Let's All Go to the Lobby: Nik Phelps and the Sprocket Ensemble with "Intermission"

Today's song comes from an animated movie called Sita Sings the Blues, which was written, drawn produced and directed by Nina Paley. The film juxtaposes in parallel the plot of the story of Rama and Sita in the Ramayana with Paley's own marriage and relationship. The film has garnered some controversy among some Hindu believers because of its unorthodox portrayal of Rama. This song, Intermission, was written and performed by Nik Phelps and The Sprocket Ensemble. Phelps is a wind instrument performance specialist who has made a career in film composition. He has recorded with musicians such as Tom Waits, and has appeared with Frank Zappa and Tony Bennett. The video shows the various characters, including Rama, Sita, Ravan and Hanuman, heading to the lobby for snacks. If you are interested in the Sita Sings the Blues, which uses music from old Annette Hanshaw recordings as well as original music, you can download it for free at Paley's website.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sita_Sings_the_Blues; http://niksprocket.org/bio_08.html

Still Looking for the Perfect Man: Nitya Vidyasagar and Rohan Sukhdeo with "Rama's Great"

What is the experience of the wife married to the perfect man? Today's song is from a soundtrack to a movie that explores that question. Nitya Vidyasagar and Rohan Sukhdeo perform Rama's Great in the animated movie Sita Sings the Blues, which tells the life story of Sita in the classic Hindu text The Ramayana and does it from her perspective. Made by animator Nina Paley and employing different animation techniques, the movie was Paley's effort to put into perspective the end of her long relationship. Sita eventually becomes powerful in her own right. Sita Sings the Blues is available for free download on the internet. It's a good watch!