zerobridge

Bio:

Official Bio

It's not often you hear about a band like zerobridge. Lead singer/guitarist and songwriter Mubashir Mohi-ud-Din ("Din") and drummer Mohsin Mohi-ud-Din ("Mo") are two brothers, whose parents are from the disputed territory of Kashmir, nestled between northern India and Pakistan. Greg Eckelman, seasoned NYC bass player (Orange 9mm, The Phoids), keyboardist Paolo Arao (CatJaw)), round out the four piece band who have been playing their own unique brand of melodic, guitar driven rock n' roll for the last five years. With three independent releases behind them, including their latest EP entitled, There We Were, Now here We Are, the music of zerobridge illustrates a penchant for classic song writing and a passion to become the only band that matters.

The name zerobridge comes from an actual bridge in Kashmir's capital, Srinagar, which earned the lesser known epithet of the "the city of seven bridges." The story goes that when they built an 8th bridge, no one knew what to call the first bridge. The solution is a case of pragmatics taken to the extreme: they decided to name it zerobridge. Along with being a provocative name evoking many meanings, zerobridge is a sentimental place for anyone familiar with Kashmir. Just across the bridge, after passing through military checkpoints and barbed wire fences, is a cafe called the Zero Inn; a place where the bothers, family and friends go when reunited in Kashmir to hang out and have "cold coffees" (which are like frapuchinos, but far better according to the brothers).

To describe the sound of zerobridge can be tough. Din constantly answers this question simply: "We're just a rock n' roll band." This is true, but upon closer listening one can hear their South Asian heritage weaving its way through Western influences to create a unique musicality and tonality. While bands like U2, Joy Division/New Order, The Clash, The Replacements, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, The Beatles, the Stones and David Bowie are major influences, Din also cites South Asian music like The Sabri Bros and Hindi film composers like RD Burman, A.R. Rahman, and Nadeem Sharavan as inspirations.

The band's first record, “The Basement Tapes”, was released in 2003. It was sonically textured, retaining a keen pop sensibility, but also delved into political subject matter. Songs like "Suffering Moses" (which reappears in newer form on 2007's “Havre De Grace” EP), "Refugee Citizen," "Nothing Doing," “ In Exile,” and "Dedicated to the Haters of Song" were written against the political backdrop of 9/11 and at a time when India and Pakistan were on the brink of war. Visiting Kashmir at the time and witnessing first hand the hardships that their family and close friends have had to endure over the last 20 years was an eye opener for the brothers. "I couldn't help but write about what I saw," Din says, "but even then, we still felt like outsiders. I tried to be true to what we experienced and cognizant that we were removed from it all at the same time."

Since then raising awareness on the Kashmir issue has been a personal endeavor for the brothers. In March of last year zerobridge helped establish a vast on-line campaign through MTV Iggy, a subsidiary of MTV, to bring the issues surrounding Kashmir to a broader audience. Interviews with major human rights activists, prominent literary figures, journalists, artists, and most importantly the people from the region lent their voices to the campaign. In addition zerobridge was regularly featured on MTV Iggy with live performances, videos and interviews providing greater exposure to the band and their music.

In the fall of 2007, zerobridge released the self produced and critically acclaimed “Havre de Grace” EP. It included tracks "Late Bloomer," a reworking of "Suffering Moses" and "The Shake," a provocative call to arms against religious extremism. “This Is My Version,” a live favorite, included the talents of David Bowie/John Lennon guitarist Earl Slick. A video for the title track, “Havre de Grace” was directed by Musa Sayeed, who won the best documentary short at 2007's Tribeca Film Festival for "A Son's Sacrifice." The band also grew to add Paolo Arao on keyboards, adding more depth and sonic texture to the band’s well crafted songs.

2009 saw the band go through a period of intense adjustment but also much success. After recording basic tracks for their latest EP in January, Mo left the country on a Fulbright scholarship in Morocco establishing art and music workshops for underprivileged children. For the first few months he was away the band continued to work on their new record back home. Mo would return on several occasions, once for a rousing, sold out show at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and later in the year for sold out performances at the 2009 CMJ Festival at Public Assembly in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and at a private party for MTV Iggy.

The major highlight came last summer when the American Embassy graciously invited the band to Morocco for a tour. Zerobridge traveled the whole country, playing five cities in six days, with their final show at the prestigious Volubilus Festival in the city of Meknes, playing to a crowd of over 5,000 people. Needless to say the response was overwhelming. One representative from the embassy said, “It was like the Beatles had just landed in Morocco!” On November 17th 2009 Zerobridge finally released their latest EP, entitled "There We Were, Now Here we Are". Shortly thereafter, their song "Havre de Grace" was featured in the critically acclaimed motion picture, "The Messenger," starring Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson, Samantha Morton, Jena Malone, and directed by Oren Moverman (“I’m Not There”). The film earned Woody Harrelson an Oscar nomination for best supporting actor.

As the full band is together in New York City again, they are armed to the teeth with a batch of new killer tunes, a string of live dates, and a reinvigorated passion for bringing their music to a wider audience. Zerobridge play their first show back in New York City at the Mercury Lounge on Friday, April 16th.

Member Since:

October 02, 2004

Members:

Late Bloomer

Din: Guitar, Vocals
Paolo Arao: Keyboards
The Quota: Bass
Mo: Drums

Buy the Havre De Grace EP here:

Buy The Basement Tapes 2003 EP here:

Influences:

U2, Joy Division/New Order, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, The Replacements, The Clash,The Who, Beatles, Stones, Bowie, Velvet Underground, REM, Oasis, The Jam and South Asian music like The Sabri Bros, Nusrat, and Hindi film composers like RD Burman, A.R. Rahman, Naushad, and Nadeem Sharavan.

Sounds Like:

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Record Label:

Unsigned