Rolling Stone - USA (2020-02)

February 2020 Rolling Stone 63

HOT DESTINATION

KYIV, UKRAINE

Trump’s impeach-

ment has pushed

Ukraine into the

spotlight. What’s

unreported: The

country’s capital,

Kyiv – formerly Kiev

• has become one
  of the most-exciting
  musical scenes in

the world. “It’s a

cultural explosion,”

says indie filmmaker

Phil Strongman, who

just released the doc

Kiev Unbroken. Kyiv’s

cultural resurgence is

a reaction to the up-

rising of 2014, when

Ukrainians ousted

pro-Russian President

Viktor Yanukovych;

Putin responded

by funding a war in

east Ukraine that’s

killed 13,000. Since

then, once-dominant

Russian artists have

fallen out of favor,

leading Ukrainians

to create their own

scene. Local promot-

er Slava Lepsheev

started Cxema, illegal

raves that happen

under bridges

and in abandoned

warehouses. The art

club Closer started

throwing parties at

an old ribbon factory

in the hills, forming

a techno scene that

birthed world-re-

nowned DJs like

Nastia. Kyiv’s music

is marked by “ethnic

moods, dark techno,

and female vocals,”

says Vika Prudnyk,

who works with the

Jäger Music Awards,

a local awards show.

The scene draws

from tradition: Dakha-

Brakha uses ancient

language and chants,

and electronic duo

Onuka teamed up

with the 80-piece

folk orchestra Naomi

for a haunting live

album. And it’s

increasingly diverse:

Fo Sho is Ukraine’s

first black hip-hop

act; the female

group Panivalkova

famously opened

gigs in full traditional

garb — headgear,

long skirts — losing

layers through their

set until they were

nearly naked. “It’s a

way of giving part

of ourselves to the

audience,” explains

the trio’s Ira Luzina.

Rock is growing,

too. Brunettes Shoot
Blondes make catchy
indie rock that’s gain-
ing buzz in Europe,
while Latexfauna play
psychedelically bliss-
ful sets at Atlas Club.
Some places are even
inspired by Ukraine’s
dark past: Kyiv’s
hottest jazz club,
Barman Dictat, is a
candlelit basement
that feels like a dun-
FR geon. MELISSA ROSSI
OM

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WN

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PH

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E

VERY NOVEMBER, more than a dozen

top musicians from Portland, Maine,

take over the local State Theatre for

an ambitious trip back in time: They play a

Beatles album in full. This year, it was the

White Album; bandleader Spencer Albee sang

“Martha My Dear,” backed by precise orches-

tration, and even invited friends and crew to

act out “Revolution 9.” “It’s a love fest,” says

Albee, a songwriter who started the event in

a bar 17 years ago. This year, they packed the

1,700- capacity theater for three nights and

employed almost 40 people. “I can’t tell you

how many people have had their first concert

experience with us,” Albee says. “We’ve even

had people propose at our shows.”

Beatles Night is just one example of how

seriously Portland takes its music. “I’ve

never lived in a city with this much talent,”

says Lauren Wayne, general manager of the

The smaller Portland is being flooded with exciting venues and

artists taking big risks — “They might not be killing it financially,”

says one venue manager. “You live here because you love it”

PORTLAND, MAINE

company that owns the State. “I get friggin’

emotional about it.” When Wayne moved to

Portland in 2001, the scene was “way smaller.”

But now, more than a dozen venues have

opened in the past decade (not to mention

restaurants: Bon Appétit named it the top

food scene in the country in 2018). The

industry is paying attention — NYC promoters

Bowery Presents chose Portland as its first

city outside of New York to operate venues in.

BEST GIG WITH A VIEW

Thompson’s Point was an abandoned railroad

yard overlooking Portland harbor that the

State Theatre turned into a gorgeous outdoor

spot; Maggie Rogers sold it out twice. “It’s the

best place to see the sunset in Portland,” says

Wayne, adding that artists love playing there

for the free lobster rolls and oysters.

HOMETOWN HEROES

Rustic Overtones, the ambitious punk-soul

crew — led by gravel-voiced frontman Dave

Gutter — have a catalog that locals know by

heart. The band was signed to Arista in the

late Nineties and even recorded with David

Bowie (stream the great “Sector Z”). But after

two major-label deals fell apart, they broke up

(“It’s a comedy of errors,” says Gutter). Rustic

reunited in 2007 and still play; check out their

excellent, career-spanning Mood Box.

BEST AFTER-SHOW HANG

Portland’s Old Port is full of exciting places to

drink, like Novare Res, which has a 300-beer

menu. For real local flavor, head to Howie’s

Pub, a low-key neighborhood bar with darts

and jalapeño poppers. PATRICK DOYLE

Rustic

Overtones’

Dave Gutter

(left) and

Jon Roods

Best Small

Clubs

ONE

LONGFELLOW

SQUARE

Psych artist

Jeff Beam

books

forgotten

rock legends.

PORT CITY

BLUE

The vibe-y

room hosts

jazz jams

that can run

for hours.

Outside

the State

Albee (left)

and his band

the Walrus

backstage

during Beatles

Night at the

State Theatre