Spring Break
Fusion band Mochila moves forward
by Sarah Bayer
Assistant Arts Editor
Arts | 4/21/09
Posted online at 12:07 AM EST on 4/21/09
Before Asher Roth and the Decemberists take the stage at Springfest on Sunday, those assembled on Chapels Field can expect to hear something a little less classifiable: the jazzy, Arabic fusion sounds of Mochila, a band composed of 11 Brandeis undergraduates and one alumnus who play instruments ranging from piano and violin to qanun and sitar.
Mochila's appearance during the Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Arts is apt, as it first performed at last year's festival. The project was conceived by Mohammad Kundos '10, who had just completed "Before Sunrise," his documentary about the experiences of Palestinian students at Brandeis. The film still needed a soundtrack, and rather than download a few instrumental pieces from the Internet, Kundos decided to write his own compositions and enlist friends and acquaintances to play them.
His goal in forming Mochila, Kundos says, was "to build a stage where everyone can come and bring his personal story." With this ambition in mind, he scheduled the band to play a live show before the documentary aired and then to perform at Culture X the following night.
Alberto Lopez '12 was visiting Brandeis as an accepted student and says he knew he wanted to join Mochila after seeing the band perform at Culture X. The following fall he became the group's bongo player, and his brother, Jonathan Lopez '11, joined at the same time on bass guitar.
The pair had played in a cover band in high school but hadn't worked on world music before. "At first I wasn't sure I would fit in," Jonathan says, "but then I really liked it more than I expected."
Kundos says he asked his Colombian brother-in-law to think of "a catchy name that will be sexy and nice for a band that is doing experimental stuff." The name Mochila refers to a bag made made of simple materials by Colombian Indian farmers. "Despite the different identities and cultures, together we hold a lot of weight. Our message is very heavy," Kundos says.
Mochila's appearance during the Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Arts is apt, as it first performed at last year's festival. The project was conceived by Mohammad Kundos '10, who had just completed "Before Sunrise," his documentary about the experiences of Palestinian students at Brandeis. The film still needed a soundtrack, and rather than download a few instrumental pieces from the Internet, Kundos decided to write his own compositions and enlist friends and acquaintances to play them.
His goal in forming Mochila, Kundos says, was "to build a stage where everyone can come and bring his personal story." With this ambition in mind, he scheduled the band to play a live show before the documentary aired and then to perform at Culture X the following night.
Alberto Lopez '12 was visiting Brandeis as an accepted student and says he knew he wanted to join Mochila after seeing the band perform at Culture X. The following fall he became the group's bongo player, and his brother, Jonathan Lopez '11, joined at the same time on bass guitar.
The pair had played in a cover band in high school but hadn't worked on world music before. "At first I wasn't sure I would fit in," Jonathan says, "but then I really liked it more than I expected."
Kundos says he asked his Colombian brother-in-law to think of "a catchy name that will be sexy and nice for a band that is doing experimental stuff." The name Mochila refers to a bag made made of simple materials by Colombian Indian farmers. "Despite the different identities and cultures, together we hold a lot of weight. Our message is very heavy," Kundos says.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Kathie K
posted 4/21/09 @ 8:34 PM EST
What insight! Such a gifted writer for one so young...
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