My story is about Thievery Corporation and their talented guitarist and sitar player, Rob Myers. Rob and I have several friends in common, and both spent formative time hanging and playing music at the Betapunks warehouse on Blagden Alley in the early 1990's.
I spent three months in India in 1996, and a large part of that time was devoted to studying Sitar. I arrived with a vague notion of finding a teacher, but didn't have anything set up until I met a rickshaw driver named Mongol in Varanasi. When I asked about a sitar teacher, he immediately took me to the house of Dr. Raj Bahn Singh, recently retired head of the music program at the local University and a renowned master of the sitar. A brief introduction was made, and Dr. Singh welcomed me into his living room. He grilled me about my musical background and level of commitment. I assured him that I was a pro and was serious, but he finally agreed to teach me by saying "You came on an auspicious day".
I spent the next 45 days learning from him in the traditional manner. I sat at his feet and learned by repeating what he did. I eventually reached the point where I could do a few very basic things with the instrument.
After I returned to DC, I formed a jazz quartet that had a weekly gig at Twins Lounge. Rob used to come to see us play, and one night we were talking about India and sitar and his desire to learn the instrument. I told him about my experience with Dr. Singh, and encouraged him to go there and look him up. To my surprise he did so. Unlike me, he became a great sitar player, and his playing is featured on many Thievery Corporation tracks. Whenever I hear his playing I remember my small part in the chain of events that helped nurture it.
Please stay tuned for the runner up's story which came in a very close second in tomorrow's edition of DC ROCKS.
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