Documenting Asian American Community Music Ensembles
Awaaz Do
Biographies | Song Blogs | Interview Videos | Photo Gallery
Awaaz Do (which translates to “Make Noise”) mixes South Asian musical influences with punk rock and metal to create a unique sound of their own. Started in Charlestown, Massachusetts (the oldest neighborhood in Boston), the band evolved from a Bollywood covers project to a band of South Asian and Asian American musicians making music that represent their diverse backgrounds and identities.
Saraswathi Jones
(Founder, lead vocalist, guitarist)
Saraswathi Jones always thought punk rock covers of Bollywood songs would be a great idea. And for good reason. Genre mashups are often found in punk recordings and live sets. There are even bands like the punk supergroup Me First and the Gimme Gimmies that only plays punk covers of non-punk songs, such as Over the Rainbow. With Bollywood musicals as globally popular as it is, Saraswathi was surprised that a standard like “Kutch Kutch Hota Hai” hadn’t already been covered as a three chord punk song. When a friend booked her for a show in 2013, she thought it was an opportunity to give this idea a try, even though she didn’t have a band and wasn’t sure of herself as a guitarist. She then thought about a band like The Ramones who, early on in their careers, were very inexperienced in their instruments and she realized that’s the punk rock spirit. (Another common lore was how Sid Vicious would lay shows with his bass unplugged, though it’s questionable whether that was to do with his music ability or drug use…)
Saraswathi Jones on the conception of Awaaz Do.
With that as inspiration, she found musicians from the rock scene in Charlestown, actively seeking members of Southeast Asian descent, and put together a band for the show. The show turned out to be a success with a large gathering of Desi Americans enjoying themselves at a rock club being a highlight. Inspired by the coming together of worlds, Saraswathi decided to keep the band going, eventually finding more members and composing and recording their own songs.
Outside of Awaaz Do, Saraswathi Jones is a solo artist who writes and performs for the stage, theater and film. Her first touring experience was as a singer and guitarist in the librarian-attired indie pop band, The Michael J. Epstein Memorial Library. She is active in the nonprofit world and has served as an organizer for the Girls Rock Camp movement. She has also been a Fulbright Scholar to Bangladesh, a Banff Centre for the Arts composer-in-residence, a Helene Wurltizer Foundation of New Mexico fellow, and a City of Tempe Creatives Cohort fellow. Most recently she composed music for a Riot Grrl re-interpretation of a Greek Tragedy and is currently working on academic pursuits.
– Joe X. Jiang
Song Blogs
Kutch Kutch Hota Hai, from the band’s first EP, is one of the popular Bollywood songs that Saraswathi Jones felt compelled to cover at the genesis of Awaaz Do. The song, also the title of the 1998 film, translates to “Something is Happening,” and is about a love triangle developing between three college friends. Interestingly, when the original lyricist for the film’s soundtrack found out this was the title, he considered it mediocre, obscene and vulgar and even quit the film, although he later regretted his decision. In some way, this is a pretty punk rock origin of the song.
Two versions of the song appear on the film’s soundtrack. One is a romantic version between the leading man and the two women that both fall in love with him. The second version is a sadder solo by the woman who is initially rejected by the man. All of the characters in the song describe the feeling of a dreamlike intoxication from their encounters. The same euphoria leaves them confused whether they should pursue the romance, but certain that “something is happening”. The song fits easily into the classic mould of a tug of the heart love song. Knowing that the story revolves around a love triangle, the lyrics also suggest possible conflict, as lines about “restlessness” and a “heart in loneliness” is seen in a different lens when the love is unrequited for one of the women.
In Awaaz Do’s version, the romantic sounds of soft tablas and sweeping strings are replaced by driving punk drums and down strum guitars. Sarawathi Jones’ vocals aren’t soft longings but rather defiant, playful and strong. At the end the first chorus, on the line “Something is Happening” Saraswathi finishes with a rebellious “Hey Hey!” that leads to a guitar solo verse by Jagdeep. Rather than a vocal duet, Saraswathi’s duet partner here is a shredding distorted Stratocaster. Knowing the beginnings of this band and its evolution from a Bollywood cover band to a collective with its own unique sound and identity, the “Heys” are like a call to action, like a punk uprising or standing up to the traditions. The band’s name literally translates to “Make Noise” and that’s as rock n roll as it gets. It’s really a fun cover that is even more fitting in a live setting. It’s celebratory, brash and dramatic in the best way. Saraswathi jumps giddly across the stage, while her bandmates play with unabashed punk rock energy. It serves as a nice contrast to the film’s carefully choreographed Bollywood movements. As the song ends with Saraswathi lifting the mic stand high in the air, and then stomping the stage in unison with the cymbals and guitar squeals, something is definitely happening. It is the beginning of a band finding their sound, connecting with a shared cultural background and appreciation for the artistic expressions that inspire them.
– Joe X. Jiang
Interview Videos
As you will hear, the members of Awaaz Do have very different backgrounds and reasons for playing in this band. Some emphasize the political aspects, and others focus on musical challenges and personal reasons. We have completed interviews with four band members so far. The first interview is with the band’s founder, Saraswati Jones (Tanya Palit), and her husband and the band’s bassist, Azhar. The interviewer is Joe X. Jiang. This interview was filmed in October 2019 at the couple’s home in Tempe, Arizona. (A transcript of the interview is forthcoming.)
The second interview is with guitarist Jagdeep Singh. The interviewer is Eric Hung, and was recorded in the suburbs of Boston in November 2019. As you will hear, Jagdeep’s influences are eclectic, and he loves to improvise, which sometimes causes some disagreements with other members of the band.
Photo Gallery
Full metadata for all photos are forthcoming.
