Company

Funkadesi

Founded

December 6, 1996

Website

www.funkadesi.com

Name

Rahul Sharma, Founder/Bandleader/Manager/Bassist/Sitarist

Age

37

Hometown

Kalamazoo, MI

Current residence

Chicago, IL

Education

Doctoral Degree (Psy.D.) in Clinical Psychology w/ Multicultural Specialization, 1998.

Work Experience

Univ. of Chicago, Director of ‘Resources for Sexual Violence Prevention; professor ISPP.

Ethnicity

Indian-American

About the group

Rahul Sharma: Bass, sitar
Maninderpal Singh: tabla, dhol
Carlos Antonio Cornier: congas, percussion
Valroy Dawkins: lead vocals
Pavithra: lead vocals
Kwame Steve Cobb: drum kit, djembe
Inder Paul Singh: keyboards, vocals
Abdul Hakeem: guitar, vocals
Rich Conti: vibes, percussion
Lloyd King: flute, saxophone


I would describe our music as a vividly live blend of Indian music (folk, filmi, classical) with reggae, funk, African, and Caribbean grooves. The Indo-Afro-Caribbean connection, if you will.

What is your role and day-to-day responsibilities?

Manage all band activities (recording, live shows, publicity, etc.).

How did it get started?

So, in college, I went through what I describe as my "Alex Haley" period. Having grown up at a time before Indian-Americans really started to hang out together in massive numbers in Kalamazoo, Michigan, I didn't think of myself too much as "Indian-American" or as a "person of color." That changed half-way through my college experience at the University of Michigan. A pivotal moment for me was a 1990 visit to Kenya, where I heard so much family lore about my grandparents' emigration from India to Kenya, early life in Kenya for them and my parents, etc. etc. That night, it hit me like a ton of bricks: I am not from the United States. I have a history. My family has a history, and where we come from is important.

With this new-found concern for my heritage and its preservation in the face of an American culture that doesn't mind too much that you NOT pronounce where you come from so much, I was on a mission to learn more. Because I connected so much to music (having at this point only being a bass player that played blues and funk music) I set to understand/study my culture through music. I began studying tabla and sitar, and went on a 3 month trip to India upon graduating (February 1992). This was my first time going to India. I had been to Kenya several times since childhood. I traveled and studied music.

I returned to Ann Arbor and took a job at the University's Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center, where I had done a lot of work as an undergrad. I then realized that I'd be around for the Indian American Student Association's annual Diwali show, something I'd always go to when I was in school. I submitted my name for one piece, and called the project "Funkadesi."

Now, the annual Diwali event had become such a big thing on campus. At that time, they sold out to one of the bigger auditoriums (Power Center) and had 1700 people in the room that night. I've heard that since then, the Diwali shows sells out to 4,000 people at Hill Auditorium in less than 48 hours! I had no idea how the event was going to go. I had written a piece that featured Indian classical elements, funk elements, and a hint of Arabic overtones. I got a couple of my Caucasian-American musician friends with a couple of my Desi music friends. It didn't gel at the first rehearsal but we pushed forward with the show.

Long story, well, a little less long. We played at the end of the night, and got a standing ovation for the piece. That was when I knew I was on to something here. The coolest part about it was students' parents coming up to me, saying "it was so nice when you did this raag . . ." then an 18 year-old baseball-cap-turned-around Indian-American kid extending out his arm for a big high-five, saying "Dude! You rocked OUT!"

Funkadesi remained on my brain as I moved to Chicago for my doctoral program in Clinical Psychology. I looked for four years to find the right musicians (it's hard to look while in grad school). Just when I was about to give up, the right musicians fell in to my lap. I had such high aspirations for Funkadesi, and the people that I met exceeded my highest hopes. The way I put it, I got eight other ambassadors to music and culture.

Most notable milestones

Three-Time Winner of Chicago Music Awards for Contribution to World Music; mention in Time Magazine in a Richard Corliss article about the popularization of Desi culture in the U.S.; passionate praise from Senator Barack Obama.

What’s the niche?

We bring together music – and people – from many different cultures, and create a vividly live, one-family vibe.

What’s in store for the future?

We are so excited about our upcoming CD! We've taken our time since the untimely passing of our drummer just over a year ago, and we're putting these songs together as a tribute to him and his clear vision of this band's purpose: to have our music reach far and wide! I think this CD captures the sheer joy and passion that we feel making our music.

Unexpected learnings along the way

Our drummer passed away 18 months ago. He brought us even closer together. We still learn from him.

Who would you like to be contacted by?

Someone who genuinely appreciates our message and at the same time is in a position to provide a wider platform to expose ourselves to the world.

« Previous 1 2 1 2 Next »

Top of Page Send Page Your Ideas RSS

Want to get in touch with Rahul Sharma?

It's not enough to just read about what young, driven, and forward-thinking individuals are doing out there. It's important to connect with them! Go ahead and send our profilee a quick email to say hello! If you have a question, want to give kudos, or just want to drop them a line - we encourage you to reach out!