Avima 2010 (The BIG M May 2010)

“We’re not the Grammys, and not even close to the glamour of the MTV Asia Awards, but Avima (Asia Voice Independent Music Awards) is perhaps one of the biggest supported music awards in the world,” says Siva Chandran, founder of Avima and managing editor of Voize.my, Malaysia's leading lifestyle and entertainment portals.

Plainly stated, no awards in the history of Asia have attracted as much hype and public interest in such a short span of time as Asia’s first independent music awards. Established in 2009, these awards exemplified the true indie spirit by doing away with major sponsorships and rather focusing on shining a spotlight on the largely ignored Asian music scene. When asked about the name, Siva explains that Avima has a cool unintended meaning. “When broken up, Avi is "my father" in Hebrew, and Ma means mother, so the awards hope to be the mother and the father of Indie awards this side of the Pacific.” In its bid to give a voice to Asia's very large Indie community and its varied styles of music, Avima along with its standard categories of Best Rock Act, Best Hip-hop song, etc, also offers up awards like moody melancholic masterpiece, feel good song and mind blowing video of the year, being a few of its amusingly tagged categories.

Now in only its second year of inception, Avima 2010 promises to be the single most anticipated music event of the year with participation from over 20 countries including India, Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Philippines, Malaysia and Taiwan, to name a few. A truly global affair, music lovers from across the world are given the ability to simply log in to the online voting site, take a listen to the nominated tracks from each category and vote for their favorite acts with a single click. Although not necessarily a democratic event with public voting only accounting for 30% of the scores, founder and chief judge Siva Chandran assures that the remaining 70% will be based on the unbiased decisions of judges from Europe, Australia and the US.

Though Malaysia might have secured the highest hip hop nominations, India similar to last year rules the roost in terms of rock nominations. Leading the pact with three nominations are winners of last year’s ‘Best Rock Act’ and the odds on favorites to clinch the same title two years in a row, Motherjane. Without a question, the most prolific band toiling away in the scene today, gifted vocalist Suraj Mani is also up for ‘Best Vocalist’ while the whole band is the only Indian act selected for the ‘Most Mind blowing Video’ category for their understated yet extremely powerful imagery of the song ‘Broken’. When asked about how it felt to be nominated yet again for the highest award of the show, the band replied, “It is awesome that AVIMA is recognizing so many talented artists in India. Major Indie music awards bring international attention to indie artists & that’s great for music. We were honored as AVIMA Best Rock Band in 09 and 3 new nominations in 2010 means our music is reaching people globally.”

On par with Motherjane is another man who’s paid his dues and has been duly rewarded with success is Sanjeev Thomas of Sanjeev T & The Rainbow Bridge who commented on his ‘Best Vocalist’ nomination, “I’m glad I’m recognized outside India for the music I make and for the efforts I give into the music it’s great to be recognized, apart from myself many indie bands from India have been nominated and this is a proud moment, a moment of growth, hope and more music coming from a younger generation who would be more happier in the future to take music seriously and make it a part of their living. With developments and organizations like AVIMA, Indie music has an avenue to be displayed and an avenue to understand expressions of artists, expression which strives for a difference in our existence here. I wish all the luck for everyone nominated and will always join the fight for recognition for our indie artists here. Support is important and from support comes support systems to take this forward.” The Rainbow Bridge also holds nominations for ‘Best Electro-Dance Song’, ‘Best Rock Group’ and ‘Best Rock Song’, a category which also includes the likes of fellow Chennai residents, the funk rock quartet Junkyard groove with their song ‘Imagine’ and Mumbai metal giants Demonic Resurrection with ‘A Tragedy Befallen’.

Finding themselves in the presence of these heavyweights are relative newcomers, Summerpint Junkie with their song ‘Forbidden Fruit-Flower’, featuring a rich blend of psychedelic rhythm and melody and a fair amount of progressive influences thrown in for good measure. A strong song by any standards, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Mumbai lads pull off a major upset, wining the category over some of the more experienced veterans. With vocals straight out of the alternative era, the song ‘Hallucination’, finds them with their second nomination in ‘Moody Melancholic Masterpiece’. “It feels awesome to be nominated; it sort of sprung up on us. There is no substitute to the high in knowing that our music is spreading and being appreciated. Summerpint Junkie puts in a lot of emotions in every song, so knowing that someone finds some connection in our music keeps us going, further in till our music, words and message becomes a part of their reflection. AVIMA is definitely giving us a brilliant opportunity to do just that and we just to hope to realize all the faith that our fans have in us and keep spreading our music”, commented the band’s guitarist on its double nomination

“It is an honor to be elevated on a platform such as this and win or not, more ears are oriented towards the music which is what is important,” mentioned Karthik Basker, another nominee for ‘Best Rock Vocalist’ heading the widely acclaimed Bicycle Days, a band up for the ‘Best Rock Group’. A group with an opulent literary background and wide ranging influences, their songs prove nearly as epic as Albert Hofmann’s infamous 1943 tryst with that faithful drug, the one which inspired the band name. Giving stiff competition to Summerpint Junkie in the category of ‘Moody Melancholic Masterpiece’ is the stellar ‘Circles’, an unwavering tour de force with deftly played drums and serene vocals amid chiming guitars.

In other nominations, Junkyard Groove’s low key, playful ‘Folk You’ and Zedde’s anthemic tribute to his city ‘Mumbai’ competes for ‘Feel Good Song of the Year’ while Prayag’s ‘Bas Karo’ finds itself as the only Hindi song in any of the categories.

Whatever be the result, the passion and determination of each band nominated undoubtedly boils down to the core of the awards itself, as optimistically stated by co founder M.Tevan, “We’re glad that the Asian indie scene is moving in the right direction. The indie scene is huge in Britain, Europe and in the United States, and some of the biggest brands in the world today are lining up to be affiliated with these exciting and bold new artistes. We’re confident with platforms like Avima; Asian indie acts will receive better global recognition.”

Sam Roberts Band (The BIG M May 2010)

Triple Juno award recipient and prolific singer/songwriter Montreal native Sam Roberts is often described as the definitive voice in a collection of American and Canadian bands centered on 70’s classic rock nostalgia. But in reality, this former hockey player has so much more going for him. Through three albums of passionate and infectious folk-rock and power-pop tunes, many of them built around a percussively strummed acoustic guitar, Roberts has breathed new life into a very dry, dull Canadian music scene (Sum 41, Nickelback). By means of odd references to Canada in many of his songs (even singing in French for a few verses of ’No Sleep’) he maintains a staunch national identity but that certainly doesn’t limit his appeal to a strictly Canadian audience.

With tune crafting skills which have the ability to stand up well next to early Brian Wilson and Paul McCartney material, Sam Roberts’ first full length LP ‘We Were Born in a Flame’ presents a lush and enjoyable listening experience. Along with compelling and inquiring lyrics, Sam Roberts is also an interesting musician who decides to play all the instruments except for percussion on this album. A risky move no doubt, he manages to pull it off with conviction with the record ending up sounding grander and richer than it ought to be.

The album is rich in instantly memorable hooks which will find you tapping your feet within the first 30 seconds of ‘Hard Road’ - the opening track. Along with the uber-catchy clap along ‘Brother Down’ and the gorgeous and seductive orchestral pop of Beatle-esque ‘Taj Mahal’ which makes the most of Roberts’ talents as a violinist, Hard Road is a stand-out track and contains some gripping and intelligent lyrics, something of a rarity in today's formulaic music world. Robert’s writes with eloquence about the universal human effort of finding the easy life and avoiding the bumps of the real world. When he opines, "There's no road that ain't a hard road to travel on", he is able to chronicle the troubles of life in this fallen world without offering therapeutic platitudes like "believe in yourself" or something similar. On this record, Roberts chooses to narrate the problems of humanity and creation rather than offer solutions and in doing so manages to escape falling into a moralistic outlook blatantly prevalent in popular media and music. ‘Paranoia’ finishes off this pervasive album, starting out as an acoustic piece before ending as an upbeat, driving instrumental. Overall, an impeccable combination of guitar, percussion, and piano makes this CD worth multiple listens.

Released in 2006, Roberts’ second release ‘Chemical City’, with its share of rockers, ballads, and artistic experimentations is a very well rounded album. Backed by a group that would continue onto the next album, Dave Nugent (guitar), Eric Fares (keyboards), James Hall (bass) and Josh Trager (drums) helped craft this album with its folky-1960's rebellious feel whilst throwing all notions of a sophomore slump out the window. Starting off with the psychedelic rocker ‘The Gate’, the albums mood soon shifts towards an alternative mode for tracks ‘Mind Flood’ and ‘Mystified Heavy’. ‘Bridge to Nowhere’ with its sing along melody is an instant classic, while ‘The Bootleg Saint’ and ‘The Resistance’ call to mind mid era Rolling Stones. Chemical City also sports two folkier tunes, the lovely acoustic ‘Uprising Down Under’ along with the emotive keyboards, and the vocals-only heartbreak song ‘A Stone Would Cry Out’. A much more rough-around-the-edges album, Roberts’ balances the strong melodies and anthemic choruses with some affecting subtle pieces. There is a strong sense of cohesion among these extremely well crafted songs with lyrics that see him wise beyond his years.

The latest offering from the Sam Roberts band ‘Love at the End of the World’ sees them at their most potent while delivering on the same bluesy hard rock formula, supplied with abundant pop hooks and mixed in with a little psychadelia when needed as seen in beguiling ‘Lions of the Kalahari’. ‘Up Sister’, ‘End of the Empire’ and the forlorn ‘Waking the Dead’ stand out among other eclectic tracks of the album ending with a piece featuring off the wall lyrics set to a piano driven tune in the captivating closer ‘Detroit '67’.

In retrospect, Sam Roberts represents the perfect example of the modern singer/songwriter. With songs that range from bouncy, fun loving to a mellower sound, combining rock & roll fundamentals with folk influences, he is able to extract old influences and creatively rework them to create a unique original sound and deliver them with a vibrancy and honesty rarely seen in today’s rock n’ roll.

Motherjane - The Tribes of Babel (IRMP3)

Motherjane have always been a virtuous bunch. Socially aware to say the least, they have often been described as the quintessential Indian rock band. A hard rock band with roots deep within the fabric of Indian tradition, they are one of the few groups fortunate enough to be able to transcend the local scene and be heard the world over. That is probably the reason why, when it came time for Amnesty International’s joint venture with Spanish DJ duo Buffetlibre to feature bands from over 50 different countries in a compilation entitled ‘PEACE’ promoting human rights, the first band chosen to embody the essence of the country were this eminent quintet from Cochin with over a decade of experience and two critically acclaimed albums under their collective belts.

Along with local stalwarts Menwhopause and Shaair+func, Motherjane will represent India in this collection aiming to spread the message of justice, fairness, freedom and truth – already recurring themes in numerous Motherjane songs. Bringing this iconic band out of hibernation with a song written exclusively for the compilation entitled ‘The Tribes of Babel’, the bands first track released in over a year and a half sees them falling back into brilliance without missing a beat.

A track along the lines of, dare I say it Lennon classics ‘Imagine’ and ‘Give Peace a Chance’, this song reverberates with the same honesty and passion the band is renowned for. Kicking off with a pulsating cadence, the rhythm section of Clyde and John hold together an ultra tight groove, before allowing chiming guitars and Suraj’s emotive vocals to take lead.

The song’s striking lyrics deserve a special mention. Evocative but graceful, the core message of beauty in diversity resonates thoroughly in today’s day and age. Words with soul, these couplets conjure up heart wrenching imagery of a world united in imagination and with a purpose to repair and change itself.
Midway through, the song completely alters direction turning into a stunning free fall for all, with some truly explosive old school progressive riffs and incredible dexterity on the drum parts. Loaded in visceral instrumentation, it all builds to a heady climax where all the sounds coalesce leading out with the sound of Baiju’s wailing guitar.A bustling melody layered on top of an enchanting chord progression renders this song as an unskippable track on your playlist, a poignant promise of humanity and an enduring hymn of solace and peace.

Mr.Gnome - Heave Yer Skeleton (Chordvine)

Duos have been a mainstay of rock music ever since one can remember. The Black Keys, No Age, The Ting Tings and of course the White Stripes have thankfully rid the music world of the stale notion that rock is a numbers game, proving that a pair is just as capable of making the same amount of noise as a standard quartet. Nowhere is this fact truer than in the case of Cleveland duo Mr. Gnome, who in their second full length album ‘Heave Yer Skeleton’ pull out all the stops, running the gamut of every emotion known to man and thus providing the listener a sonic experience rich in fantasy.

The closest reference points usually considered while describing a band like Mr. Gnome are female led Blonde Redhead and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, but a more accurate comparison would be perhaps 90’s post hardcore legends Shudder to Think with their incredible similarity in the grasp of melody and rhythmic assault.

Using the same set of instrumentation as most duos, Nicole Barille (guitar/vocals) and Sam Meister (Drums) throughout this 12 song LP refuse to follow any convention instead opting for genre defying antics. Paradox is significantly woven throughout the album - delicate one second and explosive the next, alternating between cute and aggressive, the album travels wherever their imagination or technical prowess allows. A single listen to the striking ‘Today Brings a Bomb’ or ‘Pixie Dust’ establishes a somewhat undoubted fact; you’d be hard pressed to find a tighter band.

While the harmonious guitar lines of opener ‘Spain’ and ‘Titor’ are no indications of the belligerent sound that crowds the majority of this album, they offer up a sort of calm before the storm for the pummeling revved up guitar on songs ‘Plastic Shadow’ and ‘Cleveland Polka’.

Outstanding tracks such as the brilliant ‘Slow Side’ and ‘Sit Up and Hum’ contrast Barille’s feminine sweetness with Meister’s virtuosity switching between powerhouse drumming and deftly played rim shots with ease, establishing him as one of the most underrated drummers in the scene today. Even with just two people at the helm, they somehow manage to create sounds of orchestral proportions; Barille’s attractive vocals coupled with a bulk of driving moody guitar parts drawing the listener in even deeper.

‘Searider Falcon’ an instrumental which also proves to be the heaviest track on the album, appears to be designed for the sole purpose of putting subpar rock bands out there to shame. Truly through tracks like the playful yet somewhat dark ‘Vampires’ bordering on pop and the all too short ‘Hills, Valleys and Vallium’, which notably wouldn’t seem out of place on a dream pop compilation, they have issued a challenge to their peers, to expand their musical lexicon and range of expression, and throw off some of that stifling rock and roll orthodoxy.

The album comes to a close with the funeral procession opening of the title track, Meister complementing Barille’s whispery thin vocals with a moving piano riff, a somber end to an incredible record where everything down to the art is stunningly unique and perfectly appropriate, furthermore with absolutely no filler these are tracks are bound to stick in your head for days. Ultimately it is an album that comes along every so often to reaffirm your faith in rock ‘n roll. An album that doesn’t sound the least bit contrived, it's exactly as it should be, one of indie rock’s best kept secrets.

Anus the Menace - Revenge of the Shit (RSJ May 2010)

Impetuous, snotty and full of confidence, this album finds Chandigarh band, the delightfully named Anus the Menace at their most potent. ‘Revenge of the Shit’, a six song EP of juvenile punk rock is one not commonly seen in the metal dominated Indian rock scene and probably for good reason. Breezing through in roughly 15 minutes, this record doesn’t offer much in terms of musicality or scope but is enjoyable in its own chaotic sort of way.

For a punk rock band, this album starts oddly on a funky note with ‘Disco Fever’, a foot tapping number with the ability to stick in your head as a result of its markedly comical lyrics, while at the same time tending to be upbeat and melodic.

Before you know it, the album leads into its second track called ‘Government Sucks My Balls’ (I swear I’m not making any of these names up) predictably featuring repetitive diatribes against the government. Though limited in approach and lyrical content, it does bring to mind the independent hardcore punk movement of the 80’s. In some respects, the song could be a lost Minor Threat song with its heavy riffing and anti-authority rants, even given the failed over the top introduction. A bouncy bass line starts off ‘Right Now’, soon turning into an outlet for the band to dispense their advice on living life with a suitable groove complete with back up gang vocals.

The point where the album falters quite clearly though, is the apathetic direction of every song. The harder edged songs never sound as raw or urgent as they should while the poppier songs ultimately sink in half baked hooks. But in all fairness the band does make up for its lack of musical proficiency with buckets of fun, playful energy packing in old Bollywood movie recordings and attempted feminine voices on the part of the vocalist. In parts sounding like drunk frat boys with instruments, which notably isn’t all that far from their purpose, they manage to inject their sound with a youthful exuberance sorely lacking in rock music. Nowhere is this truer than the fall down hilarity of Chinese song, a song completely sung in an amusing imitation of the Chinese stereotype.

‘Placebo’ is as unremarkable as they come in any context or genre and only contributes as commonplace filler for increasing the album length. The last song ‘I’m So Punk….Not!’ features the first riff off the album into which you can actually sink your teeth and is probably closest to the sound the band tries to achieve throughout the album which is the three chord racket of bands like the Descendants or the Adolescents, ending the song with a chugging rhythm and what unusually sounds like a well played harmonica.

Complimented by crisp production and some excellent drumming on the part of Nidhaan Puri, this largely ignored album does provide Indian punks with something to turn to. With a little more focus this band could have been well on its way to actual success, however with vocalist Vilphin Vincent on his way to greener pastures, more specifically Mumbai, the band’s future has been put in serious doubt, possibly limiting this to their eponymous as well as sole musical output.

Midival Punditz @ Blue Frog (The BIG M March 2010)

The duo of Delhi boys Gaurav Raina and Tapan Raj, better known to the world as Midival Punditz were till this moment regarded as India’s most acclaimed electronic act. After being featured on multiple international compilations and being the first electronic act to sign an international deal, the band rightly dubbed as ‘The new sound of 21st Century India’ has added another feather to their cap, this time being the first Indian band to compose the entire background score for a Bollywood movie – in this case the Farhan Akhtar and Deepika Padukone starrer ‘Karthik Calling Karthik’. This break into mainstream came with the assistance of like minded producer and composer Karsh Kale, who is featured along with the twosome on a few tracks of the soundtrack album, mainly the remix version of the movie theme plus a hard rocking version entitled Kartik 2.0.

The pair stopped by Blue Frog in Mumbai on the day of the movie’s release, February 26^th, to give the eager audience a taste of what to expect. Cementing their reputation as one of the best live acts around, the duo stepped on stage to spectacular atmospherics, lights and images on screens flashing in tandem with the crowd’s excitement. Taking their place at pre defined consoles; they were accompanied by the usual suspects, flautist Amit Prasanna and Karsh Kale on Drums and Tablas. With charismatic Assamese singer Angaraag Papon Mahanta in charge of vocal duties, the scene was set perfectly to display the Punditz unique blend of Indian classical and techno.

Playing songs predominately off of their 2009 release ‘Hello Hello’, the pair had the crowd in their grasp from the get go. Starting off with a remixed version of the ever popular ‘Tonic’, the south Indian folk rhythms of ‘Raanjhan’ soon translated into the smooth club vibe of ‘Kesariya’. The mellow instrumental ‘Drifting’ saw Prasanna take lead with an inspiring flute part complemented flawlessly by Kale, proving themselves as masters of Indian fusion.

Songs that followed were stand out tracks like the up tempo ‘Electric Universe’ and 80’s dance rock ‘Atomizer’ complete with an electronic vocal track and a gratifying crescendo. Their versatility of sound with songs ranging from instrumental to electronic rock to orchestral soundscapes pioneered the sonic approach to music providing those in attendance a night to remember.

Mumbai Musicians' Berklee Experience (The BIG M March 2010)

The Berklee College of Music based in Boston, Massachusetts has always been regarded as the premier institute specializing in musical education in North America. Starting off as a school for jazz in the mid 40’s, Berklee soon adopted more diverse genres ranging from rock to bluegrass and even hip hop.

Study of theory as well as a practical approach to music combined with teachings on the working of the music industry provided its students with an unrivaled array of skills resulting in multiple honors over the coming years.

Providing degree courses in composition, film scoring, music business/management, music production and songwriting, the college has earned a noteworthy alumni consisting of greats such as Duke Ellington, guitarists Bill Frisell, Joe Satriani and Steve Vai, Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy and renowned producer Quincy Jones.

With two record labels and a radio station in its arsenal, the celebrated institute soon spread its wings to students of different nationalities, visiting countries around the world conducting clinics and auditions for interested musicians. Collaboration with Tabula Rasa music and Furtados brought this tour to Jamnabai Narsee School from the 13^th to the 16^th of February and along with it an army of Mumbai musicians looking to learn from workshops headed by some of the most distinguished personnel of the college.

Day one of the programs visit to India began bright and early, with sessions on how to approach auditions, first for rhythm instruments and later for melody instruments and vocals. These mock auditions along with a presentation carried out by Gojko Damjanic, the Assistant Director of International Admissions, provided young musicians from the city a relative idea on tackling future opportunities in their musical career. A simple and down to earth explanation of the processes by teachers well versed in the matter provided those in attendance with substantial information.

The second day of clinics was hosted by what is commonly referred to as the ‘Dream Team’ of Berklee College including the likes of Assistant Vice President of International programs Greg Badolato. An accomplished Broadway saxophonist in his own right, he presented a session on using traditional, western solfege techniques to develop the performer's ear and assist with developing improvisation vocabulary. Accompanying Greg was Dan Carlin, Chair of Berklee’s film scoring department who in his sessions, demonstrated the entertainment industry’s increasingly rapid evolution of scoring styles, techniques, and applications in movies and video games. Following was Michael Farquharson presenting a session analyzing the use of modes in current pop music and at the same time demonstrating the use of modal harmony in original compositions.

Emmy award winning Carlin and Juno award recipient Farquharson along with Director of International Programs Jason Camelio certainly possessed the required credentials and convincingly provided the Mumbai audience with a lifetime’s worth of experience while grooming a new generation of talented, credible Indian musicians.