Fareed Haque 

Guitar virtuoso Fareed Haque is a master of fusion, often integrating jazz, rock and world music seamlessly. Haque was influenced by a variety of music from a very early age both due to heritage (born of a Pakistani father and Chilean mother) as well as extensive travels to Spain, France, Iran, Pakistan and Chile. Haque’s diverse approach to combining musical styles has become his trademark with releases on Sting’s Pangaea label, on the Blue Note Label, the composition and performance of his Lahara Double Concerto for Sitar/Guitar and Tabla at Orchestra Hall in Chicago, performances with his own progressive-jazz/jam group Garaj Mahal and George Brook’s Group Summit featuring tabla virtuoso Ustad Zakir Hussain. His new group the Flat Earth Ensemble, set to release an album on the Owl Studios record label, continues to blend Eastern and Western music, but digs much deeper into the roots of Middle Eastern folk music.

Haque says, “Both bands (Garaj Mahal and Flat Earth) are funky - from a groove perspective. Garaj Mahal is more a modern jazz group while Flat Earth is more ethnically Indian based in groove. It’s less about mathematical complexities and more on the folklorical side.” A lot of this new project is based on Punjabi music, which he describes as “fun, crazy, dance club music. The dance element in jazz is undervalued and under-implemented. The connection between dance and jazz is not a sideline it’s the central current.”

The Flat Earth Ensemble started a few years ago when Haque had written a concerto featuring tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussein. Hussein had introduced him to some great young musicians who came over from India. Included in that group is Ganesh Kumar, who plays Kanjira and tabla player Subbratta Bhattacharya. Another addition to this group is drummer Jason Smart from the Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey. Haque said, “It’s easier for drummers to do their thing and percussionists to do theirs. Percussionists have a hard time taking it somewhere. Jason will take a beat and hang on to it for a 2 hour jam session and try things from there. He’s the first drummer we’ve played with to do that. It was not difficult for us to gel once everyone was on the same page. When you commit to all the pieces of the puzzle, people will start to move. When it’s not right you can tell in a molecular way.”

Fareed Haque and the Flat Earth Ensemble will be performing two shows at the Jazz Kitchen Wednesday April 9th at 7:00 and 9:00 PM. The lineup is Fareed Haque-guitar, Ganesh Kumar-Kanjira, Subratta Bhattacharya-Table, Jim Feist-Table, Willerm Delisfort-keys, Alex Austin-bass and Jason Smart-drums. For more information visit www.thejazzkitchen.com or www.fareed.com.

–Mina Keohane 

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Dropkick Murphys

INDY TOP 10 LIVE: Mar 6-12, 2008

Weekly best bets for the Indianapolis music lover. The Indy Top 10 Live is compiled by a selection panel of local print, radio, and internet journalists and is new every Thursday online and in print in INtake Weekly.

Text by Steve Hayes

1. Dropkick Murphys w/ Big D & the Kids Table and Everybody Out!

7:30 PM, Tuesday March 11, Egyptian Room, $24

Music fans wanting to get an early start on St. Patrick’s Day festivities should pencil in this show by Boston’s Dropkick Murphys. The group has built a reputation on creating music that blends punk rock, Celtic folk, and rock with an unbreakable pride for their hometown. They’re currently touring in support of their 2007 album “The Meanest of Times.” Fellow Bostonians Big D & the Kids Table and Everybody Out! open.

2. Red Light Driver w/ Small Arms Fire, 8-bit Revival, Aviary Ghost

9 PM, Saturday March 8, Radio Radio, $5

With a sound inspired by British alternative acts like Joy Division, The Church, and The Cure, Indy’s Red Light Driver has become one of the city’s leading original rock acts. The group’s been busy recording most of the winter, but will emerge from the studio for this Saturday show. They’re joined by fellow Indy rockers Small Arms Fire along with Bloomington’s Aviary Ghost and Dayton’s 8-bit Revival.

3. California Guitar Trio

8:30 PM, Thursday March 6, Music Mill, $20

Fans of virtuoso musicianship should take note of this show. The members of the California Guitar Trio met up as they were all under the tutelage of guitar guru Robert Fripp. Now they work together fusing a sound that’s part classical guitar, blues, jazz, and even surf music. This visit marks the first time the Trio has been in Indianapolis since 2006.

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Deborah Harry, photo by Joe Gaffney

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: DEBORAH HARRY
Interview by Brian Mc Kenna

I was thrilled to get the assignment to speak with rock, rap and video pioneer, and also a Rock n Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Debbie Harry about her new album Necessary Evil and her supporting tour. The tour will include a stop in Indy at the Vogue on Saturday, November 24th. When the call came through Ms. Harry was on her tour bus somewhere between Ledyard, CT and Johnson City, NY where she would be playing the 4th of 21 shows in 31 days. Her voice carries a slight morning rasp but she is in very good spirits.

Brian: Good morning.

Debbie: Good morning. How are you?

Brian: Honestly, I’m a little tired and trying to wake up.

Debbie: (laughs) Me too.

Brian: How has the first week of the tour been going?

Debbie: Good.

Brian: Your website says you have 21 shows in 31 days. That’s a lot of shows in a short period of time. How do you prepare yourself for a schedule like that?

Debbie: I don’t know. You have to ease into it I guess. I’m a morning person, always have been. So I’m starting to get my nighttime hours and stuff. (laughs)

Brian: What is the biggest difference between touring in the 70’s and touring in the 2000’s?

Debbie: Better equipment makes it a lot easier. I think the early days were kind of like the wild west in that you were blazing a trail and people didn’t treat you as good as they do now. I mean it’s an established business now, so people treat you better now.

Brian: Do you miss playing the small dirty clubs?

Debbie: Not especially. Sometimes it is fun, but it’s more difficult to get a good sound because of the proclivity to play loud even in a small club to get that sound. It’s just not as acoustically good because of the volume and club size.

Brian: Do you remember the venues beforehand when the management is telling you what is booked?

Debbie: Not really. Usually I will remember them when I walk in and see the club.

Brian: Did you know your backing musicians or was this band put together for you exclusively for this tour?

Debbie: I had done a previous tour with 2 of them. The keyboard player and one other. They have all played together before though and groove well. They are all young and into it.

Brian: Is your current show a retrospective of both your solo career and the Blondie-era stuff?

Debbie: Mostly solo stuff and a few Blondie songs.

Brian: You have a great new album out. Am I right in saying this is your most DIY album project of your career?

Debbie: Yeah.

Brian: Would you do it this way again?

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PUNK ROCK NIGHT CALENDAR 2008

Calendar Release Party:
Saturday, Nov 3rd at Melody Inn

The 2008 PIN UP CALENDAR put out by Punk Rock Night will be officially released this Saturday at the Melody Inn.

A yearly instituion, the first calendar was released in 2004. According to their website it was started as a way to keep in touch with friends and troops stationed over seas.

“Our friend was stationed in Bosnia and was requsting that people send stuff over to his men for the holidays. So a few of us girls got together and we took some Vargas inspired pin-up shots to send to the troops. One of the girls suggested we make a calendar out of the pictures and the PRN pin-up calendar was born…

We still send 100 calendars to the troops in Iraq -thanks to all of the troops serving in this war. Thanks to Punk Rock Night for supporting this calendar, we couldn’t do it without your help!”

Here’s a quick preview of some of this year’s models:
 

To grab a copy and learn more, Visit the Punk Rock Night site:
http://punkrocknight.com/

To check out past and future pinups here: http://www.myspace.com/prnpinupgirl

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EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW: Slide Hampton
Story by Mina Keohane -

April 19th - 21st @ Jazz KitchenTonight Slide Hampton returns to Indianapolis for a very special occasion. The Jazz Kitchen will be hosting a three night concert series celebrating Slide’s 75th birthday. He will be showcasing a different project each night. Friday will highlight Slide Hampton’s much celebrated “World of Trombones,” and will feature Steve Davis and Phil Ranelin. Saturday Slide will present a project he began in 2001 as a tribute to the music of Antonio Carlos Jobim. He had written twelve new arrangements and recorded them with some of Brazil’s finest musicians. Jabacule will be performing with Slide on Saturday and will feature vocalist Fabiana Masili. On Sunday Slide will be performing with the Steve Allee Big Band presenting Slide’s Grammy-winning arrangements, originally written for the Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Big Band.

With a decade-spanning career playing with the heaviest of the heavies including Dizzy Gillespie, Art Blakey, Thad Jones, Mel Lewis, Max Roach, Freddie Hubbard, Dexter Gordon, Maynard Ferguson and many more, it’s nice to know that he’s celebrating his 75th Birthday right back home where he started. Jazz Kitchen owner Dave Allee said of the event, “As an establishment, we are extremely honored that we were chosen by Slide to help present his 75th birthday. It’s the most historic concert we’ve put on since the J.J Johnson show. Anyone who considers themselves a true jazz fan should come out and see this.”The Jazz Kitchen is located at 5377 N. College Ave (on the corner of 54th and College.) Show times are Friday April 20th & Saturday April 21st are 8:00pm & 10:30pm. Tickets for those shows are $30 each. Show times for Sunday April 22nd are 6:00pm & 8:30pm for $35. There is a package deal where $80 gets you in for all three nights. For more information or to make reservations call 317.253.4900 or go to www.thejazzkitchen.com.

– Mina Keohane– Related Link: http://slidehampton.com

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EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW: Yo La Tengo
Story by Mike Tressler - Photos by Michael Lavine -

April 13th @ The Vogue

Was it really 2003 when Yo La Tengo last came to town? It doesn’t seem that long ago. Boy does time fly. I had just really listened to my first Yo La Tengo album that year (the then-newly released “Summer Sun”) and decided to go see them at the Vogue. I really wasn’t expecting much from these guys who constantly get labeled as some sort of experimental/art rock band. Furthermore, the “Summer Sun” album was a pretty light and airy affair and I was afraid that I was going to be about as bored seeing Yo la Tengo as I was the one time I saw Over the Rhine.Much to my surprise, Yo La Tengo put on a great live show. It was chock full of energy and I was wholly entertained. I’ve always been amused at bands that do the “Change the Instrument” game on stage - you know, where the drummer for the first 3 songs gets up and picks up a guitar and the guitarist drums for two or three songs before they swap again. But no band has ever played the “change the instrument game” more often than Yo La Tengo. Though my memory is getting hazy, I seem to recall that every member played the drums at least once and that they went through no more than 2 songs before they swapped instruments. I suppose when you only have three members in the band and you are trying to cover a broad range of styles, the band has to be flexible in its approach.

Yo La Tengo are touring behind their new album which is certainly a top contender for album title of the year: “I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass”. The album bounces between light and airy mood music and bludgeoning guitar anthems. It starts off cheerfully with light numbers such as “Beanbag Chari” (which can be legally downloaded from this link). By the seventh song, they decide that light and airy isn’t getting it done, so they bring the distortion and fuzzed guitars for the 10-minute groove “Pass The Hatchet, I Think I’m Goodkind” (This song can be legally downloaded at this link). The album calms down from there, only to rise again for the 11 minute-plus Sonic Youth-style epic “The Story of Yo La Tengo”. Yeah, this album will translate very well to stage.

I drug my cousin along to the 2003 Yo La Tengo concert and though he had never heard of them before the show, he e-mailed me last week to ask if he should get me a ticket to Friday night’s show. That’s a pretty powerful statement right there - a guy sees a band once and four years later he’s eager to go see them in concert again. Times New Viking will open the show.

– Mike Tressler

– Related Link: http://www.matadorrecords.com/yo_la_tengo/index.html

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