Tag Archives: Bobby Talwar

Black Gives Way To Blues

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, Blackstratblues have released a couple of albums since then and continue to be a big part of the local live music scene. With Jai Row Kavi on drums, Adi Mistry on bass and Bevan Fonseca on keyboards, this instrumental-only band played at Punes High Spirits Café on a muggy Saturday in May to a packed house. The gig started on time and I walked in, surprised at how many people were already there to watch. The High Spirits is a small place, with high tables interspersed in an open-air verandah facing a smallish stage with a bar at the back, and it was nice to see hordes of young people of both genders enjoying themselves and the music. Pune has been experiencing some pre-monsoon showers and Bombay Rain, with a solid bassline complementing the sweet blues melody, felt really right to set the mood for me.

Clearly, Warren attracts a loyal fanbase, and with good reason. The eponymous black Stratocaster is wielded as an instrument of delicate subtlety rather than out-and-out-shredding, and the audience reacts rather well to this approach. Warren is the consummate bluesman, content to chop and lick his way melodically into the listeners heart rather than adopt the arpeggios-at-the speed-of-light approach popularized by so many guitar virtuosos since the 90s. If youre looking for a wannabe Vai or Malmsteen, sorry- youve come to the wrong gig. But if Eric Johnson or Dickey Betts is more of your style, then maybe youll enjoy Blackstratblues. I sure did.

The set was short, around 90 minutes end to end, and there wasnt too much time-wasting or attempts at crowd-pleasing (often the same thing!) in between. Original followed original in quick succession and, though the tempo of each song varied, I began to drift a bit and used the opportunity to focus on each of the individual performers. What struck me first was that the band seemed to be composed of thorough professionals who seem to enjoy playing together. I noted with surprise that the usually supremely-composed Jai Row Kavi (Indus Creed, Tough on Tobacco) seemed to struggle through a few songs, triggering a suspicion that perhaps blues is just not his genreor maybe he was just having an off day. Warren and bassist Adi Mistry share an easy musical camaraderie that shows in their jamming but the levels on the bass were set up a little too high for my liking, giving it an overall boomy sound.

The keyboard player was used mostly for fills and intros, though he came into his own on one or two of the bands originals where Warren was content to just play chords and riffs, a rare sight! Fun factoid: in a 2012 interview to Rolling Stone, Mendonsa revealed that the black Strat after whom the band is named was originally gold in colour: it was painted black in Auckland after a band member taunted him about it! In any case, the black guitar made way for a sunburst Strat later in the show, with a much fatter bluesy tone. It struck me that Warren prefers this tone, more associated with a Gibson Les Paul/Marshall amp combination than the traditional thin Strat tone. His pedal train may have something to do with that though, to be honest, I didnt get a close look at it and the information on the official BSB webpage seems to be obsolete.

A gig composed entirely of blues instrumentals can get a bit heavy for the audience and it was nice that the band interspersed a couple of covers to liven up the mix. The Beatles ‘Norwegian Mood’, played in a very original manner replete with fat chops, was refreshing. ‘Jessica’, an Allman Brothers Band staple, and more popularly known as the Top Gear theme, was played faithful to the original pretty much. As a purist, I appreciated that! I thought the gig ended early but later learned that a couple of songs had to be cut from the original setlist, so am assuming they were forced to vacate the stage by 11 p.m. as is customary- oh when will this country wise up?

All in all an evening well-spent. The crowd composed of diehard fans who seemed familiar with the music- it would be a stretch to say they sang along since there wasnt much singing to do- which is always a nice feeling for an Indian band. There didnt seem to be any sound glitches or co-ordination issues. Maybe the setlist could also incorporate some acoustic stuff going forward. As someone who is not intimately familiar with the bands work, I still came away impressed. 10/10 will watch again!

Anoop Bhat

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Road to Converse Rubber Tracks in India at Richardson and Cruddas, Mumbai

Himanshu Rohilla

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Tough on Tobacco’s Big Big Joke album launch at The Blue Frog, Mumbai

On the 15th of May, somewhere in Mumbai a bunch of doctors successfully performed a rare heart operation, construction work came to halt, and Mahesh Bhatt noticed that Sanjay Dutt had been crying. Away from all of this, within the stylistic confines of The Blue Frog, a hundred or so people grooved as if in a trance. Mumbai based band, Tough on Tobacco had transported its audience from the usual laptrap of the city, into the world of funk, reggae, rock and eccentricity.

The band was launching their second album Big Big Joke with a gig at the Frog that night and they started off their set with College of Life. The catchy intro on rhythm proved to be the perfect crowd puller and by the time the band moved on to their next song Come On Down, the crowd really had come down. The only setback was the backing vox which could hardly be heard through the mix. The reggae, funk styled song had most of the house on their feet.

The band then moved on to Rock N Roll Party. The chirpy upbeat tempo alternating with a headbang-worthy beat proved to be a rare treat for the audience. The crowd jumped and nodded their heads to the unabashed rhythm of this energy avalanche and appreciated it with a generous amount of hooting. This was followed by the song Dog that saw Jai Row Kavi go crazy on his drum-set and Door with Gaurav Gupta on vocals for the intro.

This is a song about you, said Sidd Coutto before beginning with the bands next song, Wonder. The song was magic combined with the effect of the blue gobo-filtered lights and caught the audience spellbound. It was the perfect build-up required to play Happy which seemed to completely consume the audience in a sort of musical hug. The first half was given the perfect end with the song Alone, which was a crowd favourite.

Sidd Coutto finally took a break from his robo-hipster influenced stage antics and got down to talking about their new album. ToTs second album was being launched after a hiatus of four years, he said. The projection screens started to drop down as the band announced Watch this video about the making of the album and the album art.

What ensued was an absolute cracker. The people in the audience were beside themselves with laughter as they saw Jai(aunty) pointing disgustedly with an eeee at her daughter(Johan Pais) as she(he) spitted food out. The video captured this being repeated around four times in order to capture the perfect shot. Jai(aunty), was clearly the crowds favourite for the night with a stride and pitch that was very much stereotypically lady-like and actions that were not at all. The video was a piece of marketing wizardry with five humorous lads/band mates/family members trying to tickle every bone in your body.

Then video ended, the screen was lifted up and ToT dived straight into the first song from their new album, Do What You Gotta Do. Its not really new material since the band has been playing songs from its second album before official release since 2010. The song, Yahweh, came next and like its predecessor saw many in the audience singing along with the chorus. The third song from Big Big Joke was Follow Your Dreams. Sidd Coutto is perhaps one of the few front men out there who dont look down upon their audience from above stage. Whether he is singing about following your dreams or singing about how happy it has made him to do so, the lyrics can be seen reflected on his face as emotions. Raw and real, just as he is. Its probably this very quality that enables Coutto to engage a viewer and truly be able to move them.

Songs Ordinary, with Gaurav on the lead vocals and Big Big Joke, the title track, were played in quick succession. The soft mellow tunes were like a sweet balm, add to this Pozy Dhars sweeping solos, and you have a very happy audience. Rock ballad Love Love Love followed by Blow Yourself Away were the highlights of the night in terms of Couttos dramatics. The band members were grinning playfully at each other and making comical faces. They seemed to be really enjoying themselves on stage. Midway through Blow Yourself Away, Coutto introduced the band in his typical sing-song manner.

The set, as usual, was ended with a hot favourite Smoke Some Ganja with a guest appearance by Tracy Pais, wife of Johan Pais. Coutto called her on stage to celebrate her birthday. Jai Row Kavi is handed a mic and Tracy and him work out a funny on-the-spot Marathi improvisation laced with nonsensical exclamations and animated voices that has the audience rolling on the floor, laughing. Then the song reached its climax and the audience and band members went crazy in unison jumping and dancing to the upbeat second half of Smoke Some Ganja. The song ended too soon and the band was already packing up as Sidd thanked the audience and briefly explained where one can get access to the download codes.

Among the audience that seemed to be coping with what looked like withdrawal symptoms after having consumed some very addictive tunes, one could see many celebrities from the Indian independent music scene. There was Vishal Dadlani, Karsh Kale, Gino Banks, Vinayak Pol, Warren Mendonsa , Bobby Talwar, Rohit Pereira, Akshay Rajpurohit to name a few. As the show concluded, they all had one thing in common as did everyone else in Blue Frog. Smiles of contentment.

Drashti Thakkar

Drashti Thakkar is a Mumbai based writer, a freelance drummer and loves working with lights for live gigs. Her idea of an epiphany is anything that gets through while reading the IPC. Her idea of a good time is a ride on the bike. No, She don't drive.

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Ken Stringfellow, Tough on Tobacco and Punk Ass Orifus at Blue Frog, Mumbai

January is a month of pleasant weather for the Mumbaikars. One could not hope for better weather on a day when a musical evening like this was following! The 18th of January was a special day for Mumbai – an event featuring Ken Stringfellow, a maestro in his own right, was slated for the evening in Mumbais Blue Frog. American guitarist Ken has been associated with biggies like R.E.M., Neil Young, Snow Patrol and Big Star for several years of his career. We could bet that an opening set from him was sure to be a true reflection of his portfolio.

I was pleasantly surprised to learn that there was more – we have all heard Sidd Couttos Tough on Tobacco before, but we were wondering how they would sound when Kens strings would be strumming along. Stunned? Yes, so were we, when we heard that Tough on Tobacco was slated to join in on Kens later performances. It was sure going to be fun!

Ken Stringfellow commenced the event at Blue Frog with a crowd of listeners cheering for him. His first sounds were quite conservative, just as it suited the mood. There was pin-drop silence at the venue, and just a minimalist guitar could be heard with Kens suave voice. As the chords fluctuated, Kens voice responded likewise. Most of the songs that he performed were his own, but he threw in a cover by The Long Winters. How he mingled with the audience was a delight in itself. His jocular mood and remarks, which were occasionally offbeat too, were befitting the kind of ambiance he had created.

By the time Ken wrapped up with his set, one could sense a commotion in the audience. It appeared as if Kens set had charged everyone. The hands had begun to sway, and the smiles were widening. A surprise had been shot at the audience! Four young men dressed in formals had taken over the stage. They called themselves Punk Ass Orifus and before the onlookers could recover from the abrupt entry, the men in black had set in action! Sidd Coutto took care of the rhythm guitar and vocals. Gaurav Gupta donned the role of the lead guitarist. Johan Pais managed the bass guitar, and Zorran Mendonsa stood behind the drums.

They played a short set, but it was enough to pour life into the audiences. What they played could easily qualify as Punk, Hard Rock, or Reggae. Their energy was never down for a second and they kept the audience engaged throughout. The World will carry on, Bad Feeling and Matter are some of the prominent tracks that they played.

After a short while, Bobby Talwar of Zero fame reached the stage, and much to our amazement took on the Djembe, instead of his customary bass guitar. It was difficult to believe that his hands were not accustomed to the Djembe, for he played it surprisingly well! The audience grooved along with him – these sudden surprises proved quite effective. However, they were far from over!

Warren Mendonsa was yet to join! He came to the stage to deliver the final song, and chose to play his Black Strat to Mayan Song, in his distinguished style. His solo performance on this song was a treat to the senses. The evening had shaped up really well! Sidd Coutto appeared once again, and had some fun moments with his kit. He cracked some light-hearted jokes and we caught a glimpse of his jokester side! Perhaps that is what won him the loud screams of We love you Sidd Coutto! from the lovely ladies in the crowd.

And then there was a pause For the first time, one could feel some inaction on the stage, but that was tolerable. The evening had been good and quite active by far. After about 10 minutes, the groomed men of Punk Ass Orifus were nowhere to be seen. They were replaced by Tough on Tobacco, who had switched to the informal attire. Jai Row Kavi took to the drums, and Pozy Dhar managed the guitar. What do you know? Some more fun was lined up for Mumbai!

They opened their share with their signature song Happy. Tough on Tobacco chose most of the songs from its new album, and borrowed some songs from the first album too. Many more tracks were served to the delight of the listeners. The bigger a canvas is, the freer a painters strokes are. That is just what was happening at Blue Frog. Song after song, their canvas was expanding, and the genres kept adding up. By the end of several spontaneous performances, Tough on Tobacco had played a wide range of genres, and with an ease that left the listeners in awe. Yellow Tops and Washing Powder Nirma were some spectacular songs that Tough on Tobacco made up.

The evening had been fantastic! The audience had enjoyed it to the fullest. What was promised at the beginning, however, was yet to be seen. Ken Stringfellow and Tough on Tobacco were yet to jam together. Right then, Ken returned to the stage, and jammed to the lovely blues song Crack Whores along with the band. The evening was now complete.

It was a wonderful moment that Mumbai witnessed on the evening of 18th of January. To those who could not make it this time, Id say that sometimes wonders happen twice! Make sure you dont miss out on the next one!

Sagnik Roychowdhury

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Zero @ Hard Rock Cafe Mumbai – A Review

After a very lively and insightful late evening interview with Zero (in the Hard Rock Cafe parking lot, nothing less), I waited eagerly for the start of the gig. I’d somehow always missed Zero’s concerts whenever they’d played in the city, so I was considerably curious and excited to know how they sounded live, having only their album recordings (which i’d listened to a gazillion times) and some YouTube videos as reference.

By the time the band went up on stage, the place was packed. The larger of the two stages was in use, and a steam machine that had been going off every few minutes until then seemed to be increasing the anticipation levels in the crowd. Sidd Coutto finally took his place behind the cymbals, while Warren Mendonsa and Bobby Talwar took their places on either side of vocalist Rajeev Talwar, sporting a somewhat Brandon Flowers (of The Killers fame) look.

The set list took off with the band playing the entire Hook EP in sequence, which nobody seemed to realize until ‘Christmas in July‘, probably due to the conspicuous absence of ‘PSP 12‘. Although getting somewhat out of shape on ‘Lost‘ (which they were performing for the first time ever on stage), ‘Not My Kind Of Girl‘ and ‘Spitleaf‘ were extremely well received.

The high point of the gig though, seemed to arrive way too soon. Sitarist Ravi Chary joined the band to play ‘Christmas in July‘, and in those ten minutes, completely owned the place. With a captivated audience cheering him on, he stood at the front of the stage, instrument resting on one knee, and shredded his way to glory. A fabulous rendition of one of my favorite tracks, and I certainly hope that Zero includes this on the live album that they’ve hinted at. I somehow felt like the band may have missed a trick here by playing out all the songs on Hook so early, since the audience seemed to relate to and know that list better than Procrastination.

The reprise of ‘Not My Kind Of Girl‘ was finely sung by Sidd Coutto, as he did on the album, and even included the reversed track crying bit! Rajeev Talwar took up guitaring duties for a few songs as well, and the set list continued with tracks from the Procrastination album, including ‘Mariachi‘, ‘Hate in E Minor‘, and ‘Lullabye‘. The gig finished at almost exactly the two hour mark, concluding with ‘PSP 12‘, known to many as the ‘Teri Maa‘ song.

All in all, Zero churned out one hell of a party. Rajeev’s energetic stage presence and vocals, complimented by Warren’s sublime riffs, and some powerful bass lines by Bobby backed up by Sidd Coutto’s frenetic drumming showed us clearly why Zero still is one of India’s finest and most successful bands.

Arjun Sathe

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