Indian Standard Time


What would have happened if Bob Marley had spent time soaking in the musical traditions of Delhi? Or if Canadian rock legends Rush fell in love with the ancient traditions of ghazal and light classical Indian music? Enter Indian Standard Time!

IST is an electrifying collective of musicians from Canada, India, Malaysia and the UK, all teaching and working at the Naad Centre for the Performing and Visual Arts in Surrey, BC, Canada, in the heart of the largest Punjabi community outside of India.

IST dances with North Indian classical traditions and yet defies description – an alt/jam/prog/funk/reggae/Indian fusion band creating a live experience unlike any other! IST has been playing local festivals and concerts in the Vancouver area, and is now ready to take it to the world… Are you ready for Indian Standard Time?

The Band

Amarjeet Singh
Tabla


Amarjeet Singh, the founder of Naad Foundation, has a Masters degree in Music and many years’ experience, performing tabla solos as well as accompanying a myriad of leading Indian and Western musicians and dancers at international music and dance festivals. He started learning the tabla from his elder brother, Mr. Deedar Singh, followed by Guru Shri Thakur Kishan Singh ji of Benaras Gharana.

Amarjeet was appointed a Cultural Ambassador by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, New Delhi, to teach and perform tabla in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Later on he served as a staff artist at the Faculty of Music and Fine Arts, University of Delhi. A scholarship winner from the Music and Drama Academy of Rajasthan, Amarjeet Singh has also won many laurels, such as: Sangeet Bhushan – the Rajasthan Education Department, the Leadership Circle Award – Canadian Red Cross, Heritage Defender Award – Darpan Magazine, and Innovation in the Arts – Drishti Magazine. In 2017, Singh was a nominee for the Mayor’s Arts Award from the City of Surrey.

Naadfoundation.ca

Dr. Bruce Harding
Flute | Vocal | Guitar | Bass |


Bruce Harding from New Westminster, British, Columbia, Canada, is an award-winning singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist (voice, flutes, guitar, bass and percussion) with a PhD in musicology from The University of Toronto and over 30 years’ experience making music with artists from around the world.

Harding delights in bridging the gap between the sacred and the profane, creating instrumental and vocal music for people who thirst for musical and spiritual nourishment. He has many recordings to his credit, including a solo album of flute improvisations, Let Everything That Breathes, and A Black and White Christmas, a delightful intercultural album with sitar maestro Neeraj Prem from Hamilton, Ontario.

bruceharding.com

Coach Sandhu
Guitars | Production


Coach Sandhu is a guitarist, teacher and music producer based in Surrey BC. Born in the UK, Coach moved to Canada with his family at the age of 9 and soon after began to study the guitar. Primary self taught, Coach was driven by a burning desire for musical knowledge, exploring a wide range of genres including Rock, Blues, Country, Funk ,Jazz, Classical, World and Fusion. Coach brings these influences to bear in his work with Indian Standard Time.

A music producer, Coach skills include writing, arranging, programming, recording and mixing. A well known guitar instructor, Coach brings a passion for teaching and decades of musical experience to his private lessons, instructing students young and old at his home studio in Surrey.

coachsandhu.com


Baljit Singh
Sarangi | Dilruba | Esraj | Tar Sehnayi

Baljit Singh started learning Dilruba from Prof Avtar Singh and then later from Ustad Piara Singh Padam. Baljeet performed with and accompanied many renowned artists internationally and received many appreciations. He is currently working as teacher and performer at the Naad Foundation in Surrey BC.

Sandy Khaira 
Drums | Percussion | Bass


Sandy (Surinder ) Khaira has a great ear for music from rock to jazz fusion to Classical Indian. Picking up the guitar on his own initially and later with a teacher for a short time, he is well versed in both eastern and western styles of music. His passion in drumming started at a young age and carries on until today. He started learning drums from an accomplished local drummer and percussionist Mike Michalkow and has studied with drumming greats like Dom Famularo and Chuck Silverman, among attending countless drumming clinics from internationally acclaimed drummers that have come through our city. Learning tabla with Amarjeet Singh, his drumming style shows a fusion of western, jazz, Latin rhythms with hints of Classical and popular Indian grooves. A director at Naad Foundation, Sandy has since accompanied local performers on the drums and guitar.