On today’s episode I speak with Sonny Singh, a Brooklyn-based musician who has brought his fiery trumpet & vocals to audiences around the world for the last decade. Sonny's first musical outlet as a child of immigrant parents in North Carolina was singing Sikh devotional music, later exploring many other musical genres. In 2003, Sonny co-founded the political rock band Outernational and recorded an album produced by Tom Morello. Since 2008, his vocals and trumpet have become central to the sound and raw energy of the renowned bhangra brass band Red Baraat. Sonny’s 2022 debut solo album, produced by Wil-Dog Abers of Ozomatli, is entitled Chardi Kala, the Sikh concept of revolutionary eternal optimism. Chardi Kala is a return to Sonny’s Punjabi & Sikh roots, but with the lens he’s developed over the course of his life as a touring musician, educator, and activist.

Made in collaboration with Hudson Mohawk Magazine, with editing by Moses Nagel.

Check out the ⁠Spotify playlist⁠ to listen to music by the artists interviewed this season.

More info about me at: 

⁠TainaAsili.com⁠

⁠IG⁠ + ⁠TW⁠ @tainaasili

⁠FB.com/TainaAsiliMusic⁠

More info about Sonny Singh at:

Sonnysingh.com

IG @iamsonnysingh

FB.com/IAmSonnySingh

More info about this podcast at ⁠TheRhythmofRebellion.com

On today’s episode I speak with L.I.T.A., a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter born in Ecuador, raised in Upstate, New York, and currently residing in Los Angeles. Her name is an acronym for Love Is The Answer, and with love as her guiding force she offers emotion-filled vocal performances and an unparalleled genre-fluid sound inspired by her life experiences, hardships, and struggles. After a hemorrhagic stroke nearly ended her life, LITA dropped her captivating and emotionally raw album “Only Peace Exists Now.” The album, released in 2022, is the result of the solace she found in music during her long road to recovery. 

Made in collaboration with Hudson Mohawk Magazine, with editing by Moses Nagel.

Check out the Spotify playlist to listen to music by the artists interviewed this season.

More info about me at: 

TainaAsili.com

IG + TW @tainaasili

FB.com/TainaAsiliMusic

More info about L.I.T.A. at:

Litamusic.com

IG @litamusicforever

TW @litamusic4ever

FB.com/litamusicforever

More info about this podcast at TheRhythmofRebellion.com

On today’s episode I speak with Ximena Violante, a Mexican violinist, jarana player, singer, teacher, actor, and organizer creating spaces for people to celebrate their roots, re-imagine their futures, and expand their communities.  Ximena is the bandleader and songwriter for Interminable, a futuristic fusion project that brings together son jarocho (an afromestizo musical tradition from Mexico), as well as jazz, rock and funk. Ximena has also been a featured guest musician with many well-known artists including Las Cafeteras and Flor de Toloache, and they were on the soundtrack for Disney’s The Last of the Chupacabras. Additionally they do theatrical performance and arts education.

Made in collaboration with Hudson Mohawk Magazine, with editing by Moses Nagel.

Check out the Spotify playlist to listen to music by the artists interviewed this season.

More info about me at:

More info about Ximena Violante and Interminable at:

More info about this podcast at TheRhythmofRebellion.com

On today’s episode I speak with Mireya Ramos, a New York-based, Latin Grammy-winning vocalist, violinist, composer, arranger and founder of Flor de Toloache – New York City’s first and only all-women mariachi group. Born in California to Dominican and Mexican parents, Mireya was raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico until moving to New York in her teens to pursue her musical career. With her powerful skills in violin and voice, she embodies a wide variety of musical influences, from mariachi to salsa to hip-hop. Her debut self-titled solo album released in 2022 weaves a unique and refreshing musical blend.

Listen to the full episode at RhythmofRebellion.com or wherever podcasts are streamed.

More info about me at:

More info about Mireya Ramos and Flor de Toloache at:

On today’s episode I speak with Jeneda Benally, a bassist, vocalist, and songwriter, and one half of the multi-award winning duo Sihasin. Jeneda and her brother Clayson Benally are from the Dine’ (Navajo) Nation in Northern Arizona. Together with their family, they grew up protesting the environmental degradation and inhumane acts of cultural genocide against their traditional way of life. Today they create a politically-charged explosive organic sound out of just bass, drums and vocals, inspiring their listeners with a punk backbone, softened by a folk heart, thumping by pop and international sounds, and based in Navajo Rhythm.

Listen to the full episode at RhythmofRebellion.com or wherever podcasts are streamed.

More info about me at:

TainaAsili.com

More info about Jeneda Benally and Sihasin at:

Sihasin.com

On today’s episode I speak with Martha Redbone, a Native and African-American vocalist, songwriter, composer, and educator. She is known for her unique gumbo of folk, blues, and gospel from her childhood in Harlan County, Kentucky infused with the eclectic grit of pre-gentrified Brooklyn. Inheriting the powerful vocal range of her gospel-singing African American father and the resilient spirit of her mother’s Cherokee/Choctaw culture, Martha broadens the boundaries of American Roots music. With songs and storytelling that share her life experience as an Afro-Indigenous woman and mother navigating in the new millennium, she gives voice to issues of social justice, bridging traditions, connecting cultures, and celebrating the human spirit.

Made in collaboration with Hudson Mohawk Magazine, with editing by Moses Nagel.

Check out the Spotify playlist to listen to music by the artists interviewed this season.

More info about me at:

More info about Martha Redbone at: