Family Funktion And The Sitar Jams

"Family FUNKtion and the Sitar Jams? is a group of brothers devoted to creating a new psychedelic musical experience. In reality, the group was formed 20 years ago when the Padmanabha brothers were rockn' around the house. Initially, rock and funk led to the discovery of Indian classical and folk styles. The extended improvisation found in Indian classical music has allowed the family to ?funktion? in a new direction.

All the brothers started on western instruments such as guitar, bass and drums. Later, Ravi and Naryan spent years playing dulcimer/santoor and tabla. They created a group called Omkara with their brother Aneal that consisted of playing Indian classical and folk music. Tired from playing the yoga scene, the brothers longed to play clubs and other venues. There was an old sitar in the house that Naryan began noodling on and by chance the sitar became the perfect vehicle to break into other performance outlets. From early days of Kiss and VH to Ravi Shankar and Miles the family has evolved into its current state of Nirvana. The brothers have gone full circle back to their original funky roots with the creation of ?Family FUNKtion and the Sitar Jams?. The band has played at major events such as Hallwalls Artist & Models, Trimainia, Friday Gusto series at the Albright Knox and the Elmwood Arts festival.