More than 40 gifted young musicians from Ukraine are continuing their education through the Phoenix Music Academy in Dortmund, Germany. By Alexander …
Academy enables gifted Ukrainian musicians to continue their dreams
I recently made a post called “Listen for a Cause” where I encouraged readers to do a little research into the Ukrainian music scene which has been interrupted by the Russian invasion. Prior to that, it was disrupted by Covid like the rest of the world.
As the war drags on, those of us who want to support our brothers and sisters in the Ukraine may be looking for new and creative ways to do so. I’ve been encouraging people to go YouTube, Spotify, Bandcamp, and other streaming services to give Ukrainian artists a boost. Perhaps this will help provide them with steady income while it is difficult to book gigs.
If you want to help here are some simple and fun steps, you can take right now to help.
Listen to music from Ukraine -Seek out Ukrainian artists on Spotify, YouTube, or the streaming service of your choice. If you are unfamiliar with Ukrainian music, you might not know where to start. Below is a playlist of artists I’ve been listening to start there and when you hear something you like please listen to more songs by that artist. I’ve also been publishing a series called Hasty Music Reviews. Each post gives a brief description of a Ukrainian song and I compare it to Western artists. If you like the artist I mention, then there’s a good chance you may enjoy the artist featured in the post.
Reflect on the music – You can listen passively if you want, but ultimately, you’re going to want to convince others to check out the great tunes you found. That will be easier if you know exactly why you liked it. How did the song make you feel? How is it like music you enjoy? Do you have any friends or family that you think would enjoy it too?
Spread the Word – Streaming services pay fractions of a penny per stream, so to have any significant effect we need to get lots of people listening. Be a social media influencer and spread the word about the great music you find. Reach out the influencers you follow and ask them to post about their favorite Ukrainian artists too.
There are many great ways you can do this.
1. Write posts on social media about the great bands you find.
2. Share playlists of your favorite songs.
3. Create your own original content like blogs, music reviews, reaction videos, lyric videos, or cover versions.
4. Create a hashtag and follow hashtags created by others like #Music4Ukraine.
5. Reach out to friends and encourage them to do the same in real life and online.
6. Ask social media influencers to join the cause.
Purchase Merch – I know times are tough for many folks around the world. Many people trimming back their discretionary spending around the globe, but you can always consider spending money on albums, shirts, posters, or other merchandise if you are able and willing to do so.
Concluding Thoughts
I sincerely hope you’ll join me supporting the people of Ukraine. I hope you’ll reach back to me and recommend your favorite songs to me so I can check them out, and I’ll continue to do the same for you.
We don’t have to limit ourselves to just supporting Ukrainian musicians. In this particular case we’re using music to support musicians, so it’s easy and natural. However, I’m sure with a little creativity you can adapt this model to support any social cause. I hope you’ll take the idea and run with it and let music inspire you to make the world a better place.
I’ve been doing this series for several days now and I’m really loving learning more about the music and people of Ukraine. I hope those of you who read this blog are listening to the tunes and recommending them to your friends. Hopefully we can send these tremendously talented musicians a little support through our viewership.
Typically in these posts I give a brief description of what you’re about to hear and try to encourage readers to listen to songs based on similar Western artists. I’m not going to do that this time. I could draw parallels to some important and beloved artists, but this time I’d rather just encourage all of you to listen to the track below. (If you’re the type of creator that is inclined to do a Reaction Video, please record yourself as you listen for the first time. I promise, you will thank me for giving you the heads up.)
“Pisces” is an absolutely hauntingly beautiful and brutally powerful song that needs to be experienced. I will warn you that it gets pretty heavy, and some of you may not normally be inclined to listen to music like this but please listen through to the end. It is a musical rollercoaster and it is absolutely worth the ride.
If you like this song, please check out more tracks from Jinjer. I’ve been listening all week and I keep finding more and more to love about them. “Judgement (& Punishment)” is one that I highly recommend. The reggae influence is unique in metal and in my opinion it is something other artists should consider experimenting with.
Also, I found a few clips of them talking about the war that you may want to check out.
Some of you may be trying to support Ukrainian musicians with the #Music4Ukraine Challenge, but maybe you don’t know where to start. I’m here to help. The playlist below has tons of great songs you should check out from a variety of musical styles. When you find something you love, please share it with others!
Some of you may be trying to support Ukrainian musicians with the #Music4Ukraine Challenge, but maybe you don’t know where to start. I will be publishing a series of mini blog posts about some of the great Ukrainian music I’ve been listening to and I’ll give tips about the types of listeners I think might enjoy it. If that description matches you, then I hope you’ll dig further into the artist to learn more and share what you find with your music-loving friends!
“Up In The Sky”
By Somali Yacht Club
If you’re looking for other great Ukrainian music I encourage you check out the playlist below. As I find more tunes I’ll add them there and I plan on publishing more “Hasty Music Reviews” like this to help you find the artist that bests suits your style. Also, if you’re interested in learning more about #Music4Ukraine be sure to check out my Listen for A Cause post.
Some of you may be trying to support Ukrainian musicians with the #Music4Ukraine Challenge, but maybe you don’t know where to start. I will be publishing a series of mini blog posts about some of the great Ukrainian music I found and I’ll give tips about the types of listeners I think might enjoy it. Be sure to listen to the song below and if you like it share it with your loved ones.
“I’m the Mountain”
By Stoned Jesus
If you’re looking for other great Ukrainian music I encourage you check out the playlist below. As I find more tunes I’ll add them there and I plan on publishing more “Hasty Reviews” like this to help you find the artist that bests suits your style. Also, if you’re interested in learning more about #Music4Ukraine be sure to check out my Listen for A Cause post.
Some of you may be trying to support Ukrainian musicians with the #Music4Ukraine Challenge, but maybe you don’t know where to start. I’m here to help. I will be publishing a series of mini blog posts about some of the great Ukrainian music I’ve found and I’ll give tips about the types of listeners I think might enjoy it. If that description matches you, then I hope you’ll dig further into the artist to learn more and share what you find with your music-loving friends!
“Picnic in Tchernobyl“
By Yom
Here is a live version from the Yom Official Youtube page.
If you’re looking for other great Ukrainian music I encourage you check out the playlist below. As I find more tunes I’ll add them there and I plan on publishing more “Hasty Reviews” like this to help you find the artist that bests suits your style. Also, if you’re interested in learning more about #Music4Ukraine be sure to check out my Listen for A Cause post.
All of us have a tremendous potential to influence the opinions and choices of others. This has never been truer than during the age of social media. Posting on our social media pages helps those in our real-life social circles and social media circles to understand what we believe is important, what brings us joy, and what we despise. While it may seem like it is difficult to change the minds of people who disagree with us, it is very easy to amplify our positions with those who already agree with us. This is sometimes referred to as an “echo chamber” and it’s frequently used by nefarious causes to divide us. However, occasionally, it’s used for positive causes like the Ice Bucket Challenge. It demonstrated how people can ban together and use the megaphone given to us by social media to improve our world and in the process manage to have a little fun.
I’m hoping I can use this blog to inspire you to use your voice to support the musicians of Ukraine. In doing so, we can show the nation of Ukraine that we support them in their struggle against the Russian invasion. Perhaps, if enough of us participate, we can send a message to Putin and the Russian people that we are united against this unlawful and unjustified invasion of a sovereign nation.
I’m not going to ask for your money (although I’m sure there are plenty of charities like the Red Cross that would benefit from your generous contribution). What I ask of you will be simple, enjoyable, and you will learn something. You can participate without ever leaving your home. You will not need to dump ice over your head (although you can if you want!) All you will need is a computer or smartphone with an internet connection and a few minutes of time, and an open mind when it comes to listening to music.
If you’re like me, you have probably never spent much time listening to Ukrainian Music. There is more than enough music here in my own community without needing to branch out to other parts of the world. The radio stations here don’t play Ukrainian music and the algorithms don’t suggest Ukrainian music to me. If I don’t actively seek it out, I would probably never find it. Luckily, it is easier than ever to find new music if you seize control back from the algorithm and do your own manual searches.
I started thinking about this amplifying effect of social media on the Billboard charts recently, after seeing a video made by Music is Win on YouTube discussing Metallica’s recent rise up the charts with their song “Master of Puppets” after being featured on “Stranger Things.” If you haven’t heard, this song was released in the 1980s, long before Metallica found mainstream success. It is charting now, some thirty years later, in large part due to the social media explosion. I understand Kate Bush is also experiencing another significant bump in popularity due to the same Stranger Things Effect. Music is featured in tv and movies all the time, and rarely does it cause a song to chart three decades after it was released. However, social media chatter- well that’s a different thing entirely.
So, let’s capitalize on that. Let’s start a global conversation about Ukrainian music. I encourage you to seek out Ukrainian musical artists and find some that you love. When you find something wonderful, be sure to share it with others that have similar musical taste. If you like punk music, just google “Ukrainian Punk Music” then go to your favorite streaming service and check them out. Be sure to share links with your friends and be sure to listen to the songs your friends recommend to you. If you feel compelled, purchase merchandise albums from the artist and put some money back in their pockets.
This war has been going on for months, it may go on for many more. Perhaps you’ve already made donations, or taken other actions to support the besieged Ukrainians, but maybe you’re looking for something more to do and you’re hitting a brick wall of ideas. This may be a simple way to show your support without spending any money.
I doubt many Ukrainians have the time to think about global music trends right now but think of the pride they would feel knowing that the world is taking interest in the culture in a show of unity. That may give them amount of solace and we owe that to them.
Life for everyone in Ukraine has been upended, not the least of which are the musicians. It can’t be easy to book shows in a war zone, so I imagine many of their careers are stalled either because the venues are unsafe, or because the musicians are actively fighting as part of the resistance.
Although the money made by musicians on streaming services may be modest, we may be able to drum up enough interest to help financial support artists through the months to come.
Even though, much of the live music may have slowed, we can still help the artists by helping to build their fanbase and their reputation internationally. Hopefully when the war is over, they will be able capitalize on any boost of fame that comes of this.
This war, like all wars, has a shelf-life. At some point, the countries involved will no longer support the economic and/or political costs of the war. Putin has no doubt calculated that he has the capability to outlast NATOs interest in the war. He’s betting that high gas prices, global inflation, and a world population that is weary from COVID, will wear us all down and support for the Ukraine will dwindle over time.
We can and/should frequently remind Putin that we stand unified with Ukraine. Many national governments are doing so using sanctions, subsidizing the Ukrainian military, or taking other actions, but we have an opportunity to send this message ourselves without the help of our governments. This message may be very powerful to Putin if he sees the people of the world are uniting against him.
Much of the world has aligned in opposition to Russia’s invasion, but there are still some countries that are within Russia’s sphere of influence that have not done so yet. If you live in these countries, and you believe that sovereign countries should not be invaded by imperialist nations, this may be one way you can support the cause even if your government cannot or will not do the same.
Think of the tremendous message it would send to Putin and the world if a band like Somali Yacht Club were to hit number one on the charts. Maybe this will sneak past Putin’s censors and help diminish the political support that Putin still has within Russia.
There is a lot of speculation about why Putin has chosen to cause such misery and destruction. Some believe that he’s trying to create a buffer between Russia and Europe/NATO, while others believe his goal is genocide. All any of us can do is guess as to what the despot’s true intentions are.
If genocide is Putin’s goal, then he no doubt will try to eliminate elements of Ukrainian cultural relevance. We can combat this directly by purchasing CDs, LPs, T-shirts, and other Ukrainian musical artifacts and distributing them around the world. Spreading Ukrainian culture will really upset the Russian War Machine… that’s reason enough for me.
I’ll post some instructions shortly with specific actions you can take to bring this idea to life. For that to work though, I need you to start listening to Ukrainian music ASAP so that you can find the best tunes in your favorite genres. Here are a few other things you can do in the meantime:
If you’re not sure where to start, check out the playlist below. It’s a bit of a hodge podge of genres of and artists. I through this together and haven’t even curated it yet so I’ll refine it as I learn more.
One band that I’ve spent a little time checking out is DakhaBrakha. I really encourage you to check them out. I believe technically their sound is derived from Ukrainian folk music, but I heard elements of hip-hop, ambient rock music, and R&B in their sound. It’s very impressive the sounds they get from traditional instruments.)
One last tip- go at this with an open mind. Unless you speak Ukrainian, you may not understand what they singers are saying. Don’t let that be an obstacle, I’ve already found a lot of incredibly moody and ambient music that is extremely powerful, even without knowing what is being sung. Treat the voice like any other instrument and have fun!
Plan M: Finding Joy in Music Blog 