SOULMATE

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SOULMATE Inspired by the roots and groove sounds of the Blues,Blues-rock,Soul,Rock ‘n Roll, Funk and R&B,SOULMATE came together in Shillong,in February 2003 playing their first concert at the ‘Roots Festival at the Water Sports Complex in Umiam. Since then the band has performed many concerts all over The Northeast as well as in different parts of India. They have also performed at the International Jazzmandu Festival in Kathmandu for two consecutive years..2004 and 2005.
Anyone with an interest in the western music scene in India will recognize singer/songwriter Rudy Wallang, who leads this tight knit musical unit. Born into music, he grew up listening to his father Toto Wallang making music and he started singing and playing the ukulele at a very tender age eventually graduating to the guitar. Today, Rudy is one of the foremost singer / songwriter / blues guitar players in the country with a long musical history having been part of the well known blues rock acts, Great Society & Mojo
The beautiful and talented vocalist and rhythm guitarist of SOULMATE is Tipriti ‘Tips’ Kharbangar who has earned a name as one of the finest female singers to have emerged out of Shillong and India as a whole! If there is one thing Tip’s is happy doing it is singing and reflecting this, she vocalizes with a joy and exuberance that is unmatched and original. She started out singing gospel songs at the local church choir and is now drawn to the Blues, Soul, Jazz and listens to Aretha Franklin, Billy Holliday, Ella Fitzgerald, Etta James, Nina Simone and B.B.King,Van Morrison, Jimmy Hall, Susan Tedeschi.
Soulmate has performed over 500 concerts all over the country and abroad. When on the road, they avail of the services of session musicians like Sam Shullai,Ferdy Dkhar,Momo,Ambar Das, Shawn Nongrum,Shaun Nonghulo,Adhiraj Mustafi,Claude Abranches and Leon Wallang.
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They perform regularly in New Delhi, at The HAZE Blues and Jazz Bar, as well as in other cities such as Kolkata,Bangalore,Hyderabad,Mumbai,Pune,Gurgaon,Goa,Darjeeli ng,Kalimpong,Sikkim and all over the North-East. They have performed at the Wills Lifestyle Fashion India Week, in Delhi (2006), the Airtel Live concert in Hyderabad (2007), SAARC BANDS FESTIVAL, 2007, as well as for various corporate shows in Bangalore and Hyderabad. They took part in the 2007 and 2008 Pubrock Festivals organized by RSJ and are regulars at the RSJ LIVE NITES. They were also a part of an album, contributing one song, “I See A Light”, for an AIDS awareness campaign, organized and produced by the Thomson Foundation.
The band created history by being the first and only blues band ever to represent India (Courtesy The Blues Club Of India) at the 23rd. International Blues Challenge organized by The Blues Foundation of America and held in Memphis, Tennessee, USA, in the month of February, 2007.They were semi-finalists and performed at The Rum Boogie Café (Blues Club of The Year) on BEALE STREET alongside 150 other bands and musicians from all over the world.They were also part of the International Roots “On The Move” Festival, 2007 where they performed concerts and workshops all over North East India.
Soulmate have released an album called “SHILLONG” of which a video of the song “I AM” is presently on the VH1 channel. This album was voted the 1 Original Album in the Blues/Rock category in the year 2005. In September/October2007, they featured as the 1 band on the NDTV Good time’s list. The band was on the covers of The Eclectic Magazine (March 2008), The Rock Street Journal (April2008) and have featured in the inaugural issue of Rolling Stone India (March2008). They will be releasing their second album "MOVING ON" under the Blue Frog Records label in Mumbai on the 11th of June 2009.
When often asked by people, why they chose the Blues…their answer has been…”we didn’t choose the Blues…..the Blues chose us”! Soulmate would like to use their talent not only to entertain, but also to help society in whatever way they can. Their influences range from Toto Wallang,Sheila Wallang,The Beatles, Elvis Presley,Albert Collins, Buddy Guy,Jimi Hendrix, Roy Buchanan,George Harrison, Albert King,B.B King,Koko Taylor, Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald, Janis Joplin to Van Morrison, Etta James, Susan Tedeschi,Johnny ‘GUITAR’ Watson, Rory Gallagher, Hank Marvin, Bob Dylan, Jack Pearson, Muddy Waters, Elmore James, Jeff Beck,Allman Brothers, Jimmy Hall, Frank Zappa,Willie Dixon, Rory Block, Rory Gallagher, Peter Green,Mojo,The Great Society!!
Rudy and Tips are endorsers for Greg Bennett Guitars.
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