User talk:Koool ken

Hammarsing Kharhmar Sawyan, originally from Shillong, North East India, is a New York based musician.

His passion for music started at a young age of 5 when he was taught to play the guitar by his father. Growing up in Shillong, a place where every household has a guitar and music is the soul of the house, Hammarsing grew up in the right place at the right time.He hails from an affluent Indian family.But he was driven by his passion for music.

He graduated from St Stephens College in 2003 with a degree in Economics.But putting a spin on numbers, literally, he then moved to America to fulfill his deep passion for music at the Berklee College of Music in Boston.

After Berklee, he moved to New York to pursue a career in music.

On arrival he auditioned and won the position of guitarist in the Albert Hammond Jr Band (from The Strokes). In the summer of 2008 they played a number of high profile shows on both coasts. That fall they were asked to open for Coldplay on the Viva La Vida Tour. They played in over 16 cities including Paris, Barcelona, Munich and Stockholm.

After the tour, Hammarsing went back to New York to create a new wave of music and formed a band called Mon Khmer.

Mon Khmer is a trendy New York based band made up of Hammarsing on guitar and vocals, Elias from Munich on guitar, Matt from Connecticut on the bass/synthesizer and Dave Cole from San Fransisco on drums. The name is derived from a group of languages which span from the Khasi hills in North East India to several countries in South East Asia.

Mon Khmer’s music has sparked waves in New York after playing gigs in top music hotspots such as “Mercury Lounge, Le Poison rouge, Glasslands Gallery and The Bowery Ballroom to name a few. They have also played during New York Fashion Week and appeared on the East Village Radio Show.

In a recent article, The New York Times said” Mon Khmer, from Brooklyn, played an opening set that was more muscular…” The New Yorker described their sound as "The Brooklyn band Mon Khmer delivers Strokes-y rock songs with skill and precision, tripped out by occasional delay added to the lead guitar.

Village Voice "It definitely helps that singer Hammarsing croons better than Bowie"

They released their first EP “Birthplace” in 2010, which was mixed by Elliot Scheiner, a multiple Grammy award winner who has worked with legendary bands such as the Eagles and Steely Dan.

The band then toured through America during the famous SXSW festival, down from the state of Texas and back up along the east coast ending with DC. Birthplace was also featured in a music set on BBC radio6 in July 2012. Mike Joyce drummer of legendary British band 'The Smiths' is a fan of the band.

Hammarsing has also been invited and played at several Dylan fest’s, an annual show which celebrates Bob Dylan’s Birthday, hosted by Rolling Stones magazine in New York.

During the 2011 Dylan fest, Hammarsing was supported by artist Norah Jones on vocals, as they sang Dylan’s legendary song “ It ain’t me babe”

A highlight in 2012 was being invited to headline a show at the Brooklyn Museum in honour of the famous and critically acclaimed American artist and social activist Keith Haring.

Mon Khmer recently shot a video of their latest single “Dreamers” in Shillong, Meghalaya to showcase his roots and culture. The video was directed and produced by two talented and up and coming producers Russell and Annika and Hammarsing’s father, Prabhat D Sawyan.

Hammarsing has also embarked onto a new music project “Factors” which is soon to produce a LP by the end of the year.

Jeremy Loucas is a Belgian audio engineer and record producer and is co-producing Mon Khmer's latest EP's with Hammarsing. The duo also have been venturing into electronic music and DJ together in New York City. Jeremy’s has worked with many artists including: Dianne Reeves, Esperanza Spalding, Terri Lyne Carrington, Danilo Perez, Geri Allen, Nona Hendryx, Richard Bona, James Genus, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Nancy Wilson, Casandra Wilson, George Garzone, Rufus Wainwright, Scarlett Johansson, Iggy pop, Ayo, Marianne Faithfull, Lulu Gainsbourg, Jonny Depp, Vanessa Paradis, Shane Mcgowan among many others. He won a Grammy award in 2012 for Terri Lyne Carrington 'Mosaic Project' and has 3 additional Grammy nominations and one Latin Grammy Nomination

Loucas was schooled at Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA in Production and Engineering. He relocated to New York City where he started working as a freelance audio engineer.