Electrifying Paris to Kyiv

By Nestor Gula

I knew this was going to be a unique performance by Paris to Kyiv when I spotted an electric guitar on stage.

Is this a new direction? Will Paris to Kyiv rock out the joint? Will people walk out of the hall? Will they be screaming “Judas”? Will there be “boos”? This is what happened when Bob Dylan chose to go electric for a performance at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965.

These fears were put to rest when the guitarist, Richard Moody, started strumming some sweet notes on the modestly amplified guitar. No one left.

The sound was different but still had all the hallmarks of what one would expect from Paris to Kyiv – an earthy Ukrainian urban-folk melange.

The show, on 21 October at the Jane Mallett Theatre in Toronto, marked the start of a two-week tour to launch their newest release, Fragmenti. Besides the single show in Toronto, the tour took them to Ottawa, Montreal, North Bay, Sudbury and even all the way to Iqaluit in Nunavut (located on the remote Arctic tundra).

Paris to Kyiv have a new makeup every album and, seemingly, every tour. The core of Paris to Kyiv remains vocalist Alexis Kochan and bandurist, flautist and vocalist Julian Kytasty. They were in fine form, entertaining the audience with exquisite renditions of their new material as well as a selection from previous albums. Richard Moody, guitar, violin, viola and even some vocals, has been with Paris to Kyiv for a few years. New members are bassist (both electric and contrabass) Paul Yee, guitarist Rodrigo Munoz, and percussionist Christian Dugas. It was actually nice to hear percussion in the Paris to Kyiv performance as this element was absent the last time I saw them.

Before the performance of nearly every number, Kochan gave a brief but informative introduction about the song's historical roots, offering some trivia about it and explaining how it came about that it became a part of the Paris to Kyiv repertoire.

The question of whether a bandura could groove along with an electric guitar was answered half-way through the first set as Moody started playing a bluesy riff and Kytasty played along on the bandura. This song, called “Trans-Siberian Blues,” appears on the new CD. There were many other highlights of the show, but what struck me the most was the effect on the audience and atmosphere that was created in the hall. The effect of the music was such that one forgot about the rest of the audience and had a personal interaction with the musicians on the stage. This transposition happened during every song and was only broken when the applause started after a significant pause at the conclusion of a song.

Paris to Kyiv like to reinvent themselves from disc to disc, from tour to tour. The sound is familiar because of the enchanting vocals delivered by Kochan and the inspired music from Kytasty. But the sound is different because of the skilled arrangements and the feel of the music presented.

It is a great pleasure to experience this progression because Paris to Kyiv has never been predictable nor has it ever disappointed an audience. Paris to Kyiv’s music is a treasure.

Fragmenti is available at most music retailers and at www.Olesia.com