The Score Magazine, November 2009

ISSN 0974 – 9128

Vol 0

2 Is

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009For Private Circulation Only

There’s a she WOLF On The

prOWL

SHAKIRA

nuTTier by The minuTe

SKRAT

i WanT TO be marOOned WiTh

JOhn mayer

NEHA BHASINSHWETHA MOHAN

SANJEEV THOMASThOse Ten Things

my WOrsT nighTmare

MARK JOHNSON

Our music can change The human

race

www.highonscore.com

Stilettos.Vampires.Werewolves.Addshe-wolvestothatlisthenceforth.Whenattemptingtoappealtoreadersinfourdifferentstates,thestakesand responsibilities are loaded. Fortunately for usat ‘The Score’, we’re (somewhat, by now) expertsatworkingunderpressure.This issue is testamenttothatfact.Thatsaid,didIforgettomentionSha-kira? She rules. Our cover, worldwide charts andevery trend. Trendy, soon-to-be trendy, has-beentrendymusicians,otherartists,timelessmusic-webring asmany to the forefront as we can, settingtrends,breakingsomeothers.Werestourcaseforthismonth.Wakeupnowandaddustothelist,wearen’tplanningongoingoutofmusical fashionorfavoranytimesoon!

Nikila Srinivasan

the Edit pad

Editor-in-chief

Y215 ,2 nd Avenue ,Anna Nagar ,Chennai-40

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13Make that CHANGEWho’d have thought

musicians off the street

would play on tunes

across the continents?

Mark Johnson did, at any

rate.

34Master of the Strings

Inventor and gratitude

filled sishya Nellai S Rad-

hakrishna explains his

passion for fusion proj-

ects that few classical

musicians dream of.

22Leelai’s long LiltFirst time music director

Satish Chakravarthy gets

candid about the crazy

experience that Leelai

turned out to be!

inside

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The Girl Who Cried WOLF

Swati Nair

Atthefirstglancethismightsoundlikeoneofthosesongs that use randomwords andmake a patch-worktoformsentencesthatrhyme,moreor less.ButifyoulistentothewholesongyouwouldagreewithwhatShakiraherselfhastosayaboutit:“The

SheWolf is awomanduring thedayandananimal atnight.Shedefendsherdeepestdesireswithclawsandteeth.She isafreewomanandthereforeahappyone.TheSheWolfisnotjustme, she’s thewomenofour time,andperhaps thementoo.”Andthensuddenlyithitsyou,likeallofherothersongsthat shake youup. You realize howdeep they are. And thenyougo“wow!”

Shakirahasalwayshadtheknackofwritingrelevantlyricsandthenspicingitupwithbeatsthatmakeyoubuzz.Thatisprob-ablywhyevenat30,sheremainsoneofthemostpopularpopartistsintheworld.HerupcomingalbumSheWolfisbuiltona lot of bass, synth andother instruments that fascinate thesinger, liketambourinesandclarinets;anotherreasonforherfame. She is unafraid to experiment and is influenced by allmusicalculturesfromaroundtheglobe.ShesaysthatSheWolfwasinspiredpartlybyherownimaginationandmostlybysto-riesofpeoplesheknows.Someofhergirlfriends,inparticular.She seems to have depicted herself in the songwithout anyinhibitions,andhasdaredtoventurealittlefurtherintorealmsofherownindividuality.

“IthinkIwasalwaysreallyshybutnowIfeelmorelikeawom-an, so I findmyselfwritingwith less prudery. I think that attheveryleastIknowmyselfbetter–myvirtues,myvices,myresources.”

SoisSheWolflikealltheotheralbumsshehasmade?Yesandno.Yes,becauseitcarriestheShakiratouchinitssongs-thehonestyandboldnessofher lyricsand thecatchy tunes.No,because it is something that you’ve not experienced before.SheWolf’smusicvideoisimaginativeandfullofthoseimpos-sibledancemovesthatonlyShakiracanpulloff–“JakeNavadirectedit,it’salittlesurreal,alotofdancing,alotoffantasy.IcreatedalotofmydancemovesandIalsoworkedwithHiHat,who is one ofmy favorite choreographers.” If I could dancelikeher, I’dbemy favoritechoreographer too.Butwhen twopeople, both representing absolute genius come together tomakeavideo,theresultsaren’tordinary.

IfyouthoughtShakiraisonlyaboutmusicanddance,youcouldn’tbemorewrong!SheispartoftheALAS(AmericaLatinaenAccionSolidaria)movementinLat-inAmericathatdespiteitsname,(whichsoundsratherhopeless) isallaboutcreatingabetterfutureforthe35millionchildrentherethroughchildhooddevelop-mentprograms.ButShakiradidn’tstopatjustbeingapartofanalreadyexistingmovement.ShestartedherownwhichiscalledPiesDescalzos(meaningbarefeet,forthoseofyouwhodon’tspeakespanol).Thisisforchildrenwhoarelessfortunateandcan’tboastaboutgoing to the best school in town. Children who liveamidst war and bloodshed. In Shakira’s own words:“Weworkinconflictzonesandwithchildrenthathavebeenforcedtoabandoneverythingduetoviolence.”

Now you can roll your eyes and think that’s prettymuchwhatmost artists do. Sing,make theirmoney,openupacharityfundraiserthing,smileatcamerasandtalkaboutallthis.Sowedecidedtothrowaques-tionatherthatwouldmakemostpeoplesquirmun-comfortably, because you can’t justwiggle yourwayoutofthisone.Anyonespoutingemptywordsorre-hearsedspeecheswouldbestumped.ButnotShakira.Whenweaskedherhowsheseestheworld,shesaid:“Havinghungrykidsandpeopledyingforcausesthatwe canmanage, knowing that the solution is in ourhands,makesmethinkhumanityisstillmoreprimitivethanwhatwe like to think it is (in) thesophisticatedandmoderncivilization.”Now,there’sathought.

Steamydancescenes,songsthatmakeyourfeettap,andavoicethatcaptureseverymusiclover.Icouldsay“That’sShakiraforyou!”butshecan’tbesummarizedlikethat.Sheisthatandalotmore.Afterall,whatcanyou sayabouta globalphenomenonwhomakes theworld dance to her tunes?Only that shemakes youaskformore.

“There’sashe wolf intheclosetOpenupandsetherfree

There’sashewolfinyourclosetLetitoutsoitcanbreathe”

Won 5 Grammy Awards

Born with 8 siblings

Was 13 when her first album Magia was re-leased

Ranked 33 on VH1’s Sexiest Artists

Has an IQ of over 140

Has a collection of more than 200 rings

Shakira on:

Marriage: “Antonio and I have a home and we function as a married couple. I don’t think that a paper or an institution can unite us more than we already are.”

The ObaMa gOvT: “I think his mission is to find peace in the world and to recover from the crisis. It is not an easy task but I think he is the only politician who has a shot at achieving it.”

Michael JacksOn’s deaTh: “He was the king of artistic genius, dance and fantasy. He reinvented POP and he showed a new way to articulate music with images”

Philosophy:

“every cycle is a new challenge. every time i begin a cycle, i feel like I’m starting from zero”

“i have never been more fulfilled in my life than those times when I’ve witnessed a child who has lost everything smile again. nothing has given me greater satisfaction than that. It’s bigger than my career. It just has no comparison.”

(About her inspiration) “I’ve been writing since I was 8 years old and it’s still a mystery to me. There are images that navi-gate for days in my subconscious until they become songs. They are like secret codes, which i can’t translate until they become lyrics, and music. We dream about a lot of things every night which we may not remember during the day but they are latent.”

www.highonscore.com | 12

The SCORE Magazine | Nov 2009

13

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Tuning to the CHANGE

Sonali Shenoy

Haveyoueverlistenedtoasongonyoutubealoneinyourroom,inthemiddleofthenightandfeltyourheartrace?Andyouknow,thatit’sthemusiciansinthatvideoandthepassionintheirvoicesthatgetsyoutosingalong,notthesongitself…Logonto

www.playingforchange.comandtrustme,chancesareyou’llfeelit.


YouseeIalwaysthoughtthat lovewastheuniversal lan-guage,until thisonepersoncorrectedme,and toldmethatit’smusic.NormallyIwouldarguetojustifymycase,buthowcanyouarguewithamediumthatisnotbased

onlogic,justsomethingthatcanmakeeverybodyfeelthesamething.MarkJohnsonwasonhiswaytoastudioonemorningwhenhesaw twomonks adorned inwhite singing in a subway. Close to200peoplewhowouldnormallybeon theirbusyway, stoppedtowatchthem.Theperformanceended.Therewasapplauseofcourseandthentheaudiencedisbanded indifferentdirections.Markwentbacktothestudioandlistenedtosomeofthemusictheyweremaking.Andthenithithim.Music off the streets:“Nomatterwhoyouare.Nomatterwhereyougoinyourlife.Atsomepoint yougonnaneed somebody in your life, to standbyYOU.”Roger Ridley (now deceased) performed ‘Stand by Me’ on thestreetsofSantaMonica,Californiain2004.Andthatwasinspira-tionenoughfortheGrammywinningJohnsontobeginhistravels

aroundtheglobe,withhisTimelessMediaGrouptobringpeopletogether through the music. Stand By Me today is track num-beronethealbum,Playing for Change. Itfeatures37musiciansacrosscontinents,singingonstreetcorners,beneathlights,ano-ticeableverandah,infrontofspraypaintedwallsandthesettingsun….thevideotilldatehasreceivedover18millionYouTubehits.Ittooktenyearstoputtogetherthealbum,withmorethana100musiciansrecorded,innovativerecordingtechniquesandamove-mentofindividualsaroundtheglobespreadingtheword.PickingupthepaceisBobMarley’sclassicWar/ No More Trouble witha catchypieceof guitarwork to get the song started, andthenasteadyrhythm,withanoccasionalglimpseoftheAfricandjembe.Thesong featuresBobMarleyhimself,DavidBroza (Is-rael),RockyDawuni(Ghana),theOnenessChoir(Chennai),CathyJordan(Ireland),tonameafewandU2’sBono.Nowwhatyou’vegot tounderstand is theartistson thealbumarevirtuallyunknowntotheworld(exceptBonoofcourse)untilnow.Andwhen theywere recorded, itwas in spaces thatweremostpubliclyavailableatthetimeliketheterraceofabuilding,parks, plazas, promenades, in doorways, largely outdoors. And

Pix:UniversalMusic

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15

“PlayingForChangewasbornoutoftheideathatwehavetoinspireeachothertocometogetherasthehumanrace,andthatmusicisthebestwaytodothis.Wetravelledallovertheworldthroughstreets,subways,nativeIndianreservations,Africanvillages,Himalayanmountains.Noneofthesemusicianshadevermetinperson.Itwasthemusicthatbroughtthemtogether,andthebeliefthatwecandoalotmoreforthisworldifweworktogether,thanweevercanapart.”

MarkJohnsonProducer

PlayingForChange

PLAYING FOR CHANGE

sOngs FrOM arOUnd The WOrld

theyweren’tbroughttogetherfromdifferentparts–noeachart-istdidhisorherbitalone.Sometimeswithanaudience,some-timeswithout,withrecognitionperhapsforadayortwo.Itwasthemusicthatbroughtthemtogetherasacohesivewhole,andyouwill understandwhat I meanwhen you take a look at thevideos.AnothertrackthatmadeanimpactonmeisOne Love.Simplelyr-ics,abeautifulmelodyandlotsofgreatvoices.Quiteafewfromourcityinfact.Andithasn’tstoppedwiththealbum.PlayingForChangehasbegunafoundationofit’sownaswell,andthegoalistosetupmusicschoolsforchildren.ThefirstonewasrecentlyopenedinSouthAfrica,andplansfortheexpansionofthisdreamaremovingforwardasyouread.Butwhatchangereallyis,isforyoutodecide.IsitputtinganendtohungerinSomaliaorlettingboundariesmergewithnoqualmsoflanguageandreligion;orisitgoingtobedatnightinthearmsofsomeoneyoulove?Inyourquestforabrighterday,it’suptoyoutoplay.Playing is changeIbelieve.

Sound Bytes• Chanda Mamaistheonly

Telugu track featured onthealbum.

• Most of the Indian art-ists on the album wereunaware of their role inPlaying for Change untilafteritreleased.

• The song Stand By Me features 37 musiciansfromaroundtheworld.

• Bonoistheonlylivingce-lebrityartistfeaturedinasong.

• ClipsofBob Marleysing-ingWar/NoMoreTroubleare featured in thevideoofthesame.

• Playing for Change hasbecome a worldwidephenomenon. The songStandByMehasover13 millionhitsonYouTube.

Shirin Albert

WhatdoesapersistentsquirrelfromIceAgehaveincommonwithafunkandrollbandrootedintheheartofChennai?Practicallynothingbeyondthenameandafe-tishforgoingnuts!TakeadipintooneofSouthIndia’swackiestyoungbandsattheir

mostvulnerablehour-alazySundaymorning!


Pix:GVenkataKrishnan

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17

Crazy, cool and amazing fun! Definitely the firstfew things that strike youwhen youmeet thesewhacky, down-to-earth characters. Skrat hasdefinitelycomealongwaysincetheirstartinthesummerof2006.Thehadtheirbiggestbreakthis

yearbybeingawardedtheBestAcousticBandatIITSaarangandwinningtheCampusRockIdolsRegional leg(theywererunners-upattheFinals).Apartfromwinningawholebunchof sound equipment and instruments, including a Fender,theyalsogottoplayfortheRock in IndiaConcert inFebru-arywhichwastheopeningactforIronMaideninBangalore.BeingflowntherebyKingfisherwasanotherexperiencetheyenjoyed a lot (for very obvious reasons!). One big changethough,isthefactthattheyhaveanewmember,Abinavof

Chennai’sownBlacklisted.So,whatdidhehavetosayabuthisnew‘family’–“It’sniceonly.Liketheweather.”AreplyIwasnotexpecting!

ItwasinterestingtofindouthowtheseguysjuggleworkandcollegejusttomaketimefortheirregularSundayjamsessions-alazy,casualcollaborationwithfriendsandfellowmusicians.Anothershockeristhattheyhavecompletelychuckedalltheiroldsongswhichtheyworkedonforthelastfouryears.Seemslikeabigstepbutabraveone.AnalbumreleaseisallsetfornextJanuarywithabunchofnewmaterialthattheyhavebeenworkingonpatientlyonforthepastfewmonths.Theyaren’tinahurrytorushintoanything,preferringtosurprisetheirfans.AsTapasssays“Wewanttotakeourtimeandgetitright.’

Nowhowtheygottogetherisacompletelydifferentstory,onethatIfindprettymuchimpossibletoputtogether.AsfarasIcould concur, theyallhadgigswhichgot cancelledand theysomehowgot together toplay through theirmutual friends.ThiswasduringtheVatzFestin2006.Oncetheyrealizedthatthiswaswhattheywantedtodo,theydecidedtotakeitfur-ther starting as a fivepieceband. They admit thingswere alittle shakyatfirst–experimentingwith themusic theyper-formedandfiguringoutthebandlineup.“TherewasthisonegigwhereTTandTapasshadtoexchangeinstrumentsbecausethey did not know the parts! We even started playing thesongbeforetheyrealizedit.But itallworkedoutwellsome-how.”jokedSatish. “Sometimesmysticksusedtoslipoutofmyhands!”addedTapass.InAugust2007,therewasaminorchangewithTTSriramsteppingintotakeovervocalsandthepilotperformanceattheFreedomJamshowdecidedthefateoftheband.Thechemistrybetweentheseguyswasarefresh-ingchangeandbantertheysharedonstagewonpeoplesatten-tion.TheyplayedatvariousshowsattheUnwindCentre(win-ningbestacousticbandin2008)andperformedatanumberofcollegesandalsowentontowinthePowerChordeventatIITSaarang,whichgrantedthemawildcardentryintotheDeci-belsFinals.TheyseemedtobeprettyluckyattheNIFTcultur-als,Spectrum,winnningtheBestRockBandin2007and2009.

ButwhythenameSkrat?AsT.T.explains,“Wehadntnamedthebandwhenwe applied forUnwind’sUnderground. It just sohappenedthatafewofuswerewatchingIceAgeatthetimeandsinceManfred,SidandDiegodidn’tagreewithanyofuswejustchoseScrattobedonewithit!”Theirfavouritebandsrange from Blacklisted, Opeth, Rage Against the Machines,DaveMathews,TheKillersandAerosmithtotheclassics.Andhere’s how they define their sound. “WesternMusic Band?JumpyRock!Somedingding….Psychobilly?!Weditchedfunkrockbutheywedon’treallycareaslongaspeoplelikewhatweplayanditmakesthemhappythenwe’recoolwithit.”grinsT.T.InawayIdidagreewiththembecauseyoucan’tnotfeeljumpywhenyoulistentotheirmusicandlaughattheirpranksandpropsonstage.“We’rejustfocusingondoingsomegoodmusicandcuttinganalbum.Haven’tfiguredoutfurtherplans.It’stoomuchforustothinkabout!”theyjoke.Aswewrappedup,theyheadedstraightfortheirjamsessionagain.Watchingthem,Iobserveditwasnotaboutbeingthebestbandoraboutthecompetitiontothem.Itwasaboutdoingwhatthey love,doingitwellandhavingalotoffunintheprocess!Hopethealbumturnsoutwellguys!Cheers!


sTring TheOrY

GiveussomeinstanceswherereputedguitaristshaveattestedthequalityofaHMIguitar? HMIwas conferred the best vendor award on overall productratingofguitarsexportedin2008(outofatotalofmorethan34internationalvendors),byitsbiggestinternationalcustomer. HMI had sold the Tansen brand in the domesticmarket someyearsearlierwhichwaswell accepted. Saleswerediscontinueddue to export demands. However enquiries for the brand stillcontinued.Thereintroductionofthisbrandhasbeenwidelywel-comed. Wehaveparticipated in some rock shows - JRO ‘09 /PubFestIV-conductedbyhardrockenthusiastswhereourproductsweredisplayedforthevisitorstofeel/play,withenthusiasticreactions.BandssuchasBlood&IronandEscher’sKnotwhotriedoutourguitarsduringtheseshowshadverypositivereactions.Blood&Ironguitarist,AshishtriedoutourHPV43modelandwasimpressed&weofferedour guitar forhim touseon stage. HeuseditafterthefirsttwopiecesandwassohappywithitthathecontinuedtheperformancewiththeHMImodel. Receivedgoodreviewsbysuchguitarplayers;asalsofromotherleadingguitar-istswhoattendedtheseshows.

HastheIndianpublic/Chennaimusicscenewarmeduptolocallycraftedguitarsover‘brands’?Oristhecrazeperennial?Yestosomeextent-wheretheuserisknowledgeableaboutgui-tars. Wehavere-focussedourattentiontothedomesticmarketonly3monthsago;itwillnottaketoolongbeforeourbrandbe-comeswidelyrecognised. Entry levelguitarplayersdonothavetheexperienceto imme-diatelyappreciatethesuperiorquality/playabilityofHMIinstru-ments.Theyareswayedbytheglamourattachedtocheaplyfab-ricatedimportsfromChina/Indonesia,merelybecausetheyhavefamousbrandnames(andsomeofthesearefakes).Experiencedguitar players and professionals, instantly realise the value formoneypackedinHMIguitarsWithproductpromotionexercisesincludingfeel-playsessions,awareness ofHMI guitars is expanding in themarket. Wehavealsosoldmanyguitarsbasedonspontaneousword-of-mouthrec-ommendations frommany first-time buyers from outlying citiessuchasCochin,Delhi,Bangalore,Varanasi,etc.Weexpecttooverridethisfancyfor“Imported”brandswiththeonsetofgreaterdealerparticipationandawidermarketspread&reach,induecourse.AmajormusicalinstrumentsstoreinSingaporehastriedoutourguitarsandisactivelyconsideringregularimportandsale.

HMI - Harmony Musical Instruments (Madras) Pvt. Ltd. - came into exis-tence due to a fortuitous set of circum-stances – The owners of the Jackson brand of electric guitars were looking for an alternative manufacturer from Asia as a source/supplier of this musi-cal instrument. The promoters of HMI had on call a team of experienced per-sonnel who had earlier worked for a guitar factory. And, most importantly, the Shriram Finance Group was willing to invest in this venture by providing the capital funding. There was also the opportunity to locate this unit in the Madras Export Processing Zone (Spe-cial Economic Zone) (MEPZ-SEZ).

The Jackson brand owner had agreed to underwrite the production of HMI manufactured guitars, and therefore there were no marketing pressures.

Crafting Class for the

WORLD

excerpts from an exclusive interview with Mr ramani swamy, director, hMi Pvt ltd about international brands, export gains and why you should pick up one of their guitars

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19Theprimarymaterialusedinaconventionalelectricoracousticguitar is wood (for the body, neck and headstock). It is vitaltoensure themoisture levels in thewooddonotexceed thespecifiedlimits.Thepre-treatmentprocessesforpreparingthewoodbeforeitgoesthroughthevariousstagesoftransforma-tioninthemanufacturingprocess,aswellasthetimerequiredtocompletethecuringprocessinthepaintedguitars,contrib-ute largely to the overall manufacturing time. Together withtheactualwoodworkingoperationsandthefinishing,assemblyandinspectionprocesses,aqualityelectricguitarwilltakeHMIabout 20 days to produce, from start to finish. It is expectedthat the same time spanwill be required for acoustic guitarsaswell.

Sing Me A Song of Six-STRINGS

HMI can currently manufacture 3,500 to 4,000 guitars permonth, and,with somebalancing equipment, the productioncapacitycanbeincreasedto5,000guitarspermonth.Theturn-overachievedinthepreviousfinancialyearwasapprox.Rs.158million,whenaround30,000guitarswereexported.Agrowthin turnover of 30-40% was initially projected for 2009-2010.This is however now unrealisable on account of the globaldownturn.Despite thegenerallybleakscenario forexporters,HMIisexpectedtoendthisfinancialyearonapositivenote.



Gayatri Kalyanaraman

Brand newATTRACTION

IfromanticflicksinTamilaregoinginforamakeover,itstandstoreasonthatthemusicshouldalsofollowsuit.Wecaughtup

withthetwomenbehindLeelaianddiscoveredquiteafewofthequirksthatgowithmakingamoviewithayoungproductionteam

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The Tamil cinema industry has showcased various genresofmoviessuccessfullybutwhenitcomestofavorites,theaudience’s verdict goes to romantic flicks, hands down!Fromthatperspective,Leelaimightseemlikethetypicalrun-of-the-millboymeetsgirlstory,butittrulyisnot!

Everythingaboutthemovieisnascent.Startingfromthecrewtillthemusic,youcannotmissthefreshnessassociatedwithit.Themusicin particular is very new and exceptionally classy; something thatwasassociatedonlywiththeIlayarajaeraofTamilmusic.Today,themusicdirectorSatish Chakravarthyisahappyman.Notonlyhastheresponsetothemusicbeenveryencouraging,hehasalsomadehisguruARRahmanproud! Speakingofwhom, Satish swears thathecouldhavenotwishedforabetterbossbothintermsofmusicandpersonalityand itwashisencouragementthatgavehimtheconfi-dencetotakeoffandstartseparately.“NomatterhowmanyfilmsIdoorhowpopular Iget, Iwill continueworkingwithhim forhisfuturefilms”assertsSatish.

SatishhasworkedwithRahmanforabouttwoyearsandevenlenthisvoiceforfilmslikeJaane Tu Ya Jaane Na.Itwasduringonesuchrecordingsession–DuringJodha AkbarthatARRaskedhimtostartcreatinghisowncompositions.Itallfitintoplacewhenhemethischildhood friend, Andrew Louis during his wedding. Andrew hadincidentally just started working on his directorial debut and wassearchingforamusicdirector.Andvoila!Leelaihappened.

Theentirescoreofthemovie-songsaswellasbackgroundmusichasasenseofsimplicitytoit.Thefocusismainlyonmelodybutinapeppyway.Thesongstendtolingerandnoneofthemsoundsimilar.Infact,theinstrumentsusedareminimalandimportanceisgiventoconnecting themusicand lyricas smoothlyaspossible.Onscreenthisworkswellsincethe leadpair isnewandthewholesettingofthemovie is youthful. Themovie’s story revolvesarounda couplewhoarepartofChennai’sITcrowd.

Satishisnotentirelynewtothefield.AfterstudyingmusicinBerkleeforacoupleofyearsandworkingunderoneofthebestintheworld,he has a touch of worldmusic and how to infuse it into his owncompositions;gettingagoodbreakwasjustamatteroftime.Whatbetterwaythantostartoffwithachildhoodfriend!Needlesstosay,therapportbetweenthetwowasremarkable.“Theunderstandingwassogoodthatthecommunicationwasalmostnonverbal”claimsagrinningSatish.Infact,betweenthetwoofthem,theyhadasecretgrin code. Ifat theendofa recordingsession,bothof themwearthesamesheepishsmile,thenit isasignthatthegoingwasgood.Indeed,what better than a little superstition to spice up a formalrelationship!

TheleadpairofMansiandShivhavealsoplayedtheirpartinmakingthesongsasuccessbyprovidingnearperfectlipsyncandemotingtoperfection.Boththedirectorandmusicdirectorareallpraiseforthefemalelead-Mansi.“Itishardtobelievethatsuchagoodperfor-mancecanbegivenondebut.Shewilldefinitelygoplaces!”claimsAndrew, the director of themoviewho incidentally claims that ir-respectiveofthemovie’ssuccess,themusicisboundtobeabighit!

Goingbypublicopinion,themusicofLeelaiisalreadyhotproperty.Muchwill depend on how the industry perceives it. Timewill tellhowclassandmelodyworkinaspacecrowdedbyloudhip-hopandthecacophonyofghaanamusic.Eitherway,Satishhasravereviews,a golden voice and offers in his sack. Here’s wishing himwell forwhateveristocomeandhopingthatthemusicofLeelaimightprovetobethelongoverduemakeoverthatTamilfilmmusichasneeded!

1 The male lead Shiv was chosen be-cause the people who cast him

thought that he had both north IndianandsouthIndianfeaturesandwouldsellinbothplaces

2 Before approaching Satish to com-posemusic,Andrewmistookhimfor

Rahman’ssoundengineer

3 Exceptthecinematographer,mostofthecrewofLeelai are first timers to

thescreen

4 ThankstoworkingwithRahman,themusicforthisfilmhasbeendoneus-

ing cutting edge technologywhich is onparwithinternationalstandards

5 Thefirstsongthatwascomposedforthemoviewasdone ina single shot

anditwasinitiallydoneasasamplebutwentontobecomethefinalversion

things you wont read in the papers about Leelai and its crewFI

VE

SatishChakravarthy

must listen if you think love, longing, life and all that comes with today’s songs are overdone, give OrU kili a shot on your playlist. Chances are if not for the mellow tune, satish c’s haunting voice’l get you..there!

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Thaman Unplugged

FromthechubbyteenagerinBoystosuccessfulmusicdirector,actor/mu-sicdirectorThaman’s lifehasmadeafullcircle.Thisiswhatthemanofthe moment has to say about hispastexperiencesandcurrenttrendsinmusicafterhisscoreinthemovieEeramwon him a lot of critical ac-claim and a one-way ticket to star-

dom.

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WISHFUL THINKING

5 movies which I wish I had scored

the music for MOUNARAGAMAGNINATCHATRAMVEYILPARUTHEEVERANROJA

USPIknowtheaudience’spulse.HavingbeenanentertainerIknowwhattheaudiencewantsandhowtogiveittothem.I focusoneverypartofthesongandthescoretoensurethatatempoismaintainedandthesongdoesnotbecomeboringatanypoint.Theaudienceisallthatkeepsyougo-ing.FIRSTBREAKInTamilthefirstmovieIactuallysignedupforisMoscowin Kaveri.ButEeramhappenedbeforethat.MyfirstbreakintheindustryassuchwasinthemovieBoysplayingtheroleofKrishna.ThishappenedtomesinceIwasacloseassoci-ateofdirectorShankar’snephewandwhenhespreadthenewstohimthathewaslookingforaprofessionaldrum-mertoplaythepartofKrishna,heaskedmetotry itoutandtherestishistory.GROWINGUPMusicwasinthefamily.FromaveryyoungageItookalik-ingforthedrumswhichlateronturnedintoapassion.Asaprofessionaldrummeriplayedforvariousbands. Ihaveperformed several live concerts and I believe that this isvery important for anyaspiringmusician.Musicdirectorsshouldhaveexposuretoaliveaudiencetoknowwhattheylikeaswellasgaugethechanginginterestsoftheaudienceandwhatkindsofinnovationstheyaccept.COMPETINGFORCEIcompeteonlywithmyself.IknowthatIcomefromaplacewhereIhaveverytalentedpeersbutthereisnosenseofcompetitionassuch.Allofusmakegoodmusicandtheau-diencegetstopickwhomtheylikebestLIFEINTHEINDUSTRYSincemyinitialassociationwiththeindustrystartedasanactor, my identity was firmly established. Having had nootherstringsattachedwiththeindustry,thisreallyhelpedin thesensethat it iseasier toprogress in the industry ifpeopleknowwhoyouare.Afteracoupleoffilmsormore,allthatmattersisthenumberofcd’sorringtonesthatyousell.MyfilmKick inteluguprovedthat ifyouifyoumakegoodmusic, audience acceptance follows, irrespective ofageandexperience.

INSPIRATIONMyinspirationwillalwaysbederivedfromthetwopillarsofTamilmusic.IllayarajasirandARRsir.Igrewuphearingandplayingtheirmusicandnowitsanhonortobeinthesameindustryastheyare.Askanymusicdirectorandyouwillgetthesamereply.MUSIC,TODAYEveryonceinawhile,acertaingenrecomesandtakesoverfilmmusicmuchlikehiphopiscurrentlydoing.Butalltheseareonlyphasesandthemusicwill returnto itsessence-melody.EvidencetothisisthefactthateventhoughthereisahugeinteresttowardstherockmusicsceneinChennaiandthereisarockbandpoppingupeveryfewseconds,filmmusic still standsunaffectedand faithful followersof thelanguageandthemusicwillalwayscontinuetoexist.

“Of all themovies I have donetill date,Eeram hasbeenthetoughest.Owingtothedifferentstoryline,themusicandthebackgroundscorehadtobeper-fectinordertomaintainthesuspense.InmovieslikeEeram,asmallspoilerinthemusiccangiveitallaway.Alsothesongshavetobeperfectlydoneinordertomaintainthecontrast.Iforonebelievethatthedirec-toristhecaptainoftheshipandit’shiscreativeinputscoupledwithgoodlyricsthatbringsoutthebestfromanymusicdirector.FilmslikeVeyilandParutheeveranhavebeenapplaudedfortheirmusicgiventhediffer-entsettingofthemovieandIamhappythatEeramispartofthatlistnow.”


Tarantino’s Ingenuity

Mrinal Rajaram

Fromsphagetti-westerninspiredsequencestoheaviercon-tmporarycompositionsQuentinTarantino’spenchantfor

detailinhismovies’sountrackisobvious

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Asa film-maker,QuentinTarantinohasalwayshadauniquewayof look-ing at things. His ingenious vision usually succeeds in rubbing off ontotheentiremovieset.Beingaproactivedirector,heisconstantlyinvolvedindifferentaspectsof theprojectatanygiventime.His latestcreation,Inglourious Basterds,isnoexception.Apartfromsomeexceptionalfilm-

making, themusic also impresses. Likemost of Tarantino’s projects, it transcendsthestereotype.Thesoundtrackfusesavarietyofmusicfromthespaghetti-westerngenretoRockandSoul.Tarantinohadwantedhis filmtobe likeacowboywesternset inWorldWar II–so,amajorityof itcontainssoundtrackexcerptsfromfamousWesterns.Legendary Italian composer,Ennio Morricone,was askedby Tarantino to composethescorefor InglouriousBasterds.But,onaccountofconflictingschedules,hewasunabletoaccept.However,thedirectorhasusedseveralofMorricone’spieces(frompreviousfilms)inthesoundtrack.The film opens with Nick Perdito’s beautiful theme The Green Leaves of Summer. ComposedbyDimitriTiomkinandPaulFrancisWebster,itwasusedfortheopeningofJohnWayne’smovie,TheAlamo,in1960.EnnioMorricone’sThe Verdict(LaCon-danna),isplayedtotheeerieentranceofNaziColonel,HansLanda(playedbyChris-tophWaltz),asheinterrogatesadairyfarmingJewinNazioccupiedFrance.Thoughthepiecewasperfectforthepart,thesimilarityitboretoBeethoven’sFür Elise,wasratheruncanny.Themaintitleofthefilm-CharlesBernstein’sWhite Lightning,alsohasastrongWesterninfluence.Theinstrumentaltrackaddsavery interestingmix-tureofsoundstoit,helpingtheaudienceidentifywiththefilm’stheme.Acoupleofsongsthatfailedtomakeanimpression(asfarastherelevancetothefilmgoes)were,BillyPreston’sSlaughterandDavidBowie’sCat People (PuttingOutFire).WeallknowthatTarantinodoesthingshisownwayanddoesn’t followthebeatentrack–thatsaid,thetwosongsstuckoutlikesorethumbs.Theyjustdidn’tseemtofitin.Afterall,we’retalkingaboutaWorldWarIIepichere!Out of the 14 tracks thatwere finally used, only 4 songs appear – the rest being,instrumentalpieces.That’sunderstandable,consideringthefilm’stheme.Therearetwo,oldGermansongsthatalsoappearonthesoundtrack–theyare,Davon geht die Welt nicht unter(byZarahLeander)andIch wollt, ich wär ein Huhn(byLilianHarveyandWillyFritsch).JacquesLoussier’smainthemefromDark of the Sun,alsomakesabriefappearanceduringtheplot.TwoMorricone classics in the formofThe Surrender (La Resa) andUn Amico playatcrucial(yetdifferent)juncturesofthefilm.Schifrin’sTiger Tankencapsulatesthe‘Nazihighercommandgunningdown’scene,asthesoulfuldirgeofMorricone’sRab-bia e Tarantellatakesoverbeforethecreditsbegintoroll.QuentinTarantinobeganwritingInglouriousBasterdswithhis‘mykindofDirtyDozen’(WorldWarIIepic)inmind.Aftermorethanadecadesincehepennedthefirstword,thefilmmighthaveturnedoutquitedifferently–but, fewcanquestion itsquality.TheeclecticmixofmusicthatincludedseveralWesterngreats,washand-pickedbyTarantino himself. A commendable job – considering the fact that he brought the‘cowboyWestern’influenceintoaWorldWarIIfilm,andmadeitlookratherbeliev-able.

TheBridgeOnTheriverKwai(1957)‘TheBridgeOnTheRiverKwai’isconsideredtobeoneofthefinestWorldWarIIfilmsevermade.If you have seen the film, forgetting the famouswhistlingtuneoftheBritishPOWs,isquiteunlike-ly. The piece (called the “Colonel BogeyMarch”)wasoriginallywrittenbyKennethAlford in1914.The film’s composer, Malcolm Arnold, used theoriginalmusicof the“ColonelBogeyMarch”andfollowed it up by a counter-melody called “TheRiverKwaiMarch.”ArnoldwonanAcademyAwardforthemovie’sscore.Thefilmendedupwinningatotalof7Oscars.

Must Listen – The “Colonel Bogey March”

ThedirTydOzen(1967) ‘TheDirtyDozen’playedahugeinfluenceinQuentinTarantino’s, ‘InglouriuosBasterds.’Tar-antinowantedhisfilmtobehisownversionof‘TheDirty Dozen.’ After almost a decade sincehebeganthescript,thefilmmighthaveturnedoutdifferently–but,hestillmanagedtogiveitthefeelofaspaghetti-westernsetinWorldWarII. The film’s (TheDirty Dozen) complete scorewas composed by Frank De Vol. Containing amammothtracklistingof24pieces,Vol’sskillasacomposerensuredthatthemusicaccentuatedthefilm’sunderlyingtheme.

Schindler’SliST(1993)TheStevenSpielbergmasterpiecedocument-edtheHolocaustlikefewothershave.ForaSec-ondWorldWarepicdramathatspannednearlythree and a half hours, it needed a score thatwasequallymoving.Thefilm’soriginalscoreandsongs were composed by the legendary JohnWilliams, and featured veteran Israeli violinist,Itzhak Perlman. The album won the AcademyandBAFTAAwardfor“BestOriginalScore”anda Grammy for “Best Instrumental CompositionWrittenforaMotionPictureorforTelevision.”ItwasalsonominatedforaGoldenGlobe.

Must Listen – “Theme from Schindler’s List”

SAVINGPRIVATERYAN(1998)StevenSpielbergpartneredwithJohnWilliamsagain for thesoundtrackof thismoderndepic-tionofWorldWarII.Unlikea lotofotherfilmsinthesameclass,noneofSavingPrivateRyan’sbattlesceneswerescored.Asexpectedforatra-ditionalwarmovie,themusicisrathersolemn.Itplayssubtlyinthebackground,lettingthefilmspeakitstruth,quietlyandotherwise.Themu-sicmaynothavebeenaspowerfulasSchindler’sList,butthatisprobablybecausethey’renotinthe same genre. Though Schindler’s List is setintheSecondWorldWar,itisstilladramafilm(with little or no battle seen). Themusic fromSavingPrivateRyanwasnominatedforanAcad-emyAwardandaGoldenGlobe.

Must Listen – “Hymn To The Fallen” and “Oma-ha Beach”

The SCORE Magazine | Nov 2009www.highonscore.com | 28

Soundtrack Listing - Inglourious Basterds

1.TheGreenLeavesofSummer- NickPerdito

2.TheVerdict(LaCondanna)-EnnioMorricone

3.WhiteLightning(MainTitle)-CharlesBernstein

4.Slaughter-BillyPreston

5.TheSurrender(LaResa)-EnnioMorricone

6.OneSilverDollar(UnDollaroBucato)-Gianni

Ferrio

7.DavongehtdieWeltnichtunter-ZarahLeander

8.TheManwiththeBigSombrero-SamanthaShel-

ton&MichaelAndrew

9.Ichwollt,ichwäreinHuhn-LilianHarvey&Willy

Fritsch

10.MainThemefromDarkoftheSun-Jacques

Loussier

11.CatPeople(PuttingOutFire)-DavidBowie

12.TigerTank-LaloSchifrin

13.UnAmico-EnnioMorricone

14.RabbiaeTarantella-EnnioMorricone



Twin-Pronged TUNEMASTER

On a rOle

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31Thereisanancientbeliefintheclassicalmusicfrater-nityofsouthIndiathatthemusiciandoesnotchoosethe instrument. The instrument chooses him. How-ever clichéd that sounds, it worked in the case ofNellai.S.Radhakrishna.

“At theageof22 I cameacrossapictureof L.Shankarplayingthedoubleviolinandthat’stheinstantthatIdecidedthatIamgoing to become the secondperson in theAsian continent toplaythe instrument”hesays.Todayhehasachieved justthat.Forthoseofyouwhoarenotfamiliarwiththeinstrument,itissimilartotheviolininlooksbutactuallycombinesthesoundsoftheviolin,viola,celloandthebassusingtheappropriatestrings.Theprosofthisinnovationincludesbeingabletoachievediffer-entoctavesorrangesofsoundsfromthesameinstrumentbuttheflipsideisthattherearenoexistingcompositionsthatcansimplyberenderedagain.Agreatdealofunderstandinghastobeput intocomposingsongssinceeventhetiniestoferrors iseasilyamplified.

Anotherfactoristhatthedoubleviolinhastobecustommadesincethereisnostereotypeavailable.Sohowandwhendidthisactually materialize forMr. Radhakrishna? “After 5-6 years inthemaking,IfinallygotmyinstrumentinChicagowhileplayingintheFestivalof India-3.MyguruRavishankar jiandAnoush-ka were the first to test the instrument and they were over-whelmedwithmy idea!” is his response. From then on therehasbeennolookingback!

Anynewsounddoesnotgetimmediateacceptance.Ittookpeo-pleawhiletogetusedtothekindofmusicthatemanatesoutofthisinstrumentandinturnappreciateit.Inthelast4years,the

responsehasbeen tremendousaccording tohimandhe feelsthatthisuniquegenreofmusichasfinallybeenaccepted.Theclassicalyetcontemporaryfeelofhismusictranscendedbarri-ersastoplabelsstartedendorsinghimandalsohisbandinGer-many–‘Ahimsa’whichisgainingpopularity.SofarAhimsahasonlybeenalocalband,butthankstotheincreasedpopularity,therehavebeenplansforaworldtourinthecomingyear.Talkaboutclassicalmusiciansmakingitbig!

Incidentallythat’snottheonlybandheisapartof.Heisapartoftwootherbands.Oneofthemcalled‘TheSearch’,madeupofIsraelimusiciansandtheother,aCalcuttabasedbandcalled‘Thaltantra’.Thisinitselfisafeatconsideringthesheerdiversityofmusicianshehastoworkwith,bothintermsofmusicstylesandnationality.

Radhakrishnaspendscloseto8monthsayearglobetrottingforconcerts.WhenheisnotplayingforhisguruPt.Ravishankar,hegoessolo.Yetthishumbleyet immenselytalentedartist isyettobringoutasoloalbum.“EveryyearIbeginwiththeideaofbringingoutasoloalbumbutowingtotimeconstraints it justdoesn’tseemtobehappen.Buthopefully2010willbetheyear”hemakeslightofhisplans.

Fromalongtermperspectivehispurposeisclear.TopropagateIndianmusic,inspecificIndianClassicalformtoallpartsoftheworldandtherebyestablishacertainstandardsthatmusiciansin the future can benchmark with. His interests also includepopularizingthedoubleviolinasacommoninstrumentsinceasofnowitispreferredbyonlythosewhoknowthenuancesofallthefourinstrumentsitcombinesaswellasthosewhocanaffordit.Asofnowitremainsaluxuryflauntedbyonlyaselectfew.

Pt.Ravishankarinsistedthatthefirstpublicper-formanceforMr.Radhakrishnawithhisdoubleviolinwas to be at theHollywoodBowl in LosAngeles, an honor only very few Indian musi-cians receive. Due to prior commitments thatdidnothappen

Themakingof thedoubleviolin isveryexpen-sive since it is made up of very sensitive ele-ments like carbon fiber and a single string re-placementcosts280US$.

Radhakrishna has played for a Swedish Metalbandandincollaborationreleasedacdtitled–LandOfFreaks.Isitjustmeordoesitsoundlikeanoxymoronconsideringthemental imagewesustainofourCarnaticmusicians?!

The carnatic music season that happens dur-ingearlyDecembereveryyearwill feature thedoubleviolinforplayedbyRadhakrishnafortheveryfirsttimeinmusicseasonhistory!

‘Ahimsa’issaidtoemergingasthenextShaktiinGermanyaccordingtothelocalmagazines;thelatterbeingahugelypopularclassicalpluscon-temporarymusicbandwithhintsof jazz. EventhoughthetwoalbumsbroughtoutbyAhimsahasnotmadeitswayofGermanyyet,thelocalreactionhasbeenverypositive.

Pic:AjayPrab

hakar


Breakdown

BLUES

Ketaki Chandrasekar

I’mflippingthrougha1988issueofRollingStoneandporingover‘TheHardTruthAboutGunsn’Roses’.Finally,somebadboyswhoaregood.

ThearticletalksaboutIzzy,therhythmguitarist,draininghissec-ondbottleofredwineandtestingthewattageofaportableste-

reo,whileAxl&Slashtrytohaveaconversationoverthedin.Soon,there’sacommotionbetweenthebandmembersincludingDuffandStevenAdler.Axlisquotedtohavesaid,“It’scoolthatthistensionisbuildingup,becauseit’sgottafinditsreleaseinthemusic.Ifwelivethatlong.”

By 1994,we saw the last ofGn’Rwith theoriginalmembers. Come1999, therewas a new band line up and the birth of a new albumnamedChineseDemocracy.

Slash, Duff andMatt Sorum then went on to form Velvet Revolver,alongwithothers.SonowwhenGn’Rcometo India inNovember, itisn’tquitethesameballgameanymore,isit?

2007sawAerosmithrockingthestageatPalaceGrounds,Bangalore.Myfriendand Iwent inbyabout7pmandworkedourway forwarduntilwewererightinfrontoftheramp.WewerebothgreatfansofJoePerry.Forthosewhomissedthisconcert,toughluckchump!Halfwaythroughtheconcert,therewasaJoePerryguitarsolo.

Thebandhadanamazingstagepresenceandtheirsuccessovertheyearsisanobrainer.

SowhenJoedecidestotryhishand[repeatedly]atasolocareertitled‘The JoePerryProject’, I cannotquite fathom it.Personalambitionsaside,Idoubtanyoftheseguyscansurvivewithouttheother.WhatmakesAerosmith special is thechemistry that JoeandStevenshareduringperformances.TheJoePerryProjectalbumtitled‘Haveguitar,willtravel’issetforanearlyOctober2009release.Anytakers?

NickMason, Syd Barrett, David Gilmour, RogerWaters and RichardWright;yes,PinkFloyd.

Myearliestmemoriesofmusicgobacktothisband.Iwasstill inmysingledigitswhenIwasveryfamiliarwithShineonYouCrazyDiamond,

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WishyouwerehereandComfortablyNumb.Withoutdebate,theyaretilldatethegreatestpsychedelicrockbandthateverrockedtheplanet.Floydfanshaveal-waysdebatedwhowasthehotterfavourite:WatersorGilmour.Mytakeisthatthebandwasnotbigenoughforthebothofthem.Watersleftthebandin1985andfrom there on Floyd frontmanwasGilmour.Despitethisdrasticchange,hugelysuccessfulalbumslikeMo-mentaryLapseofReasonandDivisionBell[IsanyonelisteningtoHighHopesrightnow?]wereborn.

Inthemeantime;Waterswentontopromotehissolocareer,andcontinuedtoperformtheclassicFloydma-teriallikeTheWall.Infact,whenRogerWaterstouredIndia a couple of years ago, the rumour was, ‘PinkFloydiscomingtoIndia’.Gofigure.

Waters came together with Pink Floyd again for thefirsttimein24yearsfortheLIVE8concertinLondon,2005.

When boy bands break up, it causes a lot of heart-break. I once caught sight of amusicmagazinewithGeorgeHarrisononthecoverataneateryinChennai.IwasdelightedtoseeaBeatle;delightedenoughtocallthemagazinepeopleandaskthemifIcouldwriteforthem (and hence The ScoreMagazine) But the pointI’mtryingtoemphasizeisthatIdidn’tthinkofGeorgeHarrison.

IthoughtofTheBeatles.ThebreakupofTheBeatles is probably one of the saddest stories of all time.Whoisn’tafan?Thecrazyhaircuts,thebobbingheaddance,thesimplelyrics,thecatchytunes…TheBeatleswereaphenomenon.

After the dissolution in 1970, they each went on topromote solo careersbutmanaged to involveoneortheotherinafewsongs.Lennonhadafewmemorable

hitslikeImagineandGivePeaceaChance.Buttherestarehazy.

Lookingatmorecontemporarybands,Audioslaveisagreatexampleofhowtwowrongsmakearight.Sound-garden’s frontman Chris Cornell and the instrumen-talistsofRageAgainsttheMachine,TomMorello,TimCommerfordandBradWilkcametogetherfromtheirrespectivebandstoformthisHardRockgroup.

Thebandofficially disbanded in 2007, followingCor-nell’s departure from the band “due to irresolvablepersonality conflicts as well as musical differences”.Postbreakup, threememberswerebusyattemptingto reunite Rage Against the Machine, while Morelloand Cornell released solo albums. Has anyone heardanytracks?

Inrecentnews,Oasis’vocalist/guitaristNoelGallagherannouncedhisdeparturefromthegroupthisAugust.Thisdidnotcomeasabigshock,consideringthedis-putesbetween thebrothers, LiamandNoel,haveal-waysbeenratherapparent.ThebandinitiallydidnotincludeNoeltostartwith,buthisadditiondidproducea whole new feel. Can we expect a solo stint? Timeshallrevealall.

Manygoodbandshavebrokenuptogiverisetonewmusictalent;CreambreakupledtothegenesisofEricClapton, Stingwasbornof thePolicebreakup, Jack-son 5ive led toMichael Jackson etc.Whereas, somesplitupshavebeendisappointing,tosaytheleast-likethoseofthebandsfeaturedinthisarticle.

Whatever be the case, nothing lasts forever in theworldofRockn’Roll,muchlessmusic;exceptthefans.Weareleftinthelurch,debatingwhetherornottogoforaconcertthatbearsthenameofaoncegreatrockband.Shakespeare’s‘What’sinaname?’theorywon’tworkthistime.

Pic:EMIMusic

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Quirks and queriesIfthereisonethingNehaBhasinissureabout,itisthatshelikestosing.FromViva!toPesugiren,herlifehasbeenoneinsanesuccessstorythatevensomeonewithwelldocumenteddisdainforreal-ityshowscannotignore.Frombrandappareltoknowledgeofboybands,wedecidedtocatchupwithherandfindoutwhatmakes

hertick..apartfromhermusic!

1. If you could be a superhero, what secret power would you like to haveI’dliketohavethepowertoflyinthesky 2. Clothes you wouldn’t be caught dead inIwouldn’tbecaughtdeadinlooseunflatteringsalwarswithat-shirtwhichisquiteatrend:) 3. A must have accessory for every girlIthinkeverygirlshouldhaveafewprettyearringsindifferentcolours.Itbrightensupthemostboringoutfit 4. The funniest rumor you heard about yourselfThatihadawardrobemalfunctionataneventwhichofcourseihadn’tevenattendedandthatthosepicturesareallovertheinternet 5.ThemostabsurdthingafaneversaidtoyouThathewasborntolovemeandthat’sthepurposeGodhasbestoweduponhim 6.OnepersonyouwouldliketobemaroonedonanislandwithJohnMayerforsure(mmmmmmm) 7.ifyouwokeuponedayasthePresidentoftheUniversewhatwouldyoudoIwouldtryandmakethisworldabetterplacetolivein 8. One thing you never leave the house withoutMypouchwhichhasmycardsandmoneyandmycellphoneandmymaclipbalm 9.TheonethingyouwouldliketobuyifyouhadallthemoneyintheworldWow!Gucciboots,apenthouse,aPorsche,Versaceovercoats...Younameitandiwantthefinestthings 10. If you were a guy, which boy band would you want to be a part ofBoybands??Iamwaypastthat-at14maybe.butnowIamjusthappybeingagirl...butifatall-TheBeatles(!)N

eha

Bh

asin


Madhumitha Madhavan

The SCORE Magazine | Nov 2009www.highonscore.com | 36

Guess who

almost was a BALLET DANCER

VJPalomasaysshe lovesbeingaVideo Jock-ey. But being a fashion magazine’s editor,and a professional dancer were childhooddreams;andtodayher lifehasabitofallthree… Paloma hosts ‘Footloose’ on SSMusic– a show that teaches diverse dancestyles in easy steps - ‘I have alwayswanted to be a dancer, and havetrained long years in ballet. I didwant to go abroad and pursuestudiesindancing,butthingsonthe VJing end caught onwhen

Iwas in the lastyearof school,’shesays.

In her last year of school, SS Music

washostingaVJhunt. ‘Everyonesaid Ishouldtryforit,becausemodelsareskin-

nyandtalkalot–andIhadthegiftofthegab.Igotawildcardentryintothecompeti-

tion,andbeganmycareerasaVJsoonafter,’saysPaloma. Herthirdloveisoff-screen;andPalomawritesacolumnforsomefashionmagazinesinthecity.‘Ialwayswantedtobefashioneditorofamaga-zine,whengrowingup.And fashioncanstillex-citeme,’sheadds.

Formanycelebs,theircareershavehappenedquiteoutofchance–

tryingtheirluckwithsomethingnew,oraquirkytwistoffate.VJandmodelPalomaRaotellsuswhatbroughtherinfrontofthe

camera...

PALoMA

Krithika Sukumar

Somethin’ About SID

Meenakshi Iyer


We did the Sneak peek for you in case you haven’t caught it yet!

WakeUpSidisaboutSidharthMehra(Ranbirkapoor),alazy,unmo-tivated,slackerfromBombaywho’sworldisbreezyandcarefreewithnorealresponsibilities.Ambitious,wellread,anddriven,Aisha(KonkonaSen)hascometoBombaytorealizeherdreamsasawriterforalocalmagazine.Sid’sparents’disdainforhislacklus-treattitudeleadstoavolatileandexplosivesituationwithinthefamily.WillSidfindawayoutofthisestrangementthatparalyseshisrelationshipwithhisfamilyandfriends?WillhetakestockofhislifeandstarttoimbibesomeofAisha’sfocusandspirit?Willhe,atsomepoint,figureoutwhathe’ssupposedtobedoingwithhislife?Thetrailerearnsappreciationforitsuniquecinematography,Ranbir’s‘the-boy-who-refused-to-grow’look,crispdialoguesandskillfulartdirection.Theaptchoiceofthesong‘kyakaroon’addscolourtothealready-vibrantvideo.Ranbirlookshisconfused-bestandKonkana,hisextremeoppositeineveryframe.

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From theatre to Bollywood, seems like a short journey.It sure has been quite enriching. Com-posingforplayswasapartofmygrow-ingstages.Itgavemethemuch-neededexperience and exposure. And the factthat it was well received gave me theconfidence to surge ahead. I alwayslookbackonthosedays,becausethatiswhereitallbegan.

And Sony BMG offered you the con-tract?Yes.Thatwasthegateway,myfirstasamusicdirector.ItookitupanditbroughtouttheresultsIexpected.

Your first movie was Amir, which re-volved around a social issue.The scriptwaswell written, but some-where down the line, the movie fellshort in its promotional aspect. Thank-fully my music was appreciated and Ifeelcontenttohaveworkedontheproj-ect.

Was there a deliberate attempt to cre-ate a mélange of music for the film, as agitating as ‘Emotional Atyachar’ or a folkish “Dhol yaara dhol”?Notatall.Everythingjustcametogetherfor the film.Anurag (thedirector) gavemeno specifications,whichhelpedmework onmy creativity. DevD camemyway at the right time and the resultswereover-whelming.(Smiles)

Tell us about the background score and the song youworked on forwake UpSid.

Ayan(Mukherji)calledupafterheheardDevD’ssongsandwantedmetodothebackgroundscoreforthefilm.Thesongsweredoneby Shankar, Ehsaanand Loyandthesequenceswerefinalizedtoo. Iwas on a vacation then and onmy re-turn,Icasuallymadehimlistentoasongthat I had come up with(Iktara), whilewe were deciding on the backgroundscore. He loved it to an extent that hewentaheadandincludedit intheplay-list, though it does not feature in thefilm!

And you share the cover space with the famous Trio?They’re amazing. I’ve grown as a com-poserlisteningtotheirsongs.IhadtheopportunitytomeetEhsanandLoy,yettomeetShankar(Mahadevan).They’reaclassapart.I’magreatfan.

How do you find the current trend in In-dian cinema as far music is concerned? From conventionalism to progressive styles.It is my opinion that any trend is wel-come, as long as it is neatly done andpresented.Attheendoftheday,Iworktowardscateringtothetastesofthelis-teners,butImakesureIretainmystyleandindividuality.

Talking about movies, do you like catch-ing up with the latest ones?Oh Yes! I love watching movies withlightersubjects.Comedy,animationandthe like. It relieves thestressandpres-sureafteraday’swork.‘Up’topsthelistfornow!

The new Iktara of Bollywood! HestartedhiscareercomposingmusicforGujaratiplaysinacitywhichcannevergetenoughof them.Atwo-yearcontractwithSonyBMGsawhimscoring for theIndianIdolsensationAbhijeetSawant’salbum,‘Junoon’.AndthenAmirhappened,which led Amit Trivedi into the vibrantworld of Hindi cinema. Though he claimsthat the filmwasn’t promotedwell, hismusicwaswidely appreciated for havingaptlybroughtoutthefilm’sthemeofreligiouspolarization.AnuragKashyap’sDevDunveiledhisastounding finesseandphenomenal compositions,provingapointthathehasalongwaytogofromhere.AshisnextventureWakeupSidisreleasedonOctober2(hehascomposedthebackgroundscoreandasongforthefilm),wecaughtupwiththemusicdirectortofindoutwhatisitthathashelpedhimcreateanicheforhimselfintheindustry.

kya karoon? (Clinton Cerejo)

Thebestinthelot.Usedinthetrailor,thissonghasamazingharmoniesandaveryrefreshingappeal.Werecommend!

Iktara (kavita seth)Seemslikeitvoicesthefemaleprotagonist’sanguishandpain.Catchylyrics.ClearlybringsoutAmitTrivedi’sstyle.

Wake Up sid (s Mahadevan)

Soulful,bearsastrongresemblancetotheDilChahtaHaisoundtrack,intermsofrhythmandfeel.

life is crazy (s Mahadevan)

Similartothetitletrackintermsofthetune.Greatharmoniesagain.Could’vebeenabitdifferent.

Aaj kal zindagi (S Mahadevan)

Theinspirationalone.Familiartune,butindispensableforthecarefree-guy-learns-responsibilitythemeofthefilm.

SHUFFLE

Pix:So

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Doctor by day and RJ by night, Ok, No. He’s a doctorthroughtheweek,andanRJwithChennaiLiveonweek-ends.HewasclasstopperfromLKGtothe10th,andaGoldMedalistduringhispost-graduation,wonawards,hadhispaperspublished in international journalsand

beenhitonhisknucklesforsmiling.He’smarriedandhasrecentlyfatheredabeautifulbabygirl.He’sslightlyclumsy(butaren’tweall?), lovesBryanAdamsandhas themost interesting stories totell,storiesabouttesttubecollectionsbehindblackboards,find-ingrhythminacadaverandonenighttripstoeverywhere!Hepracticesemergencymedicine.Never imaginedhe’dbecomeanRJ,andisasbolutely(Absolutelytotherestofus)hilariousandtakespride inhisability tomakeupwords toexistingsongs. In-troducingDr.Tausif,thirdoffourbrothersofaconservativefamilywho’stakentoradiolikeamothtoaflame.Hethrivesonanythingthat’sadrenalinpumping,hasanattentionspanofabouttenmin-utes(Hesaidthat,Ididn’t)andfightsforhischocolatecake.HehoststwoshowsforChennaiLive,OneistheQuiz show,Andwhenaskedaboutit,hesaidsomethingweallknow,butseldomacknowledge;quizzesonradioshowsaremadeformassnot forclass,andyes,Hewasaveryinquisitivechild,constantlyquestion-ingeverything.Theessenceofaquizhowhesaysisthatradiosta-tionsfindtheneedtogivethelistenersthe“Iknowthisanswer!”feel.Asportsbuff,hissecondshowisSports Caféanditneedsnointro-duction,theyspeakofallactivitiesoutdoorandprizewinning,andsometimesindoorbutstillprizewinning.Likemostdoctors,heinitiallysufferedforgetfulness,heforgotthenamesofpatientsandwasoftenembarrassed,hashadhisshareof‘other’experiences.NonewererevealedbythediehardfanofBryanAdams,BonJovi,DefLeppardandanythingthat’sModernRock.Onbeingaskedandbothered repeatedly, just for the sakeof it,heevenbroughthisstethoscopetotheinterview.Hesayshe’stheserioustype,andiswhenthetimecallsforit.There’sonethinghewasasked,whenheappliedtoChennaiLive,which I believewas, “You’re adoctor…Can yoube funny?” andyoucantakemywordforit,heis.Andhislifeseemsfrettyferfect(prettyperfecttotherestofus!)atthemoment.

Is there a doctor in the STATION?

TestTubeCollector - thiswasmoreofajointeffort,whenhisclassmatesandhimbroketesttubesincollege,theyhid thembehind aboard, andapparentlywhen he broke his first,there were already about 50 testtubesinthis‘hidingplace’

First year, anatomy class, he foundrhythm on an open bone of a ca-daver,forwhichhewasnotallowedtoparticipateinhispracticalclassesforamonth!

He completed his UG in Bijapur which is one night from, Bombay,Goa, Bangalore, Mysore and 16hoursfromChennai.

Tune in to him on chennai live 104.8 fm, On saturdays from 11 to 2 PM and sundays from 2 to 5 PM

Pix:AHArshiya

Preeti Krishnakumar

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My Worst Nightmare

Consideringherapparentconfidenceonstage,andherpopularityasasinger,onewouldthinkthatstagejittersaremilesawayfromsingerShwetaMohan.Butbeingnostrangertoperformingdoesnotguaranteethat,andstagefrightisablessingindisguiseshesays….

‘Ihavedonealotofshow,butIstillgetbutterflies in my stomach every time.And nightmares before every show! IhaveashowwithHariharaninacoupleofweeks, and the nightmares have al-ready begun!’ she says. But the lassbelieves that the butterflies only helpherrisetogreaterheightsonstage,andgivesheracertainedge;butthatdoesnot keep the jitters away. So, what isher greatest fear on stage? ‘My great-est nightmare is forgetting my lyricsbook – and it has actually happenedonce.IrealizedIhadforgottenmylyricsfiveminutesbeforeIwastogoonstageand Iwas absolutely in shreds! Luckilypeoplearoundmehelpedmepieceto-gether lyricsand Ipulled through,’ shesays, the relief almost still fresh inhervoice.‘Idonotreallypaytoomuchat-tentiontojitters,orhavealuckycharmtowarditaway!Ijusttryandstaycool,’sheadds.

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IcanbemoodysometimesbutIthinkithelpsmewithmywork OneamazingexperiencethatstillgivesmegoosebumpswasduringtheJaiHotourinCalicutwithRahman.Iwassuspendedabout80feetabovethegroundonacrane thatwasrotatingabove5000people,playingmyguitar.Itwasarealadrenalinerush Ididgetquitea fewbreaks inthepast,but I let thempass.Noregretsthough,Iamfarmorereadynow Theonethingthatrepulsesmeishypocrisy Afriendofmineoncegavemeahairproducttotryout,andthenextmorningtheentirefrontportionofmyhairjust‘wasn’tthereanymore.’Hencetheponytailrightontopofmyhead

WhatdoIlookforinawoman?Hmmmm…nothingspe-cificreally.I’velearnedtogowithwhatfeelsright Myplaylistisusuallyfullofmyowncompositions,soI’mconstantlylisteningandimprovising RainbowBridgeusedtobethenameofmystudio,andthen itbecametheband. It’sa littlebitofeverything.‘Indirock’weliketocallit My ideal life ? would be different places at differentpointsintime.IoncedidashowinFinland,itwasheaven I gowith the flow ofmymusic. I don’t knock on anydoors.

Sanjeev Thomas is creativity per-sonifiednomatterwhattimeofday;whetherhe’sonstageperforming infrontofanaudienceormakingafirstimpressionatacoffeeshop.Trustmeyouwon’t be disappointed, becausethismusicianisafarcryfromcliché.FromhitfilmslikeDelhi 6andGhajini,tomypersonalfavourite,theopeningriff of Kabhi Kabhi Aditi in Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na,hismusicwillhaveyouhummingalonginnotime. Looking outside of his commercialventures though, his personal styleis awholedifferentmix --- there’s ablendofrock‘n’roll,alittlebitoftheBlues and interestingly, aHindustanitwistaswell.

Those TEN Things

Pic:PrabhuPrasad

Sonali Shenoy

Adyar:ADYARELECTRONICS24465823/24465823,HELLOWORLD9884022213,ITHIGHWAY42605000/42,MERCYELECTRONICS-24463673,OASISNETWORK42115822,SHANETWORK42154040/9840478574,ITDEPOT24512288/9884021688,KONICACOLOURLAB24917303Aminijikarai:MERCYELECTRONICS26640153,Annanagar:CONNEXIONS26260429,DOTCOM42693043,MERCYELECTRONICS26200783Alwarpet:KONICACOLOURLAB24991010BesantNagar: IT@home9840991902/24466898Citicenter:CAMERAINN43533293/9840211571,LANDMARK 42658317/28477777,PC INN9444452841Egmore:MOBILEZONE42638686Gopalapuram:AESTHETIXAUDIOVIDEOINDIAPVTLTD43518484Kodambak-kam:DEBORAHMUSIACALS42133393Kottiwakkam:CYBERSPACEABACUSPVTLTD24512288/9884021688Mountroad:GLOBETRONICS42119262,MAHAVEERCOMPUTERSPARES9840077334,MUSEEMUSIACALAPVTLTD8522780,NATIONALELECTRONICS 9962497908,OASISNETWORK 9840057413, TECHNEXT 45120304/05, TAMILNADU ELECTRONIC CORPORATION 43227536, VISUALMEDIA SYSTEMS 39169186/9841084329Nungambakkam: LANDMARK 4214 4266,Sasi enter-prises23746661, ITDEPOT24512288/9884021688,KONICACOLOURLAB42909898/28275878,YAMAHAMUSICSQUARE42909800Porur:WOODIESELECTRNICS24826323/9840871145Sowcarpet:RAKHIWALA25391775/25391776Spencers:CDBYTE INFOPVT LTD 2854830/28491146/285491153, LANDMARK 2849 5997-5767T.Nagar: KOHINOOR9840763267, PUJAS 2024950/9940445566, S.R. COLLECTION28155112, 4260 5333, THEAUDIO PEOPLE 42125999/9840563336, VI-GNESH&CO28341644/42123393,STUDIOCELL9884030201Tambaram:CALVINELECTRONICS22264018Thiruvanmiyur:MERCYELECTRONICS-TIRUVANMIYUR24404184Vadapalani:MERCYELECTRONICS-VADAPALANI24730157,ROYALSHOPPY42048567Velechery:AZANETWORK941367442,COMPUTERGALAXY45493235,SIMPLECITY42021828,Valasaravakkam:ITDEPOT24512288/9884021688Coimbatore:UBsofetek9894526123,AVdesign2494104/9843167879,GREATDIGITALSHOPPE0422-2234082/9842928220,SMARTSOLUTIONS0422-28252071/9884040777Kerala:TRIVANDRUM-SangeethMahal-9895482629,LAYAMusicals-9349337457.Calicut-R.S.Electronics-9895800098Trichur-GulfTraders-0487-2322166,ZoneCity center -0487-2320676.Cochin-BASILS-9846032532,Mobile Land GCDA-,Tokyo Pentamaneka-0484-2381543,Sangeeth Mahal-2359117,Alif Pentamaneka-0484-2360454,SWISS Times-94447779999, Idduki-Musicland-9446608628.Kollam-QuilonRadios-0474-2740491Pondichery:Streoshock9443957500

r.dis no 339 / 09

The Score Magazine, November 2009

Documents

Transcript of The Score Magazine, November 2009