on display the last two years.
The concert opened in a dark room illuminated by blue lights on one side and yellow on the other, reminiscent of the Ukranian flag.
As the band began to take the stage, an uproar erupted from the crowd knowing what was to come.
And as the lights began to focus, the band's name faded into the background and the drums thumped to life.
DakhaBrakha kicked off the 12th season of Oz Arts Nashville, planned to showcase international performers “as they respond to the most urgent issues of our time,” according to OZ Arts Nashville’s website.
For their second year at OZ Arts, DakhaBrakha sold out their one-night performance, with the proceeds going towards Ukranian defenders who lost limbs in the conflict.
DakhaBrakha opened their set with songs that heavily featured drums.
As the loud thumps of the drums overtook the bands sound, largely red visuals moved on the screen behind them spinning and quickly flashing, it seemed to convey the aggression and heartbreak going on in Ukraine currently.
They later slowed their sound down that featured visuals of a child looking at different aspects of a playground, such as swing set and an open field.
The song was in remembrance of the nearly “19,000 Ukranian children that have been kidnapped by Russia from occupied territory,” which was written on the screen behind the band as they began to slowly and somberly bring their song to a close.
The band played through a set that seemed to showcase a variety of messages and musical styles, ranging from tinges of folk to vocals that seemed to convey airs of rap and classical music to guitar riffs that felt like they were pulled straight out of a blues bar.
“Their arrangements are unique, their instrumentation is quite unique, highlighting cello and various types of percussion and amazing vocal abilities and harmonies,” said Mark Murphy, the executive director at OZ Arts Nashville. “I also find that music like this takes on even greater power when it's used in service of a mission such as theirs."
As the band continued through their hour and a half set, the message seemed to transitioned to convey a story of a storm coming through and raging on.
The drums began to blare in the background, leading to a more aggressive sound.
But that soon led into a remorseful and slower beat as videos played of Ukranian defenders out in the field.
The song abruptly ended, and the imagery faded to black as “Stand with Ukraine” faded to view before they began their next section of the show focused on peace in Ukraine.
As colors and images of flowers spun behind the band, drums continued to boom, the accordions pulled and the bass plucked its final notes, the crowd jumped into a standing ovation as blue and yellow flags waved back at the band in a show of solidarity for a band that has had to travel since the war began.
“They are extraordinary musicians, so even if it wasn't topical and timely, I'd be proud to bring them to Nashville, but it is so important that we also help them to share their message of pride and independence on behalf of Ukraine,” said Murphy.
–
This article was written by Braden Simmons