Virtual Performance on Live-Streaming Platform YouBeNow
In 2022, friends of mine who were active in the tech industry created a startup platform, YouBeNow, to broadcast live performances in real time over the internet. As the development phase for the platform advanced, they approached me to do a livestream show with them so that they could perform further tests and to showcase the platform.
I put together a selection of work featuring some of my original psychedelic rock fusion and a couple of spoken word pieces. A recording of the show is available free on the YouBeNow website.
When you load the page, click on the "SEE TICKET OPTIONS" button and then on the "Buy" button. This will bring you to a page where you can sign up to buy tickets. The tickets for the recording are currently free ($0)!
Please note that the performance begins at the 8 minute 45 second mark.
Please also note that I am no longer affiliated with Le Groupe Herencias. As such, the contact information at the end of the YouBeNow page is out of date. If you require further information about the show or want to get in touch with me, please use the contact form here on my website. Enjoy the show!
5ive - A Cultural DiVersion
Come along for a magical musical detour with multidisciplinary artist, Himmat Singh Shinhat, through a selection of his compositions featuring his unique style of psychedelic rock fusion and spoken word. Himmat's original compositions take inspiration from a myriad of sources such as the free-flowing psychedelic blues of Jimi Hendrix, the riff-rock of Led Zeppelin, early fusion artists integrating Indian music such as the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Sikh devotional music, and music rooted in spirituality by artists like Carlos Santana.
Festival Accès-Asie (Montreal Asian Heritage Festival)
I am proud to be a founding member and a past board member of the Festival Accès-Asie (originally known as the Montreal Asian Heritage Festival). The festival was founded in 1995 and I performed in the inaugural show at the Lion d'Or Cabaret in Montreal. Since that time, I have been a regular participant, presenter, and MC at the festival over the years. My position with the Public Service of Canada took me to Ottawa in 1999, which meant I had to withdraw from my involvement with the festival. In 2017, I returned to Montreal and rejoined the festival as a board member and was invited to be master of ceremonies for the opening of the festival the following year. The following are a few highlights of my involvement with the festival, spanning multiple years.
Festival Highlights
The Festival History
Panj (ਪੰਜ) at the 2022 Edition
Accès-Asie Review of Panj (ਪੰਜ)
For more detailed info on Panj (ਪੰਜ), see the dedicated page on my website
Workshop: (Re)vise (Re)invent (Re)connect
This workshop was presented at the 2nd National Asian Heritage Month Symposium with Farah Fancy. It was a virtual online event that brought together participants from across Canada to foster exchange and build connections across the national network of Asian Heritage organizations, artists and cultural workers.
For the workshop, I shared the details of my creative process for the development of the performance, Panj (ਪੰਜ). I spoke of the challenges in dealing with the subject matter - the grief and trauma resulting from the loss of a parent. I presented how the practices I was engaged in, mindfulness meditation and somatic practices such as eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) helped me get in touch with my body, become present to my feelings, so that I could understand them better.
Additional Festival Content
First National Online Showcase
Video Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the Festival, 2020
MC Roles and Performances
MC for the Opening Cocktail (Festival Launch), May 2020
In 2020, the festival moved online in the context of the COVID pandemic
MC and Performer, Cycles of Light, Online Cabaret, May 2020
A live cabaret had been scheduled, however, given the COVID pandemic, the cabaret moved online.
National Film Board of Canada, Film Soundtrack
In 1989, I was invited to compose music for director John Smith's film, "Welcome to Canada". I remember driving over to the old NFB headquarters in the Norman McLaren Building in St-Laurent on Côte-de-Liesse road with my sampler and drum machine. The session took place in the National Film Board's 24-track recording studio. In retrospect, it was a pleasure to work on a project of this scope. It was quite an experience for me because I had never been in such a large and well-equipped studio before.
Earlier, I had been given a couple of video clips to view for the sections where music was required. I had come with concrete ideas for music for the sections, however, the director preferred to have me improvise. The tracks that ended up being used in the film featured rhythms programmed into my drum machine and improvised melodies and textures using a sitar sample. Overdubs of other musicians playing traditional instruments were faded in and out of the tracks here and there giving the feeling of a culture being lost and something else coming to replace it.
In order to reflect the diversity of cultural references in the meeting between the Sri Lankan refugees and the Newfoundlanders, there were several other musicians involved in the project as well as some recordings that were very effectively used to underscore the story as it unfolded.
Welcome to Canada
This feature drama tells the story of the illegal landing of a boatload of Southeast Asians on Canada's east coast in 1986. Based on an actual incident, the film follows 8 Sri Lankan Tamils who find temporary sanctuary in an isolated outport in Newfoundland after being rescued from certain death at sea by a group of fishermen. A warm portrayal of an unusual encounter between 2 cultures worlds apart.
- Contemporary Dance & Performance Art: Composed and performed music for Roger Sinha's "Burning Skin" (1992-1994), which toured internationally and was featured on CBC's Adrienne Clarkson Presents. Also created music for transgender performance artist Atif Siddiqi through the 1990s to present.
- Theatre Work with Teesri Duniya and Montreal Serai: Composed soundtracks and provided technical support for numerous theatre productions from 1985-1995, including "The Great Celestial Cow," "The Komagata Maru Incident," and "The Death of Abbie Hoffman," performing in Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver.
- Saathi Collective: Participated in Montreal South Asian Queer Artist Collective through the 1990s and 2000s, creating work that explored intersections of culture, identity, gender, and race through music and performance.