Low Rock (The BIG M Feb 2010)

Low Rock is a unique combination of equal parts jazz and equal parts blues, melding a keen melodic pop/rock sense with darkly comic and ironic lyrics. Spawned by the Boston band Morphine, a guitar less trio that reflected the sounds of the dark, winding, deserted streets after dark, smoke filled bars and the seedy underbelly of the city littered with cigarettes and scotch or whisky, whichever one prefers. With the daring to go into the world of grunge in the early 90’s with just an untamed saxophone, a drum set and a two string slide bass at their disposal and take on the likes of Nirvana and Pearl Jam for mainstream acceptance, Morphine were always fighting a losing battle in spite of which they managed to retain their bottom heavy sound through five full length albums. Even though they wrote pretty standard three-minute rock songs with verses, choruses, and hooks, the songs characteristically always revolved around a sensual groove akin to the rhythms of R&B.

Bassist and vocalist Mark Sandman’s voice, deep and ravaged as the night was the perfect instrument to deliver the menacing mix of dark noir lyrics and playful couplets featuring his classic laid back croon and wry, detached vocals. Evocative lyrics and affecting melodies that shined a light on the dark side of human nature made this band as addictive as its name.

A trio not built around the sound of an electric guitar, Morphine’s story begins in the country-blues rock quartet Treat Her Right which featured a young Sandman beginning to exhibit the innovation that would become soon become Morphine’s trademark. Creatively restless, he began experimenting with low sounds playing a conventional six-string guitar, but did so through an octave-shifting effects pedal that made the instrument sound more like a bass. He then switched to a conventional bass, but one with just a single string, reasoning that all the notes he'd need to play were on that one string. By the time Morphine took off, he'd added a second string. Later, he would add a third, albeit one from a guitar, and call the invention the Tritar building a cacophonous sound you could feel in your bones.

Low Rock is a style rich in free flowing jazz melodies with interwoven emotions full of intrigue deep within the structure. A defining trait of the genre is acquiring the positive aspects of jazz, the implied notes, and the emotional depth without involving the pretentious nature of the art. Inspired by Morphine’s wry pulp noir vignettes and ‘less is best’ aesthetic, the genre of Low Rock was joined by fellow bass-sax-drums combo’s. Bourbon Princess led by fretless bassist and vocalist Monique Ortiz brought a wider range of instrumentation introducing guitar, cello and mandolin in selected songs. Incorporating elements of acid rock and lounge into their sound, Twinemen a band formed by Morphine saxophonist Dana Colley added to growing collection of bands representing the genre.

Following Mark Sandman’s heart attack on stage leading to his eventual death in 1999, Dana Colley and Monique Ortiz formed AKACOD as a tribute to this late indie rock icon. Bringing the deep dark mesmerizing sound to the new millennium, this trio has continued the legacy of Morphine introducing and inspiring a whole new generation of bands to the music of Low Rock.

Indian Ocean @ Rhapsody 2010, DYPatil (The BIG M Feb 2010)

On the 20^th of January DY Patil College Nehrul played host to renowned fusion band Indian Ocean who in prime form headlined the final day of the three day annual fest, playing to a relatively large crowd, their fourth time around at this prestigious university. Heavily publicized, this was also notably the first show since the passing of percussionist, vocalist and all around remarkable performer, the beloved Asheem Chakravarty.

Almost an institution in the country’s rock scene, they had by now become a staple of Indian rock after spending nearly two decades in the public eye popularizing their brand of jazz inflected indo-rock fusion. Nonetheless after the demise of the iconic singer, questions were visibly raised whether the band would be able to continue. All these questions were undoubtedly laid to rest as soon as the band stepped on stage to the deafening applause of students and fans that had waited eagerly for hours to witness this prolific band at work.

Compensating for the irreplaceable Asheem Da couldn’t have been an easy task for the band, but they managed to get on board two celebrated musicians in the form of Gyan Singh on Tablas, Sudhir Vichare on Lead Vocals.

Clearly an emotional performance for the band losing a band mate and a friend of over 20 years, the crowd reveled in the poignancy of the band as they dealt with the grief with what they do best, performing a string of songs which may be safely described as classics. The mood was however anything but somber as the band decided to forgo the clichéd mourning instead celebrating the life of its founding member, playing one exemplary song after another.

From the expressiveness of ‘Jhini’ to the sing along enthusiasm of ‘Hille Re’, it reminded most of the initial draw of the band, their compelling honesty and knack of reaching the audience wherever they may be.

Those lucky to be in attendance were also able to witness first hand two unreleased songs ‘Baundhu’ dedicated to Asheem Da and ‘Zindagi se darte ho’ soon to be featured in an Aamir Khan production. By the time ‘Bandeh’ came up, even the most cynical of observers were swept up by the natural charisma of the group.

The original three members appeared in great form filled with passion and fervor playing Ma Rewa, giving the attitude of a jam session, the band feeding of each other’s energy, demonstrating the technical prowess they have come to be known for.’ Jugalbandi’ saw the utilization of eclectic instrumentation especially in the form of a ‘gabgubi’ by drummer Amit Kilam.

Ending the show on a high note with the ever popular ‘Kandisa’, the band although restricted to a short span of time, managed to move the audience in completely different ways, some to their feet while others more affectingly to tears.

Null Friction - Madras (IRMP3)

Arguably the strongest band to come out of the south since Motherjane, the trio known as Null Friction has taken a gigantic leap in focus and consistency since their EP .World Wide Quiet. Even though their sophomore album doesn’t include songs as emotionally involving and popular as ‘Somehow’ or ‘Reason to Rise’ featured on the 4 song EP, their new album Madras still has all the makings of a classic. It is the sound of a confident modern rock band drawing from a plethora of influences while at the same time coming into their own. This album is a slow grower with repeated listens revealing a set of guitar driven hard rock with enough experimentation to keep the listener on his toes.
Throughout the album the band clearly wears its influences on their sleeves be it the charging opening track ‘Mud’ with its tactful RATM scratching or Silverchair post grunge structure in ‘Sailor’. The band knowingly delves into more darker territory with the almost metallic ‘The Pind’ while calmer songs like ‘Inside Jokes’ and the title track itself provide the album with a much needed slow down. ‘Bahrain’ is a mid tempo track that despite a dynamic riff that draws out, never really delivers on its promise. Albeit a mixed bag, the weaker tracks on the album are easily compensated for by passion, drive and involvement of melody on the standout songs.
A tight rhythm section with bassist Abhishek and Ansh on drums provides guitarist and vocalist Shreyans enough leverage to meander onto untested pastures. The most experimental track on the record comes in the form of ‘Discreet’, an atmospheric instrumental number where guitar and bass float over a distorted sampling of Al Pacino from the Devils Advocate bringing forth an unnerving yet dreamlike state.
Overall the album ultimately succeeds in its purpose and for all of the elements it gathers from, appears as solid and cohesive as the band itself yielding a life of its own. The band has proven themselves to be wise beyond their years, crafting an arresting album that transcends the local scene and positions them to be heard in the near future by a much bigger audience.

Jayce Lewis Live At HRC

Vh1 ‘s global music express initiative to bring a new artist to the stage every 45 days had its initiation so as to say, on the 21^st of October at the lofty Mumbai Hard rock cafe. The first international act in Vh1’s arsenal to broaden the tastes of Mumbai’s fickly audience turned out to be golden boy multi instrumentalist Jayce Lewis whose single ‘Icon’ has been storming up the charts lately making him vh1’s artist of the month. He has come a long way since his four year tenure beating skins as the drummer of the Cardiff experimental metal band Losing Sun, a band which had a tendency to breeze through drummers, rivaled only by Pearl Jam and Spinal Tap, until their break up in 2008. Over his year as a solo musician he has developed a formidable sound, a dark and brooding tone that ebbs and flows with a seething electronic undercurrent that has become his trademark.

Fortunate enough to be opening for Jayce was local act Blue Blood, who in their own words were playing their first gig after 15 years together as a band. Despite being provided an incredible stage, they all but failed to deliver with an incessantly loud lower end and predictability that would probably benefit from brevity and delving more into experimentation saving the song structures from such monotony. Playing eight songs out of favor off a future album, they did manage to warm up the crowd for the main attraction who permitted the rise in anticipation, going on at exactly midnight.

Accompanied by a bassist, guitarist and a sampler equipped with the most advanced high end gadgetry, Jayce Lewis started off the adrenaline charged set with the previously mentioned Icon, a song characterized by choppy riffs complemented by catchy synth sounds and soaring vocal hooks clearly reflecting the influences of Prodigy, Depeche Mode and Killing Joke.

On stage he demonstrated why he was a force to be reckoned with within the rock world with indomitable stage presence and virtuosity as the performance saw him occasionally switching between instruments as he went through drums, guitars both acoustic and electric and keyboards during the course of a succession of songs off of his upcoming album ‘Chapter’.

Owing a debt to artists as diverse as Brian May of Queen and Kirk Hammett of Metallica, all the songs possessed a down and dirty feel with an underlying dark electronic touch a la the Deftones, still however retaining the ability to reach anthemic levels which perhaps hints at his crossover potential into stadium rock.

Lewis followed the show in Mumbai with performances in Delhi on 22^nd, Bangalore on 23^rd and Pune on 25^th of October joined by home bred bands Circus, Bhoomi and Junkyard Groove respectively.

Grunge Reunion

2009 had been an exciting year for alternative music already seeing performances by a plethora of acclaimed reunited 90’s bands. The Pixies, Jesus Lizard, My Bloody Valentine, Built to Spill and Helmet to name a few.

But for a child of the alternative era like me, the most exciting moment undoubtedly came during Pearl Jam’s show in Santa Barbara, L.A on the 7^th of October promoting their latest album Backspacer. I mean it’s not everyday you get to see Jerry Cantrell and Chris Cornell playing with the legendary PJ. After a blistering set of career highlights, Eddie Vedder introduced his old friend and Seattle comrade Chris Cornell on stage to take the lead on the classic Hunger Strike briefly reforming their short lived supergroup Temple of the Dog. A performance that brought back the nostalgic thoughts of an era gone by also brought with it another cause for celebration. The fact that former Soundgarden members Kim Thyail and Ben Shepard were backstage watching, making this the first time all four members were in the same place at the same time since Matt Cameron became the official drummer for PJ. Could we be gearing up for a full fledged Soundgarden reunion? Keep your fingers crossed!

After this incredible performance, PJ had yet another surprise for the crowds in attendance as Jerry Cantrell, guitarist of the recently reformed Alice in Chains walked on midway through the anthem that is ‘Alive’ to shred out the solo while a keyed up Mike McCready cheered on. Mike and Jerry have always had a close friendship with Mike playing guitar in the late AIC front man Layne Staley’s group Mad Season.

After a performance that brought down the house, all of Pearl Jam along with their special guests took a bow bringing the surprised filled evening to a deafening cheer filled close.

Punk Lives!

“Their tour is cancelled, the cops are after them, and their label has no clue where they are. But it sounds like they had fun!” - Black Lips' Manager.

To say that Atlanta’s psychedelic punk band Black Lips’ tour of India was wild and unpredictable would truly be an understatement. When these garage rockers smash beer bottles over their guitars or piss in their own mouths onstage in the U.S., the worst that usually happens is that they get banned from another venue. But when they brought that anarchy to their tour of India, they but naturally incurred the wrath of all sorts of authority figures.

Notorious for their on stage antics, the self described ‘Flower Punk’ band has made a reputation of playing shows where few bands have played before. So when they decided to bring their brand of unruly drug induced punk to this conservative country where few have even heard their music, they were just asking for trouble. The tour was going off smoothly with respectable shows in Delhi and Mumbai until the band reached the college town of Pune, where they were scheduled to headline the Battle of the Bands show. After being subjected to 6 hours of head banging metal bands, the audience did not take kindly to Black Lips’ three chord danceable punk and pelted them with bottles for the entirety of their set.

When it came time for their show at the annual Campus Rock Idols in Chennai, the positive reception the band received there made them a little feisty. That evidently was not a good thing as the band performed one of the most chaotic sets in the country’s history. According to audience members present at the gig, guitarist Cole Alexander proceeded to make out with fellow band mates mid set before stripping down and attempting to play the guitar with his exposed man parts. Although this enthralled the Chennai crowd, it did not sit well with the promoters of the show who soon kicked the band off the bill leading to the rest of the tour being cancelled. The promoters also filed charges against the band citing ‘indecent exposure’ and ‘homosexual acts’ causing the band to flee the country to escape arrest.The band issued the following statement,

Dear fans,

Unfortunately, we have had to flee the country of India due to having our whole tour canceled and having to escape being held by police for indecent exposure during our most ruckus set in Chennai at the Campus Rock Idol showcase.After the fiasco, which the kids seemed to like, the financial backers of the event were furious and threw us off the tour. They tried to get security to restrain us until the Tamil police arrived. We
locked the door while they were kicking and banging on it. Meanwhile, we slipped out the other emergency exit. When we got to the hotel our tour guide informed us that the Campus Rock Idols sponsors were pressing charges and that the police would make their arrest. At that point our tour driver informed us we would have to drive six hours to get to the next town and cross state lines where we would be out of the Tamil authorities’ jurisdiction, because apparently the jail in Chennai is no joke. Word on the street said that it was teeming with tuberculosis, violence and live maggots so instead of risking going there we fled the scene. The drive ended up taking 10 hours because of a horrific accident on the road. We were also informed that all of the shows on our tour had been canceled effectively fucking all funds for the trip.When we got to the next hotel a mysterious man and someone who worked for our Indian booking agency tried to run off with our passports they got to the car when we caught them. We surrounded them until they gave back our passports. After that we booked the first flight to Berlin. We would like Rana Ghose for helping us get through these enormous trials and tribulations, and for future reference we really enjoyed the people of India and we hope western rock bands will be able to tour there in the future.- The Black Lips

The weird thing is that the Chennai show was fairly low-key as far as Black Lips shows go. Some called it a clash of cultures, some called it a mess....in the good old days they just called it rock n’ roll.

(Check out the band's adventures in the controversial videos titled 'Black Lips in India' at http://www.punknews.org/article/32653)

Google Earth

So here’s the scenario. Its Friday night, I’m just one of the millions of zombie like figures in front of their computer screens which has all the usual pages opened up, you know....orkut, blogspot, youtube, gmail, etc, etc ….it’s while deleting those annoying spam mails that it actually hit me...everything I was using was owned or controlled in someway by google….all google…..google, google, google …a word you’re going to hear a lot in the following article so get used to it.

Google, a word synonym with knowledge, information and money, the impact that the brand has had on the present generation since its inception in 1998 is staggering. We no longer search the internet, we "google it”, because a simple "Google search” brings back almost two billion sites. No wonder google was included into the oxford dictionary in 2006. However what most people don’t really realize is how much power the company actually has over the general public. But before we start the random paranoia, let’s take a look back at the history of the phenomenon known as google. Formed by probably the two biggest geeks on the planet, Sergey Brin and Larry Page met in the science program at Stanford and soon dropped out of school to start Google from a friends' garage. A decade later, Brin now serves as president of technology at Google while Page heads product division with an estimated net worth of $18 billion each. It’s easy to understand what drew us to this search engine, with its decorated landing page logo, in the first place. Google totally understood us, what we meant or what we wanted even when we couldn’t spell it ourselves: “Do you mean “Prisoner of Azkaban?” Why yes, Google! Yes I do! They learned by watching Microsoft just how far you can push before you are broken up by the government. Google knows where its bread is buttered… It’s all about putting as many ads in front of people as possible. That’s where the so called ‘evil’ of google started. Even though google makes donations of upwards of $200 million to Mozilla per year and Mozilla innocently enough picks google as its default search engine in Firefox. But that’s probably because the other search engines don’t measure up right? Right….Then there are the claims that google reads all the mails in your gmail account. But surely that couldn’t be happening, it’s probably just a coincidence that the ads that pop up in your gmail always have something to do with your mail info. I’m sure two Mensa geniuses with billions of dollars at their disposal couldn’t possibly hack into your account. Moving on, if you’re an average Joe like me, who hits google for his daily need for information, one thing you probably should know is that google stores all your information indefinitely,whether you like it or not….don’t believe me? , ask the 17 different privacy rights cases currently pending against google in the courts. That’s where things start to get interesting. Through acquisitions of a few thousands of the world’s best engineers available, the company knows more about you than you might be aware of. Google originally placed a cookie on each user's computer, which can be used to track that person's search history and that cookie was not set to expire until 2038. Though google claimed that these were necessary to maintain user preferences and give users a better experience, evidence has turned up suggesting that Google turns over all information to the FBI or the NSA causing web nerds all over the world to cry foul.

In lieu of this information and my ever present desire to do something stupid, I decided to perform an experiment, one in which I would boycott everything google related from my life for as long as possible. In the 20 minutes that I lasted I realized two very important things…

(1) How annoying minesweeper gets after a while and,

(2)I can’t imagine my life without google!

Despite all my bad mouthing, all my tirades against the big evil corporation, I’m just as addicted to google as any of you out there. I mean it; it wouldn’t be possible to function in day to day life without it. Anything imaginable is present on here within the time it takes to click a button. If it is online, Google has it. I admit it; I am a slave to google!! I’m a slave to YouTube, Orkut, google video, google street view, google maps, google earth, Blogspot, google mail, Picasa ….and anything else they might have bought in the last 5mins. How can you not love a company that spends amounts per day, which could possibly run a small African country, voraciously acquiring every worthwhile thing on the Internet?

Going by the latest news on google, after the release of their operating system google chrome, google is all set to make public their very own google PC fully equipped with google applications and an android operating system which could very well take over the Iphone market as well. This comes just weeks after their acquisition of popular content site Digg and claims of release of an information medium ‘Knol’ which could possibly replace the beloved Wikipedia…unthinkable I know! Though their representatives have repeatedly assured the public that google hasn’t bought out competitor’s yahoo (yet), it does nothing to stop the rumors that google is slowly but surely taking over. All we can do now I guess is hang along for the ride and pray for our continued existence on this Google Earth.

(Information courtesy Google).