Red Barrat Make West Coast Premiere at Skirball Sunset Concerts 7/28

Red Baraat make their West Coast premiere on Thursday, July 28, at 8:00 PM at the fifteenth annual Sunset Concerts, the Skirball Cultural Center's free summer world music series. Led by dholi Sunny Jain, Red Baraat is the first and only dhol ‘n' brass band in North America, melding the infectious North Indian rhythms of Bhangra dance and music with brass funk. Comprised of dhol (a double-sided, barrel-shaped North Indian drum slung over one shoulder), a drumset, percussion, sousaphone, and five horns, this NYC-based group plays fresh originals and Bollywood favorites with an explosive stage presence.

In the three years since their inception in 2008, the group has delivered incendiary performances at the Montreal Jazz Festival, Chicago World Music Festival, Lincoln Center, Madison World Music Festival, Detroit's Concert of Colors, the fourth Annual Droma Gypsy Festival, the Pori Jazz Festival in Finland, Norway's Molde Jazz Festival, Chicago Folks & Roots Festival, The Kitchen performance art space, and the India Independence Day Parade. As National Geographic touted, "Red Baraat has been creating havoc on dancefloors all over the city, and on the national festival circuit, too. [Their] sound and vision transcends its South Asian inspiration, bringing a universal dancefloor message that needs no translation from Bombay to Brooklyn."

Today, Tuesday, July 12, Red Baraat releases their live CD Bootleg Bhangra, recorded at Brooklyn's Southpaw on the band's second anniversary. The group's debut CD, Chaal Baby (Sinj Records), was released in 2010 and the band is currently at work on their second studio album, Shruggy Ji, which should see release in early 2012.

The Skirball Cultural Center's Sunset Concerts, curated by Skirball Music Director Yatrika Shah-Rais, offers community concerts free of charge representing music from around the globe. The 2011 series opens with Maria de Barros (July 21). After Red Baraat on July 28, the series continues with Yemen Blues (August 4), Nuriya (August 11), Thomas Mapfumo and The Blacks Unlimited (August 18), and Mr. Vallenato (August 25).

WHO:
Red Baraat
Sunny Jain: dhol, MC
Rohin Khemani: percussion
Tomas Fujiwara: drumset
Arun Luthra: soprano saxophone
Mike Bomwell: baritone saxophone
Sonny Singh: trumpet, vocals
MiWi La Lupa: bass trumpet
Smoota: trombone
John Altieri: sousaphone, rap

WHERE:
Skirball Cultural Center
2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90049
(310) 440-4500 ⋅ www.skirball.org

WHEN:
Thursday, July 28, 2011
8:00 PM - Concert
7:00 PM - Doors

TICKETS:
FREE ADMISSION; no reservations
Limited seating on a first-come, first-served basis
On-site Parking: $10 per car (cash only). Street parking is strictly prohibited.
Carpooling is encouraged or take Metro Rapid 761.