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The Divine Musical Dance of LILA RASA By Robert E. Martin Lila Rasa (left to right) - Mike Cramton, Chris Mohn Noel Howland, Bill Hall, & Jon Dillman It is a Monday night at White's Bar in Saginaw, and the venue is packed with people - a very unusual phenomenon for a Monday evening. The crowd is a combination of fans, musicians, and first-timers - all out on a chilly January eve to catch the collective of musicians that amble to the stage. Although they've only played about 30 shows since first coming together in August of last year, the band known as Lila Rasa is rapidly gaining acclaim as one of the best new musical groups to hit the boards in recent memory. Consisting of Stephanie 'Noel' Howland on keyboards & vocals (formerly of Delilah), Chris Mohn on guitars & vocals (formerly of Mixed Generation and The Pimps), percussionists Mike Cramton and Jon Dillman (also handling vocal duties), and rounded out by former Absence bassist Bill Hall, the group warms-up with a familiar Fleetwood Mac tune - Noel's distinctive voice embracing the texture of the song with a solace that is blended perfectly with soulful fortification. As the evening progresses, the band tightens its collective machinery - instruments blending in a tightly woven flow that features each musician in a set that varies from original compositions to reworking such standards as I Shot the Sheriff, the entire endeavor solidified by a warmth & joy shared between the various members that is rare to witness with many local groups. Perhaps the 'secret' is in the name. Lila Rasa is a Latin phrase that means 'The Divine Dance', and it is an almost magical evocation that flows from band to audience, a circle of humanity vibrating in unison. "We liked the name because it wasn't an English word," explains Noel. "Plus, we are into 'divining'," adds Bill. "Every sound makes us something, and we attempt to give meaning to the meaning, rather than the other way around." Indeed, when the group first came together, one of their primary goals was to embrace a varied amalgamation of different musical styles. "At first we wanted to focus on the musicality of the band," explains Noel, "and blend together elements of jazz and funk. We were talking about playing at places like The Country Club and Apple Mountain. But as we got the two-percussion thing going we introduced more Rock and Funk into the mix, and the band went away from its original intentions." "This group isn't just about the music," interjects Bill. "It's not about putting together a batch of songs and watching a bunch of girls come up to the stage, or being the bad heaviest band on the block. We're a lot more varied than that. In fact a lot of us abandoned heavy metal bands. I think this music defies classification. It reminds me of Kid Rock meeting Mariah Carey." While the rest of the band laughs and Noel groans at this remark, the affection and respect each member shows for one another is obvious. "We've never been lured by popular songs per se," comments Noel. "The whole idea is to take material that is familiar and put our own twist into it. We've collaborated on a lot of very cool original lead lines, and for me its fun to collaborate all at once." "I'm very into Latin music," notes Mike. " I get very excited by tribal music and anything with a groove in it that makes people dance the divine dance." Although they've only played in public since last August, the process of coming together was a long one for Lila Rasa. The core of the band came together when Noel, Jon, and Mike started working together one year ago in January. The band had six original songs at that point and worked shortly together in an outfit known as Frivolous. "Mike and I had played together for years," explains Noel. "Mike and Bill were jamming on his original material and I started crashing their gigs. I'd call them up and ask if I could bring my keyboard over because I was bored and wanted to play. Then we thought of getting together so we could make some money, but the money didn't matter because we enjoyed it so much. What I learned is that if you enjoy what you're doing, the money will come. If you're looking for money it doesn't come, but when you're not is when success starts to come." "I wanted to be in a band with Noel a year before it happened," notes Bill. "We didn't start because we were musicians, but it started because we began hanging out together. We talked about it and became friends before we started the band. Our friendship was a prequel to the band." Chris Mohn was the last member to join. "I'd been playing guitar for a few years since Mixed Generation," reflects Chris, "and when that fell apart I joined The Pimps for awhile and then Sweet William & the Killbillies. They needed a guitar player so they brought me in back in October. I was laying off the guitar for too long, so when I got the call I knew I had to get back into music." In terms of objectives, the group hopes to write more originals, get more equipment, and concentrate on getting the original material geared to a level the band feels confident about. "The crowds are very encouraging," states Noel. "It's amazing to see White's packed every Monday night because it's hard to get people to go out on a Monday. Before Christmas it was standing room only on a Monday night and more like a weekend, which is a real compliment to us." "I feel the appeal comes from the fact that we're different than anything else played around here," continues Noel. "You can hear a different array of music all night. Plus we have a lot of guests musicians like Matt Besey, Earl the Pearl and Dave Kellan sit in with us. Dave is quite incredible. Everybody should buy his new CD!" In addition to Whites, the group also performs at venues such as The Hamilton St. Pub, Drifter's, and Rubbles in Mt. Pleasant. "The chemistry is what's important. We're all friends and we hang out together, which is so different, being best friends. I don't see that in other bands. You see it, but not to this degree. Once we get into the vibe and are feeling the music, by the end of the night we're all hugging one another." "As long as we get tighter and tighter together as a band, that's all that matters," reflects Jon. "We're not close to our peak." In terms of specific influences that each member brings to the table, Chris feels he's the "guy out of the '70's", while Bill favors funk-oriented riffs that he can expound upon. The percussion duo of Jon and Mike fuel the energy, while Noel is sensing her influences evolving. "I'm trying to get more bluesy," she states. "That's what I like. For awhile I was trying to write songs like Tori Amos, but that's not really me. There is nothing I like more than Blues/Rock, but we all go through our phases." Relentlessly holding onto the notion of re-inventing fresh translations for their material from week-to-week is something that also makes Lila Rasa stand out from the crowd. In this manner, they employ an axiomatic tradition of jazz as music without boundaries into a popular format that lures and engages increasing numbers of people in the audience. If you've yet to witness Lila Rasa in action, be sure to check them out on Mondays at White's Bar or at any of their other gigs in the near future. It's a divine musical dance that offers a glimpse at celestial harmony and a whole lot more.
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