Episode 18 – Make In India

 

Our most excellent P.M, Mr. Narendra Modi has exhorted us to ‘Make In India.’ This indeed is the mantra for the new age. This is what needs to be done- show the world that we Indians can make world class products; in my case – music.

So in October 2014, I met Vinay Lobo and together we recorded two of my tracks which I promptly uploaded on ReverbNation. The first track, Eagle Dance, winged to No.1 in Mumbai and No.11 on the National Rock charts in about a week. I got fan mail from all around the world – U.S.A, U.K, Canada, Indonesia... Well begun is half done?
And then, And then, and then? Dude where’s my car? Where are the talent scouts? The record labels? The Honchos? Nada. Kaput. Ain’t making a good product enough? What to do now?

Then I looked around. Talent isn't in short supply. There are musicians here who are as good as anywhere else in the world. How come they aren't being promoted? The drummer of an upcoming indie rock band told me during a jam, “Major record labels do not promote bands like us. They promote star-kids and people with bags of money.” This left me puzzled – here is a band of skilled people, who compose their songs, write lyrics, have a significant fan following and the potential to stand shoulder to shoulder with foreign bands. So why are these guys NOT being promoted!?! Whereas, on the other hand, labels spend unimaginable sums of money to promote manufactured pop stars who are spoon-fed the music, lyrics etc. If the argument is Rock/Metal doesn't sell in India, I ask, “Are these nonentities selling millions of records to make the deal profitable?”

So, the quintessential question is – isn't making a world class product enough? The musicians are doing their job of making good music, but who’s taking care of the business side of things? Sure, things are being “Made in India” but what about aspects like promotion, marketing and even corruption which prevent our world-class products from being world-class!

Or are they taking us on One Big Wild Ride???

More next week in Make in India Part 2... Stay tuned... till then,
Dazed and Confused,

Yashashree

Episode 17 – Meeting Shobhaa De

                           

Hello! Yes, it’s been a really long time since my last blog entry. After all the exams and the eventful things I went through in the past few months, attending the Times Literature Festival last week was a revelation. Listening to what different writers, artists had to say about literature, art, music as well as life and its affiliated hassles, made me realize that opting to do something different takes immense courage.

My mission in attending the Lit Fest was to try and get Shobhaa De to sign my copy of her autobiography, “Selective Memory” Not only did I get her signature but an experience I’ll cherish for the rest of my life. After the seminar was over, I mustered the courage to walk right up to her (praying I wouldn't be tackled by any of the security guys) As Shobhaa De was walking off-stage, I went up to her and said, “Excuse me ma’am, could you please sign this?”

She looked at me with a radiant smile and said; “Of course dear” She was pleased that the book was an original version and not a pirated one. She asked for my name and then signed the book. Mission accomplished!

Two specific books by Shobhaa De are very dear to me. One is her autobiography and the other “Speedpost” Both of them explore the trials and tribulations of growing up, the hardships you face when you choose to do things a little differently.

So the whole point of the festival and meeting Shobhaa De is - you gotta do your own thing and never mind the naysayers.

As Mark Knopfler sings -

“And after all the violence and double talk 

There's just a song in the trouble and the strife 

You do the walk; you do the walk of life”

P.S - Looking for a good rock vocalist for my band.
Stay tuned, more things coming soon... till then...

Musically yours,
Yashashree

                                       The Natural High

  

  Hello people!!! Feels good to be back... Happy New Year!

I’ll be getting my Bachelor’s Degree in a few months and College Days will soon be over. My classmates are busy discussing career options – teaching, management, law, journalism… As for me, I cruised thru my college days saying “I’ll cross the river when I come to it.” Bloody Hell, the river is here now and I ain’t got no lifejacket, boat or bridge. All I have is my music- that’s the only thing I love and the only thing I want to do. People tell me to keep Plan B ready but I can’t imagine being cooped up in a cubicle 9 to 5, living the same one day for the rest of my life. It’s the most soul-destroying thing that can happen to a musician.

I guess every musician starts the same way – no money, opposition of parents, you get ditched by your girlfriend (like Billie Joe Armstrong) for being a jobless loser. Well, despite the odds and doors slammed in your face, as Oscar Wilde says, “We are all in the gutter but some of us are looking at the stars.” Or a more Rock version by Jack Black –

We may fall on our faces, but if we do, we will fall with dignity! With a guitar in our hands, and rock in our hearts! And in the words of AC/DC: "We roll tonight to the guitar bite, and for those about to rock, I salute you."