Prabir Mehta’s Journey.

Prabir’s journey may have started in earnest when his family left India to move to RVa when he was 9 years old, but it has never ended. From learning the Beatles catalog to teaching himself to play classical Indian guitar, from Petty to Raag with his Prabir Trio in between, from a yoga and meditation release to starting a 1996 cover band, the guy never, never stands still.

Month in and month out, no artist books more shows in our monthly live music calendar, genre hopping with the fluidity of water over stones.

He’ll play a double set with his Tom Petty cover band Full Moon Fever on a Thursday nite, get with The Prabir Trio for all originals that blend and bend classical Indian music with American Rock and Roll on a Saturday nite, and then he’ll soothe the mid week angst of a bar full of regulars at Durty Nelly’s on a Tuesday nite (show note: Old Hank has never, ever seen an audience thank an artist the way the DN faithful thanked Prabir after the show. “Just what I needed” was heard again and again.)

The rigidity of academic music didn’t work out at VCU? No worries, jump to Urban planning. Jump on stage with Shagwuf and solo a Raag over the top of their banger Cassoulette (the dude def has the rock moves to hang with Sally Rose, Sweet Pete and Pablo). Jump back and forth between India and America, learning and growing exponentially with each trip.

This is a fascinating guy, and you need to know him. Watch a short clip of the Durty Nelly’s Tuesday show above and then grab some naan, raita and an Eight Finger Eddie, and settle in for a classic Old Hank sit-down jibber-jabber at Greenleaf Park here in Cville.

Enjoy the ride, y’all.