Ragaman (rä' gä-man) [< Skt raga song + OE mann person] n. 1. A person who pursues music through compulsive immersion. 2. A person having a cathartic moment with music, particularly when using headphones. 3. A new, original musical group from the Quad Cities known for blending. 4. obs. An anagram of the word anagram. 

After an initial phase with more musicians, more volume, and more creative chaos, Ragaman slimmed down to the core trio of Lars Rehnberg (guitar, sitar, vocals), Gordon Pickering (bass, vocals) and Leif Rehnberg (drums, vocals) and got serious for a few years. They have since returned to more musicians, volume, and creative chaos. 

From 2007 to 2010, the trio played shows incessantly while writing and recording their first album, One Dozen Anagrams, at River Drive Records in Rock Island. The live shows improved the band's cohesion as a unit so much by 2010 that they unanimously threw out the whole first album and re-recorded it live. In 2011, they started jamming and recording with experimental cellist Sam Rae, who will join them as the opener for their CD release show. 

Instead of “influences” or “genres,” here's a list of Ragaman's current radio stations on Pandora: The Books, Feist, Panic At The Disco, The Flaming Lips, Tabla Beat Science, Benga, Emily Hurd, Flogging Molly, Dervish, Maceo Parker, Birds & Batteries, Pinback, Aphex Twin, Bobby McFerrin, Boards of Canada, Mos Def, Beck, Gabriel Fauré, Zap Mama. 

Ragaman is not exactly like any of these bands. In fact they could really use a genre, and will probably host an Invent-the-Genre contest, once the album is released. 

This show also marks the first official catalog release for River Drive Records, a Quad Cities label specializing in on-location multitrack recording of jazz, classical, world, and rock music. They began producing studio and live recordings in 2006 at a studio on River Drive in Davenport, before moving the studio to its current location in Rock Island. You can learn more about their work, hear samples, and watch videos at www.riverdriverecords.com 

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