Mekaal Hasan Band (MHB) was formed in 2000 by guitarist/composer Mekaal Hasan in the city of Lahore, Pakistan. With three critically acclaimed studio records to their name, 'Sampooran' in 2004, 'Saptak' in 2010 and 'Andholan' in 2014, the music that MHB plays is a fusion between the melodic sensibility of the folk, classical and sufi traditions of the East and the harmonic sophistication of jazz with the power of rock as heard in the West.
The founder of the band, Mekaal Hasan, studied at Berklee College of Music and is joined on this incarnation of the band's multiple line ups (the band has line ups in both India and Pakistan and is also the only Indo Pak band of it's kind) by bringing to SXSW a truly unique assembly of talent and diversity featuring the artistry of musicians from Pakistan with flautist Mohammad Ahsan Papu, guitarist Mekaal Hasan, bassist Amir Azhar, drummer Kamran Paul and vocalist Humera Channa.
The Mekaal Hasan Band will continue to explore an exciting blend of traditional Eastern Classical and folk music set to jazz harmony and progressive rock sounds and arranging styles at SXSW.