Sonny Singh is best known to Valley audiences for his fiery trumpet playing with the Brookyln Banghra outfit Red Baraat. But in 2018, he began working on his own material based on Sikh Kirtan and principles of eternal optimism. In the wake of white supremacist acts of terror in the US and a rising tide of fascism globally, Sonny went back to his roots. The US-born child of immigrant parents discovered in the Punjabi music of his childhood a timeless trove of poetry on how to find hope in the midst of darkness.

Even in the toughest moments, Sikhs have a spiritual and political obligation to remain in high spirits. “Chardi Kala,” Sonny Singh’s debut album produced by three-time Grammy winner Wil-Dog Abers of Ozomatli, refers to the Sikh concept of revolutionary eternal optimism. He joins us at Bombyx for an album release concert,  to share his new songs and stories with his full band. His boundary-defying music circles around that vital thing we could all use a lot more of right now: hope.