zerobridge 'There We Were Now Here We Are' album

After self-releasing a single every month for the last half of 2008, zerobridge is back with a new EP entitled “There We Were, Now Here We Are” available Nov. 17th. The EP includes six tracks reflecting the musical journey the band has been on for the last 4 years – careening between the fury of a politically motivated track like “TWA,” a Replacements-esque rocker like “There We Were, Now Here We Are,” and a moving ballad like “Venus In Arms” (a fan favorite – included on the EP almost completely because of the fans’ insistence).

The first single “2mins5” (pronounced two-minutes-five) is a punchy pop-rock gem, rounding up the likes of U2, New Order, The Clash and others and making them all comfortably sit together within the constraints of two minutes and thirty-nine seconds. Completing the song cycle of the EP are “How Long,” with its sing-along chorus fans join in on at every show, and “It Is What It Is,” the perfect down tempo compliment to wrap up the EP and make you want to start the journey all over again from the beginning.

It's not often you hear about a band like zerobridge. Lead singer/guitarist and songwriter Mubashir "Din" Mohi-ud-Din and drummer Mohsin "Mo" Mohi-ud-Din are two brothers whose parents are from the disputed territory of Kashmir, nestled between northern India and Pakistan. Greg "The Quota" (Orange 9mm) on bass, Paolo Arao on keyboards, and guitarist Jay Barclay (Ben Kweller, Damnwells), round out the band who have been playing their own unique brand of melodic, guitar driven rock n' roll for the last four years. With two independent releases behind them, zerobridge is releasing the “There We Were, Now Here We Are” EP that illustrates the band's penchant for classic song writing and a passion to become the only band that matters.

The name zerobridge comes from an actual bridge in Kashmir's capital, Srinagar, which earned the lesser known epithet of the "the city of seven bridges." The story goes that when they built an 8th bridge, no one knew what to call the original first bridge. The solution is a case of pragmatics taken to the extreme: they decided to name it zerobridge. The bridge itself is a sentimental place for anyone familiar with Kashmir. Just across the bridge, after passing through military checkpoints and barbed wire fences, is a cafe called the Zero Inn; a place where the bothers, family and friends go when reunited in Kashmir to hang out and have "cold coffees" (which are like frapucinos, but far better according to the brothers).

Din explains his feeling behind zerobridge’s independent release of the “There We Were, Now Here We Are” EP: “We've been STRICTLY independent for as long as we've been together and maybe even more than we would like to be. We've accumulated a catalog of songs that no one's heard outside our regional fan base and have not recorded until now. It seems that in this digital age for music, what better way for a band like us to establish ourselves and get our music heard the way we want to make it sound than to use the internet as our distribution company. It's still a challenge. Creating music still takes time and money, but it's on our terms and while I still think they are necessary, we don't have to deal with labels - just directly with music fans.”

zerobridge biography
It's not often you hear about a band like zerobridge. Lead singer/guitarist and songwriter Mubashir Mohi-ud-Din ("Din") and drummer Mohsin Mohi-ud-Din ("Mo") are two brothers, whose parents are from the disputed territory of Kashmir, nestled between northern India and Pakistan. Greg Eckelman, seasoned NYC bass player (Orange 9mm, The Phoids), keyboardist Paolo Arao (CatJaw) and guitarist Jay Barclay (Ben Kweller, Damnwells), round out the five piece band who have been playing their own unique brand of melodic, guitar driven rock n' roll for the last four years. With two independent releases behind them and a new EP on the way, the music of zerobridge illustrates a penchant for classic song writing and a passion to become the only band that matters.

The name zerobridge comes from an actual bridge in Kashmir's capital, Srinagar, which earned the lesser known epithet of the "the city of seven bridges." The story goes that when they built an 8th bridge, no one knew what to call the first bridge. The solution is a case of pragmatics taken to the extreme: they decided to name it zerobridge. Along with being a provocative name evoking many meanings, zerobridge is a sentimental place for anyone familiar with Kashmir. Just across the bridge, after passing through military checkpoints and barbed wire fences, is a cafe called the Zero Inn; a place where the bothers, family and friends go when reunited in Kashmir to hang out and have "cold coffees" (which are like frapuchinos, but far better according to the brothers).

To describe the sound of zerobridge can be tough. Din constantly answers this question simply: "We're just a rock n' roll band." This is true, but upon closer listening one can hear their South Asian heritage weaving its way through Western influences to create a unique musicality and tonality. While bands like U2, Joy Division/New Order, The Clash, The Replacements, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, The Beatles, the Stones and David Bowie are major influences, Din also cites South Asian music like The Sabri Bros and Hindi film composers like RD Burman, A.R. Rahman, and Nadeem Sharavan as inspirations.

The band's first record, “The Basement Tapes”, was released in 2003. It was sonically textured, retaining a keen pop sensibility, but also delved into political subject matter. Just three months after 9/11 and a week after the Indian Parliament bombing, the brothers trip to Kashmir in December 2001 set the tone for the record with songs like "Suffering Moses" (which reappears in newer form on 2007's “Havre De Grace” EP), "Refugee Citizen," "Nothing Doing," and "Dedicated to the Haters of Song." India and Pakistan were on the brink of war. Seeing and learning about the hardships that their family and friends had endured over the last 20 years was an eye opener for the brothers, especially during their time spent there in the harsh winter months. "I couldn't help but write about what I saw," Din says, "but even then, we still felt like outsiders. I tried to be true to what we experienced and cognizant that we were removed from it all at the same time. Reading authors like Edward Said, Agha Shahid Ali, Sudha Kohl, and Salman Rushdie have also inspired me and enhanced the overall worldview of my lyrics."

In the fall of 2007, zerobridge released the self produced and critically acclaimed “Havre de Grace” EP. It included tracks "Late Bloomer," a reworking of "Suffering Moses" and "The Shake," a provocative call to arms against religious extremism. “This Is My Version,” a live favorite, included the talents of David Bowie/John Lennon guitarist Earl Slick. Later that year the band grew to add Paolo Arao on keyboards, and Jay Barclay on lead guitar. A video for the title track, “Havre de Grace” was directed by Musa Sayeed, who won the best documentary short at 2007's Tribeca Film Festival for "A Son's Sacrifice."

In the past year the band has gone through a period of intense adjustment but also much success. After recording tracks for their upcoming EP in January, Mo left the country on a Fulbright scholarship in Morocco establishing art and music workshops for underprivileged children. For the first few months he was away the band continued to work on their new record back home. Mo would later return for a rousing, sold out show at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Afterwards the American Embassy graciously sent the band to Morocco for a tour. Zerobridge traveled the country, playing five cities in six days. The response was overwhelming. One representative from the embassy said, “It was like the Beatles had just come to Morocco!” In addition, zerobridge will have the song "Havre de Grace" featured in the upcoming motion picture, "The Messenger," starring Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson, Samantha Morton, Jena Malone, and directed by Oren Moverman (“I’m Not There”), premiering in theatres nationwide on November 20th.

Zerobridge will release their new EP, entitled "There We Were, Now Here we Are" on November 17th. They play the CMJ Festival on Friday October 23rd at Public Assembly in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and will return to the studio in early 2010 to record another EP for release in the spring.

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zerobridge - There We Were Now Here We Are