Langley rockers Little India are bringing their eclectic mix of funk rock and 80s pop beats to New Westminster this month for Uptown Live.
The band has enjoyed widespread success since playing last year’s Squamish Valley Music Festival and supporting Irish rock band Kodaline on their Canadian tour. Now, Little India is gearing up to release an EP, giving Uptown audiences a sneak peak at their new, progressive sound.
The NOW caught up with lead singer Conan Karpinski and guitarist Tim Morrison to chat about their upcoming slot at Uptown and what makes them unique. (Hint: it may have something to do with Hercules, or Game of Thrones, or both.)
Have you guys ever performed at Uptown Live before, or any other local festival? What made you want to be involved and how did you get involved?
Tim Morrison: Yeah, we played Khatsahlano Street Party, CityFest, May Day Parade, Surrey Canada Day, and I’m not sure if Squamish or Rifflandia qualify as local shows, but we’ve had the pleasure of playing those, too. We like to get involved with the smaller local festivals because not many bands play close to home. A lot of the time, you have to travel into Vancouver or Seattle to see a show, whereas this time the show comes to you. We were asked to play Uptown Live and instantly said yes. We love summer shows. It gives us an excuse to take a break from the studio and get out into the sun.
Conan Karpinski: And festival food is always delicious. I think that’s one of the main reasons we got involved.
Can you give me a brief overview of your band and how you formed?
TM: Well, we’re basically four best friends with unique traits and skill sets: one has beautiful hair, one has Hercules arms, the other is from Africa and knows pretty much everything there is to know about Game Of Thrones, and then there’s me. I’m not sure how that applies to music, but basically we’re all completely different people who fit really well together.
CK: When we started out we never intended to be a touring band. We all had young blood and were just messing around. Dallyn (Hunt, drummer) could hardly keep a beat and I only took the role of lead singer because no one else wanted to sing. At first, no one wanted to form a band. I had to rally them like Jon Snow rallied the houses in the North. Andrew (Dixon, bassist) said no at first and didn’t want to be a musician, but he’s still with us, and now he’s in too deep. Sorry dude, you’re going nowhere.
What can audiences expect from a Little India performance?
CK: We used to stand really still on stage. We let the music do the talking and not put on much of a show. I think that’s because we were young and shy. But last year, we decided to up our game and not care what people think, and now we go crazy. We like to groove on stage and have fun with the audience. There’s been some crowd surfing, and we’ve even had a grandma flash us once – I think that was our greatest moment. But to answer your question, you can expect loads of dancing from us and from the fans in the audience. We don’t hold anything back.
TM: It really depends on the crowd too. If you’re open to some grooves and dance moves, then the music will take you away. We always encourage dancing, of any sorts.
Will you be debuting new material at Uptown Live?
CK: Absolutely. We have tons of new material and we cannot wait to play it for those who haven’t heard it yet. We’re releasing an eight song EP titled Neon Jungle soon, so we’ve begun to add a lot of those new tunes to our live sets.
Why do you think it's so important to have free, local festivals like Uptown Live?
TM: It’s a good way to get newer bands out there and the community together. I remember when we first started it was nice to have a summer festival show because you got to showcase your music to those who wouldn’t have heard it otherwise, and if it’s a free festival? Well, anything free is good in my books! It's a good chance for young kids to get rowdy. When I was younger, I took any chance I got to get rowdy. A lot of bands like us play 19+ shows and younger crowds don't always get a chance to see the shows. Also, there aren’t many good festivals around these days, a lot are actually dying out. It’s a very prevalent problem, so it’s nice to see festivals like Uptown Live revive the scene.
How would you describe your sound to someone who will be hearing your music for the first time at Uptown? What will perhaps set you apart from other artists performing that day?
CK: I could give a straightforward answer. Instead, I’m going to say our sound is like if The Cure went to Africa and had a love child with Tears for Fears. We’re that love child.
TM: We’ve looked at the lineup, and there are some fantastic bands on the bill. However, we will stand apart because our drummer, Dallyn, will have the best hair out of any of the artists there, including the female ones.
Little India hit the Uptown Live TD Stage at 6 p.m., Saturday July 23.
