Gypsies from Down Under: Barons of Tang and "St. Vitus' Dance"

The first Australian band to appear as the tune of the day is certainly an interesting one. You might have expected something by Aboriginal peoples and incorporating didigeridoos, or something that sounds like more in the spirit of Colin Hay. But what you are getting is a self-described "Gypsy deathcore" band who has been described (and this is a great description) "a band with too many instruments and too much creativity, like an Indian deity with option anxiety." I love that!

The fact is that Balkan music is hot right now. In New Mexico, a local band made good is Beirut which has succeeded partly on its Balkan-style music. Another band with local ties, A Hawk and a Hacksaw, has also received good reviews for its music based on Middle Eastern and Balkan music. A recent documentary, Brasslands, follows three bands (one from the United States) as they attempt to win the best brass band international competition at the Guča Trumpet Festival in Serbia. Balkan music has taken Europe by storm, especially as it has been remixed into club dance music. It seems that in the regrowth of the war-torn Balkans, their music has served as a major force in bringing together disparate cultures as a part of internal healing and for helping restore Balkan countries' international reputations. Balkan music has been incorporated into many genres, but perhaps the most driving and intense has been the punk movement. I first heard gypsy punk when I was introduced to Gogol Bordello and his music. Not long after, I discovered Barons of Tang from Australia while looking for music for the Global Music Show. While Balkan music for me has been an acquired taste, I have enjoyed the morsels I have gotten.

Barons of Tang started out in 2007 playing for local underground theater and circus troupes. They soon forged their "gypsy deathcore" sound that mixes tango, rockabilly, metal and gypsy music. They play nationally in Australia and more recently internationally, crisscrossing the globe with wild abandon. They are described as creating joyous mental bedlam. St. Vitus' Dance is from their 2010 CD Knots and Tangles.