So putting up a playlist of songs on relationship in an issue which is wrapped around relationships is passé. And we at Fried Eye don’t believe in doing the passé. But then again, you can’t deny the fact that music and relationship go hand in hand since time memorial, if Hollywood musicals and Bollywood romances are anything to go by. So I decided to take the middle route, and put up a playlist of my favorite sing-along songs. These are songs that you don’t have to be a great singer to be good at; easy to sing along to and sure to make you feel instantly better. And better still, I made sure to put in songs for everyone in here. So grab the microphone (a make-believe one with a comb would do as well), and go solo if there’s no one around. Or else, you know what we say here about singing and sharing right? About how people who sing together stay together? Well, here goes.

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1. With a little help from my friends (The Beatles): We all love the classics. We all swear by the classics. And we know that one can never go wrong with the Beatles. With a song that says, “I get by with a little help from my friends”, the message really can’t be clearer.

2. Dancing with myself (Glee version by Kevin McHale): I know the Billy Idol original should have been a more natural choice, but I find the Glee version is easier to sing along to. As the title itself says, this is one to idle away those solo hours that you don’t know what to do with. Go ahead, do a little jig, dance with yourself, or rather, sing with yourself.

3. Anyone else but you (The Moldy Peaches): Cut from the lonely straight to the mushy. Made famous by the movie Juno, this is one song no one can go wrong with. Sure the monotone can get a little, well, monotonous, but nothing will give you the satisfaction of singing a song right like this one. Duet alert, though. The experience is best when sung with your boyfriend/girlfriend.

4. Hey Julie (Fountains of Wayne): Now this is one song that made me stop my last minute cramming for a management paper, then start furiously scribbling down the lyrics even as the song kept playing. The wonders of lyrics.com were had not yet been discovered by me, sadly. What I am trying to say here, I guess, is this song is a catchy one to sing along to, and makes for a real sweet dedication to your wife!

5. The show (Lenka): Strictly for the ladies, this one. Got me hooked at first listen some three years ago. Simple lyrics and an easy to follow beat makes this song the ideal sing along to, and is guaranteed to make you feel like an amazing singer!

6. You and I (Ingrid Michaelson): Duet alert again. This heart-warming song is just so adorable you can’t get enough of it. When a song talks about getting rich and getting everybody nice sweaters and teaching them how to dance you know it is no ordinary song. Very catchy lyrics and immensely simple notes.

7. 1234 (Feist): This one is a fairly new addition to my list, really. And I’m mentioning it here because it had me from the very first strike of the guitar (it is no secret acoustic songs are the easiest to sing along to) and the interesting notes ensured that I become a fan of this song. This song has a slight 80’s feel to it, and that’s what makes it even better.

8. Hey there Delilah (Plain White T’s): This one is for the long distance phone calls, guys. With simple lyrics that’s easy to relate to, this song talks about being away from the one you love and how love will one day change everything. The simple flowing notes help too!

9. Perfect Two (Auburn): Okay, I admit the first time I listened to this song I didn’t give it much of a thought. Reminds one of teenage, really. But then again this is a song that will unwittingly take space in that corner of your mind which churns out songs to hum. And surprisingly, this does make me feel really good when I sing it. Ah, simpler times! When it is all about rhyming jelly with belly and berry with marry.

10. The Lazy Song (Bruno Mars): Wrapping it up with the ultimate indulgence, laziness. And what could be a better gift to yourself than a day of doing absolutely nothing at all, and then actually sing about how you spent the day doing nothing at all? Go ahead then, indulge. Bring out the inner lazy you. And proudly sing the lazy anthem.

How the stone gathered moss – the history of rock music:

© Michael Jastremski - CC attribution - Share Alike

Does everything have a history? Can we trace the beginning of something that seems to have existed forever? How do you trace the history of something that is supposed to be a state of the mind? How do you trace the beginning of something that has always been there? But having taken up the task nonetheless, I still decided to go ahead and chart the course of one of the most influential genres in the history of music. The history or rock is about how a beat changed the course of music, the history of rock is about how music went on to define rebellion and peace at the same time, and it is about technology and adaptation. The history of rock music is about an entire evolution of music occurring in just about 50 years.

The Beginning:

Though the actual beginning of rock music is highly debatable, it would still be safe to assume that it happened somewhere in the musical roots of the early days of rock and roll. Any form of rock music traditionally has always been known to have a strong beat, a rhythm. And in the early days when rhythm and blues was making an impact, it was also giving an opportunity for the behemoth to rise, the music of rock and roll. The earliest versions of rock and roll started with acts like Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley and Jerry Lee Lewis. Richard’s fast paced “Tutti Frutti” and Jerry Lee Lewis’ “Great Balls of fire” are just a couple of examples of how the music transformed into the strong paced version that we know of today. While the US was seeing a movement, the UK where most of the big rock acts would be born was witnessing a revolution in itself. Musicians were waking up to the movement called Rock n roll.

The Early years:

As the years progressed, so did the music and before the world could be ready, the King “Elvis” had already invaded the world. With a thumping beat and a fast paced rhythm, Elvis Presley shook the world with a powerful voice and a band as powerful, the King, had started a revolution. A new genre. Rock music had officially attacked the world. The early years also brought about multiple sub genres within the rock and roll scenario. The early years also laid the ground for the traditional rock band line up with a drum line, a bass guitar, a lead guitar and a lead voice.

Along the years from 1940 to the 1960, Rock n roll saw a saw some of the genre defining acts like Buddy Holly, The Crows and the El Dorados.

Although, rock n roll had been born in the USA, it was crossing shores to the land of Queen, Great Britain. Cliff Richard had the first hit with “Move It”. Around the same time, the core music score was also being peppered by harmonies and rhythms, thanks to the all girl groups and the fast paced dance trends of the 50’s. With new acts like Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye setting a new path for the music, the best part of rock n roll had just begun.

The Progression:

By the early 1960s, the rock music scene had erupted. With the major onslaught coming from the USA and the Great Britain, some music of sheer brilliance emerged from the bands like The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones and The Yardbirds. The Beatles, with their sheer lyrical wizardry and Led Zeppelin powered by their harmony were instrumental in defining the path that Rock music would take in the future.

By the 70s, it was the era of the guitar. Started in the late 60s and spilling over into the 70s, were a group of guitar wizards like Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan. It was also around the time when, the Doors, Bob Dylan and Jefferson Airplane were making their present felt with various sub genres of Rock Music. If Dylan stood for folk rock, Pink Floyd had started the genre of psychedelic rock and The Doors and Jefferson Airplane were laying the groundwork for hard rock. The Grateful Dead and Creedence Clearwater Revival were two other bands with a distinctive sound of their own with immaculate guitar riffs and a good soft beat.

In its adolescence and growing up fast, Rock music grew the best from the 70 to the 90s, also considered as the golden period of rock music. Multiple genres were born in the three decades ranging from soft rock, the punk to metal to heavy metal. Covering every single genre and band would be equivalent to writing a full blown book. But acts like The Scorpions, Bruce Springsteen, Poison, Black Sabbath, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Aerosmith, Deep Purple, Kiss, Motorhead, Judas Priest, Pearl Jam, Alice Cooper, Queen, The Ramones, The Sex Pistols, The Clash, ZZ Top, The Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd were some of the acts that defined the golden era of rock music.

It was also the time when Rock music gained a bad name for the eccentricities of the bands and their stars, the unchecked use of drugs and the innumerable deaths and suicides of the musicians.

The Present:

Around the late 80s and the 90s, the wild child had grown. With the bands dwindling and the eccentricities reducing, the world was soon turning its face away from rock music when Nirvana come up. With a very distinct heavy toned down guitar sound, the sound of rock was back on track. With the revival came U2, REM and a host of revivals. Everyone from Bon Jovi to Aerosmith were back in the studios.

With the turn of the century, technology had been at the forefront and music couldn’t escape either. Electronic music and djs were now a part of the standard rock bands. Bands like Limp Bizkit, Korn and Linkin Park have been actively using electronic music as part of their standard score.

The new era also saw international metal music emerging in the form of Dimmu Borgir, Blind Guardian, Rammstein and Killswitch Engage. Metal music was no longer restricted to language or region.

Acts like Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Alanis Morissette, Green Day, Avenged Sevenfold and Owl City are still keeping the music alive, aligning to the needs of the new generation, rock music still survives.

Marilyn Manson’s prophesy of “Rock is dead” had been buried safely. Rock music is still alive and kicking because rock isn’t about music, it’s a state of the mind.

Yes, yes we know too much of a good thing can be bad, but nobody said this about music, right? Starting with Grammy winner “Body and Soul” by Tony Bennett and late Amy Winehouse, and containing some obvious and some not so obvious songs, here’s a bonus playlist dedicated to all new romances, specially the ones which started on Valentine’s Day!

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

We know Valentine’s Day is over and out, but we in Fried Eye Jukebox believe in keeping its spirit alive. Well, at least until the roses wilt in their vases and the chocolates vanish from their boxes. Jokes apart though, these thirty songs for him and for her are for the truly romantic, for whom each day is a Valentine’s Day. The playlist starts with the classics (old-gold stuff you know) and moves on to the fairly contemporary. And we hope there are songs in here to appease the most picky and please the most choosy. So, well, hit the play button, and enjoy!

P.S. In our own humble way we pay our tribute to Whitney Houston by including one of her most famous songs in the playlist. May her soul rest in peace with the knowledge that she has left unforgettable music behind.

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

How often have we lamented that today’s children lack enthusiasm and interest when it comes to our own heritage and culture; that they don’t understand folk culture, and can never appreciate the beauty of simplicity when it comes to folk music? How often have we debated and discussed at length about how our culture is dying because of modernism and westernization? And how often have we actually done something about it?

Two people, and their modest crew based in Guwahati, have taken an initiative to remedy this very predicament. Weekend Jam, a project launched by Vikram Gogoi of iMart (a division of iLogy Services & Solutions) and Rajib Kalita of Aucto Creations, is an effort to popularize folk music as well as talented musicians of the North East Indian region by organizing “musically educative folk music focused programs” each weekend in and around the city of Guwahati. The concept is simple: find an artist or band of the classical (which includes folk) genre, find another of any different genre, bring the artists or bands together at a venue and let them jam to create and serve as a program that is “uniquely educative and entertaining” to the audience. The concert itself is divided into three slots: the first two where each band or artist perform individually and the third where both bands jam together. The outcome however, is manifold. Previously lesser known artists and bands get an opportunity and a platform to showcase their talent, people looking for entertainment find a place where they get to listen to good music and most importantly folk music is given a makeover and made more appealing to the younger crowd, ensuring the preservation and promotion of folk music in the long run, besides building up as a prominent attraction for tourists looking at understanding and learning folk music in the coming years.

The pilot program of Weekend Jam was launched on November 20th, 2011 with a tribute to late Dr. Bhupen Hazarika where nine artists who had performed with the maestro himself sang Dr. Hazarika’s songs. This was followed by five more such concerts wherein twenty artists and bands from not only the North East region but also nationwide and even abroad participated and performed. With famous bands like “Afflatus” (all girls’ band from Shillong), “Abhaya & The Steam-injuns” (Nepal), “Guru Rewben Mashangva” (folk fusion band from Manipur), “Hasib Sepand” (folk band from Afghanistan) and “Lou Majaw and friends” (Shillong) performing alongside lesser known bands like “Trio” (classical troupe from Assam), “Blood Pressure” (Assam), “Bamboo Band” (Assam) and “Rain of Hearts” (folk rock band from Assam), it was an amalgamation of diverse genres to create something uniquely beautiful. The pilot program concluded on December 30th 2011, and was declared a raging success. The full fledged launch will take place on April 1st, 2012, and will include workshops and seminars for school students by performing artists to further enhance understanding of folk music, and also to generate more interest in the same.

Talking to Vikram Gogoi, I asked him how it all started and what led to the birth of Weekend Jam. Having shifted base from Delhi to Guwahati in late 2010, Vikram had founded his company “i” and launched his first program called “Just Madness” for the radio channel “Ooo La La”. It was around this time when he came in contact with Mr Rajib Kalita, otherwise known as Rana in the music fraternity, while planning an event for New Year’s eve 2010. In 2011, Vikram and a few fellow musicians got together to form a fusion band called “A U M” where he filled the place of the bassist. It was while looking for gigs for the band that he realized that there was indeed no viable platform to showcase new talent in the North East. Hence germinated the intent to tap and promote hidden talent, and give such bands and artists an opportunity to showcase their abilities. Vikram ran his idea by Rajib Kalita who has been working on uplifting the musicians and artists of North East India region for over a decade. He in turn expressed his agreement, and what followed was months of planning and preparation that culminated in Weekend Jam.

The shows in the pilot program were promoted by word of mouth only and were self-sponsored. Even though the first two concerts had less than satisfactory response, the rest of the concerts were held in front of a jam-packed audience.

The essence behind Weekend Jam being fusion, I ask Vikram how it was any different from the popular Coke Studio and the more recent Dewarists. “This is not a studio program”, Vikram replies, “this is a full fledged concert where in we open the performances to public, and it doubles up as a television program”. Furthermore, Weekend Jam has a deep-rooted objective of not just uplifting folk music and musical abilities but also to create a musically inclined practical learning environment and to create career opportunities in the field of music. “The idea is to develop Guwahati as the folk musical hub of India by 2018.” Vikram says, “What Mumbai is to commercial music, Guwahati should be to folk music”. Vikram is confident that the objective is quite achievable, given that all the people involved have two things in common: a passion for music and a commitment for lifetime. They call themselves, “a bunch of lunatics just looking for the light at the end of the tunnel” in jest, but from what it looks like so far, Weekend Jam is a one of a kind initiative, and we at Fried Eye wish it all the success come April.

You can visit the Facebook page of Weekend Jam at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Weekend-Jam/230610343678330 for updates and videos of the concerts.

Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/vikramgogoi?feature=mhee

India Sixties and beyond music.

The sixties was an eventful time. The decade was marked with the success of the first man on space – Yuri Gagarin. It was the period of emergence of Che Guevara, John F Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr and their tragic deaths. Of the most severe and deadliest earthquake recorded in the recent times- The great Chilean earthquake ; Of cultural revolutions and social upheavals;of the rise of feminism and gay rights. Yes, the period was aptly called the Swinging sixties. It was in the sixties when a cultural revolution of sorts was noted in India when Beatles sang Norwegian wood,  a raga rock, inspired by Ravi Shankar and rise of some talented beat groups in the mid sixties like the Mystiks, Flintstones etc. What started back then with small baby steps is now an altogether snazzy scene in itself. But in the razzle dazzle of todays music scenario many youngsters have lost the connecting threads of history to our glorious times of the sixties and seventies. India sixties and beyond music is one such initiative that deserves applause in large measure for its attempts to preserve and promote those moments from history when the rock music industry was trying to carve a place for itself  and its future musicians  . And the promising scenario that it now boasts of is in fact due to the strong foundation that founders such as late Amit Saigal, editor of Rock Street Journal and magazines like Junior Statesman had built up back then.

India Sixties and beyond music is a facebook fan page started by Joseph Pereira, a journalist, music enthusiast, musician, music historian and author of books like Legends of Golden Venus. Indian by origin and now based in Singapore, Pereira had always been fascinated with Indian rock scene, an interest fueled by stories narrated to him by his cousin brother about the Indian music scene back in the sixties and probably that was when the germ of an idea for the fan page was formed. The memorabilia and information that the fan page boasts of in its archive is truly a treasure house. Fried Eye had the opportunity of interacting with the innovative Mr Pereira which we are sharing with you today as a part of our theme Music – A broader perspective.

FE- India sixties and beyond music- how would you describe it? A hobby? A passion ? a commitment? A project? Or everything ?

JP- It is to give Indians a sense of pride in their music scene. To let them know it is coming close to half century now. The bands and singers that started out in the early sixties and onwards into the seventies, eighties, nineties, and the first twelve years of this decade. Each generation gets inspired by those who came before them. Even the present generation take their cues from the Western scene. But surely they must have been aware of Indian musicians who have come before them and performed and recorded. They have added to the scene.

FE-You have mentioned in interviews of being fascinated by the music scene of India in the sixties. What exactly was the clinching point or the deciding factor that made you go ahead and form the fan page ?

JP- I knew there were blogs and other pages on the Net. I have seen them and I just decided to start one and add to it.

FE-What can a fan expect from the page?

JP- Initially we started with the page with visuals and links to songs that are on the Net. Then I set about building up data on the bands and singers. That will take a lot of work as I try to make contacts with musicians and get their stories down. Then we also mention current happenings when we hear about it especially if it is mentioned on the Net. I cannot compete with Rock Street Journal and the mainstream dailies. We just add another channel. Hopefully it builds.

George Harrison recording Wonder Wall in Bombay in 1969

FE-The normal course of action is a website leading to a fan page but here, you have started out on facebook first. You plan to chronicle a book on those lines too. Do you have any future plans of a website catering to a greater audience on this theme?

JP- Books will be done by other scholars and researchers. I am just trying to create excitement and awareness. Think of the Western scene where even stalwarts of eons ago like Beatles and Rolling Stones are dissected. We try to do similar for the Indian scene.

FE-As a suggestion you had mentioned , about selection criteria. I am genuinely intrigued. Is there a selection criteria for inclusions into the archives? If so, may we know what they are?

JP-No selection criteria. Initially I started the page titled India Sixties Music. Then Radha Thomas who sang with Human Bondage in the sixties suggested opening it up to include music that came later all the way to the present. I agreed to that and we changed the title to India Sixties And Beyond Music.

FE-Is India sixties and beyond music a one man show ? (other than the fans of course)

JP- Yes it is. It is one man now. But I have many mentors and friends who encourage and give help. I am grateful to them. I have also made many friends in India because of this site and I think that is wonderful.

FE-What I meant to ask was is there any other person officially on the team other than yourself? And If somebody wanted to volunteer to be on the team…

- I would welcome additions to the team because one single person could not possibly cover the entire Indian music scene.

FE-What were the challenges that you had faced on the project? Information? Manpower? Finances? Response from the people in general? Cynicism?

JP- Initially information. Because I am quite remote being in Singapore. But the net is a great help and there is much information on the Net and music on You Tube. I have made contact with a German who has an amazing blog titled www.hindustanivinyl.com

He made contact and made available some rare recordings on the blog. He sells Indian records but has been generous enough to share songs by artistes like Cavaliers, Raja Andrews And The Nawabs, Savages, Usha Iyer etc

Manpower is not a problem unless it grows really big. It is doable for now. The challenge is to keep it going. The response has been encouraging. I have had comments like “About time” and “More please”. Discussion about bands and music would be great to keep dialogue going. Then there have been people asking for information on a particular act and that gets me going finding information. I don’t really detect cynicism yet. It will come though.

FE-Any legacy if not passed down to the next generation becomes lost in history. And the gen next is a restless , inquisitive lot. How do you plan to involve them and hold their interest? What newer things can we expect from the page?

JP-Your first statement holds true. Once it gets too remote it loses touch. That is when it diminishes and vanishes in the mists of time. Capture it, documents it and then pass it on. More discussion, more suggestions and perhaps give the young generation a desire to be a journeyman musician. Musicians are called I think. Like people of the cloth, medicine, law, journalism. You cannot explain why.

FE-Fascination seems the primary response you had for India sixties music scene. Now that you have reached out, collected memorabilia, extracted data, observed and discussed about it, add to it you have done a similar project on the Singapore music scene of the sixties, a musician yourself-could we have a detailed dissection about the India sixties and seventies music scene? How different is the present scenario from the times back then?

JP- In the present days resources abound. In the old days meaning the sixties people learned to make do. For example, India had an import ban on music equipment and instruments. This resulted in people in bands resorting to home made amplification or amps made locally. But it created an opportunity for home grown luthiers to practise their craft. Meaning made in India instruments. Before the electric bass made their appearance, six string guitars were used in which the designated bass players played bass riffs. Of course they sounded tinny. Because they did not have the requisite bottom. In spite of handicaps like the above mentioned the bands persisted. Records were hard to come by and there was much sharing. In those desperate circumstances creation was all the more precious and remembered in that back drop becomes more poignant.

Hearts were big then and desire desperate. I needed to be in a band, I will sell my soul to learn an instrument. These are just touchpoints. I will need many hours and many lines in order to dissect the scene in a question. That is what the site is for. To do that. Dissect the scene ad nauseam. Out of that comes understanding and lessons for the present.

FE -Can we expect a bigger picture in the future? Like the general all encompassing Music scenario of the world? A kind of database, archives of the evolution of western music since the early twentieth century?( I ask this because in one of your comment thread in facebook, I read someone, a student of music I think expressing the need for one as there was hardly any organised content regarding this)

- That would be nearly impossible. At best one could do countries. Even a sub continent like India with over a billion people would theoretically have a huge scene. Look at the different states in India all having their own scene. Geographically it is wide. To cover it in depth requires work and resources and time. Best to start with a smaller area defined by time. Like India Sixties and focus on that. Another expert on India Seventies, another on India Eighties, another on India Nineties and so forth. Then cover it thoroughly. The resources are there and it is easier to reach out. But a World Database is a nearly impossible scenario. Lofty but impossible.

Well Mr Pereira certainly have overcome two humongous tasks that he had set out to do. (He has done similar research on the Singapore Music scene too) and though he humbly states that it is near impossible to create a world database, seeing his determination and dedication, it will not be surprising to see him exactly do that. At least our best wishes are certainly with him.

You can follow India sixties and beyond music fan page by visiting it through this link

http://www.facebook.com/pages/India-Sixties-and-Beyond-Music/147952891964475?ref=ts

Time: Half past ten on a pleasant autumn evening sometime in November

Place: Inside a taxi somewhere in the streets of Ho Chi Minh City

A football match between Malaysia and Indonesia is going on somewhere in the world and the enthusiastic taxi driver listens to the live commentary on the radio. It is half time and the commentary is interrupted by an intriguing piece of music that is followed by a song. Yours truly inside the taxi can almost feel her ears cocking as she tries to catch some words of the song. The singer’s voice sounds familiar but she can’t quite put her finger on it. She manages to catch “Come on to the dance floor” and some “It is the something flowing in your something” before the song is replaced by commentary.

Time: Midnight of that same pleasant autumn evening.

Place: A bedroom in a guest house in the same city.

Yours truly sits with her iPad cradled on her lap Googling “Come on to the dance floor” and checking lyrics of a hundred songs, before realizing the search is futile. The song remains elusive and she forgets the tune of the song while scanning the lyrics for the better part of an hour.

Time: Seven in the morning the next day

Place: The same bedroom in the same guest house.

Yours truly suddenly wakes up with the tune of the elusive song playing inside her mind on a loop, and realizes the song is still haunting her. And the next thought that comes to her mind, “If only there were a place to search a song by its tune!” which leads to the next thought, “Of course there is!”. Enter the hero of this true story, the iPad app called SoundHound. Thirty seconds of humming the tune into the microphone and a list of songs come up. Your truly finally finds her song, the very first on the list: “Forca” by Nelly Furtado.

Time: Five minutes later

Place: Duh!

Yours truly almost doubles up in laughter. No wonder she didn’t come up with the right song despite her obsessive hunt the previous night, given the chorus of the song is “Como una forca” and definitely not “Come on to the dance floor”.

Good story, you think? This is what I go through almost every other day. I am an obsessive compulsive music hunter and I am here to make you one. Yes, just like vampires.

Jokes apart, this piece is for those people who want to “find” good music, and do not know where to look for it. Specially if you are like me and love to discover good songs rather than having others suggest you songs of their choice. Having made quite a few playlists for my friends, and having spent a lot of time with people suggesting music to them, I realized that the “hunt for music” is in reality a very methodical task. With one basic requirement: obsession. Now if you are done with my effusive prelude we can move on to business.

Google thy songs: The most exciting way to “discover” a new song is to keep your ears open while watching a movie or your favorite soap. I have found quite a few jewels like that. If you are patient enough to wait till the end credits of the movie, chances are you will find the song and the artist, but if you are not, just keep a note of as many words in the song as you can, and Google the words. Even easier is to simply search for the soundtrack list of the movie. Finding a song from a series might not be that simple but knowing the season number and the episode number helps. Once you find the song, check if there are other versions of the song. See if you like them better.

Keep thy hunt on: Now while most people would stop once they find a song, my obsessive hunter instincts tell me to listen to more songs of that album, and then from different albums of the same artist. Sometimes it so happens that I actually end up listening to the other songs by the same artist more than the one that brought me there in the first place. I remember discovering Alexi Murdoch while watching “Away We Go” (almost all the songs in the movie are by the artist) and Michael Andrews while watching “Me and You and Everyone We Know). In case of the latter I didn’t even have a song to work with. It was just a piece of the background score that got me hooked. And in the process I found more brilliant pieces by the artists.

Know thy genre: While genres like Rock, Hip-Hop, and Jazz sound familiar and are easy to relate to, sometimes you might chance upon a whole new genre you had never known you could like. While hunting down the song “This is The Thing” after hearing it in some movie (or maybe in Castle, I forget) I ended up downloading the entire album “Sort of Revolution” by Fink and noticed the genre being shown as Lo-Fi on iTunes. Never having heard of it before I searched for more information and ended up with a list of Lo-Fi (Low Fidelity) bands. The next logical step was of course to listen to one or two songs each from as many bands as I could, and coming up with interesting ones. It was only then that I realized that one of my old favorites, “First Day of My Life” by Bright Eyes is actually a Lo-Fi number.

Subscribe to thy music: To YouTube channels, to be very specific really. Almost all artists/bands have a Vevo channel in YouTube, which is where you find the official videos of the latest releases. Vevo also provides with a small playlist of similar songs as suggestion. Hunt, hunt, hunt. Let the artist lead you to the song or let the song lead you to the artist; let the song lead you to other songs and let those songs lead you to the artists. The process is unending, and immensely satisfying. I also chanced upon the Tehelka Music Project once, and immediately subscribed to their channel in YouTube. Result? Interesting beautiful music delivered straight to my mail.

Befriend thy music sites (and apps): Although there are many such sites floating on the web, I am personally a big fan of Grooveshark. While letting me listen to my music without any interruptions, Grooveshark also provides me with a list of popular songs by the month and by the day. While popular doesn’t always equate likeable, it does help to know what the others are listening to. Over the years I have found out that most of the popular songs in Grooveshark match the ones in the Official UK Top 40 singles that get released every fortnight. Which reminds me, yes, for the latest hip-hop and R&B and the alternative, try catching up on the Official UK Top 40 singles once in a while. Even though most of the songs are of the “younger” taste with a lot of “mm-chk-mm-chk” there are some amazing songs tucked in there. As for the apps, there are a lot of virtual radios (like JazzFM for jazz) which play music all day long for you to chance upon a good song, as well as dedicated music apps (like SoundCloud) which let you listen to music of your choice.

So who has the time, you ask? That’s why I mentioned obsession as a requirement you see. If you really want to listen to some good music in that hour long commute to your office day in day out, isn’t it worth taking an hour out in the weekend to “find” some good music even as you check your mails? Specially since one never has to consciously pay attention to find good music. Good music will make you stop doing what you are doing, and demand attention. A good song will tease you and tempt you till you yield in and give it a listen. And a hundred more. A good song will wake you up in the morning and carry you through your day. And a good song will make you believe in the joy of discovery even if you have forgotten that life has something new to offer, everyday.

In the second of the series of Passion and Innovation , we are bringing before you a group called Delhi Jam and no they are not a band, nor a group of musicians, not even fan in the truest sense, but they are a group of people dedicated to music and who are bound by a common thread of Passion and who have found an innovative way to channelise their passion and creative streak.

After hour life for most of us is close to nothing. We are down by the time we return from office and it seems to be possible only in fictional life as they show in “After hour” TV commercial. However there are some who make it possible. The Delhi Jam is one such attempt. At first look, they seem to be a professional rock band with talented members however that is not true. “The Delhi Jam is, by no measure, a music band. To a naïve degree, we can maybe call it a music outfit or a weekend jamming platform. “ , says guitarist Parashar Kashyap who also happens to be the COO of online insurance provider Policy Tiger.

It all started when a group of friends decided to make a rendition of “Stand by Me”, inspired by the version of the same song from a cult movement called “Playing for Change”. Some kind words and positive feedback inspired them to take it forward and it became an open pad for anyone who could come, play and jam. However like all great sounding ideas it too started to reach its point of fatigue. Many left succumbing to the rigors of the mundane corporate life. Finally the sediments from this exercise resulted in four of the current members trying to keep the idea afloat- with some reservations of course.

“We decided to bring/sing back those songs which have left showbiz for quite some time now. Thus we started covering bands like Grateful Dead, Derek and the Dominoes, Bob Dylan, Muddy Waters, Peter Paul & Mary et al. The modus operandi was simple and it worked. We understood our limitations as working professionals. So we slogged our way through the corporate tantrums for five days of the week and jammed on weekends. Once a song is done, we made a video out of it and posted it on YouTube as The Delhi Jam.” , Parashar narrates.

At present the active members of this outfit are Krantik Bordoloi, an International Tax consultant at KPMG, Parashar Kashyap, COO at Policy Tiger, Rohit Kr Chaudhury, Assistant Producer and Director at Encompass and Bipasha K Kashyap, an IAS aspirant. These people are talented and very humble. Perhaps, that sets them apart from the crowd. So, if you are in Delhi or nearby areas and interested in what they do, do join them in one of their jam sessions.

Pip of the Fourth Mother or commonly known by the acronym POT FM is a band that has put back the long lost Shillong’s alternative music scene in the Nation’s alternative rock map. I again Having their singles (a) Shillong & (b) I thought I was a protégé featured in compilations of nation- wide fame as well as internationally acknowledged in the likes of Stupid Ditties 4 & Vs. The world. This band with no denial of any sort have to be admitted in the mindset of anyone who has experience a fair share of their music both live & even on tape, to be considered as one of the most promising & unpretentious power-pop outfit of the Northeastern region who delivers a top-notch brand of pop oriented vocal lines weft on a dynamic punk-ridden instrumentation sonically that features a stencil of the following: twangier guitar riffs accompanied with groovy bass lines & an unmanipulated but authenticated hardcore drumming all this; peppered with a vibrant stage act makes them a complete package. Not only that, but this band is also, a one of a kind rather rare to find in the present music circuit, which is plagued by newbies kind of nOOb bands, predictably to be found at almost every college competitions only during the college fest season. Anyway I’m not going to delve myself on that issue because I don’t have all the time in the world to review on such bands when I know I have much better things to do in life. Getting back to POT FM, this particular alt-pop rock outfit stands apart from the rest of the pack. Reason being, they always bring a fresh & enjoyable sound which one could associate it with every possible flooding emotions that undergoes through one’s system, heart & soul. I know, now you’re probably questioning yourself as to, why? & how? Are they so impactful for that matter? Well, I’m not answering that for you but wait! Here’s the deal. I caught the lads just recently again and right then decided to get to know them and their music better than I already know. I mean I can’t just live with the minimal info that I have about this band, knowing that they this particular bunch is worth keeping an eye for in the long run. Also, I take this as an opportunity to enhance your knowledge concerning POT FM to a higher level, so sit tight & read on. They had already been introduced earlier. This will help us know about them some more

1. Hi guys, first & foremost tell me about how you three intent to wrap up this year’s calendar?

POT FM: Hey man. We are not really sure of how to wrap things up but we are really exhausted after our IRock experience. We will be starting our recording sessions soon and once we do, we won’t stop till we’re done with it. Until then, we don’t know.

2. Alright, with that now I’d like to know more about your IROCK experience. How does it feel like to have been there & did the thing that u love to do the most?

POT FM: Man it’s a really overwhelming feeling to have been a part of it. The Big Stage, the Big Sound System, being on national TV! We are looking forward for better things next year

3. Cool! Now let’s travel back in time just for a bit though, I really want to know if you guys are still into producing ‘LUN’ which was said to be your acclaimed E.P., there was sort of a hype last year that you were coming up with it but then in turn; as time rolled by this whole idea of the E.P. seem to have vanished into thin air. Could you please share a little bit about this?

POT FM: Haha. Theres a very funny story behind that. Long story cut short; our Hard Drive Crashed!

But that doesn’t mean we won’t be recording. We are on it and it will be better. There’s a twist to what we’re doing too. Sooo..stay tuned

4. Okay, what is your ultimate ambition as a band?

POT FM: Hmm.. to make our lives and everyone else’s worthwhile. Being in a band makes life much more easier.

5. Interesting, I read in your bio that your lyrics are very “tongue-in- cheek” with regards to that. Lyrically & thematically what sort of approach are you guys taking?

POT FM: We’re talking about catchy, easy to digest and in your face lyrics. At least for us they are..hmm..we still wonder… Bleh!

6. In terms of production you guys have always taken the DIY route I believe, do you plan to continue doing things this way concerning the production aspect or are you guys looking forward for a major record deal sooner or later.

POT FM: Yes we are on it and there are many deciding factors as well. This is the tough part we are on as a band as of now.

7. What’s been the best gig of your musical career life so far?

POT FM: All of them were different and memorable. The Rockathon in pune was a blast! So was HET in Delhi.. oh! the Irock zonal in Kolkata was interesting and so was the Irock Finale in Kolkata. Hmm..dont know man.

8. And lastly, what’s next in the POT FM shop. (Your desires…) For the new year : D

POT FM: Ohh.. more gear! We have a lot on our wishlist. Don’t we all? heh

For the lazy me, concerts are rarely a scene. Though I love the energy of stage performances, music for me is best in the quietness of my room. That’s the reason I resisted when my friend Victor Mukherjee, a music fanatic, asked me to accompany him to the NH7 Weekender in Pune. I tried giving all sorts of reasons – from work to money. None worked out. As fate could have it, I got an off on the last day of the music fest. And I found myself making way to Pune with another friend Jigar, early on Sunday the 20^th of November, 2011.

Angarag Papon Mahanta at NH7

After some initial hiccups I reached Pune, a far quieter city than the boisterous Mumbai. I grudgingly made way to the location… Damn! The heat burnt my skin!

More than half an hour of queuing after shelling out Rs 750 for the day’s pass we were into the venue. It was a funny sight at first. People wearing strangest of clothes in name of haute couture, and of course weirdest of wigs! And there were also the ones who were figuring out ways of smuggling in their joints and hash, which were not allowed inside the heavily guarded place.

Victor, who attended the fest the day before too showed us around from stage to stage. We decided to stick to the Dewarists stage. It was where The East India Company was to perform – my only interest in the entire fest. Angaraag Mahanta, now known as Papon, who is the lead singer of the band happens to be a personal favourite.

As we walked in a Swedish band was already performing. But the fun started after that. Swarathma took the stage and belted out some cool numbers, including one from the new album Topiwale. Midway through the song lead singer Vashu Dixt walked off the song into the crowd, and interacted with people as he continued singing. The crowed was suddenly alive as the sun slowly gave way to dusk.

After Swarthma, it was time for Dhruv Ghanekar. With his band members he played out some awesome numbers. Dhruv happens to be the founding members of the famous Blue Frog in Mumbai. Mid-way through the performance though we decided to check out what’s happening at other stages. And given Victor’s love for Rock and Metal, I found myself following him into the Death metal den. Oh… whoever defined noise as music! As you see, I am prejudiced. Never found someone making weird vocal noise and deafening drum beats to be a part of music. Ages back Mohd. Rafi had very beautifully sung ‘teen kanaster peet peet kar, gala phar ke chillana… na gana hai na bajana hai’. And I still find myself singing the song when someone talks about Death Metal.

We quickly made our way back to the Dewarists stage as Dhruv was finishing off his gig. Interestingly as I entered the arena I could smell the whiff of ganja. Where there is a will there is way. Without a doubt some smart chaps had managed to smuggle in their material into the campus. Of course most others had glasses filled with Bacardi – the official sponsors. I have never been able to fathom why getting inebriated is so necessary to enjoy a good evening. Nothing to complain though; each to his own!

Now was the time for The East India Company to take to stage. Though I have met Papon in person and shared an evening of two in his musical company, this was the first time I got to witness him on stage. And I realized why people love him. Charmer, that’s what he is. Easily the singer who bagged most number of female cheers that evening. That was not all. After belting out a number from their forthcoming album Papon sung a new song Dine Dine, which was earlier meant to be a part of Coke Studio. The assamese folk song caught everyone off guard. While some complained, most loved it. And then was his smartest move. Sensing the environment of dope and alcohol, Papon unleashed Banao Banao. He added small anecdotes in between keeping it lively. People sung un chorus. Couple of songs later he had to give up the stage to the most awaited performance of the weekend – Indian Ocean!

Indian Ocean was introduced as the country’s biggest band right now. And their first song justified the tag. As bass guitarist and vocalist Rahul Ram sung out the first line of their most famous track Bandeh the energy in the crowd suddenly grew in magnitude. Each of us screamed in unison at the top of our voices… an untrained chorus. The campus was alive. Indian Ocean performed for close to an hour and by the end we were all drained. The crowed had performed too!

The last bit was to be where all artists were to perform one number each. But by then we were fairly out of energy. As we walked out I heard Papon singing another version of Banao and the crowed singing along.

The comfort of the car was awesome. As we drove through the streets of Pune towards the highway, there was hardly much to be said. The experience was just sinking in. The lazy me had no option but to thank Victor. Yes it was worth all the trouble. Waking up at 4 am in the morning on my day off, heading to Dadar station, a four-hour bus journey to Pune, and the queue in heat… it was well worth it. NH7 weekender at least gave me a new band to listen to. Maybe next year too…

However, there was this one word of caution. Regardless of the fact that I agree kids should be opened up to all such experience, I wonder if parents should taken toddlers to such an event where dope is so much in the air! But then, that’s life… Kabhi  Khushi, Kabhi Gham!