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Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers

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Location: Brooklyn, NY

Website: http://myspace.com/shilparay

Bio: Shilpa Ray and her Happy Hookers play grinding blues, sleazy jazz, and bracing rock with punk immediacy and pop appeal. The result? Something like a ... (more) vulgar Ella Fitzgerald, channeling Nick Cave and PJ Harvey, and singing her songs before a wall of distortion and thunderous, pounding rhythms. The band reads like a who's who of recent NYC rock luminaries including members of Creaky Boards, Soft Black, Kapow!, and cult rock producers The Negatones. Live shows are already a notorious commodity -- and audiences have been screaming as loud as the band does.

They are currently riding a wave of SXSW buzz which has followed their 7 shows there and preparing for a Spring tour and a Pianos Residency in May. Their debut album, A Fish Hook An Open Eye captures the band's raw and unique sound in 8 solid tracks, demonstrating depth, ability, and emotional scope, eclipsing anything from Shilpa's already lauded past. But Shilpa is not looking back: A Fish Hook An Open Eye will be released soon and then Shilpa and her band will viciously tour throughout 2009. (less)