Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers at the Black Cat!!!

Shilpa Ray @ the Black Cat.

I owe a seriously huge thanks to my friend Doug for first telling me about this band a couple years ago; he had seen them at a festival I believe, and one day mentioned that he thought I would be interested. He definitely hit the hammer on the head with that statement. Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers gave an energetic and exciting performance, as I was lucky enough to witness it firsthand on Memorial Day at the Black Cat in Washington D.C.

Shilpa Ray uses a harmonium. A harmonium is a neat free-reed instrument, with a a keyboard and a drawer in the back that you repetitively open and close in order to pump its bellows. Sort of like if you took the bass/button/left-hand off an accordion and then laid it down flat. It's certainly an interesting factor in part of the creation of their unique sound; it's not a common inclusion in a band, especially not often so heavily used when included. Although the harmonium is perhaps most commonly associated with Indian music, her usage of it in this band is rather separate from that-- and probably has more in common with Nico's (yes, the same Nico from the Velvet Underground) solo albums than the latter. 

Shilpa Ray has a rather peculiar voice, not dissimilar to the spirit and charm of Patti Smith or the soulful grunting and howling of Janis Joplin. Yet her voice is certainly strong enough to stand on its own, and only faint reminders of others artists come to mind; just enough to make it seem somewhat familiar, but just different enough to be exciting and fresh. This is also true of the music itself-- it's equal parts early first-wave punk, indie-rock, and sixties psychedelic/acid-rock; all thrown in with  time-signature curve-balls, grooving melodic bass lines, buzz-saw guitar galore, and a propulsive rhythmic drive.

At this particular performance, the group did I believe all or just about all four of the songs off of their latest EP, It's All Self Fellatio; along with a healthy handful of selections from their debut album, Teenage & Torture. One thing I noticed right off the bat and was immediately caught up in was their drummer, John Adamski. This dude is a seriously hard-hitter!!!! He also had some rather intricate ways of doing things; not necessarily out of the ordinary, but a bit uncommon. He held his sticks more like a jazz drummer than most in rock outfits, he performed at least the first several songs with no cymbals-- all toms, bass, and snare. He stops and starts on a dime, and pounds away like there is no tomorrow. He was truly an impressive percussionist.

Shilpa Ray at the Black Cat.

Nick Hundley the bassist, had some very interesting melodic moments, and some rather fanciful walking lines here and there-- occasionally switching roles with the guitarist and often doing some pedal-steel guitar himself. Guitarist Andrew Bailey gave the audience both the attitude and immediacy of punk with his rhythmic playing, but also the stylistic chops and skills of a lead blues guitarist in his shining moments.

Though there was no opening act, it was honestly wonderful to just skip to the main attraction right away. The group gave a performance nothing short of impressive. They filled the room with hauntingly beautiful melodic drones, danceable grooves, and a crunchy guitar assault; with Shilpa's voice leading the way through their hard-hitting, sweat-drippping, blaring unique blend of indie-rock-- all topped with a wonderful and very brief split-second of awkward silence at the end of each song. That perfect delayed moment of realization that they just made your jaws drop to the floor before the room erupts into applause.