SYNAI brings new rock sound to ACME Underground May 22

Male and female duo blends relevant lyrics and soul singing with melodic rock music

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New York (PRWEB) May 19 2003 - Synai, a lively New York based rock and soul band, are scheduled to perform on Thursday, May 22 at ACME Underground, 9 Great Jones, between Broadway and Lafayette. The band has been busy promoting their EP called As Is", in New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania.

The Synai (pronounced sigh-nigh) show features the lead singing duo of Hakhi Alakhun and Sayo Ogundiran singing both original songs from their CD, and several revised cover songs to stir up the audience. White Stripes aside, Synai is one of the rare instances of a band with both male and female lead singers. They balance emotive and poetic songwriting duties with some serious rhythm guitar playing and a tight rhythm section. The event starts at 8pm with a $6 admission at the door.

The band says its difficult to describe their sound since its comprised of a wide range of influences and styles. They best define it through their own promotional slogan: rock music for your soul". When you see us onstage, youd expect R & B, funk or Hip Hop. But were playing rock music and we sing our songs soulfully. People cant seem to do without labels, so we call it rock- n-soul", says Hakhi. Not to be confused with 'neo soul .

In April, the band played two songs from their CD at the opening of Momentum Magazine, a new publication targeting Nigerians in America. They performed Before I Die", a post 9/11 song about coming to terms with mortality written by Hakhi, and The Basement" a song about the pitfalls of fame and celebrity written by Sayo. Theyre not afraid to have their songs dig beneath the surface of life just as the music industry is starting to embrace singer/songwriters like Norah Jones and John Mayer.

I wrote the Basement after watching so many famous singers burn out trying stay famous. When its someone elses time to shine, the best thing to do is to just bow out gracefully", says Sayo. This performance, held at Lehman College in the Bronx, had a special significance for her, since her family hails from Nigeria.

In March, the band made time to play a benefit show in Williston, Mass, to raise money for children living with AIDS in Uganda. Their set included a rocked out rendition of Princes Sign O the Times", just as the country was gearing up for war in Iraq. While most bands are focused on quick fame and overnight success, Synai says they want music that speaks to the hearts and minds of the people. People dont think about important things until something drastic happens in the world. Now that a lot of drastic things are going on almost daily, we think its the job of the artist to think out loud in music. Thats where we come in".

Synais CD is on sale at Amazon and CD Baby for $9.99, and $5 when purchased at the live show. For more information about Synai visit www.synaionline.com and join Synai Music News (SMN) for updates and current events.