The Washington Post features (thanks Maisnon) the hottest new band from straight out of my ‘hood. The H1Bees have earned plenty of street cred in their Gaithersburg, MD area. Now it’s time to go national:
The computer programmers arrived in the United States unknown to each other but united in their quest to rock.On the surface, they were not unlike many others who have left India over the past decade on the H-1B visa, a guest worker program for highly skilled professionals. They wore glasses and mustaches and collared shirts. They could exterminate Y2K bugs and code Java and link Unix.
But as they toiled in cubicles, they dreamed of banging on keyboards of a different sort, of a world where C-sharp is just a musical note, not computer code.
And then their worlds became one.
“H1Bees,” an album recorded in a Gaithersburg basement-turned-studio, will be released today, its music a mix of Indian and Western beats with lyrics exploring the high-tech immigrant’s experience in the United States.
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p>I wonder if they have a manager yet. I know the area well and have been looking for the right horse to back. They got a funky throwback type of sound. To be quite honest I like them better than M.I.A., whose stuff is just noise to me.
The languages differed: Tamil, Hindi, COBAL, BASIC. The journeys seemed parallel: Young man leaves India to earn U.S. dollars, works hard, buys car, returns home to marry, gets green card, buys townhouse, has kid, decides to stay.“H1Bees,” Devarajan said. The album, which will be sold via South Asian Web sites and stores for $6, boasts songs in English, Hindi and Tamil. By setting their sagas to music, they hope to duplicate the success of other immigrant artists catering to diasporas, much of it via the Internet.
Listen to a sample track here. For those about to rock, we salute you.
On the sample track: fake Indic font, check. ‘Curry‘ mention, check. It’s suicide by exoticism 😛
This bit from the story about the teenage singers is interesting:
Manish, I think their use of kitsch is clueful.
The samples I heard were adorable, and the price is right – I just ordered the CD.
Kooky kitschy Indian girls from America like the one on the right are cute.
Its all so twee and confused and ironic.
Cornershop are a bit like that.
After checking out the album, IMO it’s more like a self-inflicted Handy Ghandi. And I’m not talking about peering into their brains to figure out intentions, I’m talking about the plain connotations of ‘curry rock.’ Ick.
Cute concept though.
I think it’s more good-natured self-mocking along the lines of He’Brew Beer.
At least we agree it’s cute.
I confess that my Tamil vocabulary is limited to obscenities, and yet, I really liked some of the Tamil tracks. The vocals are very good. Perhaps a little too Tam-movie mainstreamed to qualify as rock exactly, but nevertheless, listenable tracks.
So the album art is not very innovative. We’ll have to overlook that.
I love it!! I don’t care if its kitchsy, it’s a first order attempt. Manish, started a more sophisticated version, and I will be your groupie. I want more rock and roll!!!!
Abhi, that’s got to be one of your best blogpost titles ever.
Manish:
I think I partly understand your disagreement with the use of the word curry as a term for all indian food, but I have a few things to say that I hope haven’t been said before.
I think the generic word curry sounds less grating to southern-indian ears because tamilians themselves use it as a multi-dish encompassing term. Specifically Tam-Brahms (and others perhaps ?) refer to any dry-vegetable dish as “kai-kari” or “kari” for short, and other tamilians refer to “chicken-in-gravy” as “kozhi-kari”(chicken-curry) and egg-in-gravy as “mutta-curry”[egg-curry]. There are very informative comments on amardeep’s post. Specifically, quoting Sunil Laxman, [in Tamilnadu] usually, “inniki yenna kari” means “what’s the vegetable cooked today”.
The Punjabi dish “Kadi” is, afaik, unrelated to the word “curry” or the south-indian use of the term.
-ashvin
Ashvin, great background, thanks. I love the Punjabi version of the dish (haven’t had the Tamilian version). That one dish, Punjabi kadi, is often called curry in North Indian restaurants. And curry powder is often mistaken with haldi/turmeric, the dominant spice in Punjabi kadi.
However, the word’s been totally coopted by racist usage in the U.S./UK/Australia and blurred into a synonym for all Indian food in the UK. Also, the faux-Indic font is very cliché at this point.
Separately, it bugs me that we haven’t gotten past H-1B/calling card jokes yet in music and movies. It’s great that this category exists, and I salute these artists, but there’s a paucity of good 2nd gen media in the U.S. The UK and Canada are kicking our collective ass.
It’s about the Numb3rs, y’all.
So get your tuchas in gear and start screenwriting/songwriting/novel-writing, you!
And what’s a blog, chopped liver? 😉
Well, seriously. Who plays guitar? Who plays bass? Who plays drum? Who sings? Who’s had experience in a band? Who lives where? I’m not good for much except possibly writing lyrics or drumming. I think I’d make a fantastic desi version of a Robert Palmer girl if necessary. Maybe Sepa Mutiny should open a free forum somewhere for this kind of thing (I know your bandwith costs are getting to big) or someone should. More rock and roll, peole. More rock and roll.
It’s great that this category exists, and I salute these bloggers, but according to one of them there’s a paucity of good 2nd gen non-blog media in the U.S. Plus I’ve heard he has a novel in him.
Interesting tune, although I think you guys need something a bit harder than this (or at least something possibly more R’n’B-related, eg. Jay-Sean etc) if you want to de-Apu-fy the perception of South Asians in the mainstream American population.
It’s also interesting how there seems to be a more prominent South Indian slant to the American Indian population — 2nd-Generation Indian culture here in the UK is almost completely Punjabi-dominated. Hence the different music that’s come out here (notwithstanding Cornershop etc) and also the different perception of Indians in the wider population over here these days.
Best of luck to The H1Bees anyway, hope they do well.
Jai Singh
Have you seen the Kray Twinz new video with Twista? Serious bhangra-hip hop boom going down!
Keep your eye out for it on Channel U, MTV Base and Zee Music – these guys are taking UK Bhangra to the next level!
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I like this Tamil band if you click on the link there are some Tamil songs they sing – they remind me of those all girl Japanese indie bands you always see – a little kooky and cute!
I play everything.
The band is super cute. I thought their attempts to don mustache was for irony sake, but then I read their from the east. Good for them!
There are alot of brown guys and girls in Canadian bands, but I’ve never seen an all brown band. Inde Rawk Brown peeps around here are too busy trying to avoid eye contact with each other – sheesh.
Other bands with Canadian brown: Controller Controller, Matt Mayes, and more I forget………..will list later if you care. Yes, it matters to me, b/c I know they had to defy their parents 10x more than other kid all in the name of RAWN’N’ROLL.
haha, so true, always the chocolate chip in the cookie… meanwhile in hip hop its the other way around. Why do most browns gravitate to hip hop? the beats?
and dont forget brownsound from sum41
2. The Punjabi dish “Kadi” is, afaik, unrelated to the word “curry” or the south-indian use of the term.
If you like a little country with your rock’n’roll, there’s also, Nicky Mehta in the Wailin’ Jennys. They’re pretty good!
I was trying to forget! haha
I’m not sure if this is true. I’d need a sample of at least n=30 to test your theory. And if it is, probably b/c hip hop is seen as more embracing.
Great CD! Better than Vikram MC. And thanks to my parents incessant efforts to speak Malayalam at home, I can understand some of the Tamil. I just might legally purchase this one.
They must have taken the whole start-out-of the basement thing a bit too literally. The music is sparse, technoish, and for the most part feels like it was strapped on to the vocals after a good long break. They must be talented, but I think you can do way better than that with a few thousands worth of gadgetry and ‘Garage Band’ Anybody think otherwise after buying the CD? The price is low enough for cognitive dissonance not to kick in 😉
They’re still not quite as geeky as these guys…
http://minibosses.com/
I’m so late to the party. All the good things are already said. Just to echo:
so cute!! doesn’t she look like a desi version of Violet from The Incredibles? She looks like she’s wondering whether to disappear right now 🙂
Arey, so very true it is! I am becoming most jealous for many titles like this I was writing in my head. Stole a march on us all, yaar!
totally thirding on this one. It’s like they’re afraid you’ll come up only to say, “is that a pocket protector or are you just happy to see me?” Or as my too-kool-for-skool sister put it, “more than two browns and neither of us are hipster anymore.” She was being sarcastic….I think.
I listened to a bit, and I like! Very cute, in that deliberately clueless lo-fi way. I lurve their name, too – the H1Bees! heh ehhh.. so cute 🙂 Way to represent a pretty stereotyped desi group with cheeky humor.
IMO, MIA beats them, hands down, musically (sorry Abhi!) but this was far better than I expected it to be…. and I absolutely LOVE that they’re making FOB-couture into a style statement. Moustaches? collared shirts? Hell, yeah!! I hope they don’t forget disco pants, and to wear at least two polyster pieces at a time. And bushy hair. (btw – I’m serious!!)
Sure, the curry thing is a little tired, but frankly, the fake indic font looks good, so why not use it 😉
runs away from Manish
Punjabi Boy,
Thanks for the link, I’ll keep an eye out for it. Not really into bhangra anymore since I turned 30 a couple of years ago, woke up one morning, and suddenly found that all my “moves” were about a decade out of date 😉 However, it’s always good to see Asian artists manage to break into the mainstream market. Also, I think some good examples of bhangra-hip hop fusion were Dr Zeus with “Kangna” and, more recently, Jazzy B with “Romeo”. Both were quite innovative with regards to the music and also the style of the videos, cleverly done.
It’s all far too “out-there” for me, mate 😉
Speaking of Indian artists hitting the big-time in the States, there was this Indian-American guy called Reggie Benjamin (yes he is Indian despite his name) who was profiled on Sony TV’s Asian Variety Show/AVS about 2 years ago. Apparently he managed to crack the top-10 charts in both the US and several countries in Europe. AVS showed his (at the time) new single called “Hurry Up” which was a collaboration with Sonu Nigam — it was actually very good indeed and deserved to be a huge club hit/dance anthem everywhere, it’s a shame it didn’t seem to make a mark here in the UK. The video itself was also very slickly produced, looked quite expensive, and was also superbly choreographed. Probably not quite [Indian] family viewing considering that it was the American version of an item number song — hotties all over the place, dancing in all kinds of dubious ways — but you should check it out if you can track it down anywhere. There’s probably an on-line copy of the video on some website somewhere in the google universe.
Hahaha.. That’s hilarious Come on Indie Rawk Hipster Peeps! Surely you have more self-esteem to have your coolness thwarted by brown hipster #2. I recently went to see a photographers art show (also brown girl) and I walked up to her to wholeheartedly compliment her on a few pieces that I thought were fabulous… needless to say – disastrous results. And no, I didn’t think she owed me anything b/c we were both brown – just a sincere compliment. Could it have been due to your sister’s theory, cicatrix? Sigh…. I’ve given up in engaging with brown hipsters – not that I was trying of course!(lol) Hipsters don’t “try” anything… ma’an.
There’s also Priya Thomas, who looked promising a few years back. Yes, she’s brown – even with her bleached blonde hair.
Priya Thomas upcoming tour dates:
Sept 10 Toronto, ON – The El Mocambo Sept 17 Toronto, ON – Ear to the Ground Festival, Exhibition Place Oct 3 Manchester, UK – In The City Oct 4 London, UK – Water Rats Theatre Oct 10 London, UK – Spitz
Angie
You know what? I thought it was just me! I thought I was being paranoid and imagining things! But they really exist! These brown girls and brown boys who start sulking if they see another brown thing encroaching on their lillywhite territory! Its hilarious to see their reaction dont you think? They must suffer from some terrible self esteem problems!
nice lineup there, is it tix at the door? wherever the door will be, they dont seem to know yet
yeah, based entirely on personal experience, but i stand by it !
I just realised I love kooky indie type people who wear skinny t-shirts and look kind of you know disshevlled and scruffy and stuff. I might change my style and get my nose pierced and get some ‘ironic’ tatoos done – I have been too long in my current punjabi pimp persona. Then I can join Suicide Girls dot com and try to pick up some of the kooky Indian girls on there too. Can somebody reccomend me which tatoos to get and which bands I should pretend I listen to? Its time for Punjabi Boy to change.
What are they going to “wing it” desi style? Hmmm… maybe you’ll have to contact one of the bands directly. That would be my recommendation. Ananthan, please go and give us the scoop! Controller Controller is also on the bill. And in un-brown news, Tricky Woo is back with unapologetic rawk-n-roll vengeance. Not to mention Sleater-Kinney – sounds like an alright show!
I’m not familiar with said look. What does such a get-up entail? lol – punjabi pimp! Can a girl be a punjabi pimp?
They are from Gaithersburg! Oh my god…… You just wont understand till you have been to yuppiville Gaithersburg!
Its just being a dangerous sexy beast like myself – difficult to describe because its so individual and gangster.
Like a pimpette? Definitely – there are some out there.
But I am bored of this look now and what to be like this now (the one on the left with the cup of cha)
Then I can hang out with more white people and cause nervous breakdowns and twitching amongst brown hipsters when I chill out at their venues. I can also be shambolic and artistic kind of thing.
Whaddaya think?
I say go for it! I like his Built by Wendy shirt AND his music most of the time. I also like Bubbleys sweetie pie voice. Anyways, so long as you are cool anyways, donning a scruffy hipster look won’t kill ya. These are lessons learned from Rocky 5.
When you don above look, I will try my best to run away from you/look away, not in “shy-brown girl” style, but more in “snotty indie grrl: style. There is a difference, trust me.
On the other hand, if you stick with punjabi pimp look (whatever that may be), I may be more likely to walk up to you and ask you what kind of statement you are exactly trying to make.
But I would want you to look away in order to cover up your attraction towards my androgynous masculinity and raise-the-dead gorgeousness?
It would be like you were asking me to account for my very existence and soul!
Sort of… but really, more b/c there simply wouldn’t be any point. Being a newly converted indie rock boy, you have to learn the sort of self-loathing that goes with the territory of being an indie rock boy. That is, since you will never have the balls to tell a girl how you truly feel (since you are an indie rock boy and supposedly more sensitive and conflicted than the rest of the planet) there is simply no point in having any kind of eye contact at all. It will only end up with you gutlessly telling me you had a crush on me 10 years later, when I am married with 2.5 children, and a much sparser 7″ vinyl collection. This of course, will not amuse me at all and may result in some awesome display of grrl power (karate chops) that goes with the territory of being an indierawkgrrl.
J/K. No offense to any indie rock/hipster boys.
But I’m only making the switch to pick up indie rawwwwwwk grrrls who are fed up of indie boy pansies and geeks.
Its totally superficial and predatory.
You actually gave this guy props? I don’t know Jai– I usually agree with you– but the constipated single he tried to push out last year, “Turn”, was 100% ridiculous crap. It sounded like he was the brown guy who didn’t make the cut at Menudo reunion auditions. It was horrible. Plus on his website the fact that his headshots look like they were taken in his mum’s dining room, AND he’s wearing the Seinfeldian puffy shirt… well, we call him Brown Fabio, roun’ here.
He’s really into fetishizing the Playboy bunnies too, likes to feature at least one in each video. Not that there’s anything wrong with that 😉
DD, I just thought that one single & the associated video for “Hurry Up” was very good and very catchy. I haven’t heard any of his other stuff.
I won’t comment on his apparent “fetishizing of Playboy bunnies” laughing quietly, although given the nature of that pretty blatant video, I’m not surprised.
I tried to be a punjabi goth when I was at school. My tip for the top. The skeleton in the cupboard. Yes its Rocking Sikh Peter Singh………
Yes its Rocking Sikh Peter Singh………
Haha..this sure is funny. I wonder if he ever did get to play at geldof’s party?
I tried to be a punjabi goth when I was at school.
I just realized I can’t remember ever seeing a Sikh wearing a full-size black turban. I’ve seen the smaller turbans (what are they called?) in black, but don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone wearing a full-sized black turban. Is there some kind of cultural reason for that, or do I just not see enough turban-wearing Sikhs, or perhaps my memory is just hazy and black doesn’t make as big an impression as red or white?
I’ve definitely seen a black Rajastani-style turban though. Somehow Rajasthani goth seems so much more wrong than Punjabi Sikh goth though.
hey hey hey,, I think you are confused between sikhs and rajasthani turban wearers.. White and red is most common among rajasthanis, shades of red are more common among them. But in Sikhs black is the mostly widely used color for turbans followed by white and blue but these days you can find them in any color, not just black, blue, white and saffron..you can see these ‘bhapas’ wearin multicolored turbans like rajasthanis but the way they tie is better than rajasthanis.. JaTTs They prefer tying single color turbans..and there’s are the coolest ones..
Hey guys you metnioned Reggie Benjamin, I just saw him on MTV and got his website address http://www.reggiebenjamin.com we in reality should be proud of him, check his site out, unbelievable
Rakesh
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