Q&A with Basil Khan '22

Basil Khan ‘22 is a psychology major with a music minor and a member of the American Roots group. He is a guitarist, vocalist, and dabbler in audio engineering. Khan’s sharply-titled EP In The Garden uses soft folk lyrics and twangy guitar riffs akin to those of Neil Young to tell the story of Khan’s experience at Denison. His music can be accessed on Spotify and is also available on Apple Music and YouTube.

What musical classes are you involved in? What do you play?

The American Roots music department (bluegrass before the name change) is what I am most involved in. I play six-string acoustic guitar, sing, and am an audio engineer. These have been learning, growing, and bonding experiences because of reasons such as our director Adam Schlenker, my peers, and the richness of American Roots music culture and tradition. It’s about being the best musician one can be, the best self. So, I’m passionate about making and performing music with people, and I get to do that in great capacities at Denison—I’m enjoying it.

Have you had a favorite experience/class/performance so far at Denison?

Performing at Swasey Chapel, IBMA, and Mohican Bluegrass Festival are some recent highlights—seminal experiences and beautiful memories.

How did you become interested in music?

Around age twelve I was exposed to the music of my father’s colleague. He was a Scottish man working as a professor in a Pakistani university and played acoustic folk music with Indian classical musicians every Saturday. I took a liking to this musical arrangement, and I began focusing on learning music. I picked up guitar first, and then singing and songwriting along the way.

Is there anything you want to say to those interested in the music scene at Denison?

Talk to people in the department and tell them about yourself and your interests. Denison’s music scene is very welcoming and largely overlooked. There is more potential here than you might realize and it is within you and your environment, simply waiting to be explored. Follow your bliss.

Anything fun you’d like to add?

We’re playing an hour-long acoustic set at Slivy’s on Feb. 15th in the evening for Jonathan Silverstein’s birthday. You should come and get a taste of some of what’s going on in the music department! Last semester, I also released a solo EP In the Garden which was inspired by my time at Denison—it is guaranteed to be well worth your time to give it a listen.