-- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE --
November 15, 2002

ArtWallah 2003 Kicks Off!
Annual Fall Benefit Party A Success

LOS ANGELES, CA -- Energetic, spontaneous rhythms and vocals perfumed
the air at Café Club Fais Do Do as party-goers crowded the floors
at
ArtWallah's annual Fall Benefit Party. Clichéd ideas that anyone
attending may have had about the South Asian music scene quickly
dissipated as they listened to the music blending East with West. The
reality of an emerging eastern-western genre of music was confirmed
as the spectrum of musical performances melded into one.

The performers, who had never played together before, laid beat-heavy
grooves onto the floor. The opening set was an acoustic jam session
led by guitar and drums, and accompanied by DJ mixing and scratching.
The music soon transformed into South Asian underground and bhangra,
with the DJ now taking the lead complemented by congo and dhol hip-
swaying percussions. Spinning records grooving with the rhythms of
drums, congos, dhols, and guitars fused seamlessly and an instant
rapport with the crowd was evident. Los Angeles DJ, Sandeep Kumar
truly enjoyed mixing alongside the live beats of musicians and
vocalists. "I like the concept of ArtWallah," he said, "Tonight's
music wasn't completely American or South Asian, it was both -- a
true reflection of us."

The entire line-up donated their time to perform on behalf of
ArtWallah. Performers included: DJ Sandeep Kumar on the turntables;
James Brennan Agarwal on congos; Rob Alo on acoustic guitar; Tony
Baby on electric guitar; brother-sister duo, Jess and Malinder
Tooray (a.k.a. Dhol Nation) set the bhangra beats on dhol; Sim
Grewall of Karmacy on drums; and vocalist Aalok Mehta also strummed
acoustic guitar. Without a break in the musical flow, the artists
stepped in and out of the session as they explored the rhythmic
intricacies of each other's sounds - a passing test of their
versatility onstage. These impromptu artistic collaborations surely
set the tone for ArtWallah 2003.

Aalok Mehta, musician, vocalist and actor (featured in "American
Chai"), described ArtWallah as having an "organic vibe." He went on
to say, "ArtWallah is message-driven, with an undercurrent deeper
than 'let's party.' ArtWallah is about promoting artists and the art
that is true to you."

ArtWallah is more than a festival; it is a feeling, a movement. It is
a place that fosters the fusion of identities, of places and of
beliefs. It showcases an art that is largely underrepresented -- one
that is a reflection of both where we are and where we come from, in
particular our South Asian roots.

Artwallah welcomes submissions from artists locally and nationally
for the 2003 festival scheduled for June 26-29 at the Village at Ed
Gould Plaza in Hollywood.

CALL FOR WORKS
ArtWallah, Arts Festival of the South Asian Diaspora, is seeking
innovative and original work from artists and artist-activists that
address political, personal or cultural celebrations/struggles, for
its fourth-annual event. We especially strive to include regions that
are typically underrepresented in the South Asian geography,
including Burma, the Maldives, Nepal, and Bhutan. Please visit
www.artwallah.org and review our submissions guidelines under
ArtWallah 2003 - Submissions. All submissions must be postmarked by
February 15, 2003.

ABOUT ARTWALLAH
ArtWallah is an annual festival of arts showcasing expressions of the
South Asian diasporic experience through dance, literature, spoken
word, theater, music, film/video, and visual arts. ArtWallah is
presented by the South Asian Artists' Collective and the Indo-
American Cultural Center.

Contact: Natasha Alim
press@artwallah.org
(310) 428-6414