Although Rupa & the April Fishes are based in San Francisco, CA, their music is a specifically locale-free style of pan-culturalism, with lead singer and songwriter Rupa Marya singing not only in English but also in French, Spanish, Hindi, and the Roma language of the Gypsies. Marya was born near San Francisco, but her Indian-born parents traveled quite a bit, and she was raised not only in California but also in northern India and France. Although the study of medicine was Marya's main priority -- she is an internist on staff at a teaching hospital in San Francisco -- she also began playing piano and guitar as a child, and began writing songs as a teenager. After a stint in a folk duo with San Francisco singer/songwriter Kate Isenberg, Marya formed Rupa & the April Fishes with the intent of blending all the forms of music she had been exposed to, from wistful French chansons and dramatic Roma ballads to the Mexican-American pop that permeates the Bay Area, along with politically minded lyrics that concern her internationalist mindset. Featuring herself on guitar and lead vocals, Marya formed Rupa & the April Fishes while completing her medical residency, bringing cellists Ed Baskerville and Pawel Walerowski, trumpeter Marcus Cohen, accordionists Isabel Douglass and Adrian Jost, bassist Safa Shokrai, and drummer Aaron Kierbel into the fold. The band's debut album, Extraordinary Rendition, was released in 2008. (
It tends to be the case that the more motley the crew performing on an album, the more motley the music. And yet, there are times and groups that mix their divergent backgrounds and instruments perfectly. California seems to be a breeding ground for this type of successful fusion (War and Ozomatli, for example). Here, a collective of musicians from San Francisco combine for a series of songs in French, Spanish, English, and Hindi, all under the leadership of multiculturalist (and doctor) Rupa Marya. The songs seem to be based mostly in French traditions, but with a twist. Chanson has a hold on much of the proceedings, but there are shanties thrown in, political protest songs and sentiments throughout, and a soft, flowing Spanish delivery that can be pulled out when chanson isn't enough for the moment. The key here is in the modernization of the old sounds, though. An Argentine milonga may form the base of a piece, but a thumping guitar riff keeps it fresh. A gentle French love song is kept awake by a shimmering violin straight out of a Piazzolla composition. Although Rupa is at the front of the band throughout, it's probably the instrumentalists who contribute the bulk of the sound, with accordions, string jazz, and an occasional cello riff forming not only the foundation for the music, but much of the ornamentation. This is contemporary art music, elements of world music, jam bands, and street music thrown in for good measure. Maybe a bit too eclectic for some listeners, but certainly eclectic enough to keep the average jaded listener intrigued. (
It tends to be the case that the more motley the crew performing on an album, the more motley the music. And yet, there are times and groups that mix their divergent backgrounds and instruments perfectly. California seems to be a breeding ground for this type of successful fusion (War and Ozomatli, for example). Here, a collective of musicians from San Francisco combine for a series of songs in French, Spanish, English, and Hindi, all under the leadership of multiculturalist (and doctor) Rupa Marya. The songs seem to be based mostly in French traditions, but with a twist. Chanson has a hold on much of the proceedings, but there are shanties thrown in, political protest songs and sentiments throughout, and a soft, flowing Spanish delivery that can be pulled out when chanson isn't enough for the moment. The key here is in the modernization of the old sounds, though. An Argentine milonga may form the base of a piece, but a thumping guitar riff keeps it fresh. A gentle French love song is kept awake by a shimmering violin straight out of a Piazzolla composition. Although Rupa is at the front of the band throughout, it's probably the instrumentalists who contribute the bulk of the sound, with accordions, string jazz, and an occasional cello riff forming not only the foundation for the music, but much of the ornamentation. This is contemporary art music, elements of world music, jam bands, and street music thrown in for good measure. Maybe a bit too eclectic for some listeners, but certainly eclectic enough to keep the average jaded listener intrigued. (
Personnel:
Ed Baskerville (cello)
Marcus Cohen (trumpet)
Adrian Jost (bandoneon, bayan)
Aaron Kierbel (drums, percussion)
Rupa Marya (glockenspiel, guitar, piano, vocals)
Eric Perney Bass (Upright)
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Sameer Gupta (tabla on 12.)
Carey Lamprecht (violin on 08.)
Marcus Shelby (bass on 06. + 12.)
Ed Baskerville (cello)
Marcus Cohen (trumpet)
Adrian Jost (bandoneon, bayan)
Aaron Kierbel (drums, percussion)
Rupa Marya (glockenspiel, guitar, piano, vocals)
Eric Perney Bass (Upright)
+
Sameer Gupta (tabla on 12.)
Carey Lamprecht (violin on 08.)
Marcus Shelby (bass on 06. + 12.)
Tracklist:
01. San Francisco (Marya) 0.51
02. Maintenant (Marya) 4.07
03. Poder (Marya) 3.37
04. C'est Pas d'L'amour (Marya) 4.50
05. Une Americaine à Paris (Marya) 3.59
06. La Pêcheuse (Marya) 5.38
07. Mal de Mer (Marya) 4.38
08. Les Abeilles (Marya) 5.39
09. Plus Que Moi (Marya) 4.00
10. Not So Easy (Marya) 1.46
11. La Peinture (Marya) 4.31
12. Yaad (Marya) 4.57
13. Wishful Thinking (Marya) 4.00
01. San Francisco (Marya) 0.51
02. Maintenant (Marya) 4.07
03. Poder (Marya) 3.37
04. C'est Pas d'L'amour (Marya) 4.50
05. Une Americaine à Paris (Marya) 3.59
06. La Pêcheuse (Marya) 5.38
07. Mal de Mer (Marya) 4.38
08. Les Abeilles (Marya) 5.39
09. Plus Que Moi (Marya) 4.00
10. Not So Easy (Marya) 1.46
11. La Peinture (Marya) 4.31
12. Yaad (Marya) 4.57
13. Wishful Thinking (Marya) 4.00
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