music in the park, blue oyster cult, san jose california

.Summer Fest Preview: BlackMahal

music in the park, psychedelic furs

It doesn’t hurt that Bhatti’s voice sounds fantastic soaring over a beat. And it doesn’t seem out of place in a band that draws on the eclecticism of Parliament-Funkadelic, and writes loopy songs about mustaches and mangos. There’s a method to their sonic madness, though, and part of it lies in how songs like “Savor The Flavor” and “Mangos” are relatable to both Punjabi and American culture—even in their ridiculousness, charting a certain intersection of the Punjabi-American experience.
“We try to find things that have double meanings in both cultures,” Chattha says, “themes that work for both.”
The song “Mangos,” he says, originally began with the idea of using the motion of pulling fruit as a way to explain to non-Punjabs how to do bhangra dances. It got sillier from there. This is not a group that concerns itself with coming off stony and hard like a lot of post-gangsta hip-hop crews.
“It’s hard to be hard,” admits Chattha. “It wouldn’t be us. We’re way more playful and lighthearted. We’re having too much fun.”
As for his own rap style, he says he feels like he’s drawn from “all of those great MCs from the ‘’80s and ’90s.” There’s a lot of Chuck D in his delivery, but he admits his heart belongs to Flava Flav.
Either way, he says, “When you play with Ustad, you have to bring the noise.”
BlackMahal performs at San Jose Jazz’s Summer Fest at Plaza de Cesar Chavez in San Jose Saturday at 8pm. For ticket information, go here.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

cantor arts center, handle with care, stanford university

Latest Giveaways

Enter for a chance to win tickets to San Jose Earthquakes vs Portland Timbers at PayPal Park in San Jose on May 3. Drawing April 23, 2025.
Enter for a chance to win a 4-Pack of tickets to Pacific Coast Dream Machines in Half Moon Bay for April 27. Drawing April 16, 2025.
spot_img
music in the park, psychedelic furs
10,828FansLike
8,305FollowersFollow
Metro Silicon Valley E-edition Metro Silicon Valley E-edition