I subjected Mike to it, I think he probably thinks I'm crazier than he did before...  which is nothing new, I constantly prove others to be underestimating the bizarre aspects of me ;-)  He summed it up as a punk polka style music.  I suppose it fits ok.  I hear a lot of the gypsy in this band, but it's not the traditional Hungarian music that I've heard before.  It's obviously evolved from gypsy roots, but it's no longer that same thing.  I like finding music that is utterly new to me and this fits the bill.

They're very politically charged, which I also like.  The lyrics are very poignant, but I have to read them several times to really get it with the music.  The Ukrainian accent is unusual enough for me that I struggle just a little bit.  Scroll down on the lyrics page and check out the words to Track 8, Oh No.

Here's my thing.  I don't care if you're Republican or Democrat.  I don't care if you call yourself Liberal or Conservative or any one of the middle ground labels.  I mean, we may not see eye to eye depending on your chosen label, but it's unlikely we'll see eye to eye on everything anyway. 

All I ask is that you think for yourself.  All I ask is that you not be a sheep, following the shepherd of the moment.  All I ask is that you not be a parrot, spewing words you feel you *should* believe because of who said it, as opposed to what the words actually mean.  All I ask is that you not sleep through the politics that are affecting your life, whether you realize it or not.

I ask that you THINK.  I ask that you talk about it with people around you, whether they agree with you or not.  I demand that you vote or shut the hell up.  You don't have to vote for the lesser of two evils, at least not in NYS.  Write in what you really want, even if it's an Anarchistic government.  But vote or shut the hell up about what goes on around you.  You have no room to complain if you're not even using your Constitutionally-granted right to participate.

Not only do I ask this of those who agree with my views, but I ask this of those who do not.  In fact, I may even ask MORE of those who disagree with how I feel, if for no other reason than I want to know that the beliefs that I don't hold have been thought through and can be justified through means beyond "Well, So-and-So-Bigwig said that this is what we all should think."  That is simply not an option here.  We are supposed to be a nation of free thinkers.  We are supposed to be the pinnacle of freedom and democracy, so why the hell can't we even seem to think for ourselves?

These are thoughts that I have periodically, usually as Election Day approaches, now that I don't hang out with the very extreme political activists that I used to.  I find it rather amusing that this latest outpouring was prompted by Gypsy Punk and Ukrainian immigrants.

I think I need to see this band live.

~FG };^>