what the hell did you do!?!?

In case, you'd like to know what we did in NYC and London...I wrote up a diary. I've edited quite a bit out, because the verbiage can be a tid bit boring sometimes...and tried to leave in the juice. So, yeah. Enjoy!
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New York City burns and breathes. It's streets have a pulse. Almost as if underneath the tar and cement there's a giant heart beating underneath. I wanted Randolph to feel that rhythm and love the city the way I did. I already felt like he did, through my own heart. Just needed for it to physically happen…

After a few sushi lunches and a few days of rehearsal with our NYC drummer, Rajeev Maddela (Who is a kick ass drummer, by the way), we were ready for our first ever gig in New York as Shaa'ir + func.
We arrived at The Annex, one of the most popular live performances spaces in Manhattan, for sound check in the nick of time. We were locked out. Brilliant. As it is stress levels are high as we know that press is covering the gig, and we won't have enough time to sound check and go home before doors open. As I'm taking a deep breath and assuming the face of someone who is
calm, professional, and just a little bit pissed off, I see a lanky, fiery red-haired, guy taking strides toward us dressed in all black, and platform spiked boots. Could this be the timid sound guy I had chatted with over the last few days?

He approaches with headphones stuck in his ears with quite possibly the most satanic death metal reverberating around him. He greets us and apologizes for being late. As he opens the bolted door to the Annex, Randolph and I exchange a bit of a laugh. Already a quirky beginning to an interesting night. Sound check goes over well. Our sound guy is eccentric, but cool. We leave, get coffees, chill for a minute, then get ready for the night. The Annex s a big space, but graciously it was full of friends, family and fans. Every song we played, we gained ore and more momentum, feeling each other's vibration, and wanting so badly to share all we possibly could with our people. I think they felt us too. The warmth with which we were received was climactic. Thank you New York City!!
I can't write about everything that happened during our trip, because it'll take me about a month just to write, and take you about two months to ingest...so i'll offer whatever highlights or anecdotes that could serve to be of some interest.


In only two weeks time, we had played six gigs in NYC, one including a rather feisty barmaid/man, cross dresser with a fantastic body and perfect makeup, not to mention three inch heels on his/her already 6'2'' body, who walked around with a leather whip intimidating men and women alike. The gig was good though, aside from all that. In a short amount of time, we made good friends, played fantastic gigs, moved in and out of an apartment, and shipped our butts off to the land of tea-time and crumpets. LONDON BABY!!

drop the pressure.

In NYC you find a melange of people. Sometimes you'll step into a bar or lounge and not one single person will be of the same race, demographic, or social style. that's what I love about it. It's incredibly diverse.

Anyway, it was the end of the night at one such bar...around 4 AM...and the night was sort of that typical pop music evening...the kind you can listen to with a bucket over your head and get just as much from. In any case, something really beautiful happened, Guns N Roses came on...what else? sweet child o' mine. But everyone erupted into song. Everyone from the Rasta dude with 3 foot long dreads, to the business man with too much gel in his hair, to the blond college chick with a t-shirt 4 sizes too small and her sorority girlfriends...it was quite possibly the most beautiful thing I had EVER seen!!!!!

And that's what it's about man. That's all I want...that's it that's it that's it. that's the magic ............

On the Plane

Befuddled and stupefied I'd stare
Wide eyed at the white wall in my midst
Boredom
Hovering like a disease
ready to strike
my restless mind
privy to the negativity
fed to me on TV and other various devices
sending sub-sonic waves
into the air I breathe
But today
I'm not thirsty
I find myself writing this decree
perhaps finally listening
to the voices that speak to me...

What I crave

Inspiration like dried leaves shivering on
the branches stretched above my knees

And every psychotic episode
that I allow myself the opportunity to dive head first into
takes me to a pair of eyes
blinking in low light

understanding

What I want

Understanding the life that permeates in the space
between the beings that stomp this soft earth
all upside
rightly bound to a core
of gravity that slithers
around a light that burns
Embers that morph slowly from red to bright blue
That burn that binds me to you

Two eyes blinking in low light
lending me their stories
So I might be able
to fight the good fight.

And they're back in the studio!

Hello children!

I'd like to make a few announcements here to start things off.

The Shaa'ir + Func blog has been inactive for almost two months now, you can blame Monica for that. Apparently she has "more important things to do" like "touring" and "making music". Hence, I, Kalhan Raina, a guy who has no music to make and no shows to play, am going to give you guys regular updates on Shaa'ir + Func.

That was important news. Now, I guess I should let you guys know that the new Shaa'ir + Func album is almost in the can and it needs some tweaks before it gets out. I heard the songs a few days ago, most of them are upbeat dance oriented tracks with stronger messages and I'm trippin' on them right now.

Also, they're planning to strip down a few of the beat heavy tracks to see what they sound like. So long story short, when the album comes out eventually, it's going to be full of surprises for everyone. I'll try and get a song or two on myspace for you guys to listen to once the spectrum-analysis and mastering and all that technical pickerick is taken care of.

S+F have also made a new video for the song "Secret" which I've requested for upload for all of you to watch, so keep you-tubing for it in case you didn't catch the premier at Blue Frog.

Anyway, back to the announcement part of it, Shaa'ir + Func are back in the studio. Not that they're out of the studio too often, since they've been recording in Randolph's room, which is quite an amusement park with all the batman collectables, synths and amateur guitar porn (in case you didn't know that Randolph has more guitars than Jesus)

So, that's the end of my rant and also, you should give up any sign of hope of me talking sense or saying something inspirational here. And yes, I'm praying for Monica to start posting again too.