11 August, 2020Print
Falu & Karyshma Share The Solace And Spirit Of Traditional Indian Music For Our Current Moment On Someday (August 28)
Five-Song EP Reimagines Classical, Sufi, And Folk Melodies That Reach Back CenturiesLISTEN TO "BHEEGI" HERE
Falu & Karyshma have announced Someday (August 28), their interpretations of traditional Indian songs that span centuries and center on themes of oneness and universal human experience. One of the band members, Falu, is the first Indian female singer-songwriter to be nominated for a GRAMMY. Falu & Karyshma have performed for the Obamas at The White House, as well as at India's official Independence Day celebrations, The TIME 100 Gala, and Carnegie Hall. The New York Times has praised their sound as bridging "East and West, ancient and modern."
Falu & Karyshma have also shared "Bheegi'' from their new collection, representing an ancient musical style of singing traditionally sung during India's monsoon season. The lyrics of these songs often describe longing for love and comfort as black clouds hijack summer skies. Listen to Falu & Karyshma's take on "Bheegi" here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxqdApG76V0&feature=youtu.be
Elsewhere, Falu & Karyshma explore musical traditions like classical ragas, the poetic ghazal form inspired by Sufi mystics of the 7th century, 15th-century folk song-and-dance stylings of thumri, and even a song from Indian Cinema’s golden age. All focus on universal stories of love and loss, of connection and separation. Such traditional music and wisdom served as deep sources of inspiration for Mahatma Gandhi during India's Independence Movement, and for America's own Civil Rights leaders as they embraced Gandhi's teachings of nonviolent change. To reimagine these age-old songs, Falu & Karyshma harnessed instruments and sounds from all corners of India, as well as American layers and a feel drawn from across continents, highlighting the unifying power of music.
Falu & Karyshma consists of Falu, Sandeep, Gaurav, and Soumya. Each band member immigrated to the United States from India, with Gaurav and Soumya growing up in Texas. The band started through a chance meeting (the Urdu word for which is karyshma) on a train station in Boston. Sandeep is a student of the great tabla maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain, while Falu and Gaurav studied with another legend Ustad Sultan Khan. Rolling Stone has said "their melodies are catchy while staying true to the purity of the raga" while Billboard has deemed them "ethereal and transcendent."
SOMEDAY TRACKLIST
Yara
Bhooli
Bheegi
Nadi
BarJori