The Metallica debacle in Delhi

Chaos rocks Metallica concert

The Metallica concert stood up to expectations of a different sort. Not the one that India was finally to see a live act by one of the big daddies of thrash metal, but that this region can never host successful concerts.

Arpita Nath

After the Bryan Adams debacle, the Akon concert had taken place breaking the curse of the no-show, but now it seems that the curse is back again.Concert organisers DNA Networks and Metallica's drummer Lars Ulrich sent a joint statement at 1am saying, "Metallica arrived in Delhi on Friday very excited and ready to play their first show ever in India at the F1 Rocks concert. However, immediately at the end of their afternoon press conference at a hotel near the venue, the band was notified that there was a serious question as to whether the show could proceed with regard to the safety of the concert audience. Metallica's first and foremost concern is always for the safety of their concert fans. Once the promoters of the show, DNA Networks, and Metallica determined that there was a failure of a security barricade in front of the stage that could not be adequately repaired, they reluctantly announced the postponement of the show until Saturday. Unfortunately, on such short notice the promoters were unable to secure a permit for a show on Saturday, therefore DNA announced that Metallica would not be able to play in Delhi. Within the next 24 hours a notification will be issued by DNA Networks regarding the process for full refunds. Metallica is deeply disappointed with this news and will continue to send updates as additional details are determined and confirmed."

Technical glitch, overcapacity at the venue, bad arrangement by the organisers, NOC issues, rowdy crowd, Metallica not happy with the backstage arrangements - every reason that you could think of, was cited for the cancellation - as soon as a representative from the organisers came on the stage and announced, "Due to some technical problems we are postponing the Metallica concert. Come tomorrow."

But this was no flimsy issue, as any die-hard Metallica fan would tell you. "I especially came from Gujarat for this concert. I had saved up money for the flight tickets, concert tickets, took 10-day leave from office, and not to mention my love for this band. Now they tell me a 'slight technical glitch' is the problem? Who the hell is going to believe that?" questioned Suneet Baboria, 24, adding, "There were around 26,000 people at the concert - that's what the people at the ticketing counter told me, and to send all those people back, is a shame. And if they didn't expect violence after that then..." What followed the announcement of the postponement of what was to be one of the biggest metal concerts in India - was violence and vandalism. "Four to five people got on stage and started burning the big Metallica poster that was tacked up, and the cops just looked away. This was followed by a breaking of barricades, stalls, and not to forget the hooting and screaming. Whenever someone would start it, 10-20 more fans would join in. It was absolute chaos," said DU student Vartika Modi, 23.

And that's not all that got damaged. "Guitars and drum sets worth thousands of rupees which were arranged on the stage were smashed to bits. Ticketing stalls, posters, parts of the stage were vandalised," said Yash Tripathi, 20, adding, "It was due to the disappointment. After the announcement was made, many metal fans started crying. Some fell on the ground and were howling. They kept looking at the stage for someone to come in and tell them otherwise. A lady came up to me crying, and asked, 'I came all the way from Finland for this, why they have to cancel?'"

After the announcement, a sea of youngsters in black T-shirts made their way out, and many of them camped at the IFFCO Chowk Metro Station in Gurgaon for quite some time. Spotted there were 16-year-olds Akshay Singh and his friend Kunal Jain, who had travelled from Ghaziabad to Gurgaon six hours before the concert time (6pm) to get hold of the tickets. "We're dead tired, but more than that so sad. We were there six hours before the concert, and informing fans 15 minutes before the concert that 'come tomorrow' is no way, we'd travelled half the city man!" 

Some fans said they knew better and had a back-up ready - the Bangalore concert. "I'll be flying to Bangalore tomorrow - a city which you can count on when it comes to organising big concerts. Delhi is never ready, and I don't know when it will be," said Ananya Agrawal, 24. 

That concludes it for Delhi, it seems.

Published: October 30 2011
Original Article: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-10-30/news-and-interviews/30336681_1_lars-ulrich-metallica-concert-bryan-adams

Actor Cyrus Sahukar on movies, Simi Garewal and life...

Simi Garewal will not be happy to meet me: Cyrus Sahukar

Arpita NathArpita Nath, TNN | Nov 12, 2011

We explore VJ-turned- actor Cyrus Sahukar's quirky side. From talking to his plants, to fearing Simi Garewal, he doles out interesting details

Yeh Dilli hai mere yaar

I grew up in GK-II and I was schooled at St Columbus; all my memories from childhood are based here. Like a few days back, after I finished work quite late, my friends and I went to Pandara Road to have paranthas. And I had so much dal, butter chicken and burra kebabs, that I had gone into a food coma! I had to be carried out and hospitalised (laughs).

When I was 16, I started working and I never had a regular college life as I had to move to Bombay, and shift to college via correspondence. And I look back at times, and think, what it would have been like, you know, going to regular college - it's your last chance to do nothing for three years. But everything has its own pros and cons, like I am 30, and I've done more than 1000 shows, and the only way I would have done a 1000 shows is by starting out that early.

Showtime and spotlight

My stepping in the show business (MTV VJ Hunt) was a bizarre and a sudden thing. My friend and me had gone there to audition like the hundreds of other auditions that we generally did then, and seeing the lack of people there, the audition people gave a ticket and told me to take part in the veejay hunt. On a serious note, I think when we're young, we're fearless; there is a magic to it because you don't know anything about anything, and you do everything for a laugh. I didn't think I'd come out great or even win it for that matter. So, with that, if you go and do things, there is a magic to it. Sometimes when you don't care about the outcome, you somehow do your best and the best results come out. And that is what happened there at MTV auditions.

Entry into Bollywood

Though veejaying gave me a lot of scope for creativity - I was playing a lot of spoofy characters and then came Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, who told me to come on board for "Rang De Basanti", and then I did his next, "Delhi-6". After that I did "Aisha" and "Love Breakups Zindagi". Films are a different medium and for me, I like acting because it's relaxing. I find not being myself far better and easier than being myself. The truth of the matter is - everybody your whole life keeps telling you - be yourself. But being yourself is really tiring because we have to deal with everything. And if you're playing a character - like my last one where he's estranged from his family and living alone - it was enjoyable because I wasn't thinking like me, but thinking like him. And this I think is great, because everyone needs a vacation from themselves.

Where he gets his crazy genes from

Half my family is Parsi and other half is Punjabi, so it's a very mixed family. The common element is that they all are mildly neurotic. It's a crazy lot. We should enjoy the blunders in life, what's life without a few blunders eh? It'll be quite boring then, like, 'Hey! I always came first in class.' That would be depressing. I would be the first guy who went into depression because everything went right.

My plant GirlFriend and my ideal girl

My love life is completely bankrupt right now. I've been single for two and a half years now and I'm emotionally invested in my plants. We talk a lot, it's very relaxing. My right woman would be someone who makes me feel relaxed, and who has faults... For me that would work very well.

Face-to-face with the real Simi Garewal? scary!

I've never got in touch or met Simi Garewal.I was once at a live event where she was present and I think after finishing my segment I ran to my room because I was a tad bit worried. But we've never really met, I want to meet her actually. It would be epic fun! But I don't think she'd be very happy to meet me. I have no idea what would happen if I ever meet her! But I don't know, so if you arrange a meeting...

Original Article: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tv/Simi-Garewal-will-not-be-happy-to-meet-me-Cyrus-Sahukar/articleshow/10691088.cms 

The Metallica bus service

Metallica fans travel in style

If you want to know how crazy metalheads can get, here's a little something for you. Die-hard Metallica fans who want to make the band's first concert in India an epic one, have thought of gathering fans together from across cities for a bus journey till the concert venues. And yes, you can hop on a bus in Delhi too

Arpita Nath

"My friend Sandy and I are huge, huge metal fans. And last year when Slayer and Testament were supposed to play here, we wanted to plan a trip from Mumbai to Bangalore. Sadly, that concert was a heartbreaker, and didn't happen. So, when we heard that the Gods of thrash metal are going to perform here, this had to be done," says Vikram Varma, who spearheaded the initiative called 'For Whom The Bus Rolls'. And what's this 39-year-old advertising professional getting out of this? "Nothing. This is purely for the love of metal and Metallica. Metallica is Metallica... They form a huge part of all metal fans' lives," he replies.

So far, the Mumbai-Bangalore-Mumbai bus journey for the Bangalore concert on October 30 has seen 221 bookings, which means four jam-packed buses. But if the concert is in Gurgaon, Delhiites don't need a big ol' bus ride, right? Wrong! "We got amazing responses from Delhiites who wanted to travel for the concert on October 28 with other metalheads. So, there is a local bus tour for them which will take you from various parts of Delhi, like CP, New Delhi Railway Station, etc to the concert venue." And interestingly, this Delhi local bus already has 45 confirmed registrations so far.

It's not just Delhi and Mumbai, but cities like Kolkata, Jaipur, Hyderabad, Chennai and Chandigarh that are also seeing quite a few people registering for this bus journey, where fans who don't know each other can get acquainted over their love of rock music and of course, Metallica. Ask whether they expected this kind of response from all over the country and Sandeep 'Sandy' Suvarna, who co-conceptualised the idea, says, "The love for Metallica transcends generation gaps, and for people who are not into the rock scene, it's difficult to realise what the phenomenon is all about, or the numbers of rock fans in India. They'll be amazed at the kind of responses we've got."

Adds Vikram, "This is a fan-driven initiative. Firstly, we wanted to see if it would really work, so we posted this on the Facebook page and saw that the response was tremendous. After that, we launched a website to get fans to register for the journey. So, as the number of people increases, we're tying up with bus tour companies to book the buses. The itinerary and the pricing will be put up by the second week of September, and payment will be on the day they take the bus ride."

The Facebook page is already abuzz with queries like "Please tell me the ticket price for this epic bus journey", as posted by Rishikesh Kunte, but mostly it's headbangers who cannot wait, like Varun Joshua, who wrote, "This is how we ride, like true metalheads. If you haven't joined it yet, you're gonna miss out on the journey of a lifetime." Looks like fans are ready to welcome the Gods of thrash metal in style!

Published on: September 2 2011

Original Article: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-09-02/news-and-interviews/30101749_1_metallica-bus-tour-local-bus

The Metallica press-con that did happen

It'll be explosive, they had said

Arpita Nath

Before the ill-fated concert scheduled in Delhi on October 28, the American thrash heavyweights did turn up at a pre-concert press conference where they spoke about how they plan to celebrate their upcoming 30-year anniversary in a big way when they head home. "We're playing in San Francisco to celebrate our 30th anniversary. It's going to be one great week, where celebrities are going to come and join us, and we'll do all the legendary stuff together," said founding member of Metallica, drummer Lars Ulrich.

Thirty successful years in a field where bands fight to stay relevant, one had to ask their success mantra. The band members insist that they realised that "Metallica is worth taking care of". "We care about each other. The bond we share with each other is another important thing that has kept us together. Metallica is a gift," said co-founder and lead vocalist, James Hetfield, adding, "We wouldn't think twice about how hard it is. Even back in the 80s, we were simply glad... Get a tour bus and win a bagel. We were outsiders - at least that felt like it when we started out. It's been surreal. If we got invited to play music in a sweaty garage in Southern California, it wouldn't matter. It's just that now we have the bonus of being famous."

About playing for the first time on Indian soil, the band looked optimistic about it just a few hours before it was to begin. "That should be interesting, playing at a place we never thought in our wildest dreams we'd go to play," Robert Trujillo, the bassist of the band said. "A lot of explosive passion - that's what we're bringing to our concerts," Ulrich added. "We want to thank our Indian fans for playing our music for all these years for us since we couldn't be here to do it for you." The band, though they haven't heard any Indian heavy metal yet, admitted that "India has some of the best musicians of the world. Two years ago we saw Zakir Hussain play the tabla, and man! He was like Slayer on steroids!" said Trujillo. Will they take back notes from here? "It is quite possible we take back a few things as influence - a reflection of India which could be used for future work," said Hetfield.

Lead guitarist Kirk Hammett, who seems to have a taste for spices, says, "I want to have a nice curry in Goa. When prompted which one, he replied, "Vindaloo."

Going on the touchy topic of Megadeth founder Dave Mustaine, an ex-member of Metallica who was famous for his drug and alcohol abuse and aggressive behaviour, who is now spilling all the beans in an autobiography, they said, "We're somewhat used to Dave selling stuff," joked Hetfield, adding, "He's excited about his own work, so we'd love for him to go out and go for it." Any regrets that he left and founded a rival band? "He left due to a sickness within... And he had to get rid of that, but we're glad that he's doing his own thing."

Talking about their album "Lulu" with The Velvet Underground's Lou Reed, that got a mixed response - some hated it and some loved it, Hetfield joked, "I love it... And hate it!" He was joined in by the other members, "We love it and hate it too! We expected it. It's not for everyone, but we had a lot of fun while making it. People focus on what the album is not. Don't judge this album by heavy metal standards and you'll understand it better," said Hetfield.

Published on: October 30 2011

Original Article: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-10-30/news-and-interviews/30336681_1_lars-ulrich-metallica-concert-bryan-adams/2

 

The Metallica debacle in Delhi

Chaos rocks Metallica concert

The Metallica concert stood up to expectations of a different sort. Not the one that India was finally to see a live act by one of the big daddies of thrash metal, but that this region can never host successful concerts.

Arpita Nath

After the Bryan Adams debacle, the Akon concert had taken place breaking the curse of the no-show, but now it seems that the curse is back again.Concert organisers DNA Networks and Metallica's drummer Lars Ulrich sent a joint statement at 1am saying, "Metallica arrived in Delhi on Friday very excited and ready to play their first show ever in India at the F1 Rocks concert. However, immediately at the end of their afternoon press conference at a hotel near the venue, the band was notified that there was a serious question as to whether the show could proceed with regard to the safety of the concert audience. Metallica's first and foremost concern is always for the safety of their concert fans. Once the promoters of the show, DNA Networks, and Metallica determined that there was a failure of a security barricade in front of the stage that could not be adequately repaired, they reluctantly announced the postponement of the show until Saturday. Unfortunately, on such short notice the promoters were unable to secure a permit for a show on Saturday, therefore DNA announced that Metallica would not be able to play in Delhi. Within the next 24 hours a notification will be issued by DNA Networks regarding the process for full refunds. Metallica is deeply disappointed with this news and will continue to send updates as additional details are determined and confirmed."

Technical glitch, overcapacity at the venue, bad arrangement by the organisers, NOC issues, rowdy crowd, Metallica not happy with the backstage arrangements - every reason that you could think of, was cited for the cancellation - as soon as a representative from the organisers came on the stage and announced, "Due to some technical problems we are postponing the Metallica concert. Come tomorrow."

But this was no flimsy issue, as any die-hard Metallica fan would tell you. "I especially came from Gujarat for this concert. I had saved up money for the flight tickets, concert tickets, took 10-day leave from office, and not to mention my love for this band. Now they tell me a 'slight technical glitch' is the problem? Who the hell is going to believe that?" questioned Suneet Baboria, 24, adding, "There were around 26,000 people at the concert - that's what the people at the ticketing counter told me, and to send all those people back, is a shame. And if they didn't expect violence after that then..." What followed the announcement of the postponement of what was to be one of the biggest metal concerts in India - was violence and vandalism. "Four to five people got on stage and started burning the big Metallica poster that was tacked up, and the cops just looked away. This was followed by a breaking of barricades, stalls, and not to forget the hooting and screaming. Whenever someone would start it, 10-20 more fans would join in. It was absolute chaos," said DU student Vartika Modi, 23.

And that's not all that got damaged. "Guitars and drum sets worth thousands of rupees which were arranged on the stage were smashed to bits. Ticketing stalls, posters, parts of the stage were vandalised," said Yash Tripathi, 20, adding, "It was due to the disappointment. After the announcement was made, many metal fans started crying. Some fell on the ground and were howling. They kept looking at the stage for someone to come in and tell them otherwise. A lady came up to me crying, and asked, 'I came all the way from Finland for this, why they have to cancel?'"

After the announcement, a sea of youngsters in black T-shirts made their way out, and many of them camped at the IFFCO Chowk Metro Station in Gurgaon for quite some time. Spotted there were 16-year-olds Akshay Singh and his friend Kunal Jain, who had travelled from Ghaziabad to Gurgaon six hours before the concert time (6pm) to get hold of the tickets. "We're dead tired, but more than that so sad. We were there six hours before the concert, and informing fans 15 minutes before the concert that 'come tomorrow' is no way, we'd travelled half the city man!" 

Some fans said they knew better and had a back-up ready - the Bangalore concert. "I'll be flying to Bangalore tomorrow - a city which you can count on when it comes to organising big concerts. Delhi is never ready, and I don't know when it will be," said Ananya Agrawal, 24. 

That concludes it for Delhi, it seems.

Published: October 30 2011

Original Article: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-10-30/news-and-interviews/30336681_1_lars-ulrich-metallica-concert-bryan-adams

Interview with High School Musical star Monique Coleman

I love dal, paneer tikka masala: Monique

Arpita Nath


People recognise her as Taylor McKessie, the intelligent captain of the Scholastic Decathlon team and best friend of Vanessa Hudgens' character in the "High School Musical" series, but that's not all that there is to Monique Coleman . DT caught up with the actress – who has starred in shows like "Malcom in the Middle", "The Suite Life of Zach and Cody" and "Dancing with the Stars" – on her recent trip to India  as the United Nations  Youth Ambassador.

Is this your first trip to India?

Yes! I visited Mumbai  before my Delhi  trip and it was wonderful. I am planning to explore India. I will definitely be visiting the Taj Mahal. I also plan to come back sometime in the future for a month and visit places here. I've heard that every city is distinct and culturally different, and I want to explore that myself. On the shopping front, I got a sari from Bangladesh , but I really have to get some more from India (laughs). And the food! I am a vegetarian, and I just love the dal and paneer tikka masala.

How did the UN Youth Ambassador appointment come about?

A person involved with my "GimmeMo" (Monique's internet talk show) team told me about the UN Youth Programme and asked me whether I would like to speak on the forum, as both – the UN programme and my internet talk show – deal with the problems and issues that are pertinent specifically to the youth, like drugs, sex, education, gender equality etc.

What is seen in celebrities is that they generally work all their lives, and then, when they are getting old, they hit the philanthropy circuit. What made you start as early as you have?

(Laughs) That is very true, and to tell you the truth, I thought I would be someone like that, you know... Have a great career, act, sing, get an Academy Award and all that, and then help the society. But then "High School Musical" happened, where I was playing a teen. And I am 30-years-old, you know. I went like, 'I am playing a teen, but I am an adult', and nothing spoke to me. I stopped and looked around and decided to create a new dream. During the course of the series, I realised that the power was with the youth, really, and they deal with so many issues as the society they live in is very complex, and I knew that I had to help them in any way I could, so I started "GimmeMo". The thing is, I decided that I won't trade acting, which is an occupation, for who I am. For me, being famous isn't the priority. The most rewarding thing for me is contributing to society.

During your interaction with the Indian youth, what were the topics you touched upon?

They are very clued in about religious tolerance, especially towards the Muslim community. And that's relevant in the US too. The issues of disparity between the rich and the poor and gender equity were things that the students were discussing.

Have you seen any new Bollywood movies lately?

Yes! I saw one on my flight to India, but I don't remember the name. It had contagious amounts of fun, and I had not seen something that expressive in my life (laughs)!

So given a chance, will you act in any Bollywood movie?

Yes! Definitely!

Talking of "High School Musical", is it difficult working with so many famous stars?

The series spanned three-and-a-half years, we grew up together. There wasn't room for any discomfort as the hectic song-and-dance routines didn't allow us to think about anything else. We aren't as much in touch now, but we're still friends. I just saw Vanessa's "Sucker Punch" – I loved it! It is a different role than what she's been doing – versatility is important to her. I am very happy for the way things are turning out for her.

Published: April 17 2011

Original Article: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-04-17/news-interviews/29425582_1_gender-equality-dal-suite-life

R.I.P Amy Winehouse

In death, Amy Winehouse joins 27 Club

Arpita Nath

One of the greatest mysteries of modern rock'n'roll history seems to have manifested itself again in the death of 27-year-old soul singer Amy Winehouse.

The multiple-Grammy winning artiste, who shot to fame for hits like "Rehab", "Stronger Than Me" and "Love Is A Losing Game", was most famous for her tryst with drugs and alcohol. Her death will heighten the enigma around one of the most unsettling phenomena in the history of music – Amy's joined Brian Jones (the guitarist of Rolling Stones), Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison, all among 38 famous musicians who died at the young age of 27. The 27 Club, also known as Forever 27, has seen stars die of drug overdose, freak accidents, suicides, and even murder. Hendrix's biographer Charles R Cross wrote, "The number of musicians who died at 27 is truly remarkable by any standard. Humans die regularly at all ages... there is a statistical spike for musicians who die at 27."

Amy, who was found dead in her apartment in north London on July 23, had a long and troubled relationship with drugs like cocaine and heroin, and alcohol. The soul singer saw many cancelled tours like the recent 12-stop European one, where she was booed off-stage in Siberia as she struggled to remember her own music lyrics. Amy, who was discovered at the age of 16, was constantly shuttling in and out of rehabs and suffered heartbreaks in the shape of ex-husband Blake Civil Fielder, who allegedly introduced her to cocaine and heroin.

"If you can't sort something out for yourself, no one can help you," Amy had once said, and this caught up with her as the singer struggled to overcome drug abuse. Although the police have not yet been able to explain her death, it's speculated that it was substance abuse. A few months back, her friends had said that doctors had warned the singer, who was famous for her beehive hairdo and heavy eye makeup that if she did not give up drugs and alcohol, her life could end soon. And before the beginning of her last tour in May 2011, Amy visited the London Priory Clinic for her addictions. She also suffered from mental health issues, one of them being depression. "Since I was 16, I've felt a black cloud hangs over me. Since then, I have taken pills for depression," she had said once.

Twitter exploded within minutes of the news of her death. Actress Sonam Kapoor tweeted, "#rip Amy winehouse for all the demons you faced I hope you at last have found your peace. I loved your big voice and your music. love & peace." Hollywood actress Demi Moore wrote, "Truly sad news about Amy Winehouse. My heart goes out to her family. May her troubled soul find peace." And hubby Ashton Kutcher tried to grapple for the right sentiments, "I nevr know wht 2 post after paying respect 2 sum1 who died. Just seems lk anything funny is inappropriate. mayB I'll just go C HarryPotter. (sic)." She had once said, "If I died tomorrow, I would be a happy girl." Hope she got that. Rest in peace, Amy Winehouse.

We're watching her kill herself slowly: mom

In a 2008 interview, Janis, Amy Winheouse's mother, had said that her daughter could be dead within the year. "I've known for a long time that my daughter has problems. But seeing it on screen rammed it home. I realise my daughter could be dead within the year. We're watching her kill herself, slowly. I've already come to terms with her death. I've steeled myself to ask her what ground she wants to be buried in, which cemetery. Because the drugs will get her if she stays on this road. I look at Heath Ledger and Britney. She's on their path. It's like watching a car crash – this person throwing all these gifts away," she'd said.

Published: July 25, 2011

Original Article: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-07-25/news-and-interviews/29810072_1_amy-winehouse-beehive-hairdo-blake-civil-fielder

Indian Ocean on that something special about Delhi

B'wood is changing: Indian Ocean

Arpita Nath

Indian Ocean  band members Amit, Rahul and Susmit sing Delhi's praises.

What has changed in Bollywood music?

Amit: Delhi  has always been doing its own thing. But we can only notice the change now that Bollywood is changing. A lot of young directors have come in and they want to treat things differently, they want to experiment with the use of music and they don't want to keep doing the same thing, the same formula of five-six songs, or the same situations that have been used in the industry before. These new directors are changing the face of the game, Bollywood ke films hi badal gaye hain. Think about this... 10-15 years ago, Bollywood only had Lata Mangeshkar  and Kishore Kumar , uske baad ek daur aaya jab sirf Kumar Sanu  aur Udit Narayan hote they, and for female voices, Alka Yagnik. These are really great artistes, but if you don't give new people a chance then no good music will ever come out, yaar. Kisi ko chance hi nahi dena hai kyunki formule mein likha hai... Pata nahi kisne yeh formula likha hai.

Susmit: The new directors are not looking for music that they want, but they are interested in the sounds we can create. Therefore, we create exactly what we want to create, rather than cater to the Bollywood needs. That what makes a major difference. When we started off like 20 years back, there was no band playing their own music, and today there are so many musicians who are doing their own stuff.

Rahul: Our aim is not to do Bollywood music. We also want to show that you can make good music when you're not based out of Bombay. Look at AR Rahman.

What's it about Delhi musicians that's clicking with Bollywood?

Rahul: The language. Hindi bol sakte hai na hum log... Aur isse bahut farak padta hai. It comes much easier to us – the pronunciation and all are much easier for us people. Delhi has a lot of good singers... Dilli mein kuch toh hai.

Aisa kya hai?

Rahul: Dilli mein sabke paas time hai. In Bombay, you get sucked in and that leaves very little time to sit around and be creative. And that is very important for musicians. I actually feel very bad that a lot of singers go away to Bollywood from Delhi, because Delhi is a great place, nahi toh itne achche hum bante kaise?

Amit: Delhi gives us space – first and foremost. Bombay, on the other hand, just pleasures the industry. Dilli mein chain hai. All the major bands in India today are from Delhi. Euphoria, Parikrama, Indian Ocean, Silk Route – they have made a difference to the music scene, they have a bigger body of work and have sustained it for a long time. Hum filmon ke peeche nahi bhaagte, there's no commercial angle. We don't have to make music jo sabko pasand hai. Delhi bands toil harder because hum logon ke paas ek secondary source of income toh hai hi nahi na.

Susmit: For a long time, Indian Ocean was not earning anything, but we knew that we had created something new and we knew that it would take time for the masses to catch on. Initially, a lot of musicians told me you guys will be hooted out because people are expecting to hear what they've already heard. But the Delhi audience liked it.

On Bollywood offers...

Amit: We get Bollywood offers, but in Bollywood every project doesn't fructify.

Susmit: Not one music director/composer has asked us to change our basic form of music. The only thing that does change is the theme that has been given to us, other than that composing music remains the same.

Rahul: Aisa koi plan nahi hota, jab koi poochta hai toh ho jaata hai. We've also given music to "Peepli [Live]" and "Black Friday". So, when we sign a project, we keep the script, the story and the person making it in mind. After all, you've to do a lot of work with them, and if you don't like them, it would turn out to be quite a disaster, wouldn't it?

Published: December 16, 2010

Original Article: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-12-16/news-and-interviews/28216993_1_bollywood-music-hai-new-directors

Indian Ocean talks about giving out music for free!

Net gain for music buffs

Arpita Nath

Are the glory days of the recording companies over? Has the online age finally taken away their title of the official distributor of music to the masses? The answer may be subject to debate, but a new initiative by Indian Ocean will certainly put some tough competition on the platter for these music companies

The band is releasing their next album – 16/330 Khajur Road (a name inspired from their recording studio in Karol Bagh) on the web free of cost. Each month, starting July 25, the band will release one song per month. The download will be free of cost from the band's official website. Explains Rahul Ram, the vocalist and bassist of the band, "Nobody buys CDs anymore, everyone is interested in MP3s, especially youngsters, since they have graduated to listening music on the iPod which requires the music to be in MP3 format." The concept was a result of the band's annoyance with music companies which demanded copyrights of the band's songs and paid pittance in the name of royalty. "Waise bhi I get no money, so I'd rather have my audience listen to my music for free, we want to make our music available to the people," says Ram.

Free downloading and no losses incurred? That's not an easy pill to swallow, but since the band's website witnesses almost 20,000 page views per month, which jumped to 60,000 during the release of a documentary on the band — Leaving Home, Indian Ocean feels that at least one lakh people will download the first song when it releases. The money is solely from the advertisers on the Indian Ocean website. "We are hoping the numbers will increase from one lakh to two lakh and so on, that would help the advertisers as well. This way I'm keeping my profits, and a large number of people are listening to our music. Also, there will be no fights about royalty and copyright, saving us from legal hassles."

"Music companies rip off musicians, but they cannot control the internet boom, and this has hit them hard," Ram pointed out. The band seems to have caught on with the trend as a song on the Internet which cost 99 cents a few years ago has dropped down to 69 cents. The CDs that cost US $18-20 before, are now available in under US $5.

This concept of free downloading of music isn't a new phenomenon – Parikrama, the Indian rock band has its song — But It Rained — up for downloading, and claims to have hit the million mark, over a span of five years. 16/330 Khajur Road, will have songs that the late Aseem Chakravarty, the band's former percussionist and vocalist, was part of, and songs that the band that worked on for the last four-five years but have not yet been officially released. The band plans to come out with the CD later.

Indian Ocean is also providing two soundtracks for Aamir Khan's Peepli Live. These songs are modifications of their earlier works – Des Mera Angrezi from the album Jhini and Darte Ho. The band hopes that this Bollywood venture will translate into more website visits and downloads.

Published: June 21, 2010

Original Article: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-06-21/news-and-interviews/28313120_1_downloading-music-companies-rahul-ram

Karsh Kale and Midival Punditz talk about performing with Alicia Keys

Alicia Keys is an incredible person: Karsh Kale

Arpita Nath

Musicians Tapan Raj and Gaurav Raina of the band Midival Punditz, and Karsh Kale have had a hectic year so far, but it seems that it's only getting better.

The band, along with Karsh, which gave the background score for movies such as "Dum Maro Dum" and "Soundtrack", recently performed in New York for American singer, multiple Grammy-winner Alicia Keys' foundation Keep A Child Alive (KCA).

We paid tribute to George Harrison

Midival Punditz performed at KCA's The Black Ball event, which is a fund raising event for the foundation, seeking to help children affected by HIV AIDS. "We performed at the fund raiser on November 3 for KCA which is now planning to start an India chapter as AIDS is growing at an alarming rate in India," says Tapan Raj, adding, "Alicia and her team asked us to perform for The Black Ball, the after-party and raise music for the post and pre dinner cocktail. This year Black Ball was paying a tribute to The Beatles  singer George Harrison, so we performed two songs - one was medley of MP's song "Rebirth" and Karsh Kale's "Milan", and after that we performed a cover of Harrison's "Within You Without You" which is from the Beatles album, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"."

Norah, usher, jay - everyone was there
The line-up at the Ball was a music lover's delight, as apart from Alicia Keys , Midival Punditz, Karsh Kale, artistes like Norah Jones , Usher, Mary J Blige, Will.I.Am, Gary Clarke Jr and Jay Sean  also performed.

"To be a part of such a great line-up, and be a part of KCA which is helping children affected by AIDS was a big honour for us. It's like we're doing our bit for the cause. And it was fantastic to meet Alicia as we have always been great fans of her music. She's one of the most incredible artistes out there right now - a singer, songwriter and a piano player. For her to recognise our music was a big surprise and a big honour for us," says Tapan. But how did Keys hear about MP? "We had met up with the founder of KCA, Leigh Blake, who is fond of our music, last time when she was in Delhi. She made Alicia and her team to listen to it," Tapan adds.

Desi beat at the black ball
Karsh Kale, who played with almost all of the other artistes at The Black Ball, says it was a thrilling experience. "What was exciting was that I was asked to play with almost all the artistes, and I got to be on stage through a large cross-section of musical styles and genres with the likes of Usher, Alicia Keys, Richie Sambora , Will.I.Am and the Punditz."

Even the rehearsals were a delight, according to the musician. "Three long days with these artistes - rehearsing, collaborating and coming up with interesting ways to present these tracks - was quite something," says Karsh. And since it was a George Harrison  tribute, the Indian element was also present. "The tabla and the sitar which was played by Hidayat Khan, was present throughout the show"

Keys posted kale's song on her FB page
Talking fondly of Alicia, Karsh says, "Spending those three days with Alicia and her crew was a pleasure and an honour. She is a true artiste in every sense of the word and genuine good person. She was open to trying new things with her own music to the point where it was just her on the piano, Hidayat on the sitar and me on the tabla. But what got me most excited was that a day before the Black Ball, she posted my remix of "Empire State Of Mind" on her Facebook page for all her fans to see!"

Shekhar kapur's collaboration
Right now, MP along with Karsh Kale are working on a collaborative album with filmmaker Shekhar Kapur. "When we met for his musical "Circus Of Life", he said, 'Why not take this forward and make an album?'," says Tapan, adding, "Shekhar's a fantastic poet, and for this album, it'll be his lyrics and our music." But that's all he's going to reveal! "It's always 'work in progress'," Tapan smiles.

Published: November 11, 2011

Original Article: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-11-11/news-and-interviews/30382730_1_alicia-keys-gaurav-raina-artistes