INGRAY: Immigrant’s Song

Words and Video by J. Nadir Omowale

If you really know Detroit, you’ll understand how fitting it is that a band with Eastern European roots like INGRAY is representing this city in the international Hard Rock Cafe Ambassadors of Rock competition. This region is nothing if not multi-cultural. From its native American ancestry, to its colonized occupation by the French and British; to its eventual establishment as a US industrial magnet, Detroit has always been a landing point for those from the rest of the world in search of a better quality of life. Such was the case with INGRAY.

Having received national attention as musicians and artists in their native land of Bosnia, it could have been quite easy for guitarist Nermin Selmanovic, bassist Haris Cizmic and lead vocalist Adisa to stay there and have respectable music careers. But the opportunity to come west availed itself in 1999, and in 2000 the three migrated to North America, with Selmanovic landing in Canada and Cizmic and Adisa coming to Detroit. Selmanovic would join the two in Detroit four years later. The trio formed a band and over the next 4 years experimented with several band mates and group variations. But in 2008, drummer and Dearborn native Dave Dupuie join the collective. His musical instincts and tremendous range enhanced the quality of play by allowing Selmanovic, Cizmic and his fiery new vocalist to test their respective ranges and experiment without fear. With the sound now stabilized, the rhythm grew and a new energy was spawned. INGRAY was born.

INGRAY: Immigrant’s Song from Michael Leser on Vimeo.

While a lot of attention is paid to the Bosnian heritage of 3/4 of the band, Adisa is quick to point out that “Dave’s influence on the band has been amazing”. His band mates were impressed with how easily he took their musical ideas and propelled them to another place. “The ethnic flavor comes out in a lot of the melodies and structures of the songs,” Dupuie says. “I love playing the style. It’s fun for me.”

The band fuses Eastern European and world music styles with grimy Detroit rock and roll and a touch of the blues to create a fresh and powerful sound.

“I think there is a common bond,” Selmanovic explains, “but we listen to different music so obviously, that the mix is not going to’ be unified. It’s going to be the mix of all types of genres, all types of world music. But I think when they all come together, you get INGRAY.” He continues, “Really it’s paying tribute to everything we’ve learned, everything we’ve seen, everything we’ve heard, and to the new place where we’re going with this music.”

That sense of being in “another place” is the inspiration for the title of INGRAY’s first album, Away. “It’s both physical and metaphysical,” Adisa says. “We came from someplace else, and we feel that part of our home is there [in Bosnia], and part of it is here [in Detroit]. When I go home to visit family, I feel like I’m away from here. When I’m here, I’m away from there.”

The band’s Ambassador’s of Rock victory couldn’t have come at a more opportune time. They will be playing their CD release party on the same Hard Rock Cafe stage where they won the battle of the bands. “For us,” Nermin laughs, “It’s just going to be great to get this off our backs, so we can record the second album, because we already have it ready.” INGRAY hopes this splash of national attention and the new album will position them for a return to Europe, this time as a band. Their video “Killing Time” and other demos are getting airplay back home in Bosnia and in other parts of the continent.

“People over there are interested in our work here, and what we’ve accomplished and where we’re going with our music, which is really cool,” says Cizmic. “It makes us feel special about our music and makes us feel appreciated, even though we’re so far away. “

“I think what they appreciate the most,” adds Selmanovic, “is that we are not ashamed of where we come from. We mention it at every opportunity. We write songs like “Sarajevo”, which is the capitol of Bosnia. And a lot of [our music] is dedicated to where we come from.”

But INGRAY definitely isn’t stuck in the past. They are looking forward. “Even now,” Adisa concludes, “we keep learning. It’s always a journey. Just keep on traveling, learning and trying to reach another level, always.”

INGRAY’s CD Release Party is Thursday, May 28, 2009 at Detroit’s Hard Rock Café Doors open at 8PM. 45 Monroe Street Detroit, Michigan 48226. For more information about INGRAY, visit www.ingrayband.com or www.myspace.com/ingrayband.

J. Nadir Omowale is a musician, producer and freelance writer based in Detroit, Michigan. Check out his writing and his music at www.distortedsoul.com.