ABOUT

Fontain's M.U.S.E.

"...psychedelic, exotic grooves, world tribe, raga-tronic, infectious dance beats, spicy vocals in many tongues, sitars, guitars, percussion...soothing yet invigorating like a taste of raw ginger"   Bay Arts and Music,  San Francisco, CA​​​​

 

Fontain's M.U.S.E.​​​​​​​​​​​​

     This unique duo has enchanted audiences throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles and San Diego with their mix of improvisation, alternative and Eastern styles since 2000. They have been described as a mix of Florence and the Machine, Beats Antique, Adele, Ali Akbar Khan, and Thomas Dolby.  This year the duo performs for Lucidity Festival and Shakti Festival.  Fontain's M.U.S.E. has performed for the popular Sonoma County, CA Harmony Festival as well as Techno-Tribal Groove Temple and Ojai CA, OneLove Festival. Recently, Fontain's M.U.S.E. opened for internationally famous Ozomatli for the ​​Grammy Party 2013 hosted by East West Studios in collaboration with Planet LA Records benefiting Whole Planet.     

 

    Fontain's M.U.S.E. has composed and directed music for monthly theatrical show with the Magique Bazaar at the historic Gas Lighter Theater. The Warner Grand in San Pedro (Port of Los a Angeles) was host to the Magique Bazaar and Fontain's M.U.S.E celebrating YEAR of the Dragon 2012. ​​​Also Fontain's M.U.S.E. creates music for several  collaborations with Yoga Master, and author Ren Rasa Yoga Maya featured at Shakti Fest. Also Fontain's M.U.S.E. can be heard in conjunction with international theatrical dance troup House of Inanna featured  Tara Devotional Project at Tribal Fest.

 

    Fontain's M.U.S.E. performs for Burning Man Decompression Parties every year in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Fontain's M.U.S.E. has shared the stage with several well known world music influenced performers such as  Hamsa Lila, DJ and composer Cheb i Sabbah, Dishwalla composer  J.​R. Richards, DJ and composer David Starfire and LA legend Ozomatli.​

     

    Fontain's M.U.S.E. has organized and participated in many events and fund raisers benefiting foundations, political, and social movements such as Whole Planet, Code Pink, Veterans for Peace, Guitars not Guns, Daniel Pearl World Music Peace Days, Congressman Dennis Kucinnich campaign for presidency, Musicians and Fine Artists for World Peace, Research for Childhood Diabetes, KKUP World Music Marathon, The American Cancer Society, Leo and Ryan Rossi's 20Kwatts and many more life enriching world peace efforts.​​​

 

~Fontain Riddle~

    Spirited vocalist, songwriter and instrumentalist Fontain Riddle combines cultures, dreams and a keen interpretation of life's experiences to evolve her music. Her inspiration comes from eastern philosophy, politics, dancers, jazz, friends, books, even love experiences. Growing up in the internationally diverse Washington D.C. area, Fontain's early musical influences were formed by the close bonds she made with several Indian and Pakistani neighbors who played Indian classical and folk music at family gatherings. She went on to perform professionally through high school at local Sarasota jazz cafes and restaurants. After earning her BFA from Ringling School of Art, she toured nationally performing for audiences throughout the USA and internationally, including countries such as France, Singapore and Malaysia. Fontain hosted a weekly radio show in San Francisco called Diva Radio featuring female artists touring through Northern California. While still a digital media student at Cogswell Polytechnical, she was asked to teach college level class in Music Video Production, Storyboard Illustration and Creative Content Development. Through a grand note of synchronicity she met Farhan Khan during music engineering class. Together they formed world music ensemble Fontain's M.U.S.E. creating songs that have won attention of Billboard Magazine placing nationally in song writing competitions and the story continues…

 

~Farhan Khan,  aka DJ FLASH~

     Beat and groove producer Farhan Khan is originally from Karachi, Pakistan. Farhan plays sitar, guitar and bass guitar fluently. His unique style has created a perfect balance between East and West for Fontain's M.U.S.E. with his intense dance grooves, and multinational instrumentation captivating the modern listener. He is a sitar student of the internationally famous ​Ustad Habib Khan and is a graduate of Musicians Institute in Hollywood California and has earned his BA in music engineering from Cogswell College in Sunnyvale California. East meets West in the left and right hands of Farhan Khan. He describes the Fontain's M.U.S.E. sound as techno organic psychedelic.

     Their collaboration and creation, Mystic Kiss is a blend of diverse styles including world-beat, new age, pop, electronica and jazz. Like Gypsies, each track travels to an exotic horizon and exposes the listener to a unique sonic experience that is both powerful and soothing. Radiating with hypnotic lyrical themes and infectious melody hooks that span the spectrum of spiritual, thought-provoking, psychedelic, move your body experience! The First track "Sacred Geometry" on the Mystic Kiss CD has won an honorable mention award in Billboard 14th annual World Song Competition.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​   
review by John Anderson (former manager of the Turtles​)

 

 

    Fontain's M.U.S.E. also has a busy schedule, recording, performing for Art Festivals, Music Festivals, Yoga Centers and other Spiritual Events.​​ Contact Fontain's M.U.S.E. if you are interested in becoming an executive producer for any of these projects​.

 

COLABORATOR LINKS

Finding great joy in sharing creative ideas with:

 

REN Yoga Maya   

http://www.renyogamaya.com/home.htm

 

Maginga, Magique Bazaar

http://www.magictimeproductions.com/index.php/magique-bazaar.html

 

House of Inanna

http://www.inannaraqs.com/

 

LA Art Mart

https://www.facebook.com/downtownartmart

 

432
http://omega432.com/432-music/the-importance-of-432hz-music
 

 

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FUND RAISER LINKS

Fontain's M.U.S.E. enjoys performing for

fundraisers and great causes.

 

Here are a few:

 

San Pedro Art Association

http://sanpedroart.org/

 

Whole Foods-Whole Planet

https://www.wholeplanetfoundation.org/

 

TwentyKWatts

https://www.facebook.com/twentyk.wattshttps://

 

Missing Peaces

www.facebook.com/missingpeaces.org

 

Daniel Pearl Music Days

http://www.danielpearlmusicdays.org

 

Code Pink

http://www.codepink4peace.org

 

Leaders Causing Leaders, One Love Festival

http://www.leaderscausingleaders.com

 

Guitars Not Guns

http://guitarsnotguns.org/

 

 

BIRD IN THE TREE INTERVIEW

​​"Fontain's M.U.S.E. aspires to be a

celebration of diversity through music"

~DJ Flash, groove master, sitarist​ ​​

~*~

"Music is the Universal Source of Enlightenment"  ​​

~Fontain, vocalist, composer, guitarist

​​"Fontain's M.U.S.E. aspires to be a

celebration of diversity through music"

~DJ Flash, groove master, sitarist​ ​​

~*~

"Music is the Universal Source of Enlightenment"  ​​

~Fontain, vocalist, composer, guitarist


About
Fontainsmuse
beatmagic



 

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• Multi Cultural Music

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• Sitar Song Writing

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• Eastern Fusion Music

BIRD IN THE TREE
Artist Interview: Fontain Riddle, the muse & The Night of Dead Roses

 

“And the day came when the risk it took to remain in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” - Anais Nin
Fontain Riddle has been a fixture in the Bay Area music landscape since she first moved here from Washington, D.C. Whether she's hosting Diva Radio for KUSF, recording new material, blending jazz-inspired vocals, raga and instrumentation from the East and the West to create Sufi-inspried dancescapes, she's a tireless servant to the muse in both band name and spirit. This week, Fontain's M.U.S.E is part of a Valentine-fueled evening of music and ritual called "The Night of Dead Roses." Fontain gave us the low-down:
DC Tell us about the big show you're doing "Night of Dead Roses" on February 13? What can we expect from Fontain and the night?

FR The event is at the Broadway Studios in San Francisco, at Broadway and Montgomery, 7pm.
Night of the Dead Roses is a "...a tribute to the good memories and wisdom gifted to us from past lovers...a night dedicated to forgiveness, healing, and moving on to create new love on Valentine's Day and in our futures...." It is a collaboration and concept by Patric Tierney, who has invented several provocative social /romance games. He will be giving a guided tour of these on that night, and there will be aerial dancers, music, and an independent film maker Nara Denning is presentingShort Films called "Neurotique." You can expect magic, romance, passionate vocals in many tongues, some rocking raga and hot eastern grooves to dance to from Fontain's M.U.S.E. People who like to dance usually lose a few pounds at our shows. I know I do.
My brother is a well known Bay Area Magician, Majinga. He and Illusionist Genii Perry have designed a magical presentation choreographed to our music and in keeping with the theme of Night of the Dead Roses. I have been working with both of them creatively for ten years with the Magique Bazaar. We will have our Indian percussion master MP Singh with us as well as [my husband] Farhan Khan on the Sitar. And, it is Farhan and Fontain's 11th year wedding anniversary on February 13th. So I will be in rare form in appreciation of all the blessings I have been given. Lets just say I will be CELEBRATING.

 

DC You've incorporated many different influences into your work, from jazz to East Indian music and have played with bands and solo? What's most interesting to you now?

FR Sleep, I never get any. Well, I am not really a deep person, so I am interested in whatever makes people dance. Actually, I am working on two more CDs simultaneously. One is instrumental, a yoga album for yogis who like to dance and not think about the lyrics. I get to show off some soloing on my electric sitar and Farhan can show off a little with his acoustic sitar. The other is a set of all-new songs with socially critical themes. I use to be a very, very angry person and I would do some crazy physical things when I was mad—like jump off a pier where people were fishing and sharks swam, etc. I do not dare do this now because I have a child. I have chilled out quite a bit since then. I am really interested in how to inspire my son to be a better person than I am and to not go through life angry. This stuff is interesting to me now. I am sure some more songs will come from that process. Jazz. I have always loved scat singing, Ella of course. I have learned a little bit of several languages so that I can form new sounds so that my scatting sounds fresh. A little French, Arabic, Hindi, Spanish... I actually sing a song in Uzbec. I've had several of my songs translated in these languages and we do them live. I like to change it up and I like to reach a wide variety of people. It usually surprises them when I start singing in different languages.

DC Who do you look to as mentors? Do you have any main teachers

FR Hazerat Inayet Khan is my greatest teacher. I found out about him from a compilation of his teachings called 'Music of the Spheres, the Sufi Way.' Hazerat Inayet Khan was a Sitar player, and a Vina Player. In his time he was one of the greatest. He gave it up to become a spiritual teacher. I highly recommend his work if anyone out there in cyberspace is interested in Eastern Philosophy. Another Sufi I have learned from is Rumi of course. Musically, nature is the best teacher. The Goddess Saraswati is an icon who can still teach us. She is the mother of music, dance, and knowledge. I look to her for inspiration.

DC Is there a story behind your name?

FR My name is a common French name meaning 'fountain.' And most people confuse my name with Fountain. I really do not care if people confuse my name. I just laugh, some times they conjugate it as if it is a verb. Fontanna, Fontuna, Fontina,... I think Fontina is a kind of cheese.
Riddle is my fathers last name. I never changed my name when I got married because my Dad died young. It is no mistake that the main character in Les Miserable was called Fontaine (the correct spelling), a person can associate the name with "fountain of tears" or some such metaphor. But believe me, I am the fountain of LOVE, yea baby! Le Fontaine du amour.

MORE ON THE NAME FONTAIN RIDDLE
What is a Fountain? A sourse that flows out yet replenishes itself.

I am a fountain from which no one can drink;
For many I am considered a necessary link;
Like gold I am sought for,
But my continued death brings wealth to more.

 

Fountain Riddle of Tryton>>

There is this fountain in Trynton that gives me a riddle. 

From this Fountain you cannot drink.

What is this fountain, what do you think?
As time moves, so it creates... the lessons learned and the ways of fate... I am each one and yet still more... all you've known, seen and done before. Tell me, what am I?