This is the first version of City of Lakes, released to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Bhopal disaster, on December 3rd, 2009. See below for concert info.
City of Lakes is a project to raise funds for the Sambhavna Clinic in Bhopal, via the Bhopal Medical Appeal. See www.bhopal.org
On December 3rd, 1984, the Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal, India accidentally released over 40 tons of toxic methyl isocyanate gas, exposing hundreds of thousands of people, especially in the community immediately surrounding the factory. The best, accepted estimates say that 8,000-10,000 people died within the first 72 hours of the leak. It is estimated that 20,000 have died since the accident from gas-related diseases, and another 120,000 people are estimated to have permanent injuries and chronic medical conditions that require constant healthcare. The Bhopal Disaster is widely considered the worst industrial disaster in history. Info on the disaster here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhopal_disaster
The Sambhavna Clinic provides free care to survivors of the disaster, and operates solely on donations.
Currently, the "album" consists of one song. Remixes of the song, with additional instrumentation, will appear here in the future.
The album and each track are name-your-price, starting at $0.00. Proceeds will go to the Sambhavna Clinic.
If you would prefer to contribute directly to the Bhopal Medical Appeal, you can do so here, and still download the song for free: legacy.bhopal.org/donations/
If you download the album (or track) now, you can come back and download new versions at any time, either for free, or for an additional donation.
To be kept up to date on new versions as they become available, please sign up on our Facebook page, Twitter or email list.
Bhopal Remembered: Commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Bhopal Disaster
with special guests: Ben Grossman (Hurdy Gurdy), Dylan Bell (keys, voice) & string quartet: Aleksandar Gajic, Parmela Attariwala, Claudio Vena and Amy Laing
Thursday, December 3rd, 2009 Lula Lounge 1585 Dundas St. W., (west of Dufferin) 416 588 0307 \n
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Doors: 7pm Show: 8:30 Tickets: $15
New song “City of Lakes” to be released to raise funds for Bhopal’s Sambhavna Clinic
Toronto’s Juno-nominated Indo-jazz-funk fusion ensemble Autorickshaw is presenting a special concert December 3rd to mark the 25th anniversary of the Bhopal disaster.
Accompanied by a host of special guests – including violinist Aleksandar Gajic of Beyond the Pale; violist Claudio Vena of Quartetto Gelato; cellist Amy Laing of the Lord of the Rings production;classical/jazz/world crossover violinist Parmela Attariwala; versatile vocalist and keyboardist Dylan Bell and noted hurdy gurdy player, percussionist and electro-acoustic artist Ben Grossman - the band will be launching a brand new single entitled “City of Lakes,” which will raise funds for Bhopal’s Sambhavna Clinic, a clinic that offers hope to survivors of the disaster.
On December 3rd, 1984, toxic gas leaking from the Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal killed an estimated 8-10 thousand people within 24 hours, and a further 15,000 have died since then from exposure to the gas. Another 120,000 live with chronic illnesses. It is often cited as the worst industrial accident in history, claiming even more lives than the Chernobyl nuclear disaster two years later.
For the past five years, the Sambhavna Clinic has worked to compensate for the poor follow-up treatment given to Bhopal survivors. According to the clinic, research and monitoring of the long-term health effects of Union Carbide's gases was abandoned in 1994, and treatment protocols for the survivors’ symptoms were never established. Indiscriminate use of steroids, antibiotics and psychotropic drugs has only compounded the damage caused by the gas exposure.
The clinic is run by a trust managed by a group of eminent doctors, scientists, writers and social workers who have been involved in the fall-out from the disaster from the start. It offers survivors free treatment using western medicine, ayurveda (Indian vedic medicine) and yoga. It also carries out health surveys, health education and community organisation for better health.
Those who wish to purchase the Autorickshaw single to benefit Sambhavna will be able to do so starting December 3rd by visiting http://autorickshaw.bandcamp.com. It will be available by donation.
In addition to raising money for the clinic, Autorickshaw has invited Amnesty International and The International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal to have information available at the December 3rd concert. Smallworld Music Productions is helping to promote the event, which is generously supported by the Toronto Arts Council, Ontario Arts Council and Canada Council for the Arts.
Bhopal Remembered comes on the heels of a six week European tour for Autorickshaw, during which the band performed at London’s Vortex Jazz Club and Nehru Centre and Hamburg’s Festival der Kulturen. The band - which is comprised of Ed Hanley on tabla, Suba Sankaran on vocals, Rich Brown on bass and Patrick Graham on percussion - also did dates in Ireland, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and France.
1. Trichy Sankaran has a new website. It was a long time coming, and involved a bit of finagling, but it's 99% done, and includes lots of information on Sankaran, Karnatak music and instruments as well as videos, photos and so on.
Thanks to Heidi Kalyani, who created the header, logo and Ganesha graphics.
2. I've updated the tabla repair section of the site. Google searches for 'tabla repair' drive a lot of people to my site (I'm the 2nd hit in google for 'tabla repair ') and it was a bit, uh, lackluster, so it's updated with an excellent set of tabla repair videos from the Ali Akbar College of Music Store, as well as a truly horrifying photo ...
3. New music blog: Bandcamp whether you're a musician, or someone who buys music online, Bandcamp is pretty cool.
2004 JUNO Nominated World Music Album of the Year
autorickshaw's debut release