Putin Beware

Even Mongolia, the land of windswept steppes, pristine lakes and snow-capped mountains, has its urban centers. Pictured above is the thriving city of Olgii with its spectacular mountain backdrop. Only thirty thousand people live there today, but it is easy to see that not too far away, lies some beautiful wilderness areas.

Outside of the few cities, most of the land in Mongolia exists in endless grasslands and prairies, often called steppes in that part of the world. From this strange place that once produced terrifying,and marauding horsemen, now comes a talented group of highly energetic folk metal bands that are quickly becoming frequent visitors on the European summer concert scene.

One of the most recently-formed bands is called Uuhai. Named after a style of unison chanting, Uuhai mixes traditional Mongolian music with electic guitars and a modern rock'nRoll drum set. On the traditional side you will find Mongollian drums, two-string horsehead fiddles and unmistakable throat-singing. The end result is a highly energetic, mesmerizing stage performance that makes you glad that these guys left their horses and weapons back in Mongolia. The trade-off is World Music that strikes like a fresh mountain wind storm.

Check them out.

Mongolia Today

Uuhai Visits Poland

The Poland'and'Rock event is a huge rock and roll festival (Europe's largest non-commercial venue) that takes place every year in Poland. The eclectic array of World Music is free and draws hundreds of thousands of avid music fans from all over the world. In essence, it's the European Woodstock.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the festival, illustrating just how long Poland has been free from Soviet domination. (add five years to be exact) Last year in August, while the Ukraine-Russia War was still raging, Uuhai, a popular and highly energized Mongolian hard rock band appeared at the Polish musical festival. They brought with them their legendary, all-male warrior stage presence and figuratively-speaking, tore the house down. Now seven months later, in nearby Moscow, real militants, who perhaps couldn't carry a tune or play a note, burned the house down, literally.

Featured below is a video of Uuhai's energizing performance at the at the former Czaplinek-Broczyno Airfield in Northwestern Poland. Check it out, especially if you want a better grasp, as to what is going on in Poland, which just may be the most anti-Soviet nation on the planet.

Olgii is a small city in Mongolia.