A silver lining post 26/11

International bands Lez Zeppelin and Mass Ensemble will be in city for a benefit concert

International bands Lez Zeppelin and Mass Ensemble will be in city for a benefit concert

DID you know that 30 lives could have been saved on 26/11 if Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus had been assigned more ambulances? Bands Lez Zeppelin and and Mass Ensemble, along with E18-Network 18 will be in Mumbai to help Citizens for Justice and Peace raise money for more ambulances for a safer Mumbai.

Mass Ensemble

Cover power
Steph Paynes, lead guitarist for Lez Zeppelin, the all-girl Led Zeppelin cover band from New York says Dazed and Confused, In My Time of Dying and Rock and Roll are their favourite covers to do, while Since I've Been Loving You is the toughest. A common opinion about bands from 1960s-70s is that you need to be stoned for them to make sense. We ask Steph for her opinion:" "Not at all. It doesn't need anything but your ears and your heart," she says, and then jokes "If you listen to the Grateful Dead, maybe you do!"

A band that has everything
Mass Ensemble, a band put together by Will Close, is a mix of visuals, architecture, dance, vocals and even aerial performances. It was Close's idea to incorporate sculpture into their music; he's even invented instruments for the band. It has about 7 main members, but that it isn't fixed as they usually have a lot of performers for their shows. "It's just a full visual splendour," says Andrea, the band's associate director.
u00a0India is pretty close to Andrea's heart, "I came there to study yoga and I'm now a Yoga teacher here in Los Angeles." she says.

Response to 26/11
"We know what has been reported," says Steph, "but we know it's an entirely different experience for the people who went through it. We have great sympathy, also because of what happened on 9/11 here in New York." Andrea, whose friend was in Mumbai during the attacks, has similar sentiments, saying the band is inspired to be performing in Mumbai after what took place.