On Saturday night I got to sit in with an Indian rock band. A few friends and I were just grabbing some food on the top floor of a mall when we heard a band playing on the terrace outside. After sitting at a table with our food and listening to the band run through classic rock covers I approached the stage in between songs. I asked if I could play a song the keyboard player if I could play a song with them and he said, “Oh you wanna jam with us man? Yeah okay. What song?” We agreed on “Use Me” by Bill Withers and got down to business. I played keys and sang and the keyboard player switched to his AX-Synth keytar.
It was a sublime moment and defined everything that I love about music. The other members of the band spoke a little English, enough for me to communicate the chord changes (though there are only two ha ha). But as soon as we got into the groove of the song, there were no more words needed. There was complete understanding between the four of us. Nothing gets lost in translation when you’re playing soul music. I was totally losing it on stage with those guys. I hadn’t played live in weeks and it just felt so. Fucking. Good.
We ended the song and I shook hands with the guys and hustled off stage so they could get on with their set. I talked to the guys after they finished up to thank them again for letting some random white dude play with them. So many others in their shoes would’ve just told me to get lost. But, thus far, it stands as the most fun I’ve had jamming with Indian musicians. Video to be posted soon!
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