Doctors and Engineers at Nisei Week

I went to see my friends Doctors and Engineers perform at Nisei Week. As always, they pack a lot of energy into their live performances. They are definitely a band to see live. The Nisei Week celebrations were a lot of fun with floats, music and food, in Little Tokyo, here in downtown Los Angeles.

Belle and Sebastian, Spoon at the Hollywood Bowl

Thanks to my friend Melisa, I got to enjoy Belle and Sebastian and Spoon perform at the Hollywood Bowl. What a great show. I enjoyed Kristin Kontrol's opening set too, but did not get a chance to sketch. It's been a while since I sketched at a music show. It was quite dark at the Bowl, but the music was so great, I had to try and sketch something down. In the end, I don't expect great sketches. It's more the act of creating something while in that moment that brings me this high, or this feeling of absolute bliss.

Doctors and Engineers at the CSU Fundraiser

Here are a few photos of Doctors and Engineers performing at the Community Services Unlimited fundraiser. Most of the day I was supporting rHope and a little chubby fella with a cool hat. I managed a few shots with a vintage Tokina 80-200mm f2.8. It is an amazing lens to get some nice shots of the stage from a distance.

Doctors and Engineers EP Release Tropico De Nopal

I went to see my friends Doctors and Engineers at their EP release show at Tropico De Nopal. These are friends I have known for years and it was so fantastic to see the fruition of much labor. People don't often realize how much it takes to put together music, record and create an event. It's a ton of after hours blood, sweat and tears to hone skills and create something incredible, somehow between all else that life throws your way. I was so glad to be there and enjoy the incredible lineup of King Kang, El Haru-Kuroi, Discostan and headliners, Doctors and Engineers. After the shit show that has been this election, it was quite amazing to be in a room that represents a cross section of what this beautiful city has to offer. It was a gathering of cultural, ethnic, linguistic, artistic diversity, with all genders, orientations and simply fantastic people doing what they can to better the world around them in those on stage and off.Many around the US don't seem to understand or care about the ramifications of what just happened. Bigotry, misogyny and a complete lack of relevant experience was rewarded with the presidency. Overwhelmingly white America sold out the rest of the country in the hopes of possibly reclaiming some tax dollars, cutting out healthcare and in many cases being able to be a bigoted piece of shit without guilt. I'm thankful for spaces like this show, because so many of all races have fought to get us all that we have, and in this beautiful, musical release, I felt like this was a window into that richness that we're going to fight to protect. If you don't see the problem, check out this link.Here are some sketches I made during the show, while peeking from behind heads, dodging elbows and trying to see in the dark.

SANA Conference 2016

In order to raise awareness and try to garner support for my puppetry film; "Risalo", I went to the annual SANA conference for the first time. This year, it was held in Detroit. So after work on friday, I came home, grabbed my bag, got a ride to the airport from my wife. I flew out over night. I must have managed about 3 hours of sleep by the time I got to Detroit. From there, I made my way past the long line of hotel and rental car buses, before I came to a lonely spot where the public bus arrived hourly. Eventually the bus came and I was on my way. Then I was at the stop for the next bus and well, you get the idea. It took a while to get to the convention center, but that's how you do it low budget, grass roots artist style.

I had created some t-shirts, inviting people to ask me about "Risalo" with some information about the poet as that was particularly relevant to this conference. I purchased a ticket and told them about my project. They introduced me to the president of the organization (SANA) Jamil sahib, who graciously agreed to give me a spot to speak on a panel on sunday. Throughout the day, I attended panels, learned about efforts by Sindhis abroad, doing work to help Sindhis in Sindh. I spoke to a few people, briefly about my project. People were surprised that such a project was being worked on.The next day I was given some time on a panel to share a brief introduction and a 3 minute video on my efforts to create a film based on the poetry of Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai, the great Sindhi poet. The audience was gracious and throughout the night, a few people came up to me to encourage and connect regarding the film. There is a big divide, between those who grew up in Sindh who are still deeply attached versus the younger generation that was raised in the US. The younger generation is bright and caring, but through no fault of their own, is not connected to Sindh. What does that mean for the future of an organization that was started in the face of persecution of Sindhis and threats to the people and culture's future? Based on my own experiences teaching in Sindh, I know how important education funding and quality is to a young population, eager to learn, despite the corruption and lack of resources. There are serious environmental and political issues.All of these are issues that different people are trying to work on and still there is plenty of room for more efforts. At the same time, that very thing that guides a group of people, to strive for better things, the intelligence and beauty of their culture is in danger of disappearing. This is where I feel "Risalo" can be of benefit in not only supporting traditional artists, but in bringing that wisdom and pride in something truly positive in the culture to those in Sindh, as well as all people around the world.I have already done so much work on this project, recording music in Sindh for more than just this 1hr and 15min film. So much of the work has been completed on that initial shoe string budget, raised via Kickstarter and my own meager funds. Now I need help to raise the funds needed to shoot the film. I know of no other project that is working with this culture in this way. I work day and night before and after going to my job daily to piece this film together, but I can't do it without financial help. I hope that the conference will lead to some funding support from the Sindhi community, though nothing has materialized as of yet.Each night, at the conference, I enjoyed delicious food and live music at night after a day of panels. Some friends of my mother's from college were in attendance, so it was sweet to spend some time with them as well. I really appreciated that there were real Sindhi folk musicians like Allan Faqir Jr, Deba Sahar. On the final day, I met one of my backers on Kickstarter. I did not know him, but his name was on a panel, so I made a point to meet him and express my thanks. I was really glad to know that he is following the updates I send out and appreciates my efforts in bringing this film to life.After the panel, I spent some time with Mohammad Punhal, who is a photographer and aspiring filmmaker from Hyderabad, studying in Green Bay on a state department scholarship, learning filmmaking. We were joined by Soh Suzuki, my new friend and host in Detroit thanks to a connection from my friend Preeti Sharma. Soh was incredibly kind to give a traveling artist like myself a comfortable place to sleep while in the Detroit/Dearborn area. I was so glad to meet this fellow artist and activist. He was working an early morning shift at a bakery, yet despite that he made time to help me.I can't thank him enough. It's hard to convey to people how challenging it is to be an artist, working freelance, constantly looking for work, trying to support a growing family and struggling to do meaningful cultural work on the side. A few thousand dollars may not be much to some, but for people like myself and so many others, we just don't have the extra funds. So when people like Soh open their doors, it makes a huge difference in my ability to do this work. I met a fellow Adnan as I was walking out the convention to catch a bus home when it was still daylight. Detroit is in a horrible situation, and waiting for buses at night is just a terrible idea. During the day it is a bit sketch, but I wasn't going to risk it at night. That's why I was leaving to go back to Soh's place that evening. Adnan Siddiqui had heard me share my project and gave me some appreciation and encouragement. Then he offered to drop me back later so I could stay for dinner that night and talk to more people about my project. For me that was a huge help. My point is that I feel humbled and grateful for every bit of help on this journey. The need is very real.After the conference, Soh took Mohammad Punhal and I out around Detroit for the day. It was nice to just talk and walk around. I am so glad that I got to meet these new friends on this trip. I also met a lawyer named Charles, based out of Chicago, who invited me to lunch with him when I got there, as I was flying out from his city. He was very interested in folk music and the efforts I am making to support it.

Fuzon and Fareed Ayaz and Abu Muhammed Qawwal Party at Grand Performances

What an amazing show. I got to see two incredible musical acts at one of my favorite music venues in Los Angeles; Grand Performances. Thanks to all the hard work that made it possible. It truly is a treat to be in a city where you can enjoy world class musicians from around the world at free concerts, in perfect weather. Next time I need to stop down the lens. Some of the Qawwali photos are glowing a bit. As always, good practice for my puppet film; "Risalo".I drew a few sketches of Fuzon and took some photos of the performances. You can see my sketches of Fareed Ayaz and Abu Muhammed Qawwal Party from a few nights ago here.

Fareed Ayaz and Abu Muhammad Qawwal Party Grand Performances Jam

Thanks to Leigh Ann Hahn and the wonderful people at Grand Performances, I got to enjoy a little musicians jam with Fareed Ayaz and Abu Muhammad Qawwal Party, all the way from Pakistan right here at Inner City Arts. I've enjoyed their soulful music for years and got to see them a few years ago at a concert put on by the Pakistani Arts Council. It was a real treat to see them in such an intimate setting and to spend time and talk to them as well. Did I mention there was delicious Pakistani food catered at this little jam session? How could anyone pass up such an incredible opportunity on all levels.I can't thank Grand Performances enough for making opportunities like this possible. Don't miss their public performance on Sunday at Grand Performances in downtown Los Angeles!Here are a few sketches I made during the performance.

Kristeen took some photos and video with a cel phone:

You can see where friends Sheila Govindarajan and Sri joined in. Also in that last, unfinished sketch, you can see Tasneem with a saxophone on her lap and a tuba next to her.

Smithfield Bargain at the Hotel Cafe

I got to enjoy the music of Smithfield Bargain at the Hotel Cafe. Here are a few quick sharpie sketches of them.

Extemporary Elites at the Blue Whale

Went to see Extemporary Elites at the Blue Whale. Here are some sketches made during the show.

LA 4 Gaza at the Echoplex Sketches

Went out to support an event called "LA 4 Gaza" which took place at the Echoplex. Some good friends (Discostan and Radio Sombra) put it together with fantastic music to raise funds for Palestine Children's Relief Fund, who do fantastic humanitarian aid work in the region.Great to see people like Omar Offendum, Ana Tijoux, Kadhja Bonet, Awesome Tapes from Africa, NGUZUNGUZU with my favorite DJs from Discostan, Arshia and Jeremy and hosted by Nizar Wattad.Here are some sketches I drew in the dark.

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LA India Ensemble at Calarts Watercolor Sketches

I went to see my friend Neelamjit Dhillon perform along with Raginder "Violinder" Momi, Rajib Karmakar and Vineet Vyas as the LA India Ensemble at Calarts. Great show! Here are some sketches I made during the show.

Young Workers Rising Block Party

Congratulations to my friend Shukry and all the people that came together to make the first annual Young Workers Rising Block Party a success. I managed a few sketches of Maya Jupiter and her band with a guest cameo by Omar Offendum. What a set. Wow. I can't wait to hear more. They were followed by ever fantastic band Quetzal. Here are a few sketches and some youtube videos below that to give you a taste.

The Lions at Grand Performances

I went to see the Lions (on Stone Throw Records), a really fun reggae band at Grand Performances. Here's a sketch from the show.Check out some of their music:

Angelique Kidjo at Grand Performances

I went to see Angelique Kidjo at Grand Performances. What an amazing show. The place was packed, the music was great and I managed to do some sketches during the show.

Angelique Kidjo

The band and opening act

Audience member who shared snacks with us.

beautiful sketch by my pal Eduardo Sanchez

Kaya Press' Mehfil Massive at USC

Here are some sketches I made during the performances at Kaya Press' Mehfil Massive event at USC. Organized by Neelanjana Banerjee, with D'Lo as the host who presented DJ Bandish Projekt, Amarnath Ravva, Salman Ahmad of Junoon, Kazim Ali, Brooklyn Shanti, Robin Sukhadia aka Tablapusher, Tarfia Faizullah, Gingger Shankar, Bhanu Kapil, Mandeep Sethi, Raginder "Violinder", Crowned Kinglsy, Jordan Palmer and Tabla Vadak.

Himalayan Festival Laguna Beach

I was a vendor with rHope at the Himalayan Festival of Laguna Beach at the Pageant of the Masters. Here are a few sketches I managed, from a fun celebration of food, art, dance and music from Tibet, Bhutan, Nepal and India.

Elephants with Guns at Tuesday Night Cafe

I went to the season opener for the Tuesday Night Cafe in Downtown Los Angeles last night. As usual, there was great community and talent on display. Here are a few sketches I did while my friends Elephants with Guns performed.

Devi Fair at Witzend Sketches

I went to a great music show called Devi Fair, at the Witzend. The lineup was incredible, and I ran out of paper before the last two acts went on, so I didn't get a chance to sketch them. Here are some sketches of Manisha Shahane, Dawn Norfleet, Avari, Pranidhi Varshi, Clinton Patterson, Sheela Bringi, Neelamjit Dhillon and Ben Shepard. I didn't get a chance to sketch Bhavana Reddy or Sheela Govindarajan, but do check out their beautiful music too.

Amjad Sabri Qawwali in Los Angeles

I went to a concert of Amjad Sabri, performing qawwali with his group in Los Angeles. Here are some watercolor sketches from during the performance.

Falu at Hotel Cafe

I hadn't seen Falu perform since I first saw them back in 2006 at Artwallah. I knew I couldn't miss a chance to see the band perform right here in Los Angeles at the Hotel Cafe. Here are some sketches from an amazing show.