Cafe Finjan 2013 will bring together a variety groups in performances ranging from dance and spoken word to music and stand up comedy. One of the most excitingly diverse groups performing is the Slowbots. Their musical influences include soul music, Pakistani and Indian poetry, hip hop and R&B. Meet the Slowbots…
The Slowbots
Cafe Finjan 2013:
Thursday, April 4, 6:00pm
American Islamic College
(640 W. Irving Park, Chicago)
$5 Suggested Donation
Get more details.
About the Slowbots:
The Slowbots’ music is a soulful rendering of influences from all over the world. Their style at times bucks the trend, and at times pays heartfelt tribute to the classics. Sultry, powerful vocals, strong melodies, and expressive music combine to pay homage to those broken moments in life that define us. The Slowbots are currently working on their first album.
A little about the band members:
Nick Jaffe, the guitarist, is Chief Editor of the Teaching Artist Journal, a publication for the Center for Arts Policy at Columbia College. He has also backed the performing artists Bobby Brown, Common, Dwele & Estelle. His other musical projects focus on a wide variety of genres including soul, hip hop, rock and r&b.
Yasmin Ali, the lead singer, was trained from childhood in a sung form of poetry known as a Naat in India and Pakistan. She seeks to combine that art form with a more contemporary one.
Angela Salva, the violinist, performs in the Dupage Symphony Orchestra among other projects. Katie Chow is the Slowbots’ intrepid drummer, and Todd Swope backs them on bass. Rashik Farhan Rashid joins them on back up vocals and lead guitar.
Rakae Jamil
For their performance at Cafe Finjan, the Slowbots will be joined by Rakae Jamil. Rakae Jamil began learning the sitar when he was 12. His first teacher was Ustad Ashraf Sharif Khan of Poonchwalay, who was the son of one of the greatest exponents of the sitar and vichitra veena, Ustad Sharif Khan of Poonchwalay. He has performed at the All Pakistan Music Conference, which was held in memory of its founder, the late Ustad Hayat Ahmad Khan, and has performed several recordings of it at the Sanjan Nagar Institute of Philosophy and Arts.
Rakae received the Ustad Fateh Ali Khan Gold medal for 1st place at the All Pakistan Music Conference in March, 2006, and the Ustad Sharif Khan Poonchwalay gold medal in April, 2007. In December 2005 he participated in the British Council “Music Masti” program in November 2005, and was awarded a 2-week trip to the United Kingdom for a music exchange program: Trinity College; Warwick University; University of Edinburgh & University of Glasgow.
Posted by Hannah Sugarman 
JCUA News 