The Carefree "Carefully"

Last night I went to hear a really interesting band in midtown. Well, they don't call it "midtown" here; it's "central" - I think - but you know, old habits.

Anyway, the band calls itself "Shamle"; which is Bengali for "carefully" or "watch your step"; its literal meaning is something like "having handled" - it's an adverbial derivative of the verb "to handle" - I'm no linguist, but I'm trying my best here!

They were brilliant. I was floored. Shamle isn't a famous band. Nor are they young up-and-comers. They are these mellow guys in their early 40s. They have day jobs and wives and kids. They've been playing little venues for some years now. They don't have a web site. They don't have agents. They don't have big plans. Very Sultans of Swing.

The sound is hard to describe. Some of the songs are original, but they do covers of other material completely in their own style (which is what a cover worth hearing should always do). They have a slightly psychedelic, slightly post-punk flavor (mixed with a sort of early 1980s jangle pop?) and definite strands of Baul, a Bengali folk tradition. Like I said, it's hard to describe! Something about them reminded me of The Soft Boys reunion concert I saw at the Bowery a few years ago. (Speaking of which - my friend Josh tells me Robyn Hitchcock will be at the Black Cat in DC early next month. Dude, get my ticket, it's a date!)

There is an honesty and non-aggression in Shamle's music and style. They are innovative but unselfconscious. Their lead singer likes to ramble and then he suddenly catches himself and flashes the audience the most endearing smile imaginable. He is a doctor who runs a free clinic in a poor neighborhood. He talks a lot, but doesn't seem to take himself too seriously. None of them do.

I suppose the downside of not taking yourself too seriously is that you are unlikely to be famous. I can't think of a single other reason why these guys aren't famous! Maybe their style doesn't jibe as well with an Indian audience? I don't know, the crowd last night sure seemed to love them. (Incidentally, two out of the three of them spent their childhoods and early adolescence in England, which might explain their musical influences).

Maybe I'm getting it all wrong. Maybe not being famous is what keeps these guys so grounded and so manageably in love with their music.  Yeah, I said "manageably in love." Isn't that the dream? Being in love (with our work, our partners, our causes, our children. . .) without having that love make us completely lose our grip on ourselves? 

Their name is "carefully" while their engagement with their music and their audience is invitingly carefree. But there is no real contradiction there. If you remember, "shamle" comes from the word meaning "to handle" - and really, that's the essence of taking care without becoming careworn.