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Indie Rocker Saraswathi Jones Tells

Us About Her Debut Album and Her
Postcolonial Pop Rock Style
by Kishwer Vikaas November 25, 2013

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When Boston-based artist Tanya Palit aka
Saraswathi Jones picks up her Fender
Stratocaster and expertly rocks out in a sari, FACEBOOK
its easy to forget that she only started
performing publicly two years ago. Her debut
EP, Lingua Franca, which released in April, The Aerogram
2,461 likes
features a seamless, soulful blend of songs in
English, Bengali and Hindi. Jones is currently
preparing to film her first music video for a yet
unreleased song she wrote about matrimonial Like Page Shop Now
website Shaadi.com. She graciously took some
time out of her busy schedule to speak to me Be the first of your friends to like this
about her career to date and how the character
of Saraswathi Jones was created.

When was Saraswathi Jones born?

She was born several years ago a character

born in my mind. A friend of mine who is a
dancer and performance artist asked me and
other Bengali Americans to join a radical queer
cabaret night. At that point, my only FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER
performances consisted of playing songs on
friends porches. Saraswathi Jones became a
Tweets by @theaerogram
character in the play who was working out
his/her gender issues. The Aerogram
@theaerogram
So you werent always a musician?
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni: What My
Like many an Asian American child I was Mother Said | @Bookreporter
 bookreporter.com/blog/2017/05/0
forced to play the violin. Ive always really
loved music. I grew up singing and I taught 14 May
myself a little bit of guitar but I actually
learned what I knew when I was in Bangladesh The Aerogram Retweeted
in 2004. There were so many strikes, bombs indianhistorypics
and other crazy shit going on that I bought a @IndiaHistorypic
guitar and taught myself two chords. Maham Anga, Foster Mother of
Emperor Akbar. She Raised Akbar As
I still to this day have trouble considering Her Own Son & Had Considerable
myself a musician. But I know everyone feels Influence on Akbar #MothersDay
like a phony. Everyone has this feeling like at
some point my cover will be blown. I began by (@V_and_A)
playing with an indie-rock acoustic pop group
called the Michael J. Epstein Memorial Library
in 2011. We dressed like librarians cat-eye
glasses and pearls. I had the opportunity to
tour with them and I got more comfortable
onstage.

What instruments do you play?

I do have my violin I bust it out from time to

time. I learned how to play guitar. Later in
2010, I took up the ukelele. Its a simple
instrument. Its become all the rage. With these
glasses and the ukelele Im an uber-brown
hipster. But its okay, Im owning it. Ive also
been transitioning from acoustic to electric
guitar. And I just learned to play drums.
14 May
You also volunteer with Girls Rock
Boston
Boston.. The Aerogram
@theaerogram
I have been with them since 2011 the
Top 5 Bollywood Movies to Watch on
inaugural class of ladies rock camp. Its a Mothers Day | @masalamommas
feminist organization that puts their money masalamommas.com/2017/05/08/top
where their mouth is. Nobody is allowed to say
the words Im sorry. The point is to show girls
that what you think, what you do, what you say
is just as important if not more important than
how you look. And we try really hard. I hang
out. Help them unload instruments. Bring
food. We help empower shy girls we let them
live in this imaginary world we have created for
them where everyones equal.
14 May
You made up your own genre called
postcolonial pop rock. Tell me about it. Embed View on Twitter

Its a little bit tongue-in-cheek. What does

anything mean? Postcolonial pop rock doesnt
mean anything specifically but more the
RECENT POSTS
place that Im coming from I feel like a truly
postcolonial subject. When I was growing up, I
Quick Picks: User Experience Designer
didnt see South Asian American people
Upma Singh
making art. Now I feel like theres an up and
coming Desi Renaissance happening. Its Short Film The Visit Takes On Bearded,
exciting to think that were not alone. Whether Brown, Looks Like A Terrorist
youre Mandeep Sethi and rapping about being Stereotype
an immigrant or The Kominas and doing
Islamic punk so much great art comes from The New South Asian American Writer Is
a place , a feeling of not belonging. I think A Wild Beast
about the British empire a lot. And the deep
reaching eects of slavery or colonialism Read Original Poetry By Sara
you see it every day. Chansarkar: Mind Your Language

Tell me about the Kitschenettes

Kitschenettes,, the fast Vibrant India A Tip Of The Hat To
all-girl doo-wop inspired grunge band Delicious Ingenuity
with a wink.

It came out of Girl and Ladies Rock Camp

we are all instructors together at camp. Its a ARCHIVES
way for us to stay connected and try new Archives Select Month
things. For example, Im a guitar player, but Im
playing drums.

You also rock out with Awaaz Do

Do,, a band NEWSLETTER
whose name literally translates to Make
some noise. Want to get occasional newsletters from The
Aerogram in your inbox? Subscribe here.
My original thought was, Wouldnt it knock Email Address
peoples socks o if we rounded up a bunch of
desi woman and rocked out? I love Bollywood
music, particular from the 90s. And rock
generally doesnt have a lot of women of color. I Submit
sent out a bunch of casting calls and eventually
ended up with two dudes, the coolest desi guys
around and a Filipina-American drummer.
 The Aerogram
2,461 likes

Like Page Shop Now

Be the first of your friends to like this

Your voice is so distinctive. Who have

people said you sound like?

In terms of influences, Ive heard from people

that some of my songs take them back to the
South. I sing a capella, and my songs can be
hymn-like. I thought that was so interesting,
because it hadnt occurred to me. It says more
about them than me. To me, my songs are a
conversation. A breathy conversation.

Who or what inspires your music?

Classic country. I grew up listening to a lot of

George Jones. Patsy Cline. Elvis. Southern
gospel music. You dont have to have an
insanely complicated chord structure. Almost
everything Bob Dylan wrote was four chords.
Its not how youre singing, its what youre
singing.

Tell me the story behind your song

Mother Tongue.

Mother Tongue is a song that was supposed

to be a dissertation. I had a total foreign policy
career track. So Im always thinking about the
women who fought during the war for
Bangladeshs independence. I spent the year in
Dhaka on a Fulbright Grant and I met a lot of
people who saw their family literally murdered
by Pakistani soldiers. There was something
about the images of skinny, teenaged girls
wearing white salwar kameezes that always
stuck with me. We always forget about female
soldiers of that war. We always forget about the
women.

Is there anything else you want to talk

about?

If anyone out there is interested in doing a

show swap Boston/NY/DC/Philly or even
SF/LA, contact me!

Kishwer Vikaas is co-founder of and editor for

The Aerogram. Follow her on Twitter
at @phillygrrl or email her
at editors@theaerogram.com. Follow The
Aerogram on Twitter at @theaerogram.

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 postcolonial pop rock Saraswathi Jones

Tanya Palit

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