2 THE OPENING ACT APRIL 20�27, 2022 STAFF follow us ONLINE www.goeasternoregon.com TWITTER twitter.com/GoEasternOregon FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/ goeasternoregon INSTAGRAM www.instagram.com/ goeasternoregon contact us Lisa Britton Go! Editor editor@goeasternoregon.com 541-406-5274 Sarah Smith Calendar Coordinator calendar@goeasternoregon.com SUBMIT NEWS Submit your event information by Monday for publication the What we’re into JINJER, THE BEST OF UKRAINE With the war in Ukraine raging, I felt it best to spotlight what I believe is the best music com- ing out of the war-torn country. This leads me to Jinjer, a four- piece metal band from Donetsk in Eastern Ukraine. According to the band’s biography on their website, Jinjer originally formed in 2009. However, the current mem- bers regard 2010 as the offi cial year they formed following the addition of guitarist Roman Ibramkhalilov and fi re-breathing lead singer Tatiana Shmailyuk. The beauty of Jinjer is their abil- ity to blend Shmailyuk’s clean vo- cals and frighteningly satisfying growls with their many musical infl uences. Shmailyuk’s growls can be off -putting for some, but they shouldn’t be. In separate inter- views with Revolver Magazine and Blabbermouoth.net, the band members have named Lamb of God, Death, Pantera, Slayer and Gojira as inspirations. A separate piece by LAWeekly. com mentions R&B, reggae, funk and jazz acts as inspirations as well. There is something for ev- erybody when analyzing Jinjer’s musical style. They somehow manage to blend all those musi- cal and lyrical infl uences to- New releases ‘PAINT THIS TOWN,’ OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW following week (two weeks in advance is even better!). Go! Magazine is published Wednesdays in the  Wallowa County Chieftain and Blue Mountain Eagle. It publishes Thursdays in The Observer, Baker City Herald and East Oregonian. ADVERTISING AND SUBSCRIPTIONS Baker City Herald 541-523-3673 The Observer 541-963-3161 East Oregonian 541-276-2211 Wallowa County Chieftain 541-426-4567 Blue Mountain Eagle 541-575-0710 Hermiston Herald 541-567-6457 RAISING THE CURTAIN ON THIS WEEK’S ISSUE Due to the group’s name, good-timey tempos and comi- cally frantic vocals, Old Crow Medicine Show can be mis- taken for a hee-hawing string band not to be taken seriously. All of which makes the Nash- ville-based group’s new album deceptive in its delights. “Paint This Town” is indeed a party starter, but there are also powerful songs about racism, drugs, the abolitionist move- ment, environmental degrada- tion and the Mississippi flag. “Painkiller” captures the desperation of addiction, and “Used to Be a Mountain” turns angry as it describes an The Associated Press abused landscape. “DeFord Rides Again,” sung by drummer Jerry Pentecost, pays tribute to pioneering but long-forgot- ten Black country music artist DeFord Bailey. While the band delivers Temenity Pronov Jinjer is a four-piece metal band from Donetsk in Eastern Ukraine. gether into something that is all together their own style. A March 3 article by the BBC announced Jinjer is suspend- ing their musical pursuits to aid in the war eff ort in Ukraine. The band was set to begin a U.S. tour this month but have canceled all scheduled concert dates. Get on YouTube, open Spotify or what- ever and type “Jinjer.” You’ll prob- ably see “I Speak Astronomy” or “Pisces.” Those two songs are a great introduction to the band. If you’re intrigued by what you hear, listen further. those tunes at a furious pace, “New Mississippi Flag” is a bold ballad that movingly summa- rizes the state’s complicated history in three minutes as it recalls “rattling chains” and those “who died on the road to change.” Old Crow does find time for fun. Secor is delightfully ham- my singing about divorce on “Bombs Away,” and the album opens and closes with joyful foot-stompers. This medicine show’s passion and energy are a potent tonic, especially on songs about right and wrong. — JUSTIN DAVIS, BLUE MOUNTAIN EAGLE — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS