Alms For Shanti was born when Jayesh Gandhi and Uday Benegal decided to move on from their extended stints as the guitar player and singer, respectively, of the Indian rock supergroup Indus Creed (né Rock Machine). The longtime bandmates chose to reinvent their sound (and their lives) in New York, to which they moved in 2000. The new sound was to essentially comprise a meze-spread of influences and experiences microprocessored into a whimsical blend of spiritual, political and existential double-takes conveyed via rhythm- and melody-fueled songs (they like to describe their music as cynically optimistic Indo-rock’n’funk). The natural next step was to make a band, which they did with the able help of Naren Budhakar, Gaku Takanashi, Todd Isler and Adam Morrison. This crack team of musicians make up the band’s U.S. avatar. Inevitably, of course, India beckoned soon after J & U’s relocation, and they set up a Bombay-based version composed of equally virtuosic players: Vivek Rajgopalan, Naresh Kamath and Kurt Peters. Alms For Shanti have recorded two albums—a self-titled English-language version and a Hindi version called “Kashmakash”—and are currently working on their third. More cynicism? You betcha. How about optimism? Oh, for cryin’ out loud - of course! Keep in touch, ’cause this ride ain’t stopping anytime soon.