Bollywood music never fails to get people boogying. At least that’s how members of the eight-piece band, the Red Baraat, feel.
The Brooklyn band will bring their funky blend of South Asian and American tunes to the grand opening of the Shea Theater in Turners Falls Friday night. The band’s music marries the sensibilities of jazz and hip hop with Indian dance music.
The sound is derived from the hard driving Indian pop music Bhangra, while also tapping into elements of go-go and rock music. A mix of horns, drums, guitar and sousaphone come together to inject audience members with energy. Some songs are written in a few days, others take months to compose.
“It’s a big communal energy coming at you. It’s not a performance that asks the audience to sit back,” said Sunny Jain, the band’s founder. “There is something about that Indian music that gets people moving.” Jain plays an Indian drum called a dhol.
The band was inspired by Jain’s childhood memories of being in India. When he was 5 years old, he saw an Indian marching band and felt inspired. Then, he started playing music at age 10. Now, his band is on the road touring and performing about 150 days of the year.
“We are simple creatures that desire community. If we can unite people of all backgrounds and ethnicities to partake in the exuberance of life through the universal language of music, then life is that much sweeter,” said Jain, whose band also performed last year at the Green River Festival.
The band will bring just the right energy to the reopening of the Shea Theater, which closed for renovations a few months ago, said Christopher “Monte” Belmonte, a Turners Falls resident who took over the theater’s lease.
Chairs will be cleared from the theater so that guests will have plenty of room to boogie.
Belmonte said he hopes the event will be infused with the same energy as an Indian wedding.
“If we can bring a little bit of that Indian energy to downtown Turners Falls, then it will be an exciting night,” Belmonte said.
The Shea Theater is welcoming new life with a full weekend of celebrations that is also the launching point for the theater’s new fundraising campaign, “Light up the Shea,” to reach a goal of $100,000 for continued rehabilitation of the building.
Indie rock band Speedy Ortiz will take the stage Saturday with the Pioneer Valley songwriter and guitarist Sadie Dupuis leading the band. The final performance on Sunday, March 6, will feature Northampton singer-songwriter Heather Maloney.
Tickets for opening night on Friday, March 4 are $23 in advance and $28 at the door. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m. To purchase tickets, visit: ticketfly.com/event/1071349
A complete listing of upcoming events will be available soon at: sheatheater.org
You can reach Lisa Spear at: lspear@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 280