The Ukrainian folk band Kommuna Lux has made Port Townsend one of the stops on its fall charity tour of the United States and Canada, and the band hopes attendees of its concert at the Palindrome won’t forget to bring their dancing shoes.

Kommuna Lux, whose band name roughly translates to “communal joy,” was formed in 2014 in the streets of Odesa on the Black Sea. It has already done summer tours through the East Coast and Midwest, but this fall is the band’s first time visiting North America’s West Coast.

Since the band has made its way up from California, through Oregon, into Washington state and Canada, Volodymyr Gitin has felt overwhelmed by the experiences and friendships he’s accumulated since the start of Kommuna Lux’s 2024 tour, which has raised more than $11,000 in donations since July, enough to fund one of the Rotary Club’s hospital beds for burn victims on the front lines.

Through its 501(c)(3) nonprofit KMLX, funds raised by Kommuna Lux will go directly to the Rotary Club’s Hospital Beds for Kramatorsk project.

The band’s journey has been so hectic that Gitin said he likely wouldn’t be able to make sense of it all until he’d had a chance to sit still for a moment. He found California “amazing,” and observed that “the waters were more clear” starting in Oregon, which reminded him of the vibrant culture of his home city on the Black Sea, as Odesa has grown more diverse since Kommuna Lux’s founding.

“We have met a lot of kind people who are very supportive of Ukraine,” said Gitin, who noted the band is continuing to work with partners and supporters to provide medicine and protective equipment to organizations throughout Ukraine. “Everyone asks how they can help, so we share that with them. We also get to share our culture, through our music.”

The band consists of conservatory-trained musicians Bagrat Tsurkan on vocals, Oleg Vasianovich on accordion, Andrei Okhramovich on trumpet, Yaroslav Besh on trombone, Viktor Kirilov on acoustic guitar, Sergei Poltorak on percussion and Volodymyr Gitin on clarinet, the latter of whom spoke to The Leader for this story.

“Ten years ago, our songs were largely Russian, but Odesa has gained a mixture of other nationalities, and we’ve also explored more traditional Ukrainian music,” Gitin said. “Add to that the experiences we have gained since then, and it has given our band a unique style, that includes everything from Jewish to newer waves of influence.”

Among Kommuna Lux’s more popular songs is “7:40,” a tune from the late 1800s whose driving, rhythmic pulse evokes the propulsive forward motion of the trains that chugged into the Odesa station at 7:40 a.m. every day, from the Moldovan city of Bendery.

Kommuna Lux’s bohemian folk-derived repertoire includes a number of such songs, that seek to impart the history and spirit of the historic port town of Odesa, that’s been the target of shelling and air strikes by Russian forces on multiple occasions since the invasion of Ukraine started in February of 2022.

“Our music is high-energy, but close to the street and the people,” Gitin said. “It makes people want to get on their feet, even in places that might not be perfect for that. So if you come to see us, don’t forget your dancing shoes.”

The band sat in for a live radio interview with Buzzy Donahue at KPTZ 91.9 FM on Wednesday, Oct. 16, to help promote the 7 p.m. concert on Saturday, Oct. 26, at the Palindrome at Eaglemount Winery.Doors open at 6 p.m. and tickets are available on eventbrite.com.