Welcome to fusion heaven
26 Oct 2012 10:11 PM GMT
Hyderabad’s Fusion-rock band Mehraj is all about an eclectic mix of electric and acoustic instruments. Covering a wide range of musical genres like classic rock, jazz, Sufi, Hindustani, Carnatic classical and blues, the band works to create a musical fusion. With Himanshu Sharma on vocals and harmonica, Sachin Naik on lead guitar, Nitin Kumar on rhythm guitar, Aslam Khan on Saarangi, Parsa Dattasai on violin, Umesh Naidu on drums, Ram Mohan on tabla and Cherian on bass, Mehraj will be performing for the capital in a Gurgaon club. We caught up with the members for a quick conversation. Here are excerpts from the interview:
When did you start playing music?
We started playing as a band two years ago. Though individually, many of us have been playing music for more than 20 years.
What’s the story of your band? How did it start?
Nitin and I used to work in the same office and we played in a couple of corporate parties. Then I saw Sachin’s post on Facebook on his show and I was intrigued. I approached him and we jammed and actually composed our first song in the first sitting itself. Then, we played at a cultural hub in the city and the organisers gave us the contact of Aslam Khan, the saarangi player. He loved the fusion and joined us there after. I got the contact of the violinist from Sir Ashok Gurjale who is a very senior violin teacher and runs a school called Aaraabhi. Then subsequently, Aslam Khan got his friend on the tabla and Sachin’s friend joined us on the drums (Naveen Kumar). We needed to record our own composition when I was told about Notes n Moves, a very prominent music institution of the city and the owner Cherian loved our music and has been on sitar/bass and also plays the keyboards for us.
What inspires your music?
We wish to create music which has soul and depth. We like to improvise music which has no boundaries and is genre free. We like to go by the feel of it. We are inspired by current affairs, the chaos of everyday life, the sufferings and celebrations of the human mind and above all, humanity itself. This can be seen in our own compositions including Rabba, Ram Ram and Laser Bheem.
How would you define your kind of music?
As I said, it is genre free. A same song will have a glimpse of Hindustani, Carnatic, blues, classic rock, Sufi and folk. It is soulful, powerful and lingers on once you have heard it.
As musicians is there any band you idolise?
Led Zeppelin is a favorite amongst many of us and then there is Pink Floyd too.
So what would you be performing this 31 October?
At RHINO, we will play a mix of our own compositions which are primarily fusion based and some covers in a fusion style. We hope that the audience like it.
So do you compose your own music or do covers?
We prefer to do our own music as it is lot more fun. We are also planning to release our album very soon.
What kind of lyrics do you write?
Our lyrics have very humane messages tied to them. We like to write lyrics with meaning and which cater to prevalent sentiments in the society. Kaun sune dil ki baat, hai behari duniya, kisko bhejun main ye paigaam, raam raam raam raam. They are simple, without a lot of adornments targeted to accentuate the meaning of the song.
Why the name Mehraj?
Our music is sublime and serene. At the same time powerful and unique. It is Sufi in its message and melody. Mehraj is a Persian name which means ‘Ascension to heaven’. We feel our music has the power to lift your senses to another level and thus the name.
DETAIL
At: RHINO, 312-A, South Point Mall, Golf course road, Gurgaon
When: 31 October
Timings: 9 pm onwards
Phone: 9560700123
When did you start playing music?
We started playing as a band two years ago. Though individually, many of us have been playing music for more than 20 years.
What’s the story of your band? How did it start?
Nitin and I used to work in the same office and we played in a couple of corporate parties. Then I saw Sachin’s post on Facebook on his show and I was intrigued. I approached him and we jammed and actually composed our first song in the first sitting itself. Then, we played at a cultural hub in the city and the organisers gave us the contact of Aslam Khan, the saarangi player. He loved the fusion and joined us there after. I got the contact of the violinist from Sir Ashok Gurjale who is a very senior violin teacher and runs a school called Aaraabhi. Then subsequently, Aslam Khan got his friend on the tabla and Sachin’s friend joined us on the drums (Naveen Kumar). We needed to record our own composition when I was told about Notes n Moves, a very prominent music institution of the city and the owner Cherian loved our music and has been on sitar/bass and also plays the keyboards for us.
What inspires your music?
We wish to create music which has soul and depth. We like to improvise music which has no boundaries and is genre free. We like to go by the feel of it. We are inspired by current affairs, the chaos of everyday life, the sufferings and celebrations of the human mind and above all, humanity itself. This can be seen in our own compositions including Rabba, Ram Ram and Laser Bheem.
How would you define your kind of music?
As I said, it is genre free. A same song will have a glimpse of Hindustani, Carnatic, blues, classic rock, Sufi and folk. It is soulful, powerful and lingers on once you have heard it.
As musicians is there any band you idolise?
Led Zeppelin is a favorite amongst many of us and then there is Pink Floyd too.
So what would you be performing this 31 October?
At RHINO, we will play a mix of our own compositions which are primarily fusion based and some covers in a fusion style. We hope that the audience like it.
So do you compose your own music or do covers?
We prefer to do our own music as it is lot more fun. We are also planning to release our album very soon.
What kind of lyrics do you write?
Our lyrics have very humane messages tied to them. We like to write lyrics with meaning and which cater to prevalent sentiments in the society. Kaun sune dil ki baat, hai behari duniya, kisko bhejun main ye paigaam, raam raam raam raam. They are simple, without a lot of adornments targeted to accentuate the meaning of the song.
Why the name Mehraj?
Our music is sublime and serene. At the same time powerful and unique. It is Sufi in its message and melody. Mehraj is a Persian name which means ‘Ascension to heaven’. We feel our music has the power to lift your senses to another level and thus the name.
DETAIL
At: RHINO, 312-A, South Point Mall, Golf course road, Gurgaon
When: 31 October
Timings: 9 pm onwards
Phone: 9560700123
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