Author Archives: Anoop Bhat
It must not be easy being a blues instrumentalist in India. But then Warren Mendonsa, the brains (and fingers) behind Blackstratblues (BSB), has not exactly trodden the beaten path. As a bright young spark on the Indian rock landscape, his band Zero (with Sidd Coutto, Bobby Talwar and Rajiv Talwar) released two albums and an EP between 1998 and 2005 and was a big part of the resurgence of the scene in that same period. A two-year hiatus to New Zealand followed during which time Warren put together some solo instrumental material that eventually got released as a free-to-download digital album Nights in Shining Karma (2007). Named after the Mumbai-born guitarists favourite weapon of choice,…
Blues Conscience was founded with the intent to promote the blues as a genre in todays rock and metal dominated Indian music. This Chennai-based self-described power quintet, formed in 2008, is led by guitarist Aum Janakiram and bassist Anek Ahuja, both of whom double as vocalists, along with drummer Naeil Smith. Saxophonist Maarten Visser and keyboard player Siddharth Kumar complete the line-up. For their debut release the band pulled in Los Angeles based guitarist/producer Ed Degenaro and the resulting effort is the 14-track album Down & Dirty. The cover artwork is interesting – a young woman in maids costume leaning provocatively over a blazer she is ironing. Indeed the band claims to have been lauded…
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It’s not often that you get to enjoy 80s music these days. The once ubiquitous rock pub where you could sip a leisurely beer while tripping on Mr. Mister and Culture Club on loop is fast being replaced by live gig joints: not that I’m complaining! However, when news broke that a U2 tribute night was being organized at a nice alfresco bar not too far from home, we thought: why not? It’s probably too early to be paying tribute to a band still going strong, but given the bleak possibility of the aging rebels from Dublin ever making it to Indian shores, this would be the next best thing. I’d never heard The Beatroute before. According…
