Earlier this week the band Bamboo Shoots, and unsigned college band out of New Jersey (finally, something good about Edison), won an MTVU sponsored contest beating out over a 1000 other bands (thanks for the tip Anmol):

Propelled by votes from college students nationwide, the foursome from New Jersey emerged as the top choice of the more than 1,300 unsigned college acts registered on mtvU’s BestMusiconCampus.com. Bamboo Shoots - fusing upbeat, danceable rock, electro and South Asian/Indian sounds - was announced as mtvU’s inaugural “Artist of the Year” via a network debut performance on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” a platform which has helped launch countless up- and-coming bands to superstardom. The band will now set out on an unprecedented journey that will see them record a full LP with Epic Records, premiere two music videos on mtvU/mtvU.com, perform on tour dates with top national artists and collect a $50,000 cash advance - all of which will be documented in an original mtvU series premiering in the fall. [Link]

Even though word was out that the group had won the MTVU contest, the official announcement came during their live performance on the Conan O’Brien Show:

These guys have been playing New York/NJ for a few years now. Here is a bit more about their background, including a connection to Karsh Kale:

Bamboo Shoots started out as the collaboration of singer-songwriters Avir Mitra and Karl Sukhia in late 2002 as Avir was finishing a stint as the guitar player for Tabla Beat Scientist Karsh Kale (Six Degrees Records), performing regularly at venues such as Joe’s Pub and SOB’s in New York. From their home based studios they set about writing and recording their debut EP, finding drummer Shiv Puri, bassist Phil Dehoux, and guitarist Quinn Raymond along the way. Now, Bamboo Shoots sets out on their most ambitious project yet: to bring together their diverse musical influences into a cohesive and original whole. [Link]

There are a few cuts you can sample from their MySpace page and some additional YouTube clips here, and here. My take on them is that they have a great sound but could use a bit more juice on the lyrics side of the house. Still, being the best college band in the nation is a pretty amazing accomplishment! Gots to support.