Oliver Rajamani shows just how exotic Texas can be

Austin, Texas is a great musical melting pot. There are so many sources of inspiration for musicians with the right mindset. Oliver Rajamani‘s recent performance at Central Market was a perfect example. To look at him, holding his sarod, you might think, ah, we’re going to hear some classical Indian music. Until you notice his cowboy boots. He is obviously not someone who can be pinned down or labeled.

The music he performed was a weird fusion of Indian, country & western, rock ‘n’ roll, psychedelia and rockabilly. Just when I thought I had a handle on his aesthetic, it would shift to something else. At one point he did an awesome Spanish flamenco song on guitar.

“This is Austin music,” he said. “Even the Indian stuff I’ve been playing, you can’t find it in India.” And I had just been thinking, “Only in Austin…”

He mentioned traveling in India and I couldn’t help but wonder how his music was received there. How would the songs about things cactuses and “My Texas Flower” work there? It would have familiar sounds, but the country influences and references to Texas would have to come across as strange, and possibly really cool.

Once, between songs, he made that very point: “Sometimes you fail to realize the exoticness of wherever you are. In India, Texas is exotic. In Texas, India is exotic.”

Rajamani didn’t do it on his own. He also had a pretty good ensemble, five other guys, playing bass, two guys on Middle-Eastern percussion, a drummer on trap set and a guy on violin.

Very enjoyable show. I almost always have a good time at Central Market. Lots of families with little kids, people willing to get up and dance. Really pleasant. Didn’t hurt that it was also free, except for the meal and the tip. There were also several CDs for sale and I picked up one, 6-song live concert album, Echoes from India to Iran. Interesting that one of the songs, “Yesu Bhajan,” is a Christian devotional song with traditional Tamil lyrics. Christianity is often considered a Western religion, but it didn’t start out that way and it has plenty of Eastern adherents today.

Here he is performing solo. Just one of his many styles:

Rajamani will perform at the George Washingon Carver Museum Boyd Vance Theatre on Sept. 10 at 7:45 p.m. “Moonlight Tanz” Concert. Rajamani performs with his Ensemble and the Rosetta Orchestra, accompanied by Ballet, Flamenco and Indian Dancers. Go here to get tickets and learn more about the show.

Other shows are scheduled for October and November in Georgetown and Kerrville, Texas. Go here to learn more.

Atash – best SXSW 2011 find so far

Atash

I was about an inch away from wussing out and going home early last night. Thank God I didn’t. I ended up seeing my favorite show of the weekend: Austin’s own Atash.

I went out for a second night on Saturday, hunting for unofficial and hopefully free music shows at South By Southwest. Started out feeling hassled. Forgot to get cash for parking till I was downtown, then couldn’t find a bank. Wound up on the west side of town when I wanted to see some shows on the east side and got bogged down in traffic trying to get back over there. Got to Domy Books too late to catch Castanets.

Wound up parking on the street and was paranoid about possibly getting towed or ticketed. Walked up Comal Street and found a free “Psychfest” showcase. Saw a band that was OK, playing basic rock ‘n’ roll, but I just wasn’t feeling it. Went back and got the pickup, headed west and kept getting caught in traffic, finding exits blocked off by the cops, etc. Somehow I wound up north of downtown on Lamar and decided to check out Central Market, where I’ve seen some great free shows in the past. And voila! Best show so far.

I had heard of Atash before and thought they sounded like a group I would like, but for some reason I never checked them out. Now I’m going to have to see them again. And again and again…

It was very much a family affair. I saw a lot of little kids on their fathers’ shoulders. Dads dancing with daughters. One girl dancing with her teddy bear. A lot of the audience must have been from Persia or some other place in the East, because so many of the women were dancing using their arms and hands in that sinuous way that you don’t see among Westerners. I also heard people singing along to songs that I think were in Persian.

BTW, an Asian girl, maybe in her 20s, maybe a bit younger, REALLY knew how to dance. She was almost as big a star as the band. I almost wonder if they brought her along as part of the act.

Apparently the ensemble has changed over the years – I’ve seen some versions with sitar and tabla players and some with no vocalist. This is closest to the version of Atash I saw (in fact, they played this song):

You can find out more at www.atash.com

Also check out their Facebook page.

Charles Thibodeaux & the Austin Cajun Aces help usher in Mardi Gras

I didn’t celebrate Mardi Gras or Carnival growing up, so I never remember when they are, and I think the date changes anyhow. Not sure how they figure that out. I usually count on the DJs at 90.5 KUT, the local public radio affiliate, to clue me in by playing Cajun, Zydeco and Samba music. It’s one of my favorite times of year for that reason. Some of the best music on earth.

Tonight I got to experience some of that music live at a free concert (I chipped in with a $5 tip) by an Austin-based group, Charles Thibodeaux and the Austin Cajun Aces. The concert was at Central Market, kind of an upscale grocery store on North Lamar Street which has a lot of great free concerts. It was a neat experience, even though it got a bit nippy on the screened-in dining area. It was a great atmosphere. Folks who really knew what they were doing got up and danced to the Cajun music. There wasn’t much room, but they danced where they could. “Anywhere you see floor, that means the floor wants you to dance right there,” said accordionist and band leader Thibodeaux. People danced with strangers, danced with little kids. It kind of reminds me of the family-oriented-yet-alcohol-tolerant German dancehall culture you see in places like Walburg, except people were drinking wine instead of beer.

Thibodeaux (who was real excited about the Saints winning the Super Bowl), is actually from Beaumont, it turns out. That’s in East Texas and a lot of Cajuns live there. He wound up in Austin and put together a hell of a band. Joining him are Steve Doerr – guitar and vocals, Peter Schwarz – fiddle, bass and vocals, and Richard White on drums. They’ve been together since 2004 and have toured all over the state. They recently put out their first album, Hommage ‘A Andrew Cormier, which is being sold on CD Baby. It has gone over pretty well, receiving “Best 1st CD” award from the Cajun French Music Association in Lafayette Louisiana in August 2009.

That one is definitely on my shopping list, based on what I heard tonight…

This will give you an idea what they’re like, although the lineup I saw tonight included a drummer: