Singer Manisha Shahane Performs at San Francisco Hot Spot
India West, July 6, 2007
By Diana Rohini LaVigne

SAN FRANCISCO — Singer-songwriter-musician Manisha Shahane performed at the city’s hot spot The Mighty 119 June 27 before an intimate crowd. With a mix of folk, jazz and Indian influences, Shahane sang various selections from her debut album, “Peace in Progress.” “Most of my pieces on the ‘Peace in progress’ album are about relationships between people and also I rely on the double entendre – peace (piece) in progress – to the extent that everything we do in life is evolving and that the world itself is evolving. And that includes peace within ourselves,” the Virginian-born singer told India-West.

“Some of them (songs) are based on stories from my own life and others are entirely imagined, but something that I hope we can all relate to. I want the music and lyrics both to participate in the storytelling.” She didn’t just deliver vocals for the one-hour performance, she played the guitar and also keyboard. Los Angeles music scene newcomer Siddharth Chitnis accompanied Shahane on the tabla, which he has studied since he was a small child growing up in Pune.

Talking with India-West about the challenges she faces as an Indian American, Shahane said she feels her struggles are similar to those faced by other songwriters who are working on building a fan base and creating sources of revenue for themselves through their music, regardless of ethnicity.But she did add, “I realize that I fall into a minority music-wise when it comes to the mass market and – why does that happen? Well, I think that people, in general, develop a certain taste for music they enjoy. If they have to choose between what they know and something new after a long day at the office or just to relax, they are likely to go with what they know as opposed to risking exposing themselves to something new.” At her Bay Area performance,

Shahane’s lyrics hit home with audience members and her musical composition was strong. Although most of her songs were sung in English, she did take the opportunity to treat listeners to some Hindi and Marathi. Shahane will be performing in the next few weeks in Seattle, Washington; San Diego and Los Angeles.

For more information visit her Web site at www.manishamusic.com.

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