It reads:
Sitar-studded supergroup: Montreal's Rishi Dhir is the glue to Mien
“I’ve always approached music as a community of people,” says Rishi Dhir, explaining the genesis of Mien — a project that "is more than just the sum of its parts."
That’s Rishi Dhir in a nutshell.
“I accepted, at one point, that this is kind of my calling card,” the Montreal multi-instrumentalist, bandleader (of noble psych-pop act Elephant Stone) and newly minted acid-house DJ/sitarist said recently, on a lunch break from his day job as a technical writer.
A rare instrument in the rock world, the sitar has opened doors for Dhir, from sharing the stage with Beck during a 2012 Australian tour (and then at Osheaga in 2013) to sparking conversations with like-minded musicians seemingly everywhere he goes – though his affable demeanour may have something to do with the latter.
“I’ve always approached music as a community of people,” Dhir explained. “If (my band) played with another band I thought was good, I’d say, ‘Hey, we should do something together. Want some sitar?’
“Or if a band I respected came to town — I know what being on the road is like — I’d say, ‘Want to come for dinner, and do some laundry?’ I’ve done that over the years, just due to the fact that I empathize and I understand. And I guess the sitar, as I pointed out, also makes me interesting.”
In other words, the only thing better than a guy with a sitar is a friendly guy with a sitar. Which is basically how Dhir brought his new band together...
Read the rest here: Montreal Gazette
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