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 are 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) rounds out the trio who have been playing their own unique brand of melodic, guitar driven rock n' roll for the last 7 years. With 3 independent releases behind them and a new EP on the way,being produced by JP Bowersock (Strokes "guru"/guitar player for Julian Casablancas & Ryan Adams) 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. 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 family and friends go when reunited in Kashmir to hang out and have "cold coffees" (which are like frappuccinos, but far better according to the brothers).
Din describes the band's sound simply: "We're just a rock n' roll band." 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 2004. It was sonically textured, retaining a keen pop sensibility, but also political in nature. Just three months after 9/11 and a week after the Indian Parliament bombing, the brothers went to Kashmir in December 2001 and that set the tone for the record that includes "Suffering Moses" (which reappears in newer form on 2007's "Havre De Grace" EP), "Refugee Citizen," "Nothing Doing," and "Dedicated to the Haters of Song." India and Pakistan were on the brink of war. Seeing and learning about the hardships that family and friends had endured over the last 20 years was an eye opener, especially during their time spent there in the harsh winter months. "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. Reading authors like Edward Said, Agha Shahid Ali, Sudha Kohl, and Salman Rushdie inspired me and enhanced the overall worldview of my lyrics."
In the fall of 2007, zerobridge released the self produced and critically acclaimed "Havre de Grace" EP. It included "Late Bloomer," a reworking of "Suffering Moses," "The Shake" (a provocative call to arms against religious extremism) and "This Is My Version," with David Bowie and John Lennon guitarist Earl Slick. The video for "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."
zerobridge recorded basic tracks for their 2009 EP, "There We Were, Now Here we Are" before Mohsin left the country on a Fulbright scholarship to Morocco to establish the "Lollipops & Crowns Arts Initiative," teaching art and music to disadvantaged youth. While he was away, the band finished the EP and released it in November. Mohsin returned from Morocco to play a sold out show at the Brooklyn Academy of Music along with performances at the 2009 CMJ music festival in addition to exclusive MTV IGGY events. That summer, the American Embassy sent the band to Morocco for a tour and to participate in the program Mohsin had established. zerobridge played five cities in six days culminating at Volubilis festival in front of 5,000 people. A representative from the embassy said, "It was like the Beatles had just come to Morocco!"
The zerobridge song "Havre de Grace" was featured in the Oscar nominated motion picture, "The Messenger," starring Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson, Samantha Morton, Jena Malone, and directed by Oren Moverman ("I'm Not There"). In the summer of 2010 the band played at the NYC Asia Society as part of the organization's case study, Making A Difference Through the Arts: Strengthening America's Links with Asian Muslim Communities. Shortly thereafter the brothers did an acoustic tour of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia as part of The Market Place for the Arts at the Islamic Economic Conference.
This past June, the brothers organized an acoustic tour of their ancestral homeland in Srinagar, Kashmir. Armed with a cajone and a guitar, Din and Mohsin played several shows in the conflict zone not only bringing rock n' roll to the valley but also working with local musicians and organizations to bring about cultural exchange and to engage the youth through the arts. The results were overwhelmingly positive with each show bringing in hundreds of people. During their time there, the brothers also worked with a local orphanage under Mohsin's Lollipops & Crowns Arts Initiative.
In early 2011, zerobridge caught the ear of JP Bowersock who has worked extensively with The Strokes, and is the guitarist for Julian Casablancas and Ryan Adams. "Mon Khmer" is the first single from these sessions released for your streaming pleasure. With JP behind the board zerobridge are currently in the studio working on their fourth record, which the band expects to release in 2011 independently, unless someone like you would like to lend a hand.
http://www.facebook.com/zerobridgeBand : Facebook Page
http://www.myspace.com/zerobridge : MySpace Page
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NfgfV2BAH0 : Morocco Tour Highlights
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U75vD02vp9o: Kashmir Tour Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RraXM555-Ng : Kashmir Tour Part 2
http://youtu.be/rK60cZnF1Lw : "Late Bloomer" Video
http://vimeo.com/20068885 : "2mins5" Video
