On Episode 129 of Punk Rock Pariah, Greg & Grendel have an hour-long conversation with “Mira” from the street punk band Bezlad from Kharkiv, Ukraine, about their journey to escape the bombing of their city by Russian forces.  Mira offers insights into the day-to-day experiences of people amidst the ongoing war.

A call to aid from Greg:
My dear Ukrainian friends in the band Bezlad from Kharkiv have written five songs during the war while fleeing the bombings in Ukraine. These songs have been written about the war and what it has been like for them. Having gotten to relative safety, they are looking to record these songs near Lviv, Ukraine. I asked if it was safe to record there, and their reply was, “Yes, the bombs only fall here every week or two.” I feel that their songs, written in the midst of war, are some of the most essential songs hardcore/punk could possibly produce right now. The rest of us can write ABOUT war, but Bezlad has been living it. As fellow artists, I want them to be supported as they create these new recordings. I offered to pay for the first ten hours of their recording session ($20 per hour) and am looking for donations to cover the rest. Recording, mixing, and mastering the entire record will cost $1200 total, so we are seeking $1000 in total donations.   Since the band can’t receive PayPal payments, and as a single bank wire would be easiest for them, we agreed that I will accept donations via Paypal and Venmo (donation info is in the comments below). Then I will send receipts for every donation to the band along with a bank wire for the total amount.   Any donations above and beyond that $1000 will go to our friends from the Kharkiv music community who are fighting on the front lines to buy them the defensive gear they need.   PAYPAL:  https://paypal.me/bezlad?country.x=US&locale.x=en_US VENMO: @gregbennick 
(PLEASE be sure to put "Ukraine" in the notes!)