ISSN 0974 – 9128
Volume II Issue 01 April 2009
AR Rahman | Bob Dylan | Motherjane
Contributors George Thomas
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A producer of films like Theekanal from the age of 22. He is experienced in running theatres and film distribution.
he edit PAD
Vijay Iyer Vijay Mohan Iyer, a music fanatic is associated with the K M Musiq Label.
Sunandha Ragunathan A literature student from the University of Westminister. An ardent admirer of Chennai which has her hooked on to its every nuance.
Mihir Ranganathan An Illustrator, designer, cartoonist, and a guitarist who overdoses on music and considers it an art.
Ashok Subramaniam A software professional, trained classical musician and a teacher based in Morgan Hills, California.
Solomon Porres A popular Radio Jockey with Radio City and much sought after commentator, music enthusiast and critic.
How many ever times it has been said, discussed or debated, it always is worth a mention – more so, when history is created. Especially when it comes in proportions this gigantic and happens so close by; you can actually hear the bated breaths and sighs of relief mingling with the riot of cheers. When AR Rahman returned to the country he’s long made proud with a host of coveted awards, the joy around was almost tangible. There can never be enough of Rahman and we wanted to start our second volume with the one man we unanimously look up to! A man this gifted has innumerable facets and every article ever written about him is an attempt at discovering and unravelling a new facet to this remarkable individual. As we enter our second year in print, in tune with the chords around, we look to acknowledge and celebrate the glory of the individual. An enthusiastic young band, a seasoned veteran standing rooted in the music world, an adventurer who finds no snow-capped peaks foreboding, the fast, furious and the fashionable ones. Our attempt at making a different difference continues. Just last year, we had an energetic individual in our midst – a friend, well-wisher and writer. An unfortunate accident took him cruelly away from us but he stays with us now as a memory. Without sounding preachy, this is an earnest appeal from all of us at The Score Magazine, to please be safe and drive safer. You never know who you could snatch away or leave behind. This issue is dedicated to the memory of Vikram Vishveswaran.
Nikila Srinivasan Editor in chief
Cover courtesy Selvakumar T ‘The Score Magazine’ is wholly owned and published by
Nikila Srinivasan has been a columnist and contributor for several reputed national publications and has authored three books. She has had the honour of being one of India’s Olympic torchbearers at the Athens 2004 Olympic Torch Relay.
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APRIL 2009
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THE FIRST FAMILY OF MUSIC
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BEYOND THE DARGAH
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STRINGING SMILES ON A GLOBAL SKEWER
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FORMIDABL-E FLAT
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FOREVER YOUNG
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APPETITE FOR DESTRUCTION
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SATCH A CONTROVERSY
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RETURN OF THE OCTANE RUSH
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CHASING THE SUN
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ON TOP OF THE WORLD PART II
Editor-in-chief Nikila Srinivasan Executive Editor Daniel Thimmayya Operations Ajay Prabhakar Creatives Alan Hadle Hamilton Production Fayaz Mohammed Chief Designer Mohammad Irfan, Magesh R Graphics Vinayak Vohra, K Ram Ganesh Marketing V M Pragash Distribution Lohith Reddy, Ashwin Shekar, Indrani Kalyan Content Advisor Solomon Porres Art Advisor Mihir Ranganathan Photography G Venkata Krishnan, Ajay Prabhakar, T Selvakumar
The First
Family of
Music Jyoti Nair
Cover Story
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H
e has begun to loom in the music world as one who comprehends global trends in music. Rejecting formalism with experiments in sound and texture, he has produced music that speaks to the masses and is true to their sensibilities. At the KM Music Conservatory that he founded in 2008, he says: “I try to bring out something unique in the general spirit of the situation without benefit of experience from the past, so that each piece is a piece in perspective; new, different, free and without outside interference.” It would perhaps be appropriate to quote the great Urdu poet Behjad Lakhnavi on his aspirations and their gratification. Aye jazba-e-dil gar main chaahoon, har cheez muqabil aa jaye manzil ke liye duo gaam chaloon aur samne manzil aa jaye Passion can see the realization of a dream Two measured steps and the goal is reached. Rahman has composed several pieces on political themes. From his wildly powerful Vande Mataram to the haunting music in Bombay, his music liberates, but also provokes his millions-wide audience to feel and think along different lines. Rahman firmly believes that a career in music is a viable option. It is in this context that the intermediate courses in technology have been conceived at the KM Music Conservatory. According to his students, the courses are tailor-made to fit the needs of the music industry. As to where they visualize themselves in ten years’ time, they are utterly devoted to their guru, reminding me of the famous lines of Zauk (with apologies to Zauk): kaun jaye Zauk, yeh Rahman ki galian chhod kar. Who will forsake the street where Rahman lives? Rahman has a predictably astute understanding of market forces and notes the recurrent phenomena of unemployment in India’s music industry. The KMMC, he holds, is a “small step” in addressing this problem. “It is not enough to start an institution. Success is measured by the yard-stick of satisfaction
and the teaching must reflect and address that concern.” Nearer home he has adopted the MGR Corporation School children and gives them lessons three times a week on the cello, violin and the viola. These children belong to the same street in Kodambakkam where he lives and get the same education and exposure to concerts that the enrolled students at the Conservatory receive. But Rahman does not wish to publicize this, feeling the Conservatory needs to do more first. It’s basic goal itself, according to Mr. Selvakumar, its CEO, is the establishment of an orchestra. Of Rahman’s father, the composer Mr R.K. Sekar, his daughter Raihanah says that he worked for 22 hours a day under 12 music directors at the same time. “He saw to each and every detail from recording to arranging and just as he was on his maiden independent venture Chotinikkara Bhagawathi, he passed away.” Since then the image of Rahman’s vitality and the dream have taken on further meaning. Rahman comes forth as a disciplined man – measuring to strict and stringent standards. Apart from the piety and prayers of his mother, he has the silent support of his beautiful wife Saira who believes she is his best critic and like a fan, has an instinctive response to his numbers. She remembers a particular composition from the Oscar winning film Slumdog Millionaire fondly, “We were in London when O Saya was being created. It is my favourite track. Time has come to a standstill for me, in relation to this song. If I can be poetic, it is like a moment arrested in eternity. I am told that the song is an ode to me.” As to how she visualizes the music of her children, she replies matter-of-factly, “It is too early to say about the little ones; the elder girl Khatija has a sweet voice and is training.” Saira is a picture of serenity and conscious of the prayers of millions all over the world. She recognizes their role in his success. “Their prayers were answered along with his hard work.” Rahman has revolutionized music and taken it to great heights. His adventurous spirit of enquiry and experiments in music eminently suit the new temperament of our age.
The SCORE Magazine | April 2009
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Students of the MGR Corporation School, spending time at the KM conservatory
The Story
Unfolds Tripti Gandhi
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efore coming here I was both nervous and excited. The only time I felt like this was before my marriage said AR Rahman before accepting his first Oscar earlier this year. From a shy and reticent young man preferring to let his work speak to making an all-Hollywood ensemble smile with that line, Rahman has indeed traversed a long journey. Tracking the spectacular growth and popularity of Rahman’s music, it is evident that every half a decade or so comes a powerful thrust that orbits him into a completely new territory devoid of any competition whatsoever. Consider this : 1992 – Roja – a soundtrack with a refreshingly fresh approach. A sound that India had never heard before. 1997 – Just when people were settling down to ‘the Rahman sound’, Vande Mataram happened. A completely new genre of music that mixed the unconventional with the traditional and gave the youth of the nation something to think and hum about. Rahman also became the first south Asian artiste to be signed up by Sony music. “Okay so he has done a few films and an album which most of the Bollywood composers do, so what?” commented a Mumbai filmmaker a few years after Vande Matram had released. He would soon find out! 2002 - Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Bombay Dreams with Rahman’s music opened at London’s West End to packed houses and critical acclaim making Rahman an international celebrity.
Cover Story
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2007 - JRR Tolkien’s stage adaptation of ‘The Lord of the Rings’ debuted in Toronto, Canada and moved to London. This time Rahman shared the scoring credits with Finnish band Vartina. But lately, even the Almighty doesn’t seem to want to wait for long. If one were to extend the successful run period post LOTR, Rahman started working on the Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack in 2008 and has more recently created history in 2009 by being the first Indian to win two Oscars. Add to this the fact that he has also had a hat trick of double whammies by winning awards for the Best Music and Best Background Score at the Screen, Filmfare and Radio Mirchi awards. Rahman also endorses the fact that everyone has a right to his or her opinion and that nobody should be abhorred because they don’t like something about his music. At many an awards function, he has said that he felt awkward accepting the award and that his contemporaries compose good music too. However, what is perhaps interesting yet unfortunately true is that criticizing Rahman gets the critic himself five minutes of fame which he would have otherwise never got. After the stupendous success of Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge a decade ago, composers Jatin-Lalit, taking a dig at Rahman had said “Just because we don’t wear our hair long and don’t keep producers awake all night doesn’t mean we are not in the top league. Let us find out ten years later who is still around…”
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The SCORE Magazine | April 2009
Of course, Jatin and Lalit parted ways a few years back and not much has been heard about them but their niece Shradha Pandit recently sang for Rahman on the Delhi 6 soundtrack. Online fan communities, ever so eager to stir up a hornet’s nest, constantly fish for controversies prompting even Rahman to appeal to his fans to treat everyone (musicians and their fans) with respect. The so-called Ilayaraja vs AR Rahman controversy again invented by over zealous fans was put to rest when Ilayaraja and Rahman came on a common platform post the Oscars and both acknowledged the high regard that they had for each other’s work. Rahman says that others’ criticism of his work inspires him to raise the bar higher and deliver even better stuff. While one constant criticism has been that he sounds repetitive, Rahman has probably experimented with more genres of music than anybody else has. Indian classical, western classical, ghazals, thumris, Tamil folk, hiphop, R & B, drum n bass, lounge, trance, opera, rock…the list is endless. People who work with him swear by his fantastic sense of humour as much as they dread his penchant for perfection which makes them toil for hours together in the quest for the perfect note, pitch and sound. But there’s one thing that’s always guaranteed when you meet the man himself. He’s ever so unassuming, modest and simple at heart with his feet firmly on the ground. He likes the same
things that you and me like albeit with a difference…you like driving, so does he except that he drives a BMW. You like gadgets, so does he except that his gadgets are all Apple makes. You like drive-in restaurants, so does he except that he has to keep the windows rolled-up. You like watching movies, so does he except that he has a state-of the art home theatre at home and yes, you like music, so does he except he also creates amazing music! Rahman’s generosity whether monetary or otherwise is legendary. He has initiated the AR Rahman foundation and donated Rs 25 lakh last year to the South Musicians Association for helping those who were without work and in need. There are countless instances of him interacting with fans and taking them completely by surprise whether at airport lounges, hotel lobbies etc. In a country where people are used to idol worshipping their icons, even a photo-op with them is considered a privilege and to think that Rahman chats up with his fans about everything under the sun is simply unthinkable. Can one ever imagine a Sachin or a Shahrukh doing that? But for the Grammy and the Nobel Peace Prize, Rahman has won every possible award under the sun. No wonder then that a section of his well-wishers think that whether it’s an Oscar or a Filmfare, the letters AR are inscribed on them. Would it be fair to label him the greatest superstar this country has ever produced? To borrow from Danny Boyle’s film, IT IS WRITTEN.
amicroscopicworld.blogspot.com
Mihir Ranganathan
Pic: T Selvakumar
Stringing Smiles on a
Global Skewer Daniel Thimmayya
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hat the Oscars’ were a field night for India in many ways was seldom in question. Most of the world’s who’s who at the Kodak Theater were seen grappling with pronunciations of Indian names that would have made many a person from God’s Own Country scandalized. AR Rahman earned a couple more statuettes, ladled out perhaps the first tri-lingual acceptance speech, pushing even host Hugh Jackman’s colourful antics aside and became a larger poster boy than most bookies would have given you odds on. And then there were the kids. How can we forget those little ragamuffins from the slums of Dharavi, all decked up in snazzy attire. Truly it was India shining. But there was another little girl in attendance that night, with quite a distinct Indian connection at that. And it is that small town girl, with as cheerful a name as Pinki, that we are interested in. For it is her story, set in the plains of central India, that swung the Academy’s jury to take the coveted award for Best Documentary of the year. When Megan Mylan decided to make a short film on the work the Smile Train Foundation was doing across the globe with kids suffering from facial clefts, she probably picked India for reasons best known to herself. How she picked the stirring music that many feel has epitomized the soul of suffering and hope, in India is what we do know. As told by the one responsible for it, in person. Left alone, the name Prasanna would probably not trouble the brows of the average person too much. Add the prefix ‘Guitar’ to it and there’s every possibility you might get to see as much animation as the brows can handle. More if it is a music lover; more so if a seasoned connoisseur. Preceding him is tremendous reputation both as a trained Carnatic guitarist (a rarity in itself) and a global musician. Well versed in contemporary styles, Prasanna’s profile, interests and musical inclinations are a subject that may fill many volumes. Of interest though, is his disinclination toward putting a genre to his music and his penchant for originality; as was evident after sitting through a session he handled at the KM Conservatory.
Moving forward, Prasanna who had dabbled a bit in films and advertising, has now largely retreated to performances across the US and India during the music season. It was during one of these, that he received a call from Mylan, “Someone had suggested that I might be able to help her achieve the Indian sound she was looking for, so she called me to see if it led anywhere”, said the guitar virtuoso. What then followed was probably the quickest score that any director could have hoped for. Not that any Guinness stats tumbled but the entire score was done in three days flat. “I watched the movie and loved it so much, I took it up instantly. It took one day of composing and recording, one more to work out reviews and corrections and one to finally work it in and master it”, he reveals with ease. Needless to say, the background score does hold a good deal of Prasanna’s signature style and has his stamp all over it for those accustomed to his work, “Initially she was planning to use sitars and usual Indian sounds, but when I suggested the usage of guitar driven sections, she was quite open to it, and the rest is evident!” For a quick-fire collaboration that certainly hit it off in the major league, the most interesting and possibly freakishly weird part is that both of them have not met in person, till date! “We kept talking over the phone, and though she was only five hours away, we felt it wasn’t quite necessary to make the trip for the recording” What with the freshly ground Oscar glory and all in parting I did wonder aloud what the “thrilled” first time documentary-music director, he was looking forward to from here on, “ First things first. Meet Megan Mylan, it’s high time! Second, get myself a copy of ‘Smile Pinki’. You see, I haven’t seen a copy of the film after completion, even after scouring the net!” he signs off on an amused note. And as for us, I suspect all the fodder over the Oscars will certainly carry forward for a goodish bit. But then again, having people like Prasanna in our corner of the ring, I suppose we’re entitled to it. Wouldn’t you agree?
The SCORE Magazine | April 2009
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In Person
Pix: Sony Music
P Forever
Young Daniel Thimmayya
ull up a search on the points of interest, in music, listed against the year 1959 and you will find your screen filled with quite a bit of chronologically listed information. For a year far removed from the times we now inhabit, quite a few familiar names will catch the average person’s attention. The ever trusty Wikipedia will alert you to the emergence of Ritchie Valens’ cult latino-roll anthem ‘La Bamba’ and his tragic demise in an air crash, as it has listed the opening of ‘The Sound Of Music’ on Broadway. It was also the year that saw the birth of Bryan Adams. What it fails to tell you is that in a remote high school in Minnesota, a lithe young guitar player had the microphone cut off for being too loud. Perhaps, as obscure a beginning as befitting one of the greatest visionaries that the previous two generations beheld, and this one is discovering with reverent awe. And that is where the public first beheld Robert Allen Zimmermann, or as millions across the world have come to know him, Bob Dylan. Attempting to profile Dylan would fail miserably, both due to a voluminous career and intrinsic space constraints of the print medium. What one could actually do is celebrate the life and continuing legacy of perhaps, music’s most revered, influential, underrated yet powerful personalities ever to strum a tune on stage. It has been fifty years since and one may be compelled to ask what it is that has kept the stone rolling through the years. After all not many can actually attribute it to his vocal quality, critics having lambasted it through the decades. This then leaves us with his songwriting and his curiously erratic career path. Looking at the former, Dylan has been hailed as a powerful poet; a formidable distinction for someone based out of Greenwich Village, strewn with artists, musi-
cians and philosophers, in the 60’s. This was attributed to the hard-hitting strains of revolution, protest and personality liberally interlaced in his early work. Not that Dylan was above writing commonplace songs about love, despair, women and drugs alongside provocative compositions aimed at other musicians and critics of his hey-day. As far as his career went, Dylan probably had a fetish for change and one against any manner of constancy; easily evident from his decision to suddenly switch to electric instruments after having been the face of re-emergent acoustic American folk. It was a move that made him vastly unpopular, especially when The Beatles crossed the Atlantic. His born-again period with Christian music giving way to a more refined rock influence, when the world saw the emergence of heavy metal, is another. Constant changes in backing musicians and touring support was a Dylan trademark; as were collaborations with almost every noted musician from George Harrison to Mark Knopfler. The only stream of constancy that one can spot is his ready participation in protests, with powerfully penned words, through the ages; be it against nuclear weapons with ‘A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall’ to the appeal for convicted boxer Rubin Carter with ‘Hurricane’ or the globally televised Live Aid campaign featuring ‘We Are The World’ and more recently, a rebirth of his old single ‘Masters of War’ during the Gulf War. This avatar of outspoken protest, whatever the nature of the cause, is what most Dylan enthusiasts have become accustomed to. The world has awakened, steadily and surely. Dylan’s front line hits from the 60’s fetched him a slew of awards in the 90’s; when honours in music received a touch of organization. Nothing else can justify a single person being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame following several Gram-
my Awards, an Academy Award and a much prized Pulitzer Prize Citation; an unprecedented occurrence. Few of which could ever persuade the singer to take the honour seriously. What has most notably kept Dylan a force to still reckon with in modern music circles is his continued presence, let alone existence. Never one to ride on the past nor shimmy through shows with a tide of reputation carrying him through, he has continued to churn out albums with substantial studio time. The Never Ending Tour that lasted nearly a decade till 2006 had an aging Dylan playing close to a hundred shows every year. Arguably the quality of his vocal performance dwindled with age but the charisma of the preceding decades remained sufficiently intact to draw sold-out shows. Dylan was and still is a huge draw. And there’s more. Having just embarked on his Spring Tour of Europe which runs all the way to July, Dylan is all geared up for the release of his latest studio offering. Titled ‘Together Through Life’, the previews have garnered fantastic response and at the risk of sounding premature, it looks like there’s another winner on the cards. Slated for release on April 27, this will be his 33rd Studio Album, apart from a whopping 58 Singles, 27 Live/Compilation albums and 6 Collaborations. Whoever said keeping score was easy? Adjectives have been lavished and overdone, but there are a few times such as this when even superlatives prove inadequate. Call him a pioneer, a visionary, a prophet even; he’d still be the guy with the harmonica and the guitar looking for things to sing about in a world that could not have seen any less of Bob Dylan. After all, though The Times They Are a-Changing there is at least one man who has what it takes to remain young, for fifty years, if not forever!
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Rewind Mode
Pix: EMI
Satch
a controversy
Ketaki Chandrasekar
VS
Pic: LeAnn Mueller
A borrowed riff, serves as fodder for an increasing rift between Coldplay and Joe Satriani. We took a look at what all the fuss is about.
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My Two Cents
But this is not a debate on the scope of intellectual property rights. The only question on my mind is- Can creativity be boundless or are we limited to the available resources? If bands like The Shins and Dave Matthews can come up with something completely new (Fortunately, without a touch of hip-hop in it. Really, what is it with hiphop being the only thing on TV these days?), why are other bands struggling? The bottom line: Coldplay made a hit and created a niche for themselves with an excellent Plan A which included some exceptional tracks like Yellow, In My Place and The Scientist. Their plan B ended up in a lawsuit. They are a band that almost everyone likes but getting caught up in such a controversy does raise a few questions and eyebrows alike. My biggest issue here is that Coldplay does not have a successful plan B. As for Joe Satriani, he is a fast fading guitar maestro who, in this time of recession, is thinking of alternative investments and ways to make a fast buck.
Siddharth Srinivasan, Guitarist, Junkyard Groove
Eddie, DJ/Musician, Exodus Events “Playing Coldplay’s Viva La Vida strangely reminded me of Anu Malik’s tribute to Bob Marley and his honour to the great Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s Mera Piya Ghar Aaya for Yarana through the song. Satch and Coldplay’s songs come in handy when I need to take a break. I could play both the tracks back to back without anyone knowing the difference. Neither Satch nor Coldplay is at fault, but the guy who usually sells them the tunes ripped both of them off!”
“As musicians, melodies occur to us which might sound radio-friendly, and then you realize someone has already tried that tune somewhere. For rock artists, every other riff you write has a cousin somewhere like in the songs of Led Zeppelin or Black Sabbath. Music and artists through the years do influence you in ways that you aren’t always conscious about. And when you decide to evolve, mistakes do happen and it is not intentional but sub-conscious, so the benefit of doubt has to be awarded. To assume that Coldplay ripped off Satriani when they come from two different genres is silly. They simply have no need to do that.”
Pic: Ebet Roberts
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bout two weeks ago, a friend had asked me to listen to a track from the new Coldplay album. My first reaction was, “No way! I actually like Chris Martin and happen to think his music rocks! X&Y was no fun and I do NOT want another album that sounds like everything else.” Nevertheless I listened to Life in Technicolour and turned down the volume. With that I decided I had had enough of the new album. Then a couple of weeks later, this little piece of information came to me – the Coldplay & Satriani Controversy. Within a few minutes I was online, researching. I had no clue thata) Coldplay had bagged THREE Grammys this year, including Album of the Year b) Joe Satriani had a case of the ol’ sour grapes When I first heard the track Viva La Vida, I thought it was boring and needed something like the characteristic chords of Coldplay like Clocks or Politik to get me interested. The lyrics rhymed! Since when did Chris Martin sing in rhymes? And then like a thunderbolt from Harry’s head it hit me. I was complaining either way! Coldplay have become extremely repetitive but if they try anything new, I would rather have their good old signature sound. In the meantime, this new angle of a Joe Satriani controversy excited me. When I discovered that there was an actual lawsuit filed by Satch accusing Coldplay of plagiarism, I got the Satriani track and did my own little comparative study. Reacting impulsively, it seemed to me that Viva La Vida has borrowed the beat of If I Could Fly and made it their melody, while the initial guitar riff seems to influence Chris Martin’s vocals. I said, “Penny for your thoughts?” to a few friends and this is what came up-
Amrit Rao, Vocalist, 5am “A song or tune can be copyrighted but not melody or scale. In this case both the tracks have the same melody and scale, so there are bound to be similarities. Music, unfortunately, has limitations and is restricted to 7 notes. It is just a coincidence. Can a writer accuse another of using ABCs?” As for me, I write lyrics occasionally. I’d be listening to a song, and because I’m so moved by it, I would start writing some of my own lines. True story – Once I wrote ‘Wake up to see you in a puddle on the floor’ and later realized it has roots in Sheryl Crow’s Tomorrow Never Dies [‘I’m like a puddle on the floor’] Some things just sound right and fit into something that you have created. Although it is perfect, it might belong to someone else. Unless the copy has been made intentionally, there can be no law that states that creativity has to be exclusive.
Sound Waves
Sound Design & Synthesis
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Rishabh Rajan
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reating custom soundscapes, ambience and sound effects for music or film production is a very specialized and focused field. Sound designers for film, television and video games are as much sought after as composers. Being a sound designer used to involve having a very extensive knowledge of analog media like tape, hardware synthesizers and its manipulation, but in the 21st century, it has completely been shifted to the digital domain and every thing is now done with the help of computers. It has also become very modular, as you can design an instrument to process and manipulate sound just the way you may desire. There are numerous software that have been created specifically for sound synthesis and sound design. Some more accessible than others. If you are even remotely thinking about getting involved in this field, you must have a very good understanding of at least one or two of these programs.
Kyma X: Very few people really know about Kyma X but a lot of people have heard the sounds generated from it. If you have seen Wall-E, War of the Worlds(2005), Star Wars (Ep. II and III) or Finding Nemo, you have heard Kyma X in action. It is one of the most used tool by renowned sound designer, Ben Burtt. The main issue with this program is that it requires a signal processing module called Capybara. The other issue is that the cost of this setup can go over $3000.
Csound:
www.highonscore.com
Another great sound design tool made popular by Dr. Richard Boulanger a professor at Berklee College of Music. Csound is probably the oldest ‘C’ based programming language for sound synthesis. Lot of the other programs like MAX/MSP, Reaktor or Tassman don’t have the depth of programmability like Csound. To top that, it’s a free program. The only issue with this program is that there is an incredibly steep learning curve. In the Csound Journal, Jim Bates had mentioned that learning Csound is a lot like learning Chinese. Both languages use thousands of different characters where each character can be used in different contexts.
The SCORE Magazine | April 2009
Chasing the
SUN
Ketaki Chandrasekar
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uraj, Baiju, Clyde, Deepu and John, the guys from Motherjane have taken Indian Music another step forward by being awarded The Best Rock Group in Asia at the Asia Voice Independent Music Awards [AVIMA] 2009. The first song I heard from Motherjane was Chasing the Sun and I was intrigued by it, because of the subtle shifts between the sounds. Somewhere in the middle of a guitar riff, I could’ve sworn I was listening to a carnatic melody being played on a veena, when it was just Baiju working his magic on that lead guitar. I especially liked how there is a sync between vocalist and instrumentalists. There isn’t any individual element that stands apart. And that sort of blend is not easy to achieve; not just for an Indian band but any band.This element of a subtle Indian influence in such a western sound, and with perfect moderation & sync is what sets Motherjane apart. At 19.30 hrs in Mumbai Airport, we caught Suraj for what was intended to be an interview but turned into a friendly chit-chat about music, movies and 9-5 jobs. His reaction to their success at AVIMA was that they were unexpectedly happy about it. Despite the fact that they weren’t thinking much about it [expect for their promoter Eva], they now felt great for having won it. “I think bands should concentrate on making music and have someone else take care of everything else. At least we function like that, and ultimately when something like this happens, it feels great,” he said.
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Rock Reign
This progressive rock band have been a success because of their positive thinking. I tried getting him to tell me about the challenges they’ve faced while having to break out from Kerala or to talk me through what it takes for a band to make it big in India. But Suraj was unflinching in his responses and made it clear that confidence and proactive thinking is all it takes. “Motherjane as a band doesn’t think about how we cannot do something; we think about what we want, and how to go about getting it. I guess that makes us a progressive band in more than just a musical sense. There are bands that succeed and fail right across the globe. So it’s not about Geography. You don’t get to choose the hand you get, but you just have to play it the best way you can.” I then asked him why I only see Rock or Metal bands forming in India. Although I cannot complain, I wondered if the other genres have no scope here. Suraj believes that Metal bands are more in love with their art and are uncompromising about it, which is why there are so many bands out there. They keep doing what they like to do best and if they are persistent, they succeed, unlike a pop act. According to him, India has two categories of music – filmy and non-filmy! And since people these days want something other than filmy, metal/rock music has an avenue to grow because there aren’t many practitioners for other genres. Call me biased, but if his logic is anything to go by, then I guess we’re saved from HipHop or Pop for a few years to come! Motherjane has had several milestones to their credit which is chronologically listed in their website.So which do they cherish the most? Suraj was quick to respond, “For me it is finding these guys. Everything else is an offshoot of that. I think it is all about my relationship with them as nothing would be possible without them.” I responded, “Yeah right, if you’d just won the Grammy I’m sure you’d give me a different answer!” Tactfully he returned “Well, but even that would be because of these guys.” “THE GRAMMY!!!!!”, I screamed “Ha, well maybe you should give me a call when that happens and then you can ask me that question again!” I liked his spirit. The best part about them is that they don’t think they’ve achieved it all, and they keep dreaming big. They’re an ambitious rock band who takes their jobs very seriously. Or as Suraj put it, they are ‘Salaried Rock stars’! Any other profession they practice has become an alternative to their mainstream work – making music.” Although they travel a lot, they do manage to spend time at home and with family. Apparently they seem to be managing a successful balancing act. I asked them if their roots influence their music a lot. “We don’t plan it but each of us brings something different to this band. Where we come from, the
music we listen to, the people we are- and what comes out is just naturally a mixture of styles.” Which raises the question of conflicts.Evidently, I wanted some dirt on the band. But like a seasoned rockstar Suraj responded, “We do have creative conflicts and it does result in our music going off in unplanned tangents to adjust our different perspectives. It is sort of like a bunch of people with different likes having a friendly conversation; except that we’re a band and the conversation is our music.” As our conversation went on amidst his airport dinner and my scribbles on a notepad, I noted that there has been a huge gap between their first 2 albums because of a band reshuffle that involved a change in their guitarist. Once Deepu got into the picture in mid-2005, these guys got to work and subsequently released their new album Maktub in September 2008. Maktub means ‘It is written’ in Arabic, which is just another way for the band to say that this is their destiny. As it turns out we won’t have to wait too long for the next album. They have signed a contract with a label to release 5 albums in 5 years, of which the first is Maktub. They’re even getting their own studio! So looks like we can expect a lot more from this band in the years to come. In fact, they’ve already got 16 tracks in the pipeline and 30-40 shows scheduled per year! Talking of their tracks, these guys have gone digital and gone the extra mile by allowing listeners to download songs directly from their website in a move to kill piracy. People can choose to pay any amount they deem fit or even take it for free. Much like Radiohead, yet the effectiveness does come into question. “It works because it kills piracy. And financially, it works as well. Since October for instance we’ve had 50,000 songs downloaded. Most importantly, we think it is really nice that people try to contribute their bit. It does take a bit of effort and we really appreciate the people who do that. And for everyone else, we’ve given them a legal way of listening to our music.” The band believes that they are all very spiritual, although not always religious. “Spirituality is essential for musicians and perhaps that is reflected in our music.” It sure is. Within 25 minutes of a telephone call, I had this band pegged as one that was not only spiritual but clear in the vision & direction of their music. They take diversity and use it to evolve as a single unit. And this is their success mantra. It is no wonder they managed to bag the Best Rock Band in Asia award. “Any parting words?” I asked. “We are happy that the AVIMA awards will open new doors for us to play all over the world. In many ways that is always the finest reward.” With that Motherjane took off [literally] to Calcutta where they have a gig scheduled. Let’s hope to see them soon in Chennai as well.
The SCORE Magazine | April 2009
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Rock Reign
I Beyond the Dargah Ashok Subramaniam
t is often said that music and melody are above all man made borders, divisions of geography, religion, race and the like. That’s probably true because the human race has always used music as an instrument of devotion and prayer ever since the first notes were discovered and sung by a human soul. Music of some form or other has always been part of religious worship across the world. “Today, like every other day, we wake up empty and frightened,” noted the great Sufi mystic Jalaluddin Rumi in the 13th century. “Don’t open the door to the study and begin reading,” he writes. Instead, “Take down a musical instrument. Let the beauty we love be what we do.” Sufism is the mystical and ancient branch of Islam that emphasizes the seeker’s path toward blissful unity with God. This path is richly woven with many means to ‘remembering God’, or dhikr (zhikr), including chanting the names of God, prayer, meditation, poetry, Qur’anic recitation, praise and music. While ‘orthodox’ Islam looks down on music, many Sufi traditions seek to utilize its emotive and communal power towards the goal of dhikr. One central form of group dhikr is called sama. While sama literally means ‘listening’, it has the connotation of a spiritual concert of sacred music, often with dance. Sufi music is collectively branded as Qawwali music. They usually have a hamd - in praise of Allah, A naat - in praise of the Prophet Muhammad, Manqabats - songs in praise of the illustrious teachers of the Sufi brotherhood, and Ghazals - songs of intoxication and yearning. The ideas are surprisingly similar to Bhakti hymns of the Alwars and Nayanmars of Tamil literature who had combined music with high esoteric lyricism to worship God.
Recently a team from The Score Magazine had an opportunity to talk to the latest rage in the local Sufi music scene; a trio from Nagore performing under the stage name ‘Nagore Sessions’, Their soul stirring Sufi music in Tamil is first of its kind, and has recently got the much deserved recognition not only within our borders, but even beyond Indian shores. Chennai based world music label EarthSync launched an album of unique musical collaboration featuring the three dargah singers from Nagapattinam; the first ever such adaptation of Sufi form of singing in Tamil. It’s success is a testimony to their sincerity. The dargah singers, Abdul Ghani (57), Ajah Maideen (42) and Saburmaideen Babha Sabeer (65), had earlier worked with EarthSync on the Laya Project. Soon after that EarthSync took the trio abroad to stage their sufi music shows in Bombay, Israel and Australia. The families of the trio have been into this form of music since their formative years. They have been composing and setting them music in a form with only a Dayereh (Tambourine like instrument) as an accompanying percussion. Until they were discovered they were confined to the stage offered by the darga. Their simple straight appeal to the soul of a common man, brought them to Chennai. While making the album for the first time with other instruments and artists of other musical forms, they felt it opened up a world of possibilities to learn and incorporate different forms of music including Carnatic music. They agree that this venture and effort have
brought a religious harmony and a feeling that all religions lead to the same God. Their album is a successful collaboration of several popular and well known artists, including Zohar Fresco on Middle Eastern percussion, horns by Monks from the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, sarangi by maestro Murad Ali Khan, rhodes and programming by Patrick Sebag, harmonium by Palakkad Sreeram and bass by David Saban. The songs in the album are mostly on the early Sufi saints from Iraq (Baghdad), Ajmer Haja, Nagore Andavar and the miracles they performed. Their songs typically depict bhakti (devotion), gyana (knowledge seeking), and philosophical pondering. For Sufi mystics, each experience is different and no one session is similar to the other. Whether it’s singing, listening or whirling, Sufi music reaches the soul of the mystic Muslim and awakens the soul’s consciousness. Sufi music is not only based on God’s remembrance and on the prophet. Certain schools use the vibrations emanating from this purpose to transcend the physical realm into the spiritual one. A deep spiritual connection is established and the Sufi releases all the worldly attachments, to be able to dissolve into God’s light and power. Sufi music is easily qualified as “soul music” for Muslim mystics. The Nagore trio has lead the way with this new genre of music and we owe it to them for bringing this lilting, musical form into the spot light.
The SCORE Magazine | April 2009
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Alternate Tune
Formidabl-EFlat
Daniel Thimmayya
The SCORE Magazine | April 2009
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Sound Surge
Q
uestion: What do stinky feet, strange sounds and Saarang have in common? Since the Slumdog Millionaire trip is still very much in vogue, I suppose swiping the game’s format might just spice it up a notch.
Here goes nothing: A. IIT-M’s toilets B. Opeth without a/c C. The letter ‘S’ D. A near obscure local band called E-Flat And if you did go with D as your final answer, then you might just be lucky enough to have landed yourself a no-expenses paid trip to Studio MahalingaTM for an exclusive front row performance; and if you put on your best behaviour chances are you might just land yourself a tall glass of chilled beetroot juice (which unless told beforehand can quite easily pass for grape, no fingers crossed!) Which was pretty much how my evening, with the band that had recently made some impressive headlines, began. Stories of struggling bands are not uncommon but the rise of underdogs has never ceased to catch people’s attention; which is pretty much the story of E-Flat, which has been in existence for the last three odd years. As many such endearing tales go, this story too began in a school; Don Bosco to be accurate, when founding members Roshan Thomas and Blumen Rajan, two guitarists, began doing the school cultural circuit, “He (Roshan) was the Cultural Secretary and my first time on stage was with a tambourine.” That proved reason enough to make him master his chosen instrument, the bass guitar. The band’s name, though not musically irrelevant, was still a point of interest personally, seeing as how normally there are intricate and winding explanations behind, within, above and around the name! “Back in school, I’d have to de-tune my guitar to the E-flat scale for quite a few songs. So when a band came into existence, the name just stuck,” explained Roshan. “These days though, our songs are more on C-sharp somehow,” quickly quipped keyboardist Kedharnath, who joined the outfit a little over two years ago. Three years is an eternity for bands to last and the band has in no way been spared of frequent line-up changes. Shortcomings in their mathematical skills and confusion over the number of his predecessor(s) between Kedhar and Roshan, of ‘professional’ colleges Crescent and SVCE respectively, led to discrepancies over exactly how many people have been in and out of the band, over the years. Tally of drummers though has been safely agreed on as a whopping seven; a fact left undisputed by latest entrant, Sounder Rajan; a professional drummer and instructor at the Unwind School of Music, who joined the band in December last year. Admirably, this is probably the first band that has warm regard for their previous members which was evident from the way they spoke of their previous drummer, Saikat; a bong with a penchant for learning Tamil obscenities! So what sets E-flat apart, beyond their demure stage personalities and regulation hair styling? It’d have to be their music, hands down. Why, you might ask? Simple, the last time I watched them play I ran out of fingers trying to keep tabs on the number of styles used in their music. Facebook proved a better enumerator, listing their genre as,(try this on for size), Arabic-Metal-Techno-Carnatic-Funk-Soft Rock. Difficult as it is to describe their music, I have to say that it is unique to the hilt. Who else would dare list ‘confused’ to describe their stuff? Imagine mystic Arabic strains melting into Carnatic chants washed down with a dash of techno topped off with a liberal slice of soft mellow emotion and you’ve got yourself a flattering cocktail! “We have six playable electric tracks and ten acoustic arrangements and are really looking to putting in some time at the studio,” said the multi-faceted keyboardist. Random acts of appreciation do contribute to inspiration. A statement that rings true for the band, for in times when acceptance was meager, an engineering student from IIT who wrote to them and a female student from VIT, moved to intense emotion, were testament to the band’s music and identified so much with the lyrics that they stand tall in the quartets memory for having spurred them on. Respect too, has been difficult to come by. With hardly anything noteworthy to their credit, the band did seem overdue for a much deserved break. MCC’s Deepwoods proved
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decisive in that direction “It was our first gig with Soundar and we placed first. The confidence soared and then Saarang happened,” stated the lithe vocalist/guitarist. For the benefit of people who have either grown beyond college fests or prefer the party pictures in dailies, I hereby enclose a due recapitulation. IIT’s annual fest Saarang witnessed a phenomenal sequence of events when a band of not immense repute or favour swept their amateur-category honours at Powerchord and capitalized on their complimentary place in the semi-pro Decibels, beating out overwhelming competition to pull off a dream double victory, adjudicated by Swedish metal outfit, Opeth. Perhaps they loved the Asian sounds or Akerfeldt might have just been saturated listening to amateur metal, but the fact remains – E-Flat had won. That, briefly, is their largest claim to fame and left many a bewildered rock aficionado saying “E-Flat? No, like SERIOUSLY?” It is the dogged determination to be taken seriously as a band that has kept them going, through slump and slur at competitions and gigs alike. “There is a lot of respect that we as a band have for each other and we also genuinely enjoy our time spent together. All sacrifices made socially do seem worth it,” diplomatically reveals Roshan “There was one show at KMC which was the worst ever and we hit an all time low, but we stuck it out. It’s been such a learning process; I’ve learnt guts from Blumen, versatility from Kedhar and Soundar, passion.” As good an explanation as you’ll ever get as to why four distinctly different individuals are slugging it out to carve a name for themselves and acceptance for their music. The victories behind them, the band now looks poised to heighten their stature. By the looks of it they seem to be right on track with the high hardly hitting their heads and the prize money wisely invested in their spruced up, homely jam pad. For now though the humour and vigour remain uninhibited. What with that and their music it sure is a refreshing combination. Flat-teringly so!
The SCORE Magazine | April 2009
eraw gen e n y r eve them. d that he edge for ope k r a as pr e rem t on t ne onc one to go ou roll excess w k stars o t S r e e roc n’ liv ds som when rock ‘ terculture, e e sensn n tio ; their oic. 60s coun ‘ s s y e y p h b t ip a During n with the h edge of the he her d on t nd Brian r e e o h t g b r t e a ly v p a er uing u prrison t often nd que g intake tha endrix, Mo like Eric Cla u o f e H b , u s e r in r ld k d g e a er g s li th cou ed by 0s hedonist rse. O ansions, em all. ll u a o t c o t lt es rt H ym sau se ‘6 countr s at the Albe but a the as of the Many iled to last led down in ie d c e nder siden tt fa t Jones rmed and se onth-long re re had flou ned up, bes u o e f m lt p e le u y o r c b z , r a o d n e c a t r h to n ttain year fo excess he cou ly una once a arly ‘70s, t rock ‘n’ roll t a seeming hat followed e of with ho se ands t By the ew chapter elin w r the rock b otel rooms bp p n e Z up h ity fo whole ed by Led ug ha deprav iz opping reat dr y epitom of mindless h sharks, ch f whacking g ented Jimm it d o r w m a n a x st g om tio stand cluding se cultiva ver ends,” c ntually, the nd e h in t ; d them swords an at ne t, eve Zep a arty th yle. Bu ai s, Led samur like a stag p solute lifest t of the ‘80 host and an g is ar ’s its. “It the band’s d p. By the st iven up the as to be suc g u n w d o lf t a e I e e h . s is d Pag wind it temporaries as at an end y events, ra ck id d y t n it w r o . Ro par their c d decadence where cha e new rage and f o y n h rm en ma uelle me t of refo ck gard drug f s beca era of by a period nsciousnes on in the ba co po d s that ceede ss and body d its coke s . legend and e ie e c r n ic n u e s r b ie u a c y s m aw all ain on er rt Cob had fin elf, a c f re oth ‘n’ roll ed within its on, there a eir songs. Ku t the peak o r a is h r e t re ith discov lin and Mor ed through ed, we s. Cobain w ift g z y p li ll e o a ta liv nge Like J immor ng and music o end their ing the “gru ft n e e b t have had le th you cided troduc rtis, bo hen they de bered for in Joy Division ite the u C n a I w p of remem rt. Des areers e rest their c Nirvana are urtis and th Tear Us Apa nhappy and u C ill nd his ba For his part, ong Love w artists were ith all their s e .” s e n d e h e Ev w ht , th lf and soun throug aving it all” motionally. shot himse y c a g a le of “h and e obain rance gically c acclaim, C lo o aware appea h c psy ubli le are ften . p g p d o e d in r e n g u a p t n tor do ess tive y ha ork an estruc al succ t icide b extern mmitted su way? Self-d al of their w ugh or smar c t o o a c iti n h r s t e c ti r e Cu self ativ them can be enough, cre made What faults. They d o ot go ir of the t they are n a h think t
O
Appetite for
Destruction Vijay Iyer
Fade to Black
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enough. They can be displeased with their personality or can be burdened by their own perfectionism. In many cases, self-destruction leads to suicide or having suicidal tendencies. What people perhaps tend to forget is that they, just like the rest of us, are real people with real problems. Despite having multiple sexual partners, enormous amounts of money, and popularity, deep down they all want is to be loved. Even famous people suffer from loneliness and crave for love in the truest sense of the word. They want to be loved for who they really are and not for the famous persona they have created, as rock artists. In America, The Institute for Bio-Acoustics Research, Inc. (IBAR) was hired to evaluate “Suicide Solution”. Not surprisingly, they found subliminal lyrics that weren’t included in the copyright “lead sheet”. Subliminal lyrics are sung at one and one-half times the normal rate of speech and are not grasped by the first time listener. However, they claim the subliminal lyrics, “are audible enough that their meaning and true intent become clear after being heard over and over again.” What are some of the hidden subliminal lyrics? Here’s a sample “Why try, why try? Get the gun and try it! SHOOT. . . SHOOT . . . SHOOT” — followed by hideous laughter! But, that’s not all! IBAR’s analysis of “Suicide Solution” found something else — Hemisync tones, which result from a patented process that uses sound waves to influence an individual’s mental state. The tones have been found to increase the rate at which the human brain assimilates and processes information. Anyone who has studied hypnosis knows the key vehicle for hypnosis is repetition. The subject is usually asked to repeat a phrase over and over until their conscious mind is in a hypnotic, suggestive state. While under hypnosis, people have little or no control over their actions. Many times they don’t even know what happened. In San Antonio, Texas, a sixteen-year-old boy while listening to Pink Floyd’s album The Wall went into a trance-like state. Without warning, he suddenly jumped up and brutally stabbed his aunt to death. According to the police report, there were no drugs involved — just the music! The boy claimed the music hypnotised him and he does not even remember the killing! The main ingredient of rock music is repetition. An overwhelming, repetitive, driving beat. That steady, repetitive beat can place the listener’s mind in a dangerous state of suggestive hypnosis. And that danger is frightening when you consider the words fed into that impressionable young mind! Jimi Hendrix, among rock’s greatest guitarists, who choked to death on his own vomit in 1970 due to a drug overdose, said, “Atmospheres are going to come through music because music is a spiritual thing of its own. You can hypnotise people with music and when you get people at the weakest point you can preach into their subconscious whatever you want to say.” RIP
Pic: http://www.flickr.com/photos/swanksalot/2452459080/sizes/ l/in/set-72157604117622908/
The SCORE Magazine | April 2009
Conservatory
Calendar Jyoti Nair
L
iving Dreams presented an artists’ tribute to the grandson of the Civil Rights activist and iconic figure of the twentieth century, Martin Luther King Jr at a function organized by the American Consulate at the Sri Mutha Venkata Subba Rao Concert Hall. The renowned Tamil poet and lyricist, Vairamuthu, was inspired by Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech to deploy similar sentiments of freedom and equality in his poetry. Saddened over the plight of his Tamil brethren in Sri Lanka, he offered a poignant comment on the human rights issues facing the world today. The tribute included a dramatized reading of the poem by the veteran actor and performer Kamal Hassan. Martin Luther King III acknowledged the tribute and spoke about the relevance of King and Gandhi in our times. The faculty and students of KMMC performed the theme of AR Rahman’s Bombay: the rendition was dominated by a flute recital and the alaaps of Palghat Sriram. Mahatma Gandhi’s favourite bhajan ‘Vaishnav Jan Tho’ was then sung by the KMMC choir to the backdrop of the historic march taken by Martin Luther King; a visual inset of President Obama was used to literally connect the achievements of the present with the hopes of the past. King’s favourite “We shall overcome” was also rendered by the school choir led by Kavita Baliga in English, Hindi and Tamil. Sentiments of non-violence and a philosophy of tolerance, advocated by both King and Gandhi, were evoked on the occasion. It was a proud moment that also marked the landmark victory of AR Rahman at the Oscars. At KMMC, AR Rahman’s School of Music and Technology students are exposed to a variety of styles of contemporary music, and are encouraged to create their own unique form.
Food is one thing that is more important to me than women, cigarettes or my guitar. Creative feedback is one thing. But I don’t let other people influence my growth as a musician. I like playing mind games with people. It keeps life interesting. I end up fooling around a lot with friends. If anyone’s Gtalk status message reads something offensive, you’ll know I’ve been there. I am completely hooked to Prison Break, Heroes, Oz, Supernatural. And how could I forget, Southpark! I haven’t yet completely understood who I am; more so who I am not. There are so many misconceptions going around. My worst memory is of the day my dog died. I am afraid of open windows at night. Life can’t get any better than when I’m on stage. It’s just me and the music, and the crowd loves me. I do not host orgies. But if anybody knows of any, let me know.
ten things Compiled by
Sonali Shenoy Radio Jockey at Chennai Live 104.8FM, and lead vocalist of Molotov Cocktail, Arjun Thomas created a stir with Jesus Christ Superstar. Ten Random things about him that we bet you didn’t know!
Pic: G Venkata Krishnan
those
Celluloid Rush
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Octane rush
The SCORE Magazine | April 2009
PAUL WALKER At the beginning of the movie he’s (Brian) with the F.B.I. and not happy, because he has become old and boring. He is pushing pens and misses racing.It’s in my blood to love speed; anything that has to do with exhilaration. Couldn’t drive much in the movie because I guess they couldn’t afford me getting hurt, but the day I got to do some stuff with the car I was like a kid in a candy store. That was my favorite day of work.
VIN DIESEL We were young rebels then; but now we are starting to get a bit over the hill, quiet frankly. We have grown up. How do you make a film about young rebels when you are not a rebel or even that young anymore?My daughter was born during the shoot and I have always been a kind of stoic and independent person, but then I wanted to be home every second to watch the little angel.
JORDANA BREWSTER
MICHELLE RODRIGUEZ
Lin brings story, emotional intensity and character building, which some action films can lack. We saw it in Tokyo Drift and now here, because there were more emotional elements to the story than a bunch of egos and fast cars. Justin is a dissector. There are many attractive things in the movie for both the more and less feminine type. Some will enjoy watching a man as masculine as Vin Diesel. The more tomboyish type of women will also enjoy seeing some girls actually getting their hands dirty!
I do like cars as long as I’m not driving, because I am a pretty bad driver. And my car is a disaster, the driver door is dented and the back is a mess. I wouldn’t be able to imagine myself in true life as part of a care-racing gang like the one in the movie. I have to admit that sometimes I look at cars differently and think they were influenced by the movie.
T
he return of adrenaline spewing burn-out action hit the large screen when The Fast and The Furious made its way to theatres in 2001. The slick rubber-burning speed chase raked in the big bucks and car movies were back in high octane fashion. Eight years and two disconnected and none-too-popular sequels later, the franchise is back. Vin Diesel and Paul Walker re-team for the ultimate chapter of the franchise built on speed—Fast and Furious. (That’s right. They decided to knock off the excess articles!) Heading back to the streets where it all began, they rejoin Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster of the original cast to blast muscle, tuner and exotic cars across Los Angeles and floor through the Mexican desert in the new high-octane action-thriller, gearing up for its Indian release.Slated to be the connector or inter-quel between the second and third movies of the series, the fourth installment has Dominic Toretto (Diesel) hijacking fuel tanks on the highways of the Dominican Republic, after which he leaves his girlfriend Letty (Rodriguez) and his gang, as he is now an international criminal. Subsequently when in Panama, Dominic receives a phone call from his sister Mia (Brewster), and is told that Letty had been murdered.The story then follows the high brow return of Dominic to Los Angeles, California, to find out who murdered his woman. Meanwhile, Brian O’Connor (Walker) - now an FBI agent, is assigned to track down a notorious drug lord named Antonio Braga. Invariably, Dominic and Brian once again cross paths when an illegal street racer’s name is linked between Braga’s operation and Letty’s murder. And from convoy heists to precision tunnel crawls across international lines, two men will find the best way to get revenge: push the limits of what’s possible behind the wheel. In all, it sounds like quite the potboiler that its predecessors have proven to be.
The SCORE Magazine | April 2009
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Celluloid Rush
Lion of the Desert (1981) M O V I E
R E V I E W
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George Thomas
oney may not be able to buy happiness, but Moustapha Akkad’s ‘Lion of the Desert’ demonstrates that money, at least a very great deal of it - reportedly more than $30 million - can buy enough talent, know-how and extras to make a big historical movie that is at least technically respectable and occasionally spectacular in its geography. The film is the biggest piece of movie partisanship to come out of the Middle East or North Africa since Otto Preminger’s ‘Exodus’. It is the story of Omar Mukhtar, the Bedouin leader who fought a brilliant, relentless guerrilla war against the Italian invaders of Libya from 1911 until his capture and execution by Mussolini’s forces in 1931. The film is a very official-looking work. HAL Craig’s screenplay doesn’t fool around with too many ‘personal’ stories. Though there are the obligatory sequences involving bereaved Arab mothers and orphaned children, the film’s view aspires to be epic; that of nation fighting against nation. What we know about the leading characters we learn from seeing them carrying out their official duties. Chief amongst them are Mukhtar (Anthony Quinn), as he directs the desert warfare, meets Italian representatives in peace talks designed to fail (by the Italians), and finally at his trial and execution; General Graziani (Oliver Reed), an ambitious, brutal officer who finally triumphs over the Bedouins, and Mussolini, impersonated by Rod Steiger, as he struts around his palace, issuing orders with a sneer. Even Irene Papas, who plays the wife of one of Mukhtar’s aides, looks official, if only because she has reached that unfortunate time in her career when her mere appearance becomes an official representation of grief. The film, which has been well photographed by Jack Hildyard, is virtually an unending series of big battle scenes. These are interrupted from time to time by scenes set in Italian planning rooms or Bedouin planning oases and by montages depicting the ferocious means by which the invaders eventually subdued the Bedouins. There are also times when the film seems to be drawing parallels between Mukhtar’s position in the Arab world and that of Yasir Arafat, chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization, as when the Italians refuse to negotiate with Mukhtar on the grounds that he, like Mr. Arafat, does not represent an independent nation. I suspect also that the movie wouldn’t be unhappy if we should equate the camps the Italians put the Bedouins into with the Palestine refugee camps in Lebanon and even the Nazi concentration camps, though there are no gas ovens in sight in the film. ‘Lion of the Desert’ is a canny film, though it’s probably a film from which one will take just what one took into it. No expense has been spared. In addition to those already mentioned, the cast includes Raf Vallone, as a ‘good’ if weak Italian officer, and John Giulgud as a ‘bad’ Bedouin, one who collaborates with the enemy. The actors are as adequate as their roles in what is essentially a pageant allow.
WORLD-II On top of the
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e left Jispa and headed for Leh stopping overnight in Serchu. What a place! Serchu equals Siberia. Cold, desolate, barren and windswept. In fact, it brought forth a whole new meaning to the word ‘freezing’! I cannot explain Serchu or the cold. If I told you it was -7 degrees Centigrade, I’d be telling you the half-baked truth. We landed in Serchu around lunchtime. It was so quiet and eerie you could actually hear yourself think. In about 30 minutes all we could think about was when we were going to get out! The accommodation was very basic - simple tents. We had nothing to do except huddle up under a mountain of blankets and wait for the morning to descend . I don’t know how we passed the night. With the lights out just after 10 p.m., the darkness was almost tangible. At last morning came. We rounded up the boys and left Serchu. That was a night that will stay in my memory for a long time to come! Flat, dusty, rocky and with literally no road to speak of - Pang was a world of its own. But for Mr Spemba we could have easily got lost. The rules there are pretty simple - lose your way in Pang and
Steep View
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you die. You will run out of gas and everywhere you turn it looks the same. Desolate, barren and dusty (so much so that we had to keep the wiper on). Everything about the place was hostile and unfriendly. But what grandeur, what majesty! A marvel surely created by the hand of God. We drove on to Leh. On reaching, we met Mr Wangchuk - the magician, for the first time. He checked us into a hotel called Kang La Chen. Though the lodging was nice and clean, the food is nothing spectacular. Spending two chilled out days at Leh, we got quite used to the height. There were lots of European tourists around as this was the tail end of the season. Hardly any Indian tourists were in sight. The only decent restaurant in Leh was Summer Harvest. Always packed but with amazing food and portions, there was little to complain about! The Tibetian markets around had quite a few knicknacks. Leh and everything around it was crammed with army personnel and equipment, convoys et al, complete with check posts everywhere. Mr Spemba had all the paperwork in place (no surpises there!) The first sounds and sights of the mornings were the fly boys in their Sukhoi mach II’s, flexing their muscle. It was quite a sight to behold. From Leh we climbed up to Nubra. It was here that we crossed Khardungla, 18,300 feet above sea level and the world’s highest motorable pass. With lots of snow, road( or what ever was left of it) it started getting treacherous. A scary yet exciting crawl followed to reach Khardungla. A few hearty clicks later, we headed to Nubra Valley where we stayed at a resort called Kalon, in tents again. But what a contrast! It was a breathtaking backdrop of hills, naturally cold. Phew... To be continued.
The SCORE Magazine | April 2009
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Panoramic view of Morre Plains. A vast, flat land at high altitude where you can lose your way for a lifetime.
Indus river visible enroute to Leh: Starts at Mansarovar and flows through India and Pakistan.
Enroute to Leh from Serchu: What roads!!! Need I say more?
Khandala High pass: At around 18,900 feet. Visible here are the windy roads that lead to Nubra . Subzero temperatures, not to mention the wind chill factor. 30 minutes without any protection and you are history.
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Spiti Leh: Beautiful picture postcard of a village with its last vestige of autumn foliage.
Photographs by Suresh Menon
Thiksey: Gateway to Leh town
The SCORE Magazine | April 2009
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Weaving Dreams Daily Shruthi S
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lazed candy pink totes, metallic red clutches with golden interlacing and vibrant crocheted stilettos. Leather has arrived in India and how! More vintage than silk, plusher than jute and rarer than rexine, leather is the quintessential fabric of fashion. It also boasts of something almost exclusive to it in the ‘material’ world: a rich history. Its versatility has unfailingly kept it in the spotlight with retro croc prints, classic tans, flashy wets and the comfy suede. But although leather has gone through several makeovers in the past, it is at present undergoing its biggest metamorphoses yet. Stirring up the storm in India is brand Calonge. Popularly acclaimed to be the first name and the last word in hand-woven leather accessories, Calonge adds character to the timeless material. Designed by Spanish, Italian and French designers and woven by deft Indian fingers, Calonge products are remarkable works of craftsmanship. Their line of bags, belts and accessories are bold and beg to differ. A handful of other international brands like Hugo Boss, Prada, Hermes, Versace and particularly the Italian based, Gucci owned Bottega Veneta, indulge in similar leather weaving techniques. Calonge has made its presence felt in world fashion circles by taking to the runway with its masterpieces. One of the most anticipated and talked about shows in the leather industry is the Indian-International Leather Fair (ILF). Calonge has been a featured sponsor of the event for many years and went one step ahead this season by walking the ramp. Putting its best foot forward, its bags and coordinated shoes in myriad shades, styles and textures, stood in stark contrast to the beige cocktail dresses worn by the models. Belts embellished with stones and sequins added the final touch with a flourish. After the grand finale, the audience was left gasp-
Hand Craft
Excerpts from an exclusive interview with Mr Vimalan of Calonge : How do you perceive Calonge’s customer? Calonge is mostly endorsed by fashion savvy women between the ages of 28 and 40. They can afford the price tag. Have you had any setbacks carrying the ‘Made in India’ label? Yes. People think that we lack international standard and do not take us seriously. But we are slowly turning the tables by showing the world our true potential. Very soon we will be a force to reckon with. What according to you is the success of Calonge? A few days ago, at a restaurant with my friend, I spotted a lady with a Calonge bag. Within half an hour, I saw another young woman carrying Calonge. That evening, at a coffee shop I espied yet another. Seeing three of my bags within 24 hours excited me. That is the real success of Calonge. Your vision for Calonge? To become the Bottega Veneta of the East. And then there was light.
The SCORE Magazine | April 2009
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ing and in no doubt that they had just witnessed the coming of age of leather in India. The Score Magazine was given exclusive insight into the makings of Calonge. As we toured the factory of the Indian brand which was making waves in the fashion fiefdoms of Spain, Abu Dhabi and Dubai, we attempted to decode its phenomenal success. At the factory outlet was Calonge’s trademark display of vibrant bags, which we were informed was the winter collection. This left us wondering about the colour palette for the summer; could it possibly get any brighter? As we stepped into the leather storage area with fluorescent and sheen tempered skin welcoming us, we knew we were in for a different experience. From there, the leather was sent for cutting into thin strips. After the edges were smoothened out and the strips were perfected, came the most exciting phase. Rows upon rows of women sat braiding multi-coloured strips at lightening pace. Several techniques were used, each giving birth to a different style. Simple zig-zag patterns and hexagonal plastic weaves seemed to take shape effortlessly in their hands. Of all these techniques, interlacing looked particularly tricky and it took up to a week to complete the more complicated designs. The process of weaving was in itself as exotic as the end product. The bag was then moved into the finishing phase where every inch was meticulously crafted. It was lined with silk, embellished with leather tassels and sealed with zippers which were the imported best. We were slowly beginning to understand the quality, the success and quite clearly, the price tag. But something was still amiss. We were unable to put our finger on Calonge’s secret of success. The missing link presented itself in the form of Mr. Vimalan, the man running the show.
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VIBA
VIBA celebrates its 25th year and is a house hold name in ethnic wear and sarees specializing in ahimsa silks, cottons and cater to bridal parties and feature work wear collections. They specialize in personalized designs to suit their pocket. Their ranges of products – sarees and co-ordinates have been cherished by celebrities from the music and media, alike For details Contact: 16, ALSA REGENCY, Eldams Road, Alwarpet, Chennai – 18. E-mail : vibaworld@gmail.com Website : www.vibaviba.com. They also run an event management company producing in-house events like Miss Chennai, Chennai Man, Mom & I and other music and fashion related events.
Score Advertising Feature
Pic: T Selvakumar
R.Dis No 339/09