Darka Dusty
Detroit
Darka Dusty was born in Detroit to a Ukrainian-American family, then spent years in New York and a few in London.
- Chervona Ruta festival prize, 1989
- Four albums with Darka & Slavko
- Voice, accordion, keys
- Leads the Borshch Beatniks
“We're called the singing nation. When you get Ukrainians together you're going to have three-part harmony.”
With Slavko Halatyn she sang in the New York duo Darka & Slavko: four albums of Ukrainian song in modern arrangements, including Chervona Ruta set to reggae. In 1989 the duo played the first Chervona Ruta festival in Ukraine and won Best International Band. In Portland she sings, plays keys and accordion, and leads Darka Dusty and the Borshch Beatniks, original songs where Ukrainian melody meets jazz and country.
With her partner, guitarist Miri Stebivka, she plays the experimental Mammoth in Space, and she sings in the all-women collective The Vulva Underground. Her voice has carried Portland's Ukraine benefits, from Artichoke Music in 2022 to Pioneer Courthouse Square in 2025. She now hosts open mics at the Gigantic Brewing taproom.
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