2018-04-01 Rolling Stone India

BRODHA V ★ BHRIGU SAHNI ★ J-HOPE
> ISSUE 00122 > APRIL 2018

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THE NEW FACES OF
FUSION
Shadow and Light
Maati Baani
Rishabh Seen
Pakshee + more
CAN JACK
WHITE
CHANGE HIS
STRIPES?
RULERS OF CONCERT REVIEW
THE ROAD:
LORDE, TAYLOR SWIFT IGOR BUTMAN
AND U2 HEAD OUT ON IN MUMBAI
MASSIVE TOURS
IN THE STUDIO:
THE FANCULOS
RECORD DEBUT ALBUM
MUSIC l GADGET l STYLE
★ 9TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE ★ NOISEWARE ★ AGAM ★ SONAM KALRA

CIAL ZYGNEMA ★ MARK RIDDICK ★ FRONTIERER BLAKC / KATATONIA / PLAGUE THROAT RAJA KUMARI / BLOODYWOOD / ALICIA KEYS
AL SPE
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The Story of India’s
The Hot List 2016
Paris Jackson’s
Family Secrets NUCLEYA MUSIC FESTIVAL
BOOM
Parvaaz
How U2 Best Divine
Got Back to Albums
Prateek Kuhad
Mallika Dua
‘The Joshua Tree’
of 2016 Arunabh Kumar Best Albums
Beyoncé Tillotama Shome Fall Out of 2017
Macklemore David Bowie
and more
Boy’s Kendrick Lamar
Personal is Political
Frank Ocean MIDLIFE Lorde
Chance the Rapper BRUNO CRISIS U2
MARS Kesha
Swag on the outside.
Anxiety within
Best Don Henley
The On continuing
Indian THE Best
Rolling Releases BEATLES’ the Eagles and
Indian
Stones Donn Bhat ACID TEST 40 years of
Releases
Metallica
How LSD triggered ‘Hotel California’
Sanjay Divecha their masterpiece Blackstratblues
PRITAM BACK
‘Revolver’
Godless Skrat
Skyharbor Gutslit
TO THE
& many more THE NEW
NORAH Joshish
and the politics Singer-songwriter and more
WORLD’S BIGGEST METAL BAND RAISE HELL AGAIN
of Bollywood music returns with a
BLUES
‘sneak attack’ LP
Sting’s
Rock & Roll
Salvation
Macklemore at
Vh1 Supersonic,
Pune, 2017
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Migos
Hip-Hop’s Fab
Three
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RAFTAAR
‘I NEED TO
SET THE RIGHT
EXAMPLE’
Midival
Punditz
INSIDE
LOU REED’S
ARCHIVES
PAUL
McCARTNEY
KHALID Boozy
STEVIE Nights &
NICKS’ Megahits: The
celebrating
LIFE
ADVICE The Restless ROLLING
Life of STONE
10
Ed
INTERVIEW
Sheeran Bono
THE NEW FACES OF By JANN S. WENNER
FUSION years
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MAVIS STAPLES | CHUCK D TESSERACT | DUA LIPA | MIGOS

> ISSUE 00121 > MARCH 2018
of success
10TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE
Shadow and Light

Maati Baani
Rishabh Seen
Pakshee + more
CAN JACK The
WHITE BLACK PANTHER
CHANGE HIS Revolution
STRIPES? CHADWICK BOSEMAN and the
MAKING of a RADICAL SUPERHERO
RULERS OF
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N
GODDESS GAGGED // KEITH URBAN // GWEN STEFANI N EIL
EW
Y
H OU
CONCERT REVIEW
THE ROAD:
A N
RV G
EST’S

IN MUMBAI
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AND U2 HEAD OUT ON

MASSIVE TOURS
IN THE STUDIO:
THE FANCULOS
RECORD DEBUT ALBUM THE SKA VENGERS
XX RATED
VADER
IN A WAR ZONE
DAVID GILMOUR
MAKING HISTORY
AT POMPEII
EXCLUSIVE Q&A
DUALIST INQUIRY
INDIAN HIP-HOP’S
RISING STARS
DIVINE * NAEZY * ACE * BOBKAT * STONY PSYKO
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HVOB / HARI & SUKHMANI / SHADOW AND LIGHT SIDDHARTH BASRUR ★ PHATCOWLEE ★ MARTY FRIEDMAN DEMI LOVATO ★ MARILYN MANSON ★ SAM SMITH
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THE
Louiz ROLLING STONE
Steven Banks: INTERVIEW: Liam CONCERT REVIEW
Wilson Gallagher’s Dream

Turns to
The
Godfather
KENDRICK SWEET
Theater
Sophisticated
Pop of Indian LAMAR REVENGE
in Mumbai
Jazz Apple Music Walter

TEJAS Becker
TRIBUTE
Chris John MAKES IT Head Honcho
Eddy Cue (1950-2017)
Cornell Mayer HAPPEN! Discusses Steely Dan’s
1964-2017 ‘I’ve India Plans Quiet Hero
L. Subramaniam
conquered
anxiety’ OZZY
At Home with the WHY
OSBOURNE’S
Violin Maestro SANTANA LIFE ADVICE
WON’T
EVER
Bhrigu
Sahni
RETIRE LET’S TALK
ABOUT WHAT
RAGHU DIXIT
MUSIC AND
A FOO
Fingerstyle EXCLUSIVE
MENTAL HEALTH
Wizard HUNTING
MEXICO’S
Lorde
ANNIE
MOST
DANGEROUS
The ‘Game CLARKE Troubadour in Tinseltown
of Thrones’
DRUG LORD
Star Tells All ADITI
RAMESH BELIEVES
An Old Soul, a New Challenge Emilia Clarke The Rock & Roll
Gospel of Dave Grohl
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RS00122
“ALL THE NEWS THAT FITS”
THE NEW FACES OF
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COURTESY OF THE ARTIST
They’re young, restless and unafraid of mixing the traditional with

the modern. Meet fusion music’s coolest alchemists
BY RIDDHI CH A K R A BORT Y
A p r i l 2 018 rollingstoneindia.com | R ol l i n g S t o n e | 5
CONTENTS
Rolling Stone | April 2018
FEATURES
Can Jack White Change His Stripes?
He became a rock legend by embracing the past. Now, he’s trying
to figure out how to live in the future by Jonah Weiner...36
ROCK & ROLL

The Fanculos Q&A: Logic
The Mumbai ska/reggae/ The hitmaker discusses his
funk band tell us about the painful upbringing, ‘Star
process of going old-school Wars’ and what it’s like to
for their full-length debut be mocked by Cartman on
record...21 ‘South Park’…29
Brodha V Takes the BTS’ J-Hope’s

Long Road Trailblazing Chart Run
The Bengaluru rapper on Can K-pop break through
chasing success, sticking India’s barriers of racism,
to his guns, and working homophobia and toxic
with Raftaar and Divine masculinity to achieve mass
on new material…14 success?…24
DEPARTMENTS
GIG CALENDAR David Byrne throws a very
OneRepublic make their India weird party in his mind and
debut, Mumbai R&B band more…52
Smalltalk embark on a multi-
city tour, Belgian metallers PLAYLIST
Bear add several India dates to Troye Sivan makes hooking up
their tour circuit and more...57 feel like a religious experience
over a sleek club throb while
MUSIC REVIEWS the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Karen
Nathaniel Rateliff follows the O’s single is equal parts glam
Jack White
success of ‘S.O.B.’ with crisp prowler, soul ballad and forlorn
grooves and real heartbreak, folk tune….58
rollingstoneindia.com ONLINE EXCLUSIVE
Nagaland trio Tetseo

Tetseo Sisters
Sisters (comprising
siblings Mercy, Kuvelü
SHOW ON THE ROAD
Prateek Kuhad and Alüne Lulu Tetseo)
bring their brand of
traditional folk to several
cities as they embark
on a multi-city tour in
association with Hard
Rock Café. Starting
with Bengaluru on April
19th, the sisters will then
perform in Mumbai and
New Delhi on April 20th

and 27th respectively.
6 | R ol l i n g S t o n e | rollingstoneindia.com A p r i l 2 018
ROCK&ROLL
APRIL 2018, VOLUME 11, NO 2
ROLLING STONE INDIA

Correspondence
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF & PUBLISHER:
Radhakrishnan Nair
EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Nirmika Singh
STAFF WRITER: Riddhi Chakraborty
Love Letters & Advice
CONTRIBUTING WRITER: Anurag Tagat
JUNIOR WRITER: David Britto
> ISSUE 00121 > MARCH 2018
sort of maturation of the Indian and the scene in general that
ART DIRECTOR: Amit Naik festival scene. he’s managed the sort of
DEPUTY ART DIRECTORS: Shashank Goyal, Indore collaborations that he has with
Anshul Bhansali, Hemali Limbachiya and 10TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE
Tanvi Shah his new album. Drummers

GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Vidhi Doshi Comforting Consistency from legendary acts such
JUNIOR STYLIST: Every year, the Mahindra Blues as Nile and Necrophagist
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PRODUCTION MANAGER: Mangesh Salvi Festival easily manages to fill featuring on an Indian project
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CAN JACK
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CHANGE HIS
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RULERS OF CONCERT REVIEW
THE ROAD:
AND U2 HEAD OUT ON IN MUMBAI
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Rock&Roll
Rulers
of the
Road
Taylor’s return, U2’s
augmented-reality blowout
and other essential shows
Lorde
Melodrama
World Tour
“I’ve really stepped up my game,” says
Lorde, describing her first U.S. arena
tour. “I even dance kind of like a real
pop star.” The singer is aiming for
shows as emotionally charged as last
year’s Melodrama, even
DATES
Through April 15th
OPENERS
Run the Jewels, Tove Styrke,
Mitski
TICKET PRICES
$40–$100
GONZALEZ PHOTO/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO
R&R
if that means reliving the break- curveball covers of Disclosure Khaled and
up that inspired the songs. “I have and Frank Ocean, plus a Melo- Lovato
to go through the emotional arc of it every drama outtake, “Precious Metals.”
night, which is exhilarating and grueling Lorde says performing has inspired her
all in one,” she says. She’s become used to to “write a ton lately.” She tries to stay
“crying, hands covered in glitter, leading mellow offstage, killing time with “in-
10,000 people in a singalong.” credible wooden puzzles.” She recently
Lorde conceived of pretty much every got preshow advice from her hero Stevie
detail of the show, from the neon astronaut Nicks (“a holy-shit moment,” Lorde says).
sign (which she drew at her kitchen table) “I never do vocal warm-ups,” she says. “But
to the rectangular “terrarium” that hous- maybe Stevie telling me to is gonna make
es dancers suspended above her. Expect me start.”
Demi Lovato and
guest DJ Khaled
Tell Me You Love
Me World Tour
Taylor Swift DATES Through
TICKET PRICES
March 31st
$30–$500
Reputation Stadium Tour Lovato’s hits are hyperpersonal,
so it’s no surprise she wanted
her live show to feel “raw and
TOUR DATES One of the year’s most hotly an- vulnerable.” Rooted in demand-
May 8th– ticipated events – especially ing choreography, the show
October 6th
now that she’s announced kill- sees Lovato opening up about
OPENERS er openers Charli XCX and Ca- addiction, and she even sings
Charli XCX, “Daddy Issues” while sitting on
Camila Cabello
mila Cabello. Cabello proved
a therapist’s couch. DJ Khaled
her Swifty credentials by post- keeps things lighter, bringing out
TICKET PRICES
ing a clip of herself singing the superstar friends like Diddy.
$50–$435
Speak Now classic “Enchanted”
– raising the question of whether she could talk
Swift into bringing it back into the set. Swift’s David Byrne
people are keeping specifics Beyoncé-level top- American Utopia
secret, but all indications point to a Reputation-
DATES Through September 17th
heavy show. She’s never done a greatest-hits set; TICKET PRICES $40–$150
don’t expect her to start now. A major question
“I thought, ‘OK, I might loosen
mark is how much she’ll rely on choreography, as
the purse strings on the produc-
opposed to her trusty guitar and the band interaction,’ ” says Byrne of his biggest
tion of her Red shows. As for Charli XCX, the “Boys” tour in decades, which includes
vixen asked her tourmates on social media, “Can I a choreographed band, Talking
officially be the bad influence?” That’s actually pret- Heads classics and protest:
ty easy to imagine. Let the games begin. He’s been encoring with Janelle
Monáe’s “Hell You Talmbout,”
which recalls several names
of African-Americans killed by
police. “I’m hugely excited about
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT: JAMIE LAMOR THOMPSON/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM (KHALED, LOVATO);

how this tour is going,” says
Byrne, “and maybe more so what
it is saying.”
U2 The Experience + John Fogerty

JENTZ PHOTO/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; KATHY HUTCHINS/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
Innocence Tour and ZZ Top
Blues and Bayous
DATES The group returns for the compan- DATES May 25th–June 29th
May 2nd– ion tour to 2015’s brief Innocence + TICKET PRICES $25–$350
November 10th
Experience run, which featured a Fogerty has never seen a ZZ Top
OPENERS concert, but is excited by a recent
96-foot screen U2 performed inside
None; U2 plan to rehearsal at his studio to plan out
play longer sets.
of. “The staging takes that of its pre-
the show, which will see them
decessor to a new level,” says Willie trading off closing duties each
TICKET PRICES
$54–$330 Williams, the tour’s creative director, night. “Hopefully, we’re going to
adding that it will be “the first con- have a little cross-pollination,”
cert tour to incorporate augmented says Fogerty. “I’d love to do ‘La
reality.” Expect lots of new songs, hits Grange,’ ‘Sharp Dressed Man’
and “rarities that the band is excited Bono and ‘Tush’ with them. I can also
imagine that ‘Born on the Bayou’
to be playing live for the first time.” would be quite the rave-up.”
ROCK&ROLL
Inside Smalltalk’s Journey

pstuff
op
to Being India’s Best BY SOLEIL NATHWANI
New Groove Masters Wakanda Forever
The Mumbai R&B-soul band switch up time signatures
B
splendidly on their first release, ‘Tacit’ LACK PANTHER, THE raphy, drawn from a character
superhero origin story he created as balm to his par-
Smalltalk of Marvel’s titular ents’ divorce. Coogler likewise,
character as conceived by thir- in seeking to heal what he’s
ty-one-year-old Black director described as the wound of not
Ryan Coogler, in only his third knowing his ancestors, pours
feature, is being roundly viewed himself in, grappling with his
as a cultural revolution. Deserv- racial anxieties within a grand
edly so. Black Panther carries superhero narrative, captivat-
in its vibranium-charged story ing hearts and commanding
and enduring character por- attention.
trayals, the demise of a racist Commercial auteurs such
I
n April last year, Mumbai Mastering. The record on the studio-made myth that a black as Spielberg, Martin Scorsese
R&B-soul band Smalltalk whole feels like transitory bliss. lead cannot win the audience. It and Christopher Nolan share
made themselves Each song has its own quirks blew through the billion-dollar an ability to mix substance and
known in the music circuit and indulgent musicianship box office mark, making going spectacle making hits out of
by bagging first place at by the quartet, putting forth to war with entrenched ideas seemingly intimate films like
Pune’s Bandcubator competition. a groovy mix that packs feel like a night out. Coogler Taxi Driver or Memento and
Six months since their inception, surprises. The EP opener imagines a never-colonized bringing epics like The Dark
the group walked away with an “You Don’t Even,” deals with African nation resplendent as Knight or Goodfellas to screen
EP recording deal at Mumbai’s “feeling ignored in a situation,” afro-futuristic Wakanda, where, without losing depth in scale.
Cotton Press Studio. Smalltalk according to Bahl, while cloaked in gorgeous landscapes Coogler, only three films deep,
wasted little time to jump into “What A Mess” is about going and superb action sequences, has mastered the balance. In his
the studio to churn out their through a rough patch and the central conflict between Mi- first film Fruitvale Station, he
debut four-track EP Tacit, acknowledging the situation and chael B. Jordan’s African Ameri- recounted the final day in the
which released last month. Says “Come Back (It’s Not Broken)” can soldier and Chadwick Bose- life of Oscar Grant, a black man,
vocalist-guitarist Samarth Bahl, expresses life’s contrasting man’s Wakandan King T’Challa Coogler’s age and from his home
“We started the EP in June and emotions. The record closes hinges on what home means for town, unjustly gunned down by
we were perfecting the songs with the rhythmic R&B-meets- the enslaved. All the while he el- a police officer on New Year’s day
and making them EP ready.” electronica gem “Blindspots.” evates women as warriors, spies 2009. The breakout indie was a
What started off as a writing A multi-city tour to promote and scientists. In a movie that critical and commercial success.
project for Bahl and drummer the new record has also been feels like a movement, the phe- His second film Creed breathed
Linford D’souza (from alt/punk announced, organized by nomenon within the phenom- legacy into African-America
rockers BLEK) later drafted Mumbai Arts and Entertainment enon is Coogler himself. boxer Apollo Creed surprising
in bassist Yohann Coutinho Company Kranti Art Theory. More than a cultural signifier naysayers with a Rocky spin-off
(from alt rockers Unohu) to join Smalltalk will perform all the in shifting times, Black Panther that packed a punch. With Black
them, replacing BLEK’s Jared songs off Tacit as well as new is testament that Coogler is in Panther, Coogler managed story
Creado. The trio performed a material on the road as they hit act one of a long legacy. It struck and scale leading a star cast and
set as part of the online video New Delhi, Bengaluru and Pune me mid-third viewing that in wish list of collaborators like
series Balcony TV in 2016, when this month. Says Bahl, “We’ve the pantheon of impactful films, Kendrick Lamar and deliver-
Bahl says the band realized they been prepping and are really there are few that have depth ing Marvel one of their most
needed one more instrument in looking forward to the tour.” while bearing repeat watching, successful movies.
their pop-rock mix. That’s when The group launched their record continually inspire wonder and What catapults Coogler
the band brought on board on March 25th at a gig Toit in consistently reassure. Coogler though, is his voice and com-
guitarist Siddharth Shankar. Bahl Mumbai and were accompanied in demystifying why Wakanda mitment to a purpose without
adds, “The sound just started by Shirish Malhotra on sax is forever gives us this hard- compromising his craft. Here is
evolving with him so we started and James Miranda on trumpet won trifecta of a Forever Movie, a young man who grew up with
doing new things while trying to as well as backing vocalist a trifecta I last experienced as a activist parents, cited the influ-
write new stuff and this was the Malika Barot. child enthralled by E.T. Steven ence of Martin Luther King ear-
sound that came out. We are still Next, the group has a music Spielberg’s sci-fi tale of a boy- ly in his career and until recently
evolving on our sound.” video in the pipeline and plans hood friendship was an endless worked counseling incarcerated
The young band has certainly for more gigs around the source of awe and comfort. This youth. His oeuvre is to shed light
hit all the right spots with their country, with an eye on Goa, had as much to do with excep- on the African American identi-
high-quality sound on Tacit, the North East and South India. tional filmmaking as it had to ty well beyond those who live it.
which is produced and mixed There’s also work starting on do with a filmmaker giving his
RON BEZBARUAH
by Jehangir Jehangir (the a follow-up to Tacit. Bahl says, vulnerabilities over to a story to The author is a film pro-
producer-drummer who co- “Some songs are ready and make it both intimate and mag- ducer and journalist and
founded Cotton Press Studio) some are being worked on nificent. E.T. has been called a former hedge fund COO.
and mastered by U.K. firm 360 at the moment.” DAVID BRITTO Spielberg’s spiritual autobiog- Twitter: @soleilnathwani
R&R
Bhrigu Sahni: ‘I’m Trying to Hole Myself

Up and Work on a Lot of My Own Music’
The fingerstyle guitarist on his writing process and kicking off aim to change the way audiences and art-
ists engage with each other during perfor-
Volume 2 of Pune-based listening sessions BYOH Live mances. “Ronak is an old friend and when
I was in the country last year, I had heard
IN THE NOW that he had set up shop at a beautiful new
Bhrigu Sahni is gearing up location in Baner,” recalls Sahni. “I had
for some much-needed seen pictures and really wanted to work on
studio time something in his new studio. I think we got
on a phone call and he told me about the
idea of BYOH and I was sold.”
The BYOH concept revolves around
having an audience present in the studio
to watch the artist but hear them perform
through headphones in studio-quality.
Released on March 3rd, the video for
“Momentar y Present” features Sahni
performing while several people watch and
listen to him, their attention completely
on the music, the headphones eliminating
other aural distractions. “It really is a
surreal experience to have each person in
the audience listening to the exact same
thing you are listening to,” Sahni explains.
“It somehow dissolves the gap between the
performer and the audience.”
He goes on to explain that rather than
thinking of the experience as a recording
session, he looked at it as a way to connect
with the audience on a deeper level. “I don’t
think I’d be able to have a proper recording
session with a lot of people in the studio,”
he adds. “That is a sacred creative space
and I’m not sure I’m comfortable enough
recording in front of an audience as yet.”
In the video, the studio’s warm lighting
and intimate setting complement the tran-
quil, hazy instrumentals of “Momentary
Present” as well as Sahni’s soulful voice.
When it comes to the track itself, Sahni ex-
plains it was born of the reflection on being
in the present moment and how that’s all
we ever have “‘Momentary Present’ is one
of the first songs I wrote,” he says. “At the
time of writing this , I was really busy
and time seemed to be passing by fairly
quickly—as I’m sure is the case for most
people. I realized that all we have is the
present moment and our lives seem to
unfold in this one very long everlasting
current. And the more I’d try to stay in it,
that is stay present, the more beauty I’d see in
everyday things.”
I
After spending 10 years in New York,
nitially released on his debut Live and videographer Ron Bezbaruah aka Sahni is in the middle of moving to Mumbai
s olo a lbu m W h a t Is No w at Crumpled Paper. for a few months to work on new music. “I’m
t he end of 2016, P une -ba sed Sahni performed the track at Gray trying to hole myself up and work on a lot of
fingerstyle guitarist Bhrigu Sahni’s Spark Audio, a Pune-based studio founded my own music that I haven’t had the chance
contemplative track “Momentary by sound engineers Ronak Runwal and Ni- to really immerse myself in,” he says, add-
Present” got a striking blend of visuals last kita Borges which hosts the unique Bring ing that he also plans on going on tour later
month courtesy of the gig series BYOH Your Own Headphones Live sessions that this year. RIDDHI CHAKRABORTY
R&R
Brodha V: ‘People Should

Recognize Me Wherever I Go’
The Bengaluru rapper on chasing success, sticking to his
Already well-versed with music produc-
guns, and working with Raftaar and Divine on new material tion that he learned from hanging around
with DJs and musicians in Bengaluru and
AFTER PARTY tinkering with programs such as FL Stu-
The rapper is heading
dio, Brodha V knows how to keep things
out on a national tour
this month DIY. He released his debut demo/mixtape
Deathpunch in 2011. CDs were distribut-
ed entirely through shows or friends in dif-
ferent cities. “I felt like I was the next Jay Z,
‘Wow, I’m doing business as well’,” he says
with a laugh. Of course, it made him re-
alize that CD sales—and specifically mak-
ing albums—were on the way out. “I real-
ized I hadn’t made any music videos and I
couldn’t promote it that well, I hadn’t tied
up with a lot more people who would have
pushed it,” he says.
With a spate of singles since then, each
more polished and diverse than the last,
Brodha V has chiefly earned fame for being
the go-to South Indian rapper. His f low
about getting some action (“After Party”),
faith (“Aathma Raama”) and ignoring hat-
ers (“Let Em Talk”) might be entirely in
English, but the production certainly comes
from a tinge of classical and contemporary
regional music.
Something about that has earned him
not just thousands of fans across the coun-
try, but also work in films. He has collabora-
tions coming up with folk hero Raghu Dixit
and fellow rappers such as Raftaar and Di-
vine. Talking about his “hardcore hip-hop”
D
ressed in black with a t-shirt It was a result of their appearance on pop collab with Raftaar, he says, “I don’t think
that sports the title of his previous band hunt competition Times Supastars a lot of people know, because he’s viewed as
single “Let Em Talk,” Vighnesh in 2010, but Brodha V says not winning (or this commercial artist, but I’ve heard some
Shivanand aka Brodha V seems rather, being told beforehand that they were of his unreleased stuff and I’m blown at the
like he can go from kind-eyed geek to mean- going to lose) was a catalyst in understand- stuff he can do.”
streak man if he just changed the way he ing music as a profession. He says, “I thought, The hip-hop community in India might
looks at you. But the Bengaluru-born and ‘let’s come back, let’s just create our own have grown by leaps and bounds in the past
bred rapper has never dropped names nor brand, identity.’ I don’t need labels any more. two years but Brodha V says it’s still too
been called out with malice, as is rap tradi- I’ll just put out my own money on YouTube early for diss tracks and the likes. “I’m not
tion. “There’s no real beef as far as I know. It’s and if people like it, let them check it out. I sure about the calling out names thing, be-
healthy competition at the end of the day,” he don’t want some guys who have never made cause the community is so small and there’s
says with a laugh. music in their lives to sit around and say, ‘Yeh very few of us who all know each other.
A rapper and producer since 2008, Brodha kaala chashma works’ and copy that same We’re all friends, although we might have
V has always been a voice of reason in the rap formula [of songwriting] for the next one- that professional kind of… we want to outdo
game. He was part of South Indian crew Ma- and-a-half years.” each other,” he says.
chas With Attitude, alongside Bigg Nikk and That explains his takedown of major label As for Brodha V, he’s heading out
Smokey the Ghost (the outfit disbanded over culture on his latest single “Way Too Easy,” for an India tour this month and keep-
creative differences in 2013) and they are which released in February. Perhaps it’s his ing an eye on more single releases this
best known for taking over the then-nascent stint with Sony Music, who released the year. “I usually put out one or two in a
hip-hop scene with regional sounds comple- gripping “Aigiri Nandini” in 2014? Brodha year and the rest are just ads or commer-
mented by caustic rap verses. It won them a V doesn’t directly address this, but remains cial work. I thought I should put out more
few competitions and even placed them in evasively diplomatic when asked about the singles and let people remember who
favor with film music directors Vishal-Shek- song. “I’ve had good work with labels and bad Brodha V is. I think people should
har, who signed them up for songs on Mujhse work with labels. Overall, I feel labels are not recognize me wherever I go, that’s the
Fraandship Karoge and Chennai Express. at all necessary, especially in India,” he says. whole idea.” ANURAG TAGAT
R&R
CLAM JAM
Shannon Shaw
of Shannon and
the Clams,
whose music
Auerbach first
heard in a
Memphis record
shop. “What
struck me
was that the
singing was
so fantastic,”
he says.
TIGHTEN UP
Auerbach
and guitarist
Russ Pahl,
who played
on 2017’s
Waiting on a
Song. “We
were trying to
SOUL SURVIVOR MIDNITE VULTURES capture a lost
Finley onstage during Gene Chrisman, Beck art in a way, a
Auerbach’s set. “When he (who did a guest spot in way they used
walked in the studio with Los Angeles), keyboardist to do it,” says
his smile, and that voice, I Bobby Wood and Auerbach.
knew he was something,” Auerbach (from left)
Auerbach says. backstage in L.A.
ON THE ROAD
Auerbach’s Rolling Thunder

The guitarist has gathered legendary session players
and an overlooked R&B powerhouse for a wild tour
D
a n au er b ach c a n’ t e v e n new heights live, performing explosive ver- Louisiana until three years ago, when he
make it to the dressing room be- sions of tracks like “Malibu Man,” a plain- started going blind. He was performing
fore he has to stop to talk about tive ode to Rick Rubin, and “Cherrybomb,” on the street when he was discovered by
the gig he just played. “This is a dark, Grateful Dead-style jam. the Music Maker Relief Foundation. Au-
the most fun I’ve had onstage,” he says in The revue is an attempt to recapture the erbach produced and co-wrote Finley’s
the hallway of Seattle’s Showbox nightclub. freedom to record soul and R&B, in addi- new album, Goin’ Platinum!, and tonight
“This band, these players, these legends – tion to country, in Nashville, Auerbach says. Finley riled up the crowd with showstop-
this is exactly why I love music.” It’s also a chance to showcase new music; pers like “Medicine Woman.” “Robert is
He’s talking about his Easy Eye Sound openers Shannon and the Clams veered be- simply the greatest soul singer I’ve ever
Revue, named after his Nashville studio, tween rockabilly, punk and doo-wop. There seen in person,” Auerbach says. Backstage,
where Auerbach has been making music are guests – Beck showed up in L.A. to Finley says he was previously unfamiliar with
with longtime session pros like drummer sing Presley’s “In the Ghetto” (which Chris- Auerbach, “but I do know Dan now, and every
Gene Chrisman and keyboardist Bobby man and Wood played on); Keys drum- day I thank God for what he has done for
Wood since the Black Keys went on hia- mer Patrick Carney took part in an encore me.” Finley is holding an empty bin of
tus in 2014. “These guys played with Elvis, jam in Nashville a few nights later, backing albums – he has sold out of them for the
and were on ‘Son of a Preacher Man,’ ” Au- 64-year-old Robert Finley. third night in a row. “These kids,” Auer-
erbach says. Those players take the music Finley has quickly become the star of bach says of the fans, “are starved for the
from his 2017 album, Waiting on a Song, to the tour. He worked as a carpenter in real thing.” CHARLES R. CROSS
Photographs by Koury A ngelo rollingstoneindia.com | R ol l i n g S t o n e | 15

R&R
Mumbai Pop-Rock Band JAZZCORNER BY SUNIL SAMPAT
Strike Three Release THE JAZZ METEORS

Debut EP ‘Esssentia’
I
n a city like mumbai, there seems no
The four-track genre-bending record is filled shortage of opportunity to hear live music on
practically any night of the week. Often, one
with catchy tunes and somber melodies is spoilt for choice with multiple options on the
fare on offer. If you have a taste for music across
Strike Three
genres, you will find a gig somewhere in this city
to suit your taste. I imagine it is much the same in other Indian
cities. So you get to hear vocals, instrumentals, classical music
of all varieties, percussion, choruses and combinations of these.
It makes for a great variety of entertainment.
Viewed in perspective, one attempts to make the distinction
between performance and creativity. Does one analyze what is
heard or is it merely entertainment or a diversion for an evening?
No doubt, there is ample room and scope for either, but let us look
at the serious listening experiences we encounter. I am sure that
a lot of the ‘performance’ one is exposed to come from a process
of music that is written, rehearsed and performed exactly as
rehearsed. One hopes for originality in the music, even though
the creative process may be a part of the writing of the music
as opposed to creativity during the performance. What can be
W
ho says being a driven “For Tonight,” which a little disappointing sometimes is the performance of ‘covers,’
jack of all trades chronicles the boy’s anxieties where a known song or tune is merely duplicated on stage. The
makes you a and anticipations ahead of a difference between the two may be likened to a contemporary
master of none? date. A new version of their old phenomenon from the ubiquitous social media trend; one
Keyboardist Brent Tauro and single “Perfect Foolish Woman” receives endless “forwards” on WhatsApp and other social media.
his band Strike Three couldn’t follows next, this time jacketed A forward delivers a recycled message from a friend, while a
care less about these notions. in jazz and sporting funky personally written text from the same friend would be much
On their debut EP Esssentia, guitar licks. The third track is more expressive and personal.
the Mumbai-based group has the six-and-a-half minute post- I find a similarity between impersonal forwards and playing
experimented with every style rock-leaning “What’s Keeping of covers in a concert or a night club gig. Some originality always
possible—from pop, jazz and You Here.” Esssentia closes elevates the quality of the music and the listening experience.
rock–just to prove this point. with the emotional “One Last Now, one group of musicians who by their very definition do
Says Tauro, “We wanted to Shot,” which the band dedicated not play the same tune in the same way twice are jazz musicians.
explore where all we could to their late bassist Jeremy They are the guys who come up with imaginative, expressive
probably go and also show the Fernand, who passed away solos; these are akin to a story being told by an artful writer.
public that this band can do under mysterious circumstances Because of it’s inherent spontaneous nature, a jazz performance
‘this, this and this.’” last November; his body was is never repeated, making jazz a most exciting live performance
The band, comprising Tauro, found on the tracks after a art form.
vocalist Craig Fernandes, suspected train accident. Says My thoughts go to some of the geniuses of jazz who died young
guitarists Shannon Ponnoth and Tauro, “Craig wrote the lyrics, and yet left behind a profound legacy of music. They came to
O s w i n Te l i s , b a s s i s t I z i l but when we lost Jeremy, the the scene, dazzling us with their creative genius and, like bright
Rodrigues and drummer Vimog song took on a new meaning. meteors they went away all too soon. The music they have left
Barboza, released their upbeat Jeremy wrote the music for it.” behind is rich and bright, just like a meteor.
debut single “Perfect Foolish The EP still features some of Charlie Parker created a new form of jazz in bebop. This music
Woman” in 2015. After making Fernand’s original bass parts continues to live with us although, Bird, as he was called, died
a mark for themselves on the here and there; as a tribute at the age of 35. Bird is arguably the most brilliant saxophonist
college circuit, Strike Three are to their depar ted friend, in the history of jazz.
looking to woo the gig-hopping the band decided against re- Nat King Cole, Wes Montgomery, Cannonball Adderley, John
indie music enthusiasts, and tracking them with their new Coltrane all died in their 40s. Each one has left us with a stellar
having a record to their name bassist. Making this record was jazz legacy. Then there were Booker Little, Fats Navarro, Scott
is only natural. Says Tauro, “We anything but easy, says Tauro, LeFaro, Charlie Christian and Eric Dolphy who all died young.
were composing original after and everybody is just thrilled The irony of the inverse proportionality between creative
original, and it dawned upon us that they’ve finally managed talent and life span is not lost. One wonders at these quirks of
last year to release an EP.” to release it. He says, “Looking fate that have cut some of these most prolific jazz wonders in
Recorded at Tauro’s home back to the months and months their prime.
VIVEK NAYAK
studio, Esssentia is the coming- of work and discussions and

of-age story of a boy. The arguments – it made everything Sunil Sampat is a jazz critic and Contributing Editor
EP opens with the guitar- worth it.” DAVID BRITTO of Rolling Stone India. Write to Sunil at jazzwala@gmail.com
THE
LAST
WORD
George Clinton
The Parliament-Funkadelic legend on the essence of funk,
the death of doo-wop and how to find great musicians
Who are the funkiest people who ever lived? stance like mercury out of the thermometer rolled up the side of
When I’m just tryna funk, it’s gonna be the Staple Singers, man the car.
– Pop Staples. And Ray Charles. Ray could take “Eleanor Rigby” Liquid metal that moved, like in Terminator 2?
and make that funky. He ends up doing that to anything – to me, That’s exactly what it looked like.
that’s raw funk. And then [Motown session bassist] James Jam- How have you been able to find such consistently great musicians
erson – that is a musician. over the years?
And who is the least funky person alive? They usually be out of the box, but still appealing. Somebody
Oh, my God! [Laughs] Probably Trump. Can’t be no funk in the you can’t control, or won’t do it normal. I learned that anything
Trump! [Pauses] He ain’t gonna like that. that get on your nerves – the parents don’t like, the old musi-
Where did the idea of “free your mind and your ass will follow” come cians don’t like, and kids seem to be liking it – that’s usually the
from? And do you stand by the advice? shit. But you then have to learn how
I think I was just saying it as a stream of consciousness, you to balance it. It can’t go all up
know? But as I get older, I see it as the same thing as “Let go and into the crazy, ’cause that’s
use the Force, Luke.” If your head ain’t right, everything you what you’re flirting with.
try to fix is going to be messed up, ’cause your brain is what Parliament came from
you need to fix it. your doo-wop quartet,
Same idea as “Maggot Brain,” really. the Parliaments. You’ve
Yeah, same thing! Same thing. If you got maggots in said when doo-wop was
your brain, everything you think is gonna be rotten. dying, you were sad but
What advice would you give your younger self? excited to see what was next,
Stop looking for anything else to be LSD. If you knew right?
that it was never gonna be like that first hit, you could’ve Even though I loved the
stopped a long time ago. Fifties doo-wop, you couldn’t
So you never regretted LSD? hold on to it. You had to change,
As soon as Woodstock happened, LSD or you was gon’ be antique real
was over. It became commercial, $5 a tab. quick, like the Ink Spots. And then we
Then that mind-manipulation thing it did were at Motown and you had the Roll-
became dangerous because anybody ing Stones, simple rock & roll became
could program your ass when you’re the new thing. So we turned the vol-
on it. ume up and got slick, almost jazzy mu-
How do you feel about white art- sicians – Maceo Parker, Fred Wesley,
ists doing black music? Bootsy playing simple, but making it
I’d bite off the Beatles, or any- smooth and brand-new – with the con-
body else. It’s all one world, one cept of clones or whatever we was talk-
planet and one groove. You’re ing about.
supposed to learn from each Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the
other, blend from each other, and it future of this country?
moves around like that. You see that I’m optimistic about it, because
rocket ship leave yesterday? We can whatever happened, that’s the way
maybe leave this planet. We gonna it’s supposed to be. If He did it, He
be dealing with aliens. You think did it all. You just have to fig-
black and white gonna be a prob- ure your way how to dance your
lem? Wait till you start running way out of your constriction.
into motherfuckers with three or And pray, have faith and all
four dicks! Bug-eyed motherfuck- that shit.
ers! They could be ready to party, or Would you be cool with a ho-
they could be ready to eat us. We don’t logram of yourself going on tour after
know, but we’ve got to get over this you’re no longer with us?
shit of not getting along with each I already made a hologram. I did it
other. with the whole band. Maybe they can
You and Bootsy Collins had an alien have it start performing in Vegas or
encounter, right? some shit. I wanted to give something
Yeah, and we wasn’t high. A to my family.
light hit the car, and a sub- What do you want people to say
about you when you’re gone?
Clinton and P-Funk are He made me sick, but
touring and working on an LP. he gave me the antidote.
INTERVIEW BY BRIAN HIATT
Illustration by Mark Summers rollingstoneindia.com | R ol l i n g S t o n e | 17

R&R
WINNING WAYS
(From left) Jeven John of Fireflood, Sahaj Umang Singh Bhatia, manager of Menwhopause, Chennai artist Stevie Joe, host Nirmika Singh, Abraham
Thomas, CEO of Radio City, Prateek Rajagopal of The Minerva Conduct, Siddharth Nair of Tangents and Tabish Khidir from Death By Fungi
ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF RADIOCITY FREEDOM AWARDS
All the Action From The fifth edition of the

independent music
Radio City Freedom

awards honored the best
in indie music, and saw
performances by Maati
Awards 2018 Baani and Khasi Bloodz,

among others
I
n the pa st f ive years, RCFA also gave out a few subsidiary
independent music in India awards, with the Best Video going to
has been put on a pedestal Bengaluru folk rockers Swarathma
thanks to the R adio Cit y for their song “Beta Sweater Pehno”
F r e e dom Aw a r d s , w h ic h and Best Album Art to New Delhi’s
recognized the efforts of artists across ve t er a n r o c ker s Menw hopau s e
genres. “We’ve come to a place where for their 2017 album Neon Delhi.
the lines between independent music Covering their indie spectrum was the
and mainstream are blurring,” said non-public category of IndieGenius
host Nirmika Singh (Executive Editor, Person of the Year award, which was
Rolling Stone India) at the event. given to REProduce Artists’ Rana
Held last month at Glocal Junction, Ghose for his work on the Listening
Worli, Mumbai, the awards honored Room series of shows.
the best talent on the indie circuit, The night a lso w itnessed
from ViceVersa’s collaboration with performances by a motley group
Nagaland singers Vi Rie and Za Za of artists, such as the high-energy,
taking home the Jury’s Choice Award crowd-pleasing Mumbai rock band
for Best Electronica Artist to hardcore Sifar, world music/fusion group Maati
ba nd Death By Fung i w inning Baani who were at their vibrant best,
the People’s Choice Award for Best interacting with the crowd every now
Metal Artist. and then, Bhopal-based trap and
The judges’ choice awa rds bass artist Paranox played a sort of
and popular vote w inners were after-awards set, setting the tempo
an indication of just how varied incredibly high.
ta stes a re. Where Brod ha V The best performance of the night,
won Best Hip-Hop Artist, Bilaspur, however, came early, with Shillong
C h h a t t i sg a rh - b a s e d DJ Pa s h’s hip-hop group Khasi Bloodz. What
collaboration with Italian producer wa s or ig ina lly rappers spit ting
Skobra gained him the popular rhymes over a backing track had
choice trophy in the electronica now transformed into a heavy-duty,
c a t e g o r y. E v e n G u r u g r a m - smooth-as-heck jazz-inf lected live
ba sed K a shmir i a r tist Prag nya band, featuring bass, guitars, drums,
Wa k h lu w a s o v e r w he l me d on synth and three vocalists. It gave
winning in the Folk Fusion Artist their Khasi and English-language
people’s choice categor y. Metal, songs an incredible hook, one that
of course, indicated a liking towards pr oba bly le f t m a ny c onv i nc e d
n e w e r, m o d e r n m e t a l b a n d s , about why more rappers can do
w ith the jur y pick ing t wo prog with a backing band, especially if
ba nd s i n a t ie—Benga lu r u a c t they wanted to command a crowd.
Tangents as well as Mumbai’s The ROLLING STONE INDIA
Minerva Conduct.
Khasi Blo
odz
Sifar
ad
k Kuh
Pratee (From left) RJ Salil
and RJ Archana
R&R
Dan Auerbach’s
Favorite Garage
Powerhouse
Who Shannon and the Clams, an Oakland
garage-pop crew whose girl-group harmonies
and raw punk power caused Dan Auerbach
to sign them immediately after hearing their
songs in a Memphis record shop.
Sound “I’m the latest bloomer ever,” says vocal
powerhouse Shannon Shaw, 34, who didn’t
start playing bass until she was 25 and had met
guitarist Cody Blanchard. They bonded over
classic R&B. “There’s never been a better singer
than Etta James,” says Shaw.
Clam Bake Shaw came up with their name
while playing a solo gig. “It was a dumb joke –
there were no Clams,” she says. “I would have
picked a different name if I knew it was gonna
HISTORY turn into anything.” PATRICK DOYLE
Dacus
in January
Shannon and
the Clams
Lucy Dacus: Rock’s

Reluctant Hero
After struggling with success, the singer returned
home to pour her heart out on a personal new LP
BY SA R A H GR A N T
A
c ou pl e of y e a r s ag o, luc y she was a teenager after becoming obsessed
Dacus was a 19-year-old indie-rock with her dad’s record collection, particularly
songwriter with a day job working David Bowie. “When I heard ‘Five Years,’ off
in a Richmond, Virginia, photo lab Ziggy Stardust, I just started crying. There
– the kind of person who was happy to kill a was a depth to it that I just hadn’t accessed
Friday night by tucking into a Russian novel. before. It broke the mold for me.”
So she needed to do some adjusting when
her debut LP, 2016’s No Burden, touched off
Dacus thought a lot about Bowie while re-
cording her new album. “How are you going Soccer Mommy’s
a 20-plus-label bidding war and two years
of constant touring. “My sense of communi-
to fit everything in one life?” she wonders.
“The album itself, I hope, asks people to pri- Bedroom Dream Pop
ty was crippled,” she says. “I wasn’t talking to oritize the things that make them content.
my friends, and I was interacting with fans And to be aware of, but not caught up in, the Who Twenty-year-old Nashville native Sophie
who think they know me, but I know that eventuality of death.” Allison (a.k.a. Soccer Mommy) went from being
they don’t.” Lately, Dacus has turned her attention to a college student putting her dreamily confes-
It’s not hard to imagine fans thinking they the idea of stability, perhaps as a reaction to sional bedroom-pop songs on Bandcamp to
getting a record deal and making an album
know Dacus just from her music; No Burden her hectic life on tour. “Having familiar fac- with War on Drugs producer Gabe Wax. “It just
was full of the kind of starkly personal, sharp- ets of my life means so much more now,” grew,” she says of her rapid rise.
ly written songs that can create a weird sense she says. She just bought a house in Rich- Cleaning Up Allison’s excellent studio debut
of familiarity. Her even-more-intense new mond, her hometown, and has been focused LP, Clean, adds extra guitar heft to the low-fi
album, Historian, isn’t likely to alleviate this on winnowing out the people in her life sound of her early releases. But it’s her mix
of swooning melodies and tough lyrics
situation. One highlight is “Night Shift,” a sev- who don’t make her happy. “If there
that makes her stand out: “Your
en-minute distortion-soaked ballad about her are people who treat me wrong, I Dog” recalls classic Liz Phair; it
relationship with her former bassist, whom either talk to them about it or I begins, “I don’t wanna be your
she dated for five years and broke up with the don’t talk to them anymore,” she fucking dog,” and only gets
day after they finished touring for No Burden. says. “It’s been the most thought- more biting.
“I didn’t realize how bad he was treating me ful and considerate thing I could Young Gun “I started playing
music when I was five,” says Al-
until I realized how bad he was treating my do for myself and other people. I lison, who first got interested in
band,” she says. Dacus, who keeps a journal am going to try to do that forever.” music downloading Taylor Swift,
she’s been updating almost every day since el- In fact, she says, she wrote a song Allison 50 Cent and Avril Lavigne songs
ementary school, started writing songs when about it. from iTunes. BRITTANY SPANOS
R&R
IN THE STUDIO
HIT RECORD
The Fanculos at
Friendship Farm,
Alibaug
The Fanculos Record at Alibaug Farmhouse

The Mumbai ska/reggae/ Besides Ibrahim, The Fanculos features Vh1 Supersonic held in Pune this past Feb-
drummer Jehangir Jehangir, saxophonist ruary. Ibrahim says they’ve also been receiv-
funk band go old-school for Ryan Sadri, bassist Saurabh Suman and ing love from fans outside of India. “There is
their full-length debut record guitarist Apurv Isaac. a huge ska scene in Latin America and we’ve
The band had initially planned on re- been featured on a couple of cool playlists,”
O
cording their new record at drummer-pro- he informs.
ur con v ersation w ith ducer Jehangir’s Cotton Press Studio in For now, The Fanculos are focusing on
mu s ic i a n R a mon Ibr a - Mumbai, but since the facility is in the pro- getting everything right acoustically at the
him on the phone is not the cess of relocating to Bandra, they didn’t serene Friendship Farm. They plan to track
smoothest—thanks to the want to wait till it was fully functional 12 songs, out if which 8 or 9 tracks will
sketchy network, it is punc- again. “This meant that he [Jehangir] had make it to the album, which is due around
tuated with incessant lags and call drops. lots of state-of-the-art recording equip- July/August. Says Ibrahim, “Our main chal-
The frontman of Mumbai ska/reggae/funk ment lying around at his house waiting to be lenge—as it was with the EP—is to keep the
band The Fanculos is speaking from a moved to the new studio. Ryan has a farm- album sounding very honest, real and live
farmhouse tucked away somewhere in the house that was going to be available around but also ‘radio friendly.’”
coastal town of Alibaug on the outskirts now and JJ suggested the idea.” He adds, While Ibrahim produced Gangsta TV en-
of Mumbai. He arrived there the night be- “I got an instant feels-right feeling about it tirely on his own, on the upcoming album,
fore with his bandmates to camp in, set and said that we should definitely make this Jehangir will join him as producer and
up a makeshift recording space and track work.” The next thing they knew, the band work on some of the songs. “He has great
their debut album. was moving the gear to Alibaug. production chops,” says Ibrahim. Ask him
But turns out building a temporary stu- Ever since The Fanculos released their if recording the old-school way has been
dio in an idyllic bungalow is not as roman- debut EP Gangsta TV in October last year, beneficial creatively and he says, “Yes, I
tic as it rounds. “[It was] like a racing driver they’ve been on an upward trajectory. The think where you physically are definite-
arriving at the race and finding out that he band performed a series of gigs in the coun- ly has a huge effect on your immediate
has to assemble his car before he can race try as well as bagged festival slots at Echoes state of mind. I really hope it comes out in
it,” jokes Ibrahim. of Earth in Bengaluru, Goa Sunsplash and the music.” DAVID BRITTO
R&R
PARTNERS IN CRIME
Mad Clown (left) and San E have been in the
music industry for the better part of a decade
San E and Mad Clown: “M A D CLOW N IS FROM

the ghetto, he’s got a gun right
now,” San E declares with a big
‘Real Hip-Hop is
grin on his face. His long-time
friend and collaborator Mad
Clown (who, contrary to his
name, seems to be one of the
About Being Honest’

most gentle souls on the planet)
looks positively scandalized at
the notion. They’re two of South
Korea’s leading rappers but their
playful banter makes it easy to
The South Korean rappers discuss the difference between ‘idol’ forget just how senior they are in
and ‘underground’ artists, discovering Indian musicians and the industry. That one sentence
pretty much sets the mood for
their upcoming U.S. tour the entire Skype conversation
between Seoul and Mumbai: a barrage of like it, it’s not real to me.” Both rappers With the Korean music industr y’s
jokes and bright laughter courtesy Jung have collaborated with K-pop idols and increasing globalization, several artists are
San, who goes by the stage name San E, underground artists and explain that there’s contemplating making the transition to
and shy, sometimes exasperated, smiles not such a big difference between the two releasing music in English. Could that lead
from Jo Dong-rim aka Mad Clown. There’s anymore when it comes to talent. With to a loss of what makes Korean hip-hop
just two weeks before their first North more idols producing and writing their and R&B unique? “That’s a hard question,”
American tour, a mammoth coast-to-coast music and several underground rappers says San E. “I think all these languages
affair which Mad Clown admits he’s excited, signing with labels, there’s a change in the when you pronounce them they have their
but nervous about. “I’ve never performed definition of what hip-hop is. Korean rap characteristics right? Whether you rap
overseas before,” he says. reality shows and competitions like Show in Korean, Indian languages, Spanish,
Although just in their early thirties, Mad Me The Money, Unpretty Rapstar and High English… they all have different vibes.
Clown and San E have been in the music School Rapper provide platforms to several There’s gotta be a big change when you’re
industry for the better part of a decade underground artists with a few also having a Korean artist and rapping in English.
and were prominent f igures in South gone on to become idols later on. There’s a big difference.” It’s the matter of
Korea’s underground rap scene prior to Lyrically, San E and Mad Clown prefer things getting lost in translation and both
that. Mad Clown hit mainstream success to walk the talk around ‘real’ hip-hop. As San E and Mad Clown agree it’s difficult to
after the release of 2013’s “Stupid in Love,” more artists take the step to open up, songs translate their exact feelings into English.
a collaboration with K-pop group Sistar’s about politics, mental health and equality “I never thought about writing my music
Soyou, while San E shot to fame after are more visible. San E’s work was especially in any other language than Korean,” Mad
becoming the first solo rapper to sign with v iewed as controversial due to him Clown adds. “Because I grew up using the
JYP Entertainment in 2010 (labelmates addressing politics (“Bad Year”) and mental Korean language and as an artist I can only
include K-pop acts like GOT7 and Twice.) express myself in Korean. It’s what I feel
The two have previously collaborated most comfortable with and I have all these
on several tracks including 2015’s “Sour memories with. It is really important to
Grapes” and “Lonely Animals” and have stick with that.”
appeared on various hip-hop shows as There’s also the loss of the allure of
judges, mentors and guests. They explain
that their similar levels of experience
IN KOREA WE HAVE dif ferent verbal rhy thms in var ious
languages. At times the way Korean
positions in the market made it natural for TO BE CAREFUL... rappers enunciate could be more of a draw
them to pair up. IF WE SAY than the actual lyrics. “I do not think you
“It’s like a dream,” San E says about the We
Want You tour which kicks off on April 5th
SOMETHING must rap in English to be a global rapper
because ‘It G Ma’ (the 2015 viral hip-hop
in Atlanta. With over 20 dates scheduled, SENSITIVE ABOUT track by South Korean rapper Keith Ape)
it’s one of the biggest tours conducted by
a South Korean act. In addition to local
SOCIAL ISSUES OR was poppin’ and everyone knows about
‘Gangnam Style’ and ‘Despacito,’” San E
acts who will be opening for them in each GENDER ISSUES OR reasons. Another example of Korean hip-
city, the duo will be joined by two Korean POLITICS, WE CAN hop that saw viral attention for rhythm
artists; upcoming R&B singer Sobae and
DJ Juice. The setlist will include some of
BE ATTACKED and f low was 2016’s “Eung Freestyle” by
DPR Live, Sik-K, Punchnello, Owen Ovadoz
their biggest solo hits, collaborations and FOR IT and Flowsik. Of course Korean hip-hop’s
their latest single “Butterfly” featuring R&B propagation is furthered among newer
singer Bumkey which released on March audiences by artists like BTS, G-Dragon,
29th. It’s clever, bright and playful with just Zico, Jay Park and more who have blended
the right touch of awkward—kind of like the health and drug addiction (“Counselor.”) He K-pop idol culture with their passion
rappers themselves. adds that South Korea is seeing a change for hip-hop to create a new narrative.
After discussing the tour, twe dive in the perspective around these matters. To San E and Mad Clown, the future of
into the ‘idol rapper’ vs ‘authentic rapper’ “Especially since these days lots of people hip-hop in languages other than English
debate that often plagues the Korean hip- have issues but they’re not talking about looks bright.
hop scene. “It is real,” San E says about having depression or other disorders. I was The conversation moves to the thriving
the animosity. Entertainment companies going through that too, you know?” indie hip-hop scene in India and they ask
‘teaching’ idols how to rap didn’t sit too well They do admit they hesitate for recommendations, curious to see what
with underground artists who considered before putting something that local artists talk about. “I hope there’s going
hip-hop a lifestyle. He explains many hone st out . “Bec ause i n Kore a we to be more communication between Indian
wanted to draw lines to validate authenticity have to be careful about what we’re artists and Korean artists,” says San E. “India
rather than focus on why they make music s ay i ng— e s p e c i a l ly for c elebr it ie s ,” was a country I wanted to go to since I was
in the first place. “Back in the day, people says Mad Clown. “If we say something 20.” His dream came true last November
just liked music, you know? With music… sensitive about social issues or gender when he got to v isit Varanasi, New
people cry or they’re happy. But these days issues or politics, we can be attacked Delhi and Agra to see the Taj Mahal, but
people like categories.” On that note, what by people really easily.” Mad Clown’s he’s eager to come back. “I wanted
do he and Mad Clown consider to be ‘real’ 2017 single “Love is a Dog From Hell” to stay there for like a month but
rappers? drew a lot of attention for its harrowing I only had 10 days. After I came back to Korea
“It depends on you, how you define ‘real,’” lyrical take on heartbreak (inspired by I told everybody ‘India is special, it’s crazy
says Mad Clown. “To be honest, this is American writer Charles Bukowski’s book there and there’s nothing like India.” Would
the kind of question that’s meaningless of the same name), but even more so for its he and Mad Clown ever consider bringing
because to me it’s really simple: if I hear music video which features a transgender their music here? “Any time!” he declares.
it and it’s good then it’s real. If I hear it character (played by Mad Clown’s brother “You just call us! I love it there, you know.”
and it doesn’t touch my heart or if I don’t actor Jo Hyeon-cheol.) RIDDHI CHAKRABORTY
R&R
The Trailblazing Chart Run of BTS’

J-Hope and What it Means for
K-pop in India
Can BTS break through India’s barriers of racism, homophobia and toxic
masculinity to achieve mass success? By Riddhi Chakraborty
I
’ v e b e e n a fa n of s ou t h of releasing on March 1st, 8:30 PM IST. The albums chart. There was a general feeling of
Korean boy group Bangtan Boys or record-breaking mixtape makes J-Hope the shock among Indian ARMYs (the group’s fan
BTS since 2015. While the dynamic first South Korean solo artist to chart in 75 club) as they began to see, for the frst time, re-
music video for “Dope” brought them countries—a list that includes India. King sults of their actions and just how powerful
onto my radar, it was their more emo- of K-pop G-Dragon comes in next, having mass streaming and purchase can be. “This
tionally charged single “Run” that ce- charted at Number One in 46 countries with kind of dedication is sort of unseen in India.
mented them as one of my all-time fa- his 2017 solo EP Kwon Ji Yong. People are ready to open iTunes accounts to
vorite artists. I had the privilege to speak to Twinkle Choudhary, co-founder of Twit- make each and every download count and
their leader RM in 2017 and while our con- ter’s leading Indian BTS fan page Bangtan spend Rs. 2000 to just buy an album and
versation did touch upon the group’s desire to INDIA, explains the unique charting and even more for other activities happening in
visit India—“I hope that BigHit [Entertain- album purchase patterns. The 19-year-old the country.”
ment] is planning to go to India,” RM had and her friends founded the fan community Local fans are willing to put in the money
stated right after waxing-poetic about the Taj in 2013 soon after BTS’ debut and have wit- and time to increase sales in an effort to pro-
Mahal—there was no concrete promise. To be nessed the group’s meteoric rise globally and mote K-pop while making artists aware of
honest, it wasn’t completely fair to expect it at within the country since day one. Choud- India as a potential tour destination through
that point. Because none of BTS’ seven mem- hary says that in addition to the number of recorded sales that appear on South Korean
bers (RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and followers on social media the fan page has, digital music charts like Gaon and Hanteo.
Jungkook) or their Indian fans could have the proof of BTS’ unbeatable popularity is Other instances of fan-promotion include in-
predicted what would come next. the increase in the album bulk-orders Bang- vesting in billboards of BTS in certain Indi-
Soon after my second interview an cities and mass-requesting local
with them, BTS released their fifth radio stations to play the group’s
EP Love Yourself ‘Her’ in September “People are ready to open iTunes tracks. The recent announcement of
2017 and that marked the first massive BTS’ collaborative collection with
breakthrough for measurement accounts to make each and every sportswear brand Puma launching
of chart success in India. BigHit
Entertainment, the group’s label,
download count, spend Rs. 2000 in India had fans buzzing about sav-
ing enough for the merch. “From my
f inally made BTS’ discography on albums and other activities point of view, K-pop idol/fan culture
available on iTunes India for the integrates more community spirit,”
first time. The group’s numerous happening in the country.” says Lucy Nelia, founder and editor-
albums began taking up various in-chief of Indian K-pop news plat-
chart positions while Love Yourself承 form Destination K-Pop India. “As
‘Her’ peaked at Number One on the overall tan INDIA places for local fans. “The [num- for India particularly, the fact that K-pop is
albums chart. With a cover feature on Rolling ber of] group orders we reached are no joke,” just making its way into India’s music scene
Stone India the same month, subsequent says Choudhary, adding that it was well be- as compare to other Western music drives
appearances at the American Music Awards yond what her team were expecting. My own the fans have a stronger sense of community
2017, Jimmy Kimmel Live!,The Ellen friends who had ordered the album through and self-preservation of sorts.” There’s a des-
Show and The Late Late Show with James Bangtan INDIA experienced delays in ship- perate need to make the fandom not just sus-
Corden (all broadcasted on Indian television) ping because suppliers needed to re-stock tain, but thrive.
BTS’ popularity saw a spike in the country. first. “[BTS] have garnered such an audi- Last year I flew to Bangkok to catch a G-
Member Suga’s solo 2016 mixtape Agust ence in our country that fans are willing to Dragon concert and while it was one of the
D tapped in at Number Two on the Indian buy music and stream to help them chart.” best experiences of my life, it wasn’t exact-
iTunes album chart upon being made What surprised Choudhary and many others ly cost-effective; flying to another country to
available on thr platform in February 2018 was the fact that even though J-Hope’s mix- see an artist live is an expensive affair. Hours
and Hope World, member J-Hope’s solo 2018 tape was available for free on Soundcloud, it of binge-watching concert footage on You-
mixtape, hit Number One within minutes charted at Number One on the overall iTunes Tube, while entertaining, is obviously no-
R&R
WORLD OF HOPE
BTS J-Hope’s immense
success on Indian iTunes
charts signals a new
chapter for K-pop in India
COURTESY OF BIGHIT ENTERTAINMENT
R&R
ANDROGYNY IN THE INDUSTRY

While David Bowie (left) and Prince are great examples of artists
who pushed gender boundaries, there are no Asian counterparts.
where near the real deal. Fans regularly beg gles like 2017’s viral phenomenons “Despaci- they are considered legends. What we need
BTS to include India in their next tour but is to” and “Mi Gente” wouldn’t have gained such to keep in mind, music is a medium which
it really something that can happen? “We do momentum in the country. artists create, rebel and even propagate their
see a realistic potential of a BTS concert,” says In addition to racism, there’s also sexism beliefs.”
Choudhary. “If this was asked a year back, and homophobia which has filtered down While Bowie and Prince are great exam-
the answer would have been ‘no.’” She points to India from stereotypical portrayals of ples of artists who quashed gender stereo-
out that 2017 was the true turning point. “We Asians in Western culture. Some of the types, it’s imperative to note that they also
have seen how in a year’s span, the pop- do come from the West—a culture
ularity and growth of BTS in India is that is idealized by Indians. “We
visible.” The most important idea to “Homophobic comments made don’t see our parents talking about
observe in this narrative is the fact that Asian artists when we do see them
Indians are ready for more internation- by non-K-pop fans in India talk about the music in their gener-
al live entertainment to hit our shores.
Artists who have made their debuts in
happens because of our idea of ation,” states Choudhary. It’s true;
my own mother and aunt filled me
the country in just the past two years ‘male beauty’ does not fit into the in on their love for George Michael,
include the likes of Justin Bieber, Cold- Prince, Boy George and Bowie but
play, Jay-Z, Incubus, Anderson .Paak visual that K-pop artists show.” there are no Asian counterparts in
and Demi Lovato while OneRepublic my memory because they probably
make their debut next month—some- weren’t considered ‘cool’ back then
thing many would have considered impossi- most common slurs fans seem to hear about either. “Social media has made it possible to
ble back in 2015. K-pop artists is ‘they all look the same’ and be exposed to such new things now but men
But how feasible is mass success in India? when it concerns male K-pop stars, ‘they in our society are deeply rooted to show ma-
Most forget that while there is a new willing- look like girls’ or ‘they’re gay.’ “Homophobic chismo and if not, you are instantly called
ness to dive into the unfamiliar, India’s love comments made by non-K-pop fans in ‘gay’ or a ‘girl’—which sadly is used as an in-
for accepting new things isn’t exactly all-in- India happens especially because our idea sult. Anything which is different from the
clusive. “It’s acceptable to tolerate and fol- of ‘male beauty’ does not fit into the visual masses is mocked.”
low the West and their artists but any devia- that K-pop artists show,” Nelia says. This is It would seem that BigHit Entertainment
tion from following the trend would be seen the extent of a conservative, toxic mindset are aware of this general mood around
as uncool,” says Choudhary about the general that builds the bones of the average Indian K-pop globally; making the leap to mass
attitude around East Asian artists. Because male ego. “Androgynous clothing or visuals success with Love Yourself: ‘Her’ saw
BTS are Korean, it makes the future difficult have always been part of popular culture and additional English lyricism and a more
to gauge. Let’s be clear, the language barri- music—David Bowie and Prince have pushed ‘masculine’ approach to the aesthetic of their
er isn’t the issue here. If it were, Spanish sin- boundaries in the Western music scene and music videos and choreography (especially
R&R
with “Mic Drop”) while collaborations kind of production I have witnessed in India Indian fans’ digital presence takes prece-
with Western artists like Steve Aoki, the is certain stages at Vh1 Supersonic and 2016’s dence. “If you see the statistics of activities,
Chainsmokers and Desiigner increased their Global Citizen concert—both which featured trends and Tweets regarding BTS, India is
male audience. “One thing that stands out a host of artists rather than just one. Justin always in top 10 all around the world when
for fans of K-pop is that they all relate to the Bieber’s Mumbai show, which saw a footfall compared to other countries and their activ-
situation and emotion intended,” says Nelia. of 65,000 but didn’t turn a profit, is a reality ities,” says Choudhary, explaining that chart
“It is specifically designed that way, so you will check that high attendance doesn’t necessari- data accounts on Twitter track ARMY’s
see fans in all age groups, diverse employment ly mean success. “We are a fast-growing econ- progress globally per country. It’s possible
categories, to different religions and culture omy and people expect certain standards be- that if this pattern continues over the next
relating to it and responding to it.” cause an entertainment event is business,” year or two, it can give fans the time they
There’s also one more interesting notion Nelia reasons. “They do look mostly at the need to begin earning a disposable in-
to consider: “No one song of BTS’ has been spending power of the economy of a country come—automatically creating an entire
viral as such to the comparison of ‘Despaci- before catering to the fans.” generation of urban Indian fans who can
to’, ‘Gangnam Style’ or ‘Mi Gente,’” Choud- As of now, there is hope. Despite most and will take matters into their own hands
hary points out, explaining that there is a fans being school and college students, there to get the show they deserve. “Honestly, I am
stark difference in the type of virality. “We is a determination to save as much money as low on optimism but I will never say never,”
don’t see people talking of a single song when possible to buy the music and purchase tick- says Nelia. “I have hopes that we Indian fans
it comes to them but [people talk about] BTS ets if the chance presents itself. If monetary will not disappoint when they decide to
as a whole.” BTS chart because they are BTS, contribution isn’t possible, the race to push come here.”
because the impact of their artistry makes
a more striking connection than producing NCT, an 18-member group, are
one party banger and then phasing into the among the many K-pop acts
background. “BTS speaks the language of the gaining chart traction in India
youth, their response to the present society
and unlike majority of the K-pop acts, they in-
corporate activism to their music,” says Nelia,
adding that she believes their artistry can res-
onate with people from all walks of life.
Choudhary is a tad more skeptical.
“BTS could break into mass success yet
still be treated as an outsider here,” she
says. “India is a huge country with lots of
diversity and sadly the masses itself are
racist towards their own people, so for BTS
to break that barrier is sort of like a far-
fetched utopian dream.” She does admit
however that things are changing because of
the evolving Korean music industry. March
was extremely significant not just for BTS
with J-Hope’s success, but for K-pop as
a whole in India; 18-member boy group
NCT’s album NCT 2018: Empathy, boy
group GOT7’s Eyes On You EP and veteran
group Big Bang’s single “Flower Road” have
all hit Number One or charted in the Top
Five on Indian iTunes Charts one after
another and it’s not a pattern we’ve seen
before. Fledgling group Stray Kids even
made it onto Number 12 on the charts with
their debut EP I Am Not on March 26th—
a phenomenon that wouldn’t have been
possible for a brand new group a year ago.
But the key question right now is: what does
all this mean for desi fans?
The demand for a BTS India tour is im-
mense, but bringing K-pop artists here is a
whole other ballgame—the production per
concert is intense. In addition to the seven
members, BTS often utilize several dozen
dancers, pyrotechnics, complex stage-rig-
ging and audio-visuals to make each per-
COURTESY OF SM ENTERTAINMENT
formance a story worth telling. G-Dragon’s

set up in Bangkok was similar—divided into
three ‘acts’ the concert featured a legion of
back-up dancers, costume changes, docu-
mentary-style short films, special effects and
pyrotechnics. The only thing close to that
R&R CONCERT REVIEW
FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE
Butman put on a stellar
show in Mumbai last month
Igor Butman Wows Mumbai

The jazz virtuoso showcased singing in several languages—English, Add to this mix the immensely talented
Spanish, Portuguese, Russian and French pianist (and vocalist) Accurotov and
a multilingual and genre- at last count and in several different you have a jazz band right up there with
bending set attired through the evening—to complete the very best. This part of the concert
the group. must have pleased the jazz fans in the
B u t m a n a n d h i s l o n g- s t a n d i n g audience.
I
nternational jazz artist igor associate, drummer Zizak seem to be The other half of the program which
Butman, notionally from Russia but constants in the various Igor Butman featured Fantine (pronounced Fantini)
plays a lot in the U.S. and Europe, band combinations we have seen in included an array of songs which would
roa red ba ck into Mumba i w ith Mumbai over the last few years. Under be known to most of the audience. Thus
a powerful jazz sextet and brought the this umbrella , Butman includes and “A Tisket A Tasket,” “Those Were The
house down at the Tata Theatre of the encourages talented youngsters to work Days,” “Sunny Side O f The Street ,”
NCPA last month. in his band and encourages them fully. “Besa me Mucho”—sung in Spa nish,
But ma n’s ba nd wa s pre sent ed in This NCPA concert seemed to actually “Cry Me A River” and the very popular
Mumbai in collaboration with the NCPA be two concerts rolled into one. In the “Unforgettable” from Nat K ing Cole
and Jazz Addicts. However, there is first, the band minus the vocalist played and sung as a duet with Accurotov, à la
nothing redundant about the man, his several challenging jazz pieces wherein Nat and Natalie Cole’s version, all had a
music or the high quality entertainment the young soloists were given ample scope positive effect on the NCPA full house.
he provides. The band was a classic jazz to parade their talents. The very young Accurotov singing a couple of Bollywood
sextet with Butman on tenor sax, Oleg looking Yvgeny on guitar was a revelation numbers (“Ye Dosti,” “Mera Joota Hai
Accurotov on piano and vocals, Sergei with his clean, melodic licks which were Japanee” etc.) added to audience approval.
NARENDRA DANGIYA
Korchag in on upr ight ba ss, Evgenii given a lot of scope by Butman. Likewise, Butman knows how to have at least an
Potsikailik on acoustic guitar, Eduard the young bass player Sergei also sounded Indian audiences eating out of his hands.
Zizak on drums and the exotic par t seasoned and very competent and was also The standing ovation from the happy
Caribbean part Russian Fantine Prituola given opportunities to play a few solos. crowd was a foregone conclusion! SUNIL SAMPAT
R&R
I
Q&A
t’s been more th a n a w eek
since Logic performed his hit to do it themselves.
“1-800-273-8255” at the Gram- Years ago, you worked at Wingstop.
mys, and he’s still taking the What’d you do there?
evening in. “Kendrick Lamar gave me I cleaned, took out the trash and
a little head nod of respect,” he says. fuckin’ cut carrots and made french
“Damn, he’s one of my biggest inspira- fries. It sucked. I used to like the bone-
tions.” The performance was the culmi- less honey-barbecue wings, but I ate
nation of a breakthrough year for Logic that shit so much I haven’t been able to
(born Sir Robert Bryson Hall II), who eat it for years.
just five years ago was a broke rapper In 2015, you were hospitalized after
living on friends’ couches. But last having an anxiety attack. Is your anxi-
September, his hit climbed to Num- ety under control these days?
ber Three on the Hot 100, and it has I’ve had much less anxiety recently
been streamed more than a half billion because I’m coping with it. I never re-
times on Spotify. (The song also tripled ally dealt with depression, just severe
calls to the suicide prevention hotline, anxiety. I’ve been in therapy for years.
which it’s named after.) The next step? My therapist has even said, “You don’t
Opening an office. He’s calling from a need to be here.” I’m handling my is-
Los Angeles comic-book store, where sues head-on, not running from them.
he’s shopping for decorations. “I want In your songs, you talk about growing
the place to look like Comic-Con,” up in a house with an alcoholic mother.
says Logic, an unapologetic nerd who I witnessed my brother selling crack,
regularly solves a Rubik’s Cube onstage even to our own dad. My mom would
while rapping. He’s also planning a use pills. I was like, “I’m not going to
film, set in a record store, which he will do this.” I knew I wasn’t going to beat
star in. “I don’t want to be tied down to women, even though I saw my sisters
one thing,” he says. “I’m excited to kick and my mom getting beaten. I knew I
the world’s ass.” was going to do the opposite.
Have you let go of your anger toward
How did you come to write a hit about your parents?
suicide prevention? I’ve let go because they were sick.
I spent six figures of my own money They should have gotten help.
to get a tour bus and do a fan tour On “America,” you blast Trump, add-
for my second album. I surprised fans ing, “Shit, I’ll say what Kanye won’t.”
at their houses, and we’d eat food How do you square your love for
and play video games. People kept Kanye’s music with his decision to sup-
saying, “Your music saved my life.” I port the president?
was like, “What the fuck?” And then I To be completely honest, he has
thought, “What if I tried to save a life taken back the statements, apparently,
with a song?” so I can’t really talk about that. I love
Eric Cartman sang a parody of it on Kanye. [Kanye deleted his pro-Trump
South Park last season. How did you tweets but never retracted his endorse-
feel about it? ment.]
It was bittersweet. At the end of the If you met Trump, what would you say?
day, South Park makes fun of every- Nothing. There’s nothing to say.
body. But I wanna watch what I say: And, respectfully, I’m not here to tell
I have a sense of humor, but there are people who they can or can’t vote for.
certain things that shouldn’t be joked You’re a huge Star Wars fan. What did
about. This is a song about suicide. you think of the last movie?
They went a little far, but they’re still I loved it. I enjoyed Episode VII
Logic
talking about suicide, so it did shed more, but I may be biased since J.J.
more light on it, you know? [Abrams] is a buddy. It was cool they
What’s the biggest difference between took time to tell a story instead of
Logic and Sir Robert Bryson Hall II? jumping around to a bunch of action.
The difference is Bobby has been How do you feel about the decision to
neglected a bit. Now, after so much kill Luke Skywalker?
hard work, I get to do what I want. I’m Who is to say he’s dead? Did Yoda
gonna start taking trips and having
fun. I’ve always wanted to act, so I’m
The hitmaker discusses really die? Did Ben Kenobi die? We
learned more about the Force in this
TINSELTOWN/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
making a movie. I just finished a novel his painful upbringing, movie, and it’s not something in a
and I’m excited to get it published.
You can’t put my talents in a box be-
‘Star Wars’ and what it’s bunch of books. It’s something anyone,
no matter where they come from, can
cause my talents have put me in a man- like to be mocked by have. In many ways, I feel like Rey. It’s
sion, and I’ll be damned if anybody in
the world can tell me what I can or
Cartman on ‘South Park’ really cool to come from nothing and
essentially be a nobody and make your-
cannot do because they’re scared BY A N DY GR E E N E self somebody.
METAL WIRE
Revankar and Toko, but decided to start

over as a new project. Bhattacharya says,
“We unanimously agreed that this was a
fresh start for us all, minus any past baggage.
There is no old reference point to go back to.
The energy was different as was the sound.
Fresh material, new beginning. Nothing left
to lose, nothing to prove, that’s the vibe. In
every aspect of the band, this is a new birth.”
Kharkongor and Ranee had already
enlisted Bhattacharya first, and then asked
Revankar to join even before he announced
his exit from Mumbai metallers Bhayanak
Maut. The vocalist says, “I’ve wanted to make
music with Reuben for over twelve years now.
The day Reuben and the Undying boys bid
farewell, I reached out to him and told him
that we need to make music together and that
we should talk six months from then. Cut to
about a year later and I find myself bouncing
off the walls listening to and demoing some of
the freshest metal I’ve heard in a while.” They
asked Toko—the drummer for Itanagar death
metallers Sacred Secrecy and an old friend —
to join. “Getting a call was a pleasant surprise
as I looked up to Aberrant. Later I got to
know the other people that are also involved
in the project. Sunny and Reuben was big
news for me,” Toko says.
With about eight songs in the works for
an upcoming album, a short snippet of an
unknown song gives a good insight into The
Silent Offensive’s direction—it’s bathed in
dissonance and chaotic groove, and not too
far removed from Aberrant’s sound. “There
is a fucking knife in the logo right there,”
Bhattacharya says. Although Bhattacharya
worked on the EP artwork for Aberrant’s
debut release (2015) and merchandise design
for Bhayanak Maut, this is the first time
everyone is working together as musicians.
A NEW NARRATIVE He says, “You should hear the fucking
For the members of The Silent Offensive, guitars on this man, both Jerry and Imti
this project is a brand new start have managed to write parts that span
everything from tech to prog to big hardcore
Members of Bhayanak Maut,

riffs to bluesy country licks so seamlessly. It’s
phenomenal.”
Lyrically, Revankar and Bhattacharya are
Undying Inc, Aberrant Form taking influence from their common love for
authors such as Neil Gaiman, Stephen King
The Silent Offensive

and Hunter S. Thompson. The bassist adds
that he’s taking on more than just visual
E
design, bass and lyric-writing duties for The
The metal band talk about arlier in March, Shillong metallers Silent Offensive. “Three years ago, I wouldn’t
Aberrant decided to call time on have even considered arranging synths or
“everything dissonant and their band, but it’s turned out to programming ambient background scores.
comforting” that goes into be a move that’s paved way for a But I spent time learning that when I was
new project, The Silent Offensive, featuring away from being in a band, so I’m glad I can
making music with a new former Bhayanak Maut vocalist Sunneith bring that flavor into the mix,” Bhattacharya
project Revankar, former Undying Inc. bassist says.
Revankar notes that the first priority
ARTWORK BY VISUAL AMNESIA
Reuben Bhattacharya and Arunachalese

drummer Teji Toko. is to complete writing and recording
Aberrant guitarists Imti Kharkongor and their upcoming album, although he adds that
Jerry Nelson Ranee, who have been writing they are keen to “get this on the road.” He
material that will be released as The Silent adds, “Everything else will follow. Angry and
Offensive for a year, did toy with the idea of jaded is the new black. Bring on the young.”
continuing after introducing Bhattacharya, ANURAG TAGAT
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18
ACHIEVER
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JUST WHY IS
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WEIRD IN NEW
BHUMI PEDNEKAR
48
ZEALAND SHIRT SPECIAL ADVENTURE THE BASICS OF
ALI FAZAL ROCKS IS HERE TO STAY TRAVEL IN NEW NORDIC
THE SEASON'S CUISINE
BEST SHIRTS SWITZERLAND
SMART HOURS IN
HOMES THE HISTORY OF
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THE INTERVIEW • HYUNDAI VERNA
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WHAT ARE
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HOW HE EMBRACES FAILURE
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SPREAD THE WORD
KAMAKSHI AYYAR
Bhavika Bhatia’s
music newsletter
‘Jukebox Mash’
has 600 subscribers
Curated Music Newsletters:
Jukebox in
Your Inbox
Streaming services aren’t the only place to discover new music
By Kamakshi Ayyar
E
very week, I receive tons of junk fore. It was nice to have a little jukebox
mail that promise easy home in my inbox ever week or so. On digging
loans, cheap holidays or are around a bit, I found that Bhansali wasn’t
hackneyed press releases. I’ve the only one who was sending out new music
subscribed to a few newsletters regularly.
because I find them to be a helpful way to
navigate all the noise of the Internet. I get The mixtape makers
updates on daily news events, weekly long- Bhansali, a 33-year-old media profession-
form suggestions and, beginning a couple of I’ve subscribed al in Mumbai, started her Song Story Short
months ago, new music. I don’t mean music newsletter in April 2017. She had a knack for
fresh off the oven, just tracks that I may not to a few finding new music and would always be rec-
have come across before. ommending new tracks or bands to friends.
I’ve never been one to venture too much newsletters People would keep asking her for something
outside my standard music cubbyholes of new to listen to and, as she explains, “…while I
pop, blues and jazz, and that’s a shame given because I find loved the validation, I got a little sick of being
how much the Internet has to offer. Algo- everyone’s personal DJ.” She started a blog
rithms on Apple Music and YouTube would them to be a on Medium in 2016 that explored different
suggest recommendations based on my lis- genres and moods—songs that make you cry,
tening patterns but it would never stray too helpful way to for instance. This allowed people to refer to
far from my comfort zone. I’d come across her playlists without nagging her each time.
one-off tracks that I’d fall in love with thanks navigate all the There was another reason too. “I wanted
to friends’ recommendations or YouTube to impress a boy who was into music too,” she
links that someone might tweet out, but it noise of the says. That didn’t pan out but it did plant the
didn’t happen often enough. seed of sharing her listening sessions with
And then I came across a tweet from Internet larger audiences. Her work as a social media
Yooti Bhansali last year. She was going to manager for brands helped her realize how
start sending out a weekly newsletter with effective newsletters were in connecting with
music recommendations and shared a link people since they checked their email often.
to her newsletter for her Twitter followers So, she decided to switch platforms from Me-
to subscribe. Curious to see what I’d get, I dium to a personal newsletter while sticking
signed up. Over the next few months I re- to the same content.
ceived newsletters that had an eclectic mix Newsletters are also what Bhavika Bhatia
of tunes, many of which I hadn’t heard be- uses to share her love of music. The 23-year-
old visual communicator and graphic de- Krishnan started his newsletter in Delhi, and I started a habit of sending
signer sends out the Jukebox Mash missive, ‘Another Listening’ in 2007 them my thoughts on whatever music I
which is an extension of the playlists she’s was listening to each morning as a way to
been making for friends for the last few years. stay connected,” he says. Initially, his mails
Someone would ask her to create a mixtape went out to about 50 close family members
for a certain mood and she would oblige. “One and friends but that number steadily grew.
day, I posted on Facebook asking wheth- Krishnan now lives in Dubai, working as the
er anyone would subscribe to a music news- content head of Radio Mango in the UAE,
letter and about 70 people said they would,” but he continues to send out his emails.
she says.
Bhatia is on a mission to encourage people The art of curating playlists
to listen to music actively. It’s something Much like the music they curate, the process
she learned from her dad. As a little girl, that each of these three people go through
she’d break down songs on the radio with her when sending out their emails and newsletters
dad, paying attention to the melodies, the vary. Krishnan has a short, daily email in
instruments in the background, the mood which he writes a line or two about the day’s
the song created. It helped her appreciate the song, sometimes including a quote and links
music better and that’s what she hopes to do to a few Youtube videos of recordings; he
with her newsletter. mostly restricts his recommendations to
What really pushed her to make active Hindustani and Carnatic music.
listening her goal as a curator was when she Bhatia sends out a weekly newsletter that
started attending live shows. While listening Krishnan has a short, usually has a theme or story of some sort—
at home, Bhatia says, she made the music all daily email in which he past ones have included ‘Songs for a Monday
about herself but at a show she was at the after a Sunday’ and ‘Sham ki chai.’ Her songs
mercy of the artist. “You experience music writes a line or two about come with a link to a YouTube and Spotify
differently when you consume it in person and the day’s song; version of that week’s playlist along with
via a laptop or phone…when you let go of your a little intro, and a couple of lines on each
expectations, it changes everything,” she says. he mostly restricts song, highlighting the uniqueness of each
Her time as a volunteer with Sofar Sounds his recommendations pick. About “Back Pocket” by American funk
helped her understand this process better. group Vulfpeck, Bhatia wrote: “A smooth
The idea behind a Sofar Sounds concert— to Hindustani and funk track, “Back Pocket” has strung together
where the venue details are released only 24 Carnatic music all that makes a Vulfpeck song—clarinets, an
hours before the show—is for the audience to engaging bass line, classic and electric piano,
give its full attention to the music, minus any conga drums for percussion, catchy vocals,
distractions. Stay Informed and tonnes and tonnes of quirk.”
This same thought is what inspired Bhansali’s newsletter, which was weekly
56-year-old Gopal Krishnan to start his (1) A screenshot from Krishnan’s but is soon going to be monthly, feels like a
Another Listening emails in 2007. “I was ‘Another Listening’ email (2) Bhatia’s letter your friend wrote you about great music
‘Jukebox Mash’
in Kerala at the time and my family was she’s discovered. There’s no major set-up or
(3) Bhansali’s ‘Song Short Story’
extra information on a recommendation, they used the platforms to bring in a little
just a hyperlink to a YouTube video or a more discipline into their own listening and
SoundCloud track. Sometimes it’s as simple to create digital memories of the music that
as: “I’ve fallen asleep to this song many moved and inspired them. Feedback from
nights in a row, and have woken up to this listeners also helps. Bhansali, Bhatia and
one on many mornings of late. Both are Krishnan all said the encouragement and
interchangeable.” interaction with subscribers helps keep them
Despite the differences, there is similarity going. “Sometimes, I wonder why I stress out
in their methods. All three say they just keep every weekend and panic about sending these
their ears open to new music all the time. newsletters,” Bhatia says, “but when I get
It’s a constant process trying to find worthy those emails from people saying they liked
tracks to recommend, because quality comes what I sent or recommending new music, it’s
first. Bhansali says that though she tries to really heartening.”
include about 10-12 songs in every newsletter, While Krishnan is content keeping his
she doesn’t mind that number dropping if she emails as is for now, Bhatia is planning to get
can’t find good enough songs. into music curation. Bhansali hopes to create
“I follow music rabbit holes wherever they an active community that appreciates good
lead,” Bhansali says about her process in music. She used to host listening sessions at
finding music. Spotify recommendations, home, where people were encouraged
Bhansali’s ‘Song
YouTube playlists based on a single artist, to bring music to perform or play for
Short Story’ has
even songs heard on a television show or in close tp 1,170 others to listen to, and is considering starting
a movie. Bhatia follows a similar practice, subscribers it up again.
looking up bands and deep diving into new
artists she comes across. “Even if someone To get daily updates from Krishnan,
puts up an album cover in their Instagram in a few local publications helped popularize mail anotherlistening@gmail.com
story saying they’re listening to that song or their endeavours. To get weekly updates from Bhatia,
album, I will look it up and explore a little,” When asked why they choose to do this, all subscribe at tinyletter.com/JukeboxMash
she said. The one thing she ensures she does three had comparable responses. In addition To get monthly updates from Bhansali,
is include an independent Indian band in to just wanting to share their music finds, subscribe at tinyletter.com/Yooti
each newsletter to support and recognize
local talent.
2
Krishnan calls upon his days spent
working at the central archives of All India
Radio, which he said was one of the biggest
storehouses of traditional Indian music. He
also finds a lot while reading about music,
getting recommendations from friends and
generally digging around on the internet.
This dedication has paid off and is evident
in the number of subscribers each has.
Krishnan has over 2,000 email subscribers,
in addition to about 2,500 followers on
Facebook and 800-odd on Twitter. In the
four months that she’s been doing this,
Bhatia’s Jukebox Mash has 600 subscribers
while Bhansali’s Song Story Short has close to
1,170 subscribers. Word of mouth and stories
3 KAMAKSHI AYYAR
White in
his native
Detroit,
February
CAN
JA C K
WHITE
CHANGE
HIS
He became a rock legend by embracing
the past. Now, the last guitar hero is trying
to figure out how to live in the future
STRIPES?
B Y B R I A N H I AT T
Photographs by Pari Dukovic
RollingStone.com | R ol l i n g S t o n e | 37
JA C K
O
WHITE
He’s wearing black jeans, suede shoes for the popular caricature), actual dad that
and a snug long-sleeve T-shirt with an un- he is, White isn’t done evolving. He’s still
usual, Star Trek-y collar. After a flirtation headed somewhere, still busy being born.
J
with a shorn rockabilly look, his black hair
is back to the precise chin-length of his ack white believes in making
White Stripes days. Against the paleness of things difficult for himself. The
his skin, it looks almost like a special effect. artistic reasons behind this ethos
“I think a lot of emotions have been de- are clear (“You have to have a
monized over the years,” he goes on, “as if problem/ If you want to invent a
they should never exist on planet Earth. contraption,” he once sang), the
Absolutely not. Without revenge and anger psychological origins of it less
and these quote-unquote negative emotions, so. Catholicism? There is a picture, some-
how would we have won World War II?” He where, of a little Jack White, at that point
leans back, takes a puff from one of the cig- still Jack Gillis, meeting Pope John Paul
arillos he smokes, and ashes it on a lovely sil- II. White certainly has a self-flagellato-
ver-and-glass ashtray. ry bent: “I’m bleeding before the Lord,” he
Jack White is still willing to say stuff, sings on “Seven Nation Army.” Is it relat-
even in an era when famous people are digi- ed to being the seventh of seven sons, and
tally disincentivized from uttering so much 10th child overall, with parents who were
as a vaguely provocative syllable, where ex- a little too worn out from parenting to set
tremely cautious wokeness is the only sensi- too many restrictions for their youngest
ble interview mode. He is untroubled by the kid? Probably. He considered, as a teenag-
n a Detroit winter evening, years ago, Jack sardonic tweet you may be composing right er, both the military and the priesthood,
White punched a guy in the face. Really at this moment, and if it’s not something and ended up starting a company where
hard. And not just once, if you believe the you’d say to his face, he’d call you a coward. employees wear uniforms – which no one
police report. It was the culmination of a Jack White is not a coward. seems to mind much, other
feud between two garage-rock dudes, back He is, in general, unafraid. You than dry-cleaning fees.
in 2003, when feuds and garage rock and can hear it on the album he’s “WITH At Third Man, White is
dudes were still a thing. White has been about to put out, the bracing- his own label boss, albe-
known to hold a grudge; to send, from time ly bonkers Boarding House ME, YOU it with a Sony partnership,
to time, an intemperate e-mail; to, on occa- Reach, which finds him, at age and he half-yearns for an
sion, “storm offstage,” as online headlines 42, making his most out-there era when a big, square cor-
would have it. music: gospel-Dylan backing vo- GET THE poration would’ve stood
And he’s not sorry, not at all. Yeah, he cals (from Regina McCrary, who in his way. “ ‘Hey, the label
threw a punch or three. “Sure, but so did toured with Bob in his Chris- won’t let you do it,’ ” he
Johnny Cash,” White says, leaning forward tian-rock phase), and jazz piano EXTREMES says, fantasizing aloud.
on an olive-colored upholstered armchair and drum machines and synths “ ‘You can’t record a song
in his windowless, tin-ceilinged wonder- and conga breaks and spoken- like that!’ What cool prob-
land of an office, deep within the Nashville word passages and jarring edits
OF EVERY lems to have! How easy
headquarters of his Third Man Records. and a general air of wacked-out to rebel against that and
Sitting on a bench behind him is a life-size dada whimsy that reminds you SINGLE make something cool and
skeleton with its legs crossed. White peri- that Captain Beefheart has al- new happen. But I’m com-
odically strikes an identical pose, to dis- ways been one of his musical ing up in the age of inde-
tracting effect. “So did Sid Vicious. Jerry lodestones – an early promo EMOTION,” pendent music where there
Lewis.” shot of Beefheart and his Magic are no rules, so I’ve always
He lets out a disarming, high-pitched Band is one of the many trea- created my own constric-
giggle, revealing an un-showbizzy arsenal sures in White’s office. SAYS tions.” The White Stripes,
of uneven little teeth, and corrects himself. A point to consider: Jack of course, were all about
“Jerry Lee Lewis. I’m sure Jerry Lewis too! White, here in midlife, is at the WHITE. what White once called
If you call Johnny Cash’s mom a whore in precise point in musicians’ ca- “the liberation of limiting
a bar, you expect him to not react? Or go reers where we tend to most un- yourself.” Though White
push a Hells Angels bike over and see what dervalue them. In 10 years, he will be an un- stretched the boundaries over time, the
happens. It’s insane to do something you disputed legend. So let’s just jump ahead. band was, legendarily, built around a mere
know is insulting to another human being Even if you’re sure rock is dead (it’s not), no three elements: Jack’s voice, his guitar,
and expect no repercussions.” one in this century has done a better job of and his ex-wife Meg’s oft-misunderstood,
So does Jack White have a temper? He jacking electrodes into its corpse, juicing it underrated, occasionally one-handed
told you once before, but it bears repeating. up and forcing it to boogie than Jack White. drumming.
“With me, you get the extremes of every Not to mention creating the only guitar riff But his rules sometimes seemed to bor-
single emotion,” he says. “Happiness, joy, in recent memory to become a worldwide der on masochism, if not pathology. White
jealousy, anger, excitement, passion, lust. stadium chant. Based on the White Stripes’ once told longtime Radiohead producer
And when you go into creative mode, it’s six albums alone – not to mention the Ra- Nigel Godrich that he was mixing a Dead
definitely my job to not put any blockades conteurs, the Dead Weather, his solo work Weather album without automation, which
up when emotions come to me. I’m sure if and an endless series of productions – he’s meant he and an engineer had to nail every
you interrupted, you know, Michelangelo more than earned a retroactive spot in the tweak in real time. “We would get two min-
while he was painting, and he got upset, I classic-rock canon. utes in,” White recalls telling Godrich, “and
don’t think anybody would argue with the Also: Old-school as he may be (“Mr. Old be like, ‘Ah, fuck, forgot to turn on the re-
fact that he has every right to be that way.” Timey,” “Mr. Retro” are his own descriptors verb on the fucking vocal at the chorus –
where musicianship could be
Steampunk trumped by a click of a mouse
White on the was, he says, “a gigantic scary
Detroit streets
in February thing.” Get behind him, Satan.
White also abandoned his
longfavored pawnshop guitars.
It started when he saw an interview with
Eddie Van Halen, promoting his latest sig
nature instrument, the Wolfgang Special.
“He said, ‘I wanted something that doesn’t
fight me,’ ” says White. “I was like, ‘Those
are the magic bad words that I complete
ly disagree with. And that’s why I’m pick
ing his guitar.’ ”
So he sent Smith out to fetch one, and
a 5150 amp, too, which led to the unlike
ly sight of White shredding through a few
Van Halen covers. The amp didn’t last, but
he also got himself a St. Vincent signature
model – “I love that she was making a gui
tar for women” – and a Jeff “Skunk” Baxter
one as well. When he felt his fingers glide
over the frets, he was dumbfounded. “Oh,
my God,” he says. “If people only knew how
hard it was on these shitty guitars . . . be
cause I didn’t know!”
J
ust befor e lu nch, w hite
shows me an artifact from an
oldtimey mental asylum. It’s the
Alton State Hospital Review, a
23pound scrapbook made by
some of an Illinois sanitari
um’s 15,000 patients during the
1930s, chronicling their lives via prose, po
etry, images and even tiny versions of rugs
and dresses they’d sewn. “I’ll be reading
this the rest of my life,” White says, flipping
through with reverence.
and now we start all over again.’ ” Godrich became, ‘I’ve got to let this go,’ ” he says. And where does one obtain such an ar
was aghast. The first automated consoles “This album is the culmination of, like, ‘I tifact? “This was a part of an auction,” he
date back to 1973 or so; they are hardly digi don’t care.’ I want it to sound like this. I says, vaguely. The next day, he hands me a
tal witchcraft. “Why,” Godrich asked, “were don’t care how it was made.” Which isn’t driver’s license that belonged to one Frank
you doing that? Jesus, man!” to say he didn’t set up a complex and ar Sinatra, age 28 – another product of a win
White couldn’t quite explain it. “Because bitrary set of parameters for himself, be ning bid. (It’s fun, though perhaps not ac
I just got to,” he told him. “I got to know in cause he totally did. He started by making curate, to picture these auctions as just
my heart it was done the right way, the hard demos in a rented apartment where he re White and Nicolas Cage sitting amid an au
way, the difficult way.” created his highschoolera fourtrack stu ditorium of empty seats, outbidding each
But it was Chris Rock, who did a set in dio setup, taking pains to begin songwrit other unto infinity.)
Third Man’s event space last year, who re ing in his head, sans instruments. He went Sometimes, buying this stuff yields ar
ally got under his skin. “Nobody cares how on to record in L.A. and New York with tistic pay dirt. Last year, White purchased
it’s done!” Rock told White, in passing. He musicians he’d never met – some of them a musical manuscript written by Al Ca
was joking, but not really. drawn from the live bands that back rap pone in Alcatraz (in the 1920s, even gang
“I wish he wouldn’t have said that to me,” pers like Kendrick Lamar. “Some of these sters could read and write music) for a
White says, shaking his head, “because it’s songs have three or four drummers on song called “Humoresque”: “You thrill and
haunting my days. Because I’ve built my them,” says White, who, in the end, head fill this heart of mine/With gladness like
whole artistic creativity on this. But he’s ed back to Nashville to “Frankenstein it all a soothing symphony.” Capone, it seems,
right, because nobody fucking cares! Even together,” as Third Man exec and longtime played tenor banjo in a prison band with
musicians don’t fucking care. You know?” friend Ben Swank puts it. “I don’t know if Machine Gun Kelly on drums. The song,
He describes showing “modern musicians” he was feeling like he was in a rut or what,” a take on a Dvorák work, turns out to have
his setup – the tape reels, the vintage Neve says White’s engineer, Joshua Smith. “But been recollected, not composed, by Ca
recording console – to which they respond, it seemed he was feeling inspired by doing pone, but White still ended up recording it
“Well, I’ve got a computer.” White bursts things a little different.” as the closing track on his new album. He’s
out with that laugh. He tracked everything to tape, as usual, moved by the idea that a famous murderer
It can’t have just been five words from but for editing, White turned to Pro Tools, had a weakness for such “a gentle, beauti
Chris Rock. Maybe it’s age, or restlessness. a digital convenience he condemned, not ful song.” “It shows you, like, what we were
But White has begun to loosen his grip. “It long ago, as “cheating.” Moving to a realm talking about earlier,” he adds. “Human be
JA C K
WHITE
ings are complicated creatures with lots of White says. “Maybe we should drop that concludes, back on the nurse thing, “I don’t
emotions going on.” whole thing now!” know, man. I wouldn’t want their job. They
White slips on an orange-and-black De- When White was young, his parents got a tough job, that’s for sure.”
I
troit Tigers jacket and zips through Third stayed put in a changing Detroit neigh-
Man’s headquarters toward the one-car ga- borhood, leaving him one of the only white f rock bands were closer
rage where he’s parked his Tesla Model S. kids in his high school. “You really get per- to the center of popular culture,
It’s drizzly in Nashville. He’s got the car’s spective of what it’s like to be somebody else White might be even more fa-
stereo tuned to a hip-hop Slacker Radio who is a quote-unquote minority,” he says. mous than he is. Instead, he
channel, per usual. He doesn’t carry a cell- His brothers shared his love for rock & roll, says, “I kind of slowly picked
phone, which means “freedom in a humon- but few others did. There were always in- the most difficult spot to live in,
gous way.” It also meant he had to set out on struments lying around his house, says Ben which is in the middle,” he says,
foot in the winter cold the other day when Blackwell, his nephew, a Third Man exec back in his office. “It’s easier to be a gigan-
he had a blowout on the freeway. and longtime employee. “I have a distinct tic pop star or to be an underground band
We zoom over to a parking lot near a memory of being five or six years old and and be the underdog. Because the scruti-
farm-to-table restaurant, where he strides being walked through the parts of a drum ny comes from two different directions.
inside and takes a seat with his back to the set – and Jack walking me through the There’s people who want you to sound the
wall. “When I walk outside,” he says, “I’m members of Led Zeppelin.” same, there’s people who want you to do
assuming at all times that someone is about White does recall a missed opportunity something different, there’s people who
to touch me or say my name. It’s a strange or two in his neighborhood. Once he and a want you to be obscure, there’s people who
way to exist. It’s like you’re always on the bassist friend, Dominic Davis, now a session want you to be on the radio on the way to
defensive. Nobody has said shit to us in the player who’s on White’s upcoming tour, got work.”
last five minutes, but your brain is experi- “invited by this African-American kid in our He doesn’t think superstardom would’ve
encing it, so it’s almost like some caveman class who played piano and saxophone. He agreed with him, in any case. “A majority
instinct. You’re on duty, you’re clocked in.” said, ‘Hey, man, I know these kids in your of people in the pop world, they’d just make
He orders a hummus appetizer and a neighborhood, you should jam with them.’ fun of the way I look,” he says. “I mean, I can
salad of shaved Brussels sprouts We went over, and these two dig that I’m, for some reason, weird-looking
with chicken. He’s on a paleo- Mexican kids are playing for them. ‘This guy looks like Edward Scis-
ish diet. He describes his exer- “EVERY punk rock. But their lyrics sorhands! Like, what the fuck is this crap?’ ”
cise regimen as follows: “I run as were scary to me – they were He once joked that he’d never achieve his
fast as humanly possible, for short talking about suicide, heavy “dream of being a black man in the 1930s.”
bursts.” It’s my turn to laugh. “It’s COOL shit I didn’t know about. To And while he’s aware of “golden-age think-
true! I do! I’ll run at top fuckin’ this day, I’m like, ‘Man, we ing,” the dangers of “looking back at the
speed . . . on a treadmill. I can’t run
outside. It’s too dangerous to run
THING should’ve started a band
with those guys.’ They were
past and only seeing the goodness of cer-
tain eras,” he does sometimes yearn for the
that fast outside with rocks and badasses. That was really past. “I mean, the horrible racism and the
shit, I’ll probably break an ankle. IN MUSIC strange, to be into punk in treatment of gays and females in the 1920s
But whatever the top speed on the that neighborhood and be is hard to forget,” he says, “and at the same
treadmill, I’ll go. For short bursts. Mexican!” time you watch a clip of a musician playing
So I don’t have a heart attack or IS FROM White is, needless to say, in a club in Chicago and you think, ‘Wow,
some shit.” He thinks that’s what full of eccentric passions. why couldn’t I have been born in that time
human beings are meant to do. Early in our very pleas- period? And why couldn’t I release my first
“You run as fast as you can to catch
BLACK ant lunch, with little pre- albums when there was so much ground to
up with an elk. Then you hide for a amble, he embarks on an be broken in the Sixties?’ ”
couple of minutes, and you run re- PEOPLE: 1,100-word-long rant about White is hardly the first successful white
ally fast again.” his “love-hate relationship bluesman, and his thoughts on the idea of
Despite his caveman sympa- with nurses” that deserves cultural appropriation are careful and nu-
thies, he is, in many ways, a pro- JAZZ, to be performed as a stage anced. “There’s definitely a family of mu-
gressive. “Why don’t you kick your- monologue. It begins with a sicians,” he says, “and when you play with
self out?” he sang, presciently, in kidney stone that emerged people of different cultures, nobody cares
2007. “You’re an immigrant too!” BLUES, while he was driving in a what anyone’s skin is. Are there people who
“America is learning that a two- van with Meg, and a nurse have taken advantage of other people’s cul-
party system is not a good idea,” he ROCK.” who shushed him when he ture and made money off it? Oh, yeah. Black
says. “They’re learning that their was moaning with pain people invented everything. They invent-
Electoral College is a ridiculous upon the arrival of a sec- ed jazz, blues, rock & roll, hip-hop, on and
remnant of the past . . . that reality-televi- ond kidney stone years later. “I just despise on and on. Every cool thing in music comes
sion stars should not be looked to as equal them and their trips that they’re on all the from them. And from the American South,
to politicians . . . that a single human being time,” he says, with still-fresh animus. “Like, their spread went global, which is absolute-
has the ability to wipe out humanity. How I told this lady, ‘How dare you tell me to be ly one of the most incredible Cinderella sto-
ridiculous!” quiet when I am in extreme pain! You’re ries of all time – this music being played on
White does mention a fondness for the supposed to be helping somebody who’s in front porches in the Delta went global. In-
controversial author and YouTube philos- pain!’ It’s like talking to a cop. They hear credible. It makes you want to cry, it’s so
opher Jordan Peterson, though he’s appar- so much bullshit all day long. They don’t beautiful. And were there portions of peo-
ently only seen him talking about religion. wanna hear what you have to say! You know, ple who wouldn’t buy a Little Richard rec-
“He’s got more intelligence in his brain than cops never look at you – always, like, lookin’ ord but would buy the Pat Boone version?
his body can handle,” he says. Later, I men- around the room.” For a moment, he does Of course.” What really bugs him, though,
tion the anti-feminist, anti-trans, anti-polit- an excellent impression of a hostile, evasive, is fake Jamaican patois. “The rhythm I’ll let
ical-correctness screeds for which Peterson gum-chomping police officer. “They’re con- you get away with,” he says, “but the fake ac-
is also known. “I didn’t know about that,” trolling you when they do that.” Anyway, he cent? I can’t stomach it.”
White has become a vocal fan of hip-hop, nice of DJ Khaled to sit down and write and vived. He squints, as if the question is odd.
and does something that’s an awful lot like perform and record that – that was good “I highly doubt,” he says, “that would ever
rapping on one of his new songs. There’s a of him! He’s an incredibly talented man. be a thing.”
framed picture of Slick Rick on his office There’s no doubt about that. He does so White doesn’t think he’ll get married
wall, not far from shots of Loretta Lynn much! He said, ‘They told me I would never again, either. “As an artist, it’s very difficult
and Iggy Pop. In his first decade of fame, be on the Grammys.’ Really? Like, ‘Hey, for me to have regular everyday-life things.”
White was publicly dismissive of the genre, man, like, I know you’re headed to lunch, He’s raising two kids with his second ex-
despite a childhood that included whole but I just wanted to let you know that you’ll wife, and he took time off from touring the
bunches of it, with afternoons of blasting never be on the Grammys!’ ” past few years to spend as much time as he
LL Cool J and Run-DMC while can with them while they’re “in
playing foursquare on Detroit their single-digit ages.”
streets. “A lot of that,” he ex- He sometimes wonders if his
plains, “was my job as an art- intensity is out of place in mod-
ist. My role in my own brain is ern music. “I’m fucking push-
to not go along with the status ing myself constantly,” he says.
quo, ever. At that time, digital “Sometimes onstage I’m like,
was taking over . . . so of course ‘Why the fuck am I bothering?
it was my job to preach the idea Why am I pushing myself so
of ‘This is a person singing and hard?’ The next act on the festi-
playing an instrument. This is val is playing the same set they
the blues.’ I would just be like, played the night before in the
‘Here’s an unpopular opinion.’ ” same way and having a blast. And
But he let all that go by the I’m sweating bullets and bleed-
time he got in the studio with ing all over the stage. It’s hard to
Jay-Z, circa 2009, and laid know if it’s worth it.”
down a bunch of tracks for him, He recently saw a Bruno Mars
none of which yielded anything live clip that made him think. “He
lasting, although versions of said something a lot of artists say:
two of them finally pop up on ‘I hope you guys are having fun
White’s new album. “I played tonight.’ It’s the simplest thing
a drumbeat and then I played in the world! I’ve never said that
a bass line,” he says. “I played and I don’t know how to say that
guitar and then he rapped over and I don’t know what that
it.” The fire-breathing riff of the would mean.” He blinks. “Is
new track “Over and Over and that really why we’re here?”
Live and
Over” dates back to the White loud Instead, White
Stripes, and White tried to re- thinks it’s all about “the
cord it multiple times over the White Performs t r ut h . . . t r y i ng t o ge t
on stage at
years, including with Jay, who WaMu Theater somewhere real,” he says,
tried to give it the hook “under in Seattle, WA, stretching in his chair.
W
my Ray-Bans.” 2012. “Your ideas were pure and
White’s collaboration with Beyoncé, years hen he’s writing you were trying to sculpt
later, was more fruitful. He gave her the these days, White sound, tr y ing to make
track “Don’t Hurt Yourself,” which she re- sometimes finds songs something beautiful.”
shaped into something fierce and person- that clearly belong with a Thus far, he’s always had the next thing
al – he was surprised and pleased when she specific past project – the lurking in his head. “I haven’t had that mo-
used some of his demo vocals on the finished Raconteurs or the Dead ment yet, of ‘I have no inspiration, I have
song. They’ve never performed it live togeth- Weather. And, he says, no idea what to do tomorrow.’ A little part
er, though he was supposed to be on Satur- he holds those aside. But what if he comes up of me wants that writer’s block, just to see
day Night Live with her: “I’m not sure what with a White Stripes song? how I could overcome that challenge. But
happened,” he says with a shrug. As White’s He laughs, a little too hard. “That doesn’t another part hopes it never happens.”
camp recalls it, she also asked him to come really happen too much,” he says, and paus- Earlier in my visit, there was a knock on
up with an alternate arrangement for the es. “I’m not telling people what to think the door. “Someone has a summons for you,”
Lemonade track “Daddy Lessons,” which about the White Stripes. They can think a voice says. It’s Blackwell, the Third Man
he did, with Third Man country artist Lil- whatever they want about it. But there is exec, and he has actually brought the first
lie Mae on demo vocals. Beyoncé had im- a case to be made that in a lot of ways, the three vinyl copies of Boarding House Reach,
pressed everyone by requesting an arrange- White Stripes is Jack White solo. In a lot of fresh from White’s pressing plant, in De-
ment á la roots singer-songwriter Seasick ways.” He says this very casually. “There’s troit. “Ahhhh,” White exclaims, grabbing a
Steve. She didn’t use it. “It was so cool,” en- only two people in the band. I was writ- copy and looking hard at the indigo cover.
gineer Joshua Smith says wistfully. ing and producing and conducting. The (The androgynous person on the front has
White follows current music closely melodies are coming from one person, the White’s eyes: “When you cover up the eyes or
MATT HOWARD/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
enough to have developed an amused con- rhythm is coming from Meg. People define the mouth, the figure changes gender.”) “It
tempt for DJ Khaled, especially after watch- things by the label you give them. I’m sure if turned out good, man,” he says, tearing off
ing this year’s Grammys performance of Billy Corgan called his solo album Smashing the shrink-wrap. “They tell me the test
“Wild Thoughts,” which draws heavily on Pumpkins, it probably would’ve sold twice pressing sounded incredible.” He looks at it
Santana’s “Maria Maria.” “It’s just Santa- as many copies or whatever.” again, this beautiful object he brought
na’s song in its entirety,” says White, em- I ask if there’s any chance that the White i n t o t h e w o r l d , a n d s m i l e s . “ It
barking on an extended sarcastic riff. “It was Stripes, who broke up in 2011, could be re- exists now,” he says.
Cover Story
GAME CHANGERS
Maati Baani have mastered
the art of using YouTube to
lead a digital movement
around fusion music
THE NEW FACES OF
FUSION They’re young, restless and unafraid of mixing the traditional with
the modern. Meet fusion music’s coolest alchemists
BY RIDDHI CH A K R A BORT Y
T
h e s t or y a bou t how pa n di t r av i The Sixties saw fusion music reaching a level of popularity that
Shankar taught George Harrison to play the was truly global; it was very much linked to Shankar and the Bea-
sitar is probably one of the most cherished tlemania that had captured the attention of the masses. It was fur-
Beatles trivia. The year was 1965 and the Fab ther fueled by the Beatles’ 1968 trip to India, causing a historical ex-
Four were filming Help! when Harrison found change of music and culture and pushing Shankar’s stardom in the
a sitar on the set. Fascinated by the exotic in- West enough to bag a slot at Woodstock in 1969. His influence on
strument, the band decided to incorporate it Harrison resulted in the Beatles experimenting with Indian instru-
into a jam session. ments in the music throughout the Sixties, which eventually also in-
“We’d recorded the ‘Norwegian Wood’ backing track and it need- spired rivals the Rolling Stones to give fusion a shot—1966’s “Paint
ed something,” Harrison later explained in The Beatles Anthologies. It Black” being a prime example. It would seem the Sixties were the
“We would usually start looking through the cupboard to see if we melting pot for Indian fusion; sitars and tabla instrumentals were
could come up with something, a new sound, and I picked the sitar splashed everywhere and Shankar went on to make albums with
up—it was just lying around; I hadn’t really figured out what to do American saxophonist Bud Shank while American jazz trumpeter
with it.” The result was somewhat garbled but intriguing; certainly Miles Davis, also bitten by the fusion bug, featured prominent tabla
unfamiliar to many in the West and it piqued curiosity. players Bihari Sharma and Badal Roy on several albums.
When Shankar heard the track, he was not impressed. “I couldn’t English guitarist and composer John McLaughlin pushed the
believe it,” he later said in an interview with the BBC in April 2000. movement forward next—in India and abroad. He gained wide-
“It sounded so strange. Just imagine some Indian villager trying to spread recognition in the Sixties within the jazz-rock and fusion
play the violin when you know what it should sound like.” In 1966, space with his quintet Mahavishnu Orchestra (the original line-up
Harrison headed to India to meet Shankar and learn how to play featured Jan Hammer on keyboards, Billy Cobham on drums, vio-
the instrument from the maestro himself. linist Jerry Goodman and Rick Laird on bass guitar) and Shakti, his
band that featured tabla player Zakir Hussain among other promi-
Who started the fire? nent Indian artists. McLaughlin went on to become an importer of
The seeds of Indian fusion as we understand it today were in all like- sorts of Indian ragas to the jazz-loving audience in the West.
lihood sown at sarod maestro Ali Akbar Khan’s 1955 performance at
the Museum of Modern Art in New York. He was invited to perform The tech-savvy Seventies
there by American composer and violinist Yehudi Menuhin, and his The Seventies saw technology flooding the world of music, jazz
concert is said to have not only introduced a whole new audience to giving way to the rise of synthesizers and keyboards, fuelling sounds
Indian classical but also helped build bridges between the musical that went beyond anything that had been heard before. Disco’s pop-
styles of the East and the West. Khan recorded the first Western LP ularity in the West helped its progenation in India—Indian-British
of Indian classical music the same year, followed by an appearance producer Biddu (Appaiah) and Pakistani teenage singing sensation
on broadcaster Allistair Cooke’s variety show Omnibus which be- Nazia Hassan’s “Disco Deewane” made a splash across the globe in
came the first television performance of Indian music—all of which 1981. Around this time, Bollywood producers like Bappi Lahiri and
set the scene for the next decade. RD Burman were the key minds behind disco fusion flourishing in
Cover Story
RISHABH SEEN
The musician who
dared to play metal
on the sitar
Rishabh Seen (21) is the

third generation of
classical musicians in
his family. His
grandfather is the tabla
virtuoso Pandit
Lakshman Singh Seen
while his father, also his
guru, is the sitar
maestro Pandit
Manu Seen.
The musician credits his

father for helping him
see the sitar as a fun
instrument with
limitless potential, a
tool that could take on
many challenges and
bring a refreshing twist
to what fusion music is.
This led to him
combining his two
passions together—
metal and the sitar—to
create a new brand
of fusion.
Another reason Seen

was drawn to the idea
of sitar-metal was
because he realized
there wasn’t one metal
artist or band whose
music was ‘fronted’ by
any instrument other
than a guitar, keyboard
or drums. He set out to
redress this balance
with his band Mute The
Saint in 2015 and soon
garnered fame on
YouTube for his solo
covers of tracks by
metal artists like
Meshuggah, Animals As
Leaders, Steven Wilson,
Metallica, The Dillinger
Escape Plan and more.
As word around his
music spread, several of
these artists (Metallica’s
James Hatfield, Steven
Wilson, Animals As
Leaders’ Tosin Abasi,
guitar maestro Guthrie
Govan included) tipped
their hats to Seen’s
contribution to the
global metal scene.
Mute The Saint released

their self-titled debut
album in 2016 and since
then Seen has gone on
several tours around
the globe, including in
Japan, South Africa and
Singapore, delivered
four TEDx Talks and is
considered the
propagator of
sitar-metal.
STARTING
POINT
(1) George Harrison

(left) and Pandit
Ravi Shankar in New
York, 1971.
(2) Chiranjit Singh’s

1982 album ‘Ten
Ragas to a Disco
Beat’ built the
foundation of
acid house.
(3) Biddu is
considered a disco
pioneer with global
hits such as “Kung
Fu Fighting” and
“Dance Little Lady
Dance” to his name;
(insert) the cover of
his 1978 album
‘Futuristic Journey.’
FROM TOP: EVERETT COLLECTION HISTORICAL/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; FILE PHOTOS

OPPOSITE PAGE: COURTESY OF THE ARTIST;
Cover Story
SHADOW
AND LIGHT
India. This in turn would inspire and evolve into the electronica An act that isn’t afraid
space when session guitarist Charanjit Singh combined Indian take on the
classical with synth, performing ragas in machine rhythms. His unconventional
1982 album Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat is the earliest predecessor
Comprising vocalist
to the Goa trance movement that would soon kick off in a few years
Pavithra Chari (23) and
and give rise to the early strains of acid house. producer Anindo Bose (35)
Whether it is the eventual evolution into Britain’s indie-trance New Delhi duo Shadow
movement in the Nineties or the punk-meets-tabla blends from and Light blend
producers like State of Bengal (Sam Zaman), Karsh Kale and Os- Hindustani classical with
mani Soundz (Shohid Jolil), Indian fusion’s impressive history is electronica, jazz and blues
proof of its diversity and ability to evolve. in their compositions.
The late Nineties and early Noughties were a glorious time that
saw a wave of fusion artists emerge in India who experiment- After meeting in 2012 and
deciding to create a
ed freely with folk and Indian classical. From Indian Ocean and
couple of tracks together,
Trilok Gurtu to Niladri Kumar and Advaita among others, each the duo released their
of these artists borrowed from the past to create something new eponymous debut album
and exciting, something that in a way summarized a new India. in 2014 and revealed their
And it’s only natural that the new face of Indian fusion—fresh art- unique blend of gospel,
ists who are giving a new meaning to glocal—are taking things a jazz, rock and Hindustani
notch higher. classical which
immediately created a
Fusion evolution buzz. Their 2016 follow-
up ‘Elements’ brought in
A lot of the time, there is a misconception around what the term
bold dashes of R&B and
‘fusion music’ entails. “I would say that the word ‘fusion’ has, in a featured both Hindi and
sense, been over-used and may not fit what it set out to describe,” English tracks, breaking
more boundaries of genre
and language to display
“ THE WORD ‘F USION’ Chari and Bose’s
versatility as artists.
HAS, IN A SENSE, BEEN
Trained under veteran
OV ER-USED A N D M AY vocalist Shubha Mudgal,
Chari also displays a
NOT FIT WHAT IT SET remarkable flair for the
Western vocal styles that
OU T T O DE S C R I BE .” complement Bose’s roots
in R&B and fusion, thus
- PAV I T H R A C H A R I allowing for a vast arsenal
of musical skills
between them.
In 2017, Chari and Bose

won the Best Pop Act
says Pavithra Chari, vocalist of New Delhi-based fusion outfit (Judges Choice Award) at
Shadow and Light. Chari and producer Anindo Bose formed the the 2017 Radio
duo in 2014 and blend electronica, jazz and blues with Hindustani City Freedom Awards and
classical vocals. toured through India and
Bose, who is also part of fusion/world music act Advaita, recalls Sri Lanka. The duo also
how Shadow and Light happened completely by chance. It start- debuted a collaborative
ed with him working on a few vocal lines originally intended for track with Indian-
a demo. That ended up becoming the duo’s first song. “It then be- American producer Karsh
Kale along with two of
came a studio project, primarily for collaborative songwriting,
their own songs
gradually growing into a performance outfit,” he says. On how [“Unkahin” and “Whisper”]
he approaches fusion, Bose explains there’s no set rule. “My ar- at Bacardi NH7
rangement style is always evolving, I take the melody line as my Weekender in Pune in
main focus and then interpret it instrumentally. For me the two 2016, in addition to
most important pillars of any piece with Shadow and Light are opening for renowned
the melody, and the emotions. They hold the song in place,” says sitarist Anoushka Shankar.
the 35-year-old.
The current generation of rising fusion artists dabbles in every- This year saw the release
of their third studio album
thing from metal to jazz, folk, soul and R&B. Most cite their par-
‘Sabar,’ which explores
ents as those who introduced them to Hindustani classical where- themes of grief, gratitude,
as the urge to blend it with other genres comes from the influence inspiration and
of Western pop-culture and an Internet-fuelled upbringing. Says perseverance, making it
Chari, “I have had varied influences in terms of genre, I trained in their most emotional and
Carnatic and Hindustani classical, listened to pop, soul, R&B; I detailed offering yet. The
think and speak in English… All of this led to fusion being some- band are currently on a
thing that seemed like a very natural step to take.” The 23-year-old tour of the U.S.
singer fell in love with Hindustani classical because of her mother’s
ISHANI DAS
Cover Story
MAATI BAANI
Making fusion music go
viral, one collaboration
at a time
Comprising vocalist Nirali

Kartik (34) and guitarist/
producer Kartik Shah (38)
Mumbai world music duo
Maati Baani gained viral
fame on YouTube for their
ability to blend Indian
classical with genres from
around the globe.
The one thing that makes

Maati Baani stand out from
their peers is their
collaboration-friendly
approach to music making.
One of their earliest songs
“Tore Matware Naine,” a
folk tune from Uttar
Pradesh, featured the
French jazz/funk singer Joy
Shanti and a flautist/flute
seller they stumbled across
on the streets. Another one
of their compositions
“Mitwa” is a classical
bandish with a gritty funk/
lounge groove. The band
consistently do their best to
put a spotlight on local folk
artists through the power
of social media and their
more recent work has seen
them collaborate with folk
singers, Mooralala
Marwada (“Hiye Kaya
Mein”) and Bhutta Khan
(“Rumaal”.)
In a bid to truly capture a

glocal flavor in their music,
Maati Baani videos often
feature musicians from
around the globe
performing their parts in
the song at iconic
landmarks in their native
cities. The video for their
cover of Michael Jackson’s
“Heal The World” has over
50 child artists from
various countries around
the globe and “Jao Piya”
features Kartik singing at
Mumbai’s Gateway of India
while French percussionist
Julien Nérée is captured
playing the cajon against
the backdrop of Eiffel
Tower in Paris. Popular
musician Max ZT is filmed
playing the hammered
dulcimer in New York’s
Tompkins Square Park.
Also a strong voice in

activism, Maati Baani
launched their recent
project “Chipko Re”
featuring acclaimed writer/
actor Piyush Mishra in a bid
to encourage viewers to
protect the trees in
Mumbai’s Aarey Colony.
passion for it. “Classical training defines me and the way I think.
The process, the riyaaz (practice) and the idea of concentration
have all influenced my compositions and my personality.” Shadow
and Light recently released their third full-length album Sabar to
critical acclaim, and after playing a multi-city tour across India,
they’re currently on the road in the U.S.
Best when East meets West

Nirali Kartik, one half of world music duo Maati Baani (also com-
prising producer/guitarist Kartik Shah) calls herself “an Indian
classical soul.” She was a young child when she began going for
Hindustani vocal lessons. “I found the notes and improvisations
like a game. I loved the idea of making my own patterns which
classical music allows you to do. It allowed me to make my music
in a given frame of a raga,” says the 34-year-old. There is a com-
plexity in Indian classical music that, according to Kartik, allows
artists a freedom to experiment through permutations and combi-
nations. Apply these rules to Western arrangements and the pos-
sibilities are literally endless.
To make an impact on their audience, fusion artists today, much
like their predecessors, turn to reinvention. Sitarist Rishabh Seen,
best-known for doing the unimaginable—playing metal on the
sitar—swears by adapting to modern times. “My sole reason of
bringing sitar metal to life was to basically show people how rich,
versatile, modern, ‘cool’ and ‘hip’ Indian classical instruments are,”
says the 21-year-old. In the past couple of years, Seen has gained
global recognition for his sitar renditions of songs by metal artists
like Animals As Leaders and Meshuggah as well as his own work
with his band Mute the Saint. He might be a third-generation clas-
“I LOV ED THE IDE A OF

M A K I NG M Y OW N
PA T T E R N S W H I C H
CL ASSICA L MUSIC
A L L OWS YOU T O D O.”
-NIRALI K ARTIK
sical musician in his family but when it comes to experimentation,

nothing is off limits . “I think just as humanity’s dressing, eating
habits, transport, housing, way of speaking, walking are not the
same as 500 years ago, change is not only a constant but a must. In
order for things to survive over time, change has to to be brought
at least in small doses so that this kind of music and these instru-
ments can survive the test of time and stay relevant.”
Working around challenges

If independent musicians have it tough already, fusion artists have
it even tougher. It’s no mean feat winning over two entirely differ-
ent crowds: classical music purists that scoff at any attempt to in-
terpret and experiment on the one hand, and the hip gig-hopping
crowd that isn’t too sure about a ‘fusion’ music concert. Says Bose,
“For me, the biggest challenge has been to preserve the authentic-
ity or essence of a certain raga/mode while experimenting with it
in a contemporary way. There is always a desire to present some-
thing truly unique… We take a lot of time to attain that balance
and we don’t release a piece till we are completely convinced, no
matter how long it takes to create it.”
When you represent more than one genre, the chances of slip-
ups may also increase and the real fight is to ensure “there is room
for mistakes,” according to Chari. “I spend a lot of time and effort

Cover Story
PAKSHEE
From Hindustani classical
to Carnatic to funk, they’ve
got every genre covered
Pakshee is six-piece world
music outfit based in New
Delhi who blend jazz, pop,
rock and funk with
Hindustani classical to
present a mature, refreshing
take on fusion music.
Spanning an age range of
19-23 years, the band
features Tanishque Jarial on
Hindustani classical vocals,
Sree Rag on Carnatic vocals,
Satyam Sah on guitars,
Akshat Pradhan on bass,
Pranay Parti on keys and Dan
Thomas on drums. Pakshee
first caught our attention
with the striking music video
for their 2017 single “Raah
Piya” which combines
smooth, contemporary jazz
with Carnatic and
Hindustani vocals.
Pakshee take pride in the fact
that each member has strong
musical background, making
for a powerful foundation for
fusion. There’s great regional
diversity within the band too;
two members are from
Punjab while one is from
Maharashtra, another from
Delhi and two have roots
Kerala which lead to the band
often blending Malayalam
and Hindi in their lyricism.
For Pakshee, the key to
capture a young crowd is to
give them good—and
good-looking—content; with
its excellent cinematography,
“Raah Piya” appeals to both
fusion-lovers and cinema
buffs. The band are currently
working on new music which
they plan on releasing
later this year.
to ensure I know enough about the different genres I compose/per- phy to complement their stellar musicianship. Maati Baani take
form. I find it necessary to feel authentic to myself, and not fake a combination of the two, uniting unique musicians from around
something for the sake of performance. I also rely heavily on the the globe to create culturally diverse content. It is all, in a way,
narrative of the composition, to guide my creativity. That makes strangely reminiscent of the way the world first perceived the sitar
the entire process effortless.” when George Harrison and Pandit Ravi Shankar brought it into
Tanishque Jarial, the 22-year-old frontman of New Delhi-based ‘mainstream’ light. It changes people’s ideas of what music can be.
world music ensemble Pakshee, feels the general indifference Chari, however, feels that the spotlight of the Internet is a double-
among the youth towards fusion has a lot to do with the perception edged sword. “It has helped in getting the music to many people
of a modern-day band—a bunch of young people with guitars. “The in the world,” she agrees. “But it also stands the risk of getting lost
younger generation is usually always receiving what is being fed to amongst millions of musicians who may value the appeal of the vi-
them by the media and the people around them,” he says. “Also, it’s sual content more than that of the music.”
very hard to compete with Bollywood music’s increasing demand
and aggressive marketing.” Glocal is the flavor
So the key lies in the way it’s all presented to the new genera- While some may argue that the term ‘fusion’ music can imply an
tion. Seen, Pakshee and Maati Baani have all used social media exoticisation of Indian culture, Chari and Jarial feel that it’s a label
to their advantage, racking in hundreds of thousands of views on that can allow their artistry to stand out globally. “When practiced
YouTube and spreading their interpretations of classical vocals by artists who have deeply studied the crafts they fuse, and who re-
and instruments to the entire world. Seen’s appeal lies in the alien spect the art forms for their uniqueness and value, fusion doesn’t
idea of sitar-meets-metal while Pakshee use stunning videogra- have to mean exocitization of Indian culture,” says Chari, adding,
MASTERS OF FUSION
Dhruv Ghanekar
Mumbai-based musician
Dhruv Ghanekar is an
acclaimed guitarist and
composer. In addition to
his solo work, Ghanekar
has recorded for the likes
of tabla maestro Zakir
Hussain and composer
A.R. Rahman. Ghanekar is
known for exploring
world music sounds and
combining Hindustani
classical with Indian folk,
jazz, soul and pop.
Apeksha Dandekar
While the Mumbai-based
singer-songwriter is best
known for her Bollywood
songs, her more recent
ventures into hip-hop
fusion make her stand
apart from her peers. Her
collaborations with
fusion poster boy Karsh
Kale and rappers Hard
Kaur and Shah Rule
break the boundaries of
where desi hip-hop and
R&B can go.
Shubh Saran
A graduate of the
prestigious Berklee
College of Music in
Boston, this New
York-based Indian
guitarist and composer
released his debut album
‘Hmayra’ last year and
fuses classical Indian
music with jazz, neo-soul,
pop and rock. Saran
credits his love for artists
like Rahman and fusion
rock bands Advaita and
Indian Ocean melding
with his exposure to
“It can be a direct representation of a globalized Indian culture, one Western music for his
that has deep roots in the past as well as a strong foothold and per- unique instrumentation.
spective to the future.” Jarial points out that all the members of Pak-
shee (also comprising Carnatic vocalist Sree Rag, guitarist, Satyam Isheeta Chakrvarty
Sah, bassist, Akshat Pradhan, keyboardist Pranay Parti and drum- Vocalist Isheeta
mer Dan Thomas) have very different cultural backgrounds that Chakrvarty and her band
defy the idea that ‘fusion music’ means just one kind of sound. “The the Isheeta Chakrvarty
aim now is just to make music together that blends well using our Collective blend
various influences,” he says. Hindustani classical and
Amassing a dedicated audience is also a challenge. “I think the qawwali with jazz and
most important thing is that musicians themselves drop this idea neo-soul. Their recent
track “Sawan Ki Ritu” is a
that ‘people don’t want to listen to classical or fusion’ because that
jazz-heavy and soulful
is completely ignorant and baseless,” says Seen. “As an artist, you are take on the traditional
responsible for marketing yourself a certain way.” Kartik and Chari’s thumri of the same name
advice to keep the music as well-defined as the visual content rings made famous by
true within Seen’s words—grab eyeballs, but have quality content to Hindustani classical
present. “Trust me, if something is really, really good, people don’t singer Shobha Gurtu.
give a damn what it is,” he says. “If it is something that can touch
them, astonish them, they will listen.”
Reviews
“I’m all right today. You gonna find a
way to cross and you gonna get there.
I’m on fire today.”
—Nath a niel R ateliff a nd
the Night Sw e ats, “You Worry Me”
Nathaniel
Rateliff’s
Retro-Soul
Midnight
Hour
The singer follows
the success of ‘S.O.B.’
with crisp grooves
and real heartache
Nathaniel Rateliff and

the Night Sweats
Tearing at the Seams Stax
HHH
BY DAVID BROWNE
Th re e ye a r s b e fore Ju s t i n
Timberlake stopped shav ing
and retreated to a cabin in the
woods, bearded Colorado singer
Nathaniel Rateliff was already
showing the appeal – and power –
of rustic-white-dude soul. Rateliff
looked like Garth Hudson, and his
woodsy take on vintage Southern
R&B was on point enough to get
him signed to iconic Memphis
label Sta x Records. But his
self-titled 2015 debut with the
Night Sweats was about more
than reverent growling. Rateliff,
who started his career playing
folk and alt-rock, brought raw
introspection to songs like the
hit “S.O.B.,” a barroom freak-
out about his struggles with
alcoholism.
Unsurprisingly, Rateliff doubles
down on roadhouse retro for
Tearing at the Seams, his second
album with the Night Sweats,
which arrives after a quickie EP and
a live album. Reflecting the Night
Sweats’ relentless touring since
their breakthrough, tracks like
52 | R ol l i n g S t o n e | rollingstoneindia.com Illustration by Owen Smith

Reviews
the largely instrumental son for feeling sorry for
shuff le “Shoe Boot” are himself: “You ain’t run
punchier than anything far enough to say my legs
on their debut, jacked up have failed.” While not
by swelling organs and the strictly autobiographical,
band’s plump horn section. the song hints at Rateliff’s Takar Nabam Stone Temple Pilots
Rooted in a grinding sax own tragic backstory (his This Home, That Home s/t Rhino
and a caffeinated groove, father was killed in a car Self-released ★★★ ★★½
“Intro” recalls interracial accident when Nathaniel Arunachal guitar whiz trades Minus late singer Scott Weiland,
Sixties soul band the was in his early teens), gentle melodies for cerebral alt the grunge rockers carry on
Electric Flag. Meanwhile, sounding convincingly rock on new album
the cautiously optimistic pained as the Night Sweats Once the guitar muscle behind prog The first Stone Temple Pilots
“You Worry Me” shows horns surge behind him. metal band Guillotine and then his own album since Scott Weiland
the band is interested in Rateliff can be guilty jazz trio, Arunachal Pradesh-bred, New died in 2015 sounds exactly
more than just simulations of overwriting, as in the Delhi-based Takar Nabam showed a new like you’d expect a Stone
of R&B past, burnishing jumble of raging-wildfire side when he released his 2016 album Temple Pilots album without
modern guitar rumble images that drag down Same Sky. It was simpler, singer-song- Scott Weiland to sound.
with light electronics. “Still Out There Running.” writer music with a sort of minimalist Brother duo guitarist Dean
R at el i f f rem a i n s a His husky voice can lack the approach. But now he’s changed colors and bassist Robert DeLeo
brooding party animal. A suppleness of classic soul once again, toying with adrenaline- steam-clean the band’s music
big Leonard Cohen fan, singers; when he taps into fed rock on the seven-track This Home, into shiny, snaky, functional
he sprinkles Cohenesque his inner Sam Cooke on the That Home. The well-paced straightfor- rock, and new vocalist Jeff
line s t h roughout t he dusky “Babe I Know,” he ward songs like “Independent Route” Gut t ’s imper sonat ion of
album. “While I needed sounds more fatigued than soar by the end, while “Into the Pool” Weiland’s lounge-lizard growl
you, it was never a choice uplifted. Yet even when banks on patience with its refrains. The doesn’t distract. But stately
of mine,” he offers in the he overshoots, Rateliff ’s jazz influence is very much ever-present heartland closer “Reds &
jubilant-sounding “Be restless throwback sound (“Made Me Believe”), as is playful gui- Blues” meanders, and “Roll
There.” Rateliff really feels like it’s mov ing tar (“Tonight’s Screen”) but he shines Me Under” fails to hit the
hits emotional pay dirt toward real revelations. best when he amps up (“Receding”), S ou ndg a rden- si z e s we e t
in “Hey Mama,” in which You’d have to think his which is what we’d like to hear more. spot it ambitiously aims for.
a mother chastises her mama would be proud. ANURAG TAGAT CHARLES AARON
Jack White’s
Dark Magic Tracey Thorn
His strangest LP ever explores Record Merge
the power of messing around ★★★½
Synth-y sisterly takes on midlife
Jack White Boarding House Reach angst from a U.K. pop vet
Third Man/Columbia ★★★½
Tracey Thorn remains one of
Jack White’s first LP in four years is the most vital voices in U.K.
a messy, sprawling, daffy, howling pop. On her excellent, drol-
set that’s easily his strangest record. ly titled new solo album, the
Per usual, it shows a man devoted to Everything But the Girl chan-
rock’s dark arts – its tangled roots, teuse tells tales of midlife angst
recording traditions, self-righteous fury and with the same wry wit she’s
appealingly deranged megalomania. had in her voice since she was
The LP looks less to White’s adopted city a sullen Brit-punk kid. Thorn
of Nashville than to his mighty hometown of sings about women who ago-
Detroit, the land of George Clinton and the nize over watching their kids
Stooges, pushing the acid funk he nodded to on grow up (“Go”) and Insta-
MAT HAYWARD/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
2014’s Lazaretto even further out. Electronics You’ve Ever Learned” feels like a Luddite gram-stalk their exes (“Face”).
f igure prominently – see the triptych of dithering with digital toys. But the spirit of But the highlight here is “Gui-
“Hypermisophoniac,” “Ice Station Zebra” and freaky freedom is a worthy end unto itself. tar,” about a girl with a crush
“Over and Over and Over,” a groove storm with “The players and the cynics might be thinking on the boy who teaches her
state-of-the- digital-art synth squalls, heavy- it’s odd/ But if you rewind the tape, we’re all chords: “While Leonard Cohen
metal blast beats, sick guitar excursions, old- copying God,” White f lows on “Ice Station sang ‘Suzanne’/We kissed and
school rap f lows and jazz-piano asides. Some Zebra,” asking for musical-cosmic unity, and kissed, but then you ran.”
experimental detours are dead ends: “Everything making a funky case. WILL HERMES ROB SHEFFIELD
★★★★★ Classic | ★★★★ Excellent | ★★★ Good | ★★ Fair | ★ Poor Ratings are supervised by the editors of R OLLING S TONE . 53
On the Shelf
212 VIP by Carolina Herrera
Carolina Herrera portrays an uptown lifestyle of effortless luxury. 212 VIP relates to the L’eau Majeure D’Issey by
casual and chic lifestyle of the sophisticated millennial.
Issey Miyake
L’eau Majeure D’Issey takes its
inspiration from water as a symbol of
strength and movement. Bergamot
and grapefruit add sparkle to bracing
aromatic notes, suffused with salt and
minerals. A dose of cashmere evokes
the smooth, sensual grain of driftwood.
Vibrant ambery woods magnify the
potent trail of new-wave aquatic scent
for men.
Light Blue Eau Intense by Dolce & Gabbana

Dolce & Gabbana writes a new chapter of the Light Blue saga with Light Blue Eau. The
fragrance opens with a sharp duo: luminous lemon and crisp Granny Smith apple.
Marigold blends this accord into heart notes of glowing, heady jasmine petals. Its
signature trail of amber woods and musk unfurls into a vibrant scent.
A p r i l 2 018
It’s Un Scandal! by Jean Paul Gaultier
It’s Un Scandal! is a fragrance that is fresh and appetizing. The
scent is a sensual and seductive honey mixed with patchouli.
The packaging is covered in velvet pink while the bottle oozes
femininity and intimacy with its tint.
ICON Racing by Dunhill

Energy and masculine sophistication are distilled into every bottle of
ICON Racing, the latest addition to Dunhill’s ICON fragrance family. The
engine turn finish on the ICON Racing bottle is inspired by the automotive
engineering technique of knurling, which was first used on Dunhill
metal lighters in 1924. With Italian bergamot, grapefruit and cardamom
enhancing authentic notes of black pepper and lavender, the fragrance
embodies a fresh aroma for men on the move.
Guess 1981 for Men and Women

The new Guess 1981 fragrance for men is filled with a confident
classic wooden green scent that captures the essence of the brand.
The top notes contain violet leaves, Italian bergamot, and olibanum
oil while the bottom note has clean musks. The top notes in the
women’s perfume include ambrette and violet, with bottom notes
consisting of musk, cedar and amber. The concept behind the new
scents is strength and confidence and the inner essence that makes
you unique.
Nostalgia by Sunil Mehra

Bespoke luxury designer Sunil Mehra presents an exclusive range of pocket
squares for fashion enthusiasts. With his collection called Nostalgia, he
creates a perfect symphony between past and present. The designs are
playful, poetic and artistic, crafted by highly skilled painters and fused with
digital printing.
rollingstoneindia.com | R ol l i n g S t o n e | 55
La Femme Prada Intense by Milano
La Femme Prada Intense is a thorough exploration
of the most traditional olfactory trope in feminine
fragrance—the flower. The intensity of the scent is
achieved by magnifying the notes at the heart of its
composition: the tuberose base is multiplied, while
abundant doses of ylang-ylang are further enhanced
by the introduction of patchouli.
Denim’d Color Watches by Casio

Rediscover your favorite denim trend with Casio’s newest launch—the Denim’d Color watches.
The variants are a chic offering from the always tough and rugged G-SHOCK and the BABY-G
casual watch for active women. For curating this new Denim’d Color collection, the original Casio
technology was used to produce a box and bracelet design that is inspired by denim.
Swatch
Swatch’s Chrono Plastic family set of timepieces
contains a plastic case and silicone strap in
addition to being three bars water resistant.
Colors de Benetton
Purple is the new fragrance of the Colors collection by United Colors of Benetton. It´s a scent
for women who know the positive power of diversity and are unafraid to celebrate the union of
people and colors to create a better world. The perfume is a combination of fresh bergamot and
orange flower that emphasize sensuality and radiance.
GIG CALENDAR
ONEREPUBLIC
Catch Grammy Award-
winning American pop rock
band OneRepublic in India
for the first time this
month. The band first
broke into international
success with their 2007
single “Apologize,”
cementing their fame soon
after with the follow-single
“Stop and Stare.” In
addition to these two
tracks, the band’s Mumbai
setlist will feature all of
their biggest hits over the
years including “Secrets,”
“Good Life,” “Counting
Stars” and songs from their
2016 studio album ‘Oh
My My.’
April 21st
MMRDA GROUNDS,
MUMBAI
OneRepublic
NUSH LEWIS April 5th April 26th BEAR this month. The group
Nush Lewis will perform RAASTA, NEW DELHI HARD ROCK CAFÉ, Belgian metallers Bear has previously opened
a dynamic set at her MUMBAI make their way to India for heavy metal titans
Mumbai gig this month. April 7th such as Periphery and
The city-based harpist’s PRIMAL, BENGALURU Nush Lewis Textures, and were one
live act will transition of the first groups from
throughout, moving from April 18th their region to perform
a solo acoustic set to a EURISKA, PUNE at the Groezrock festival.
whole band setup, also With five studio albums to
featuring vocalist Mallika AGAM their name, Bear promise
Barot. On record, Lewis’ Bengaluru Carnatic- to provide smashing sets
contemporary sound influenced prog rock on their five-city tour this
can be best heard on her band Agam are all set April, as part of gig series
2015 EP ‘Fused,’ which to tour the country this Unscene.
received widespread month to promote their
acclaim for her nuanced upcoming album ‘A April 5th
songwriting. Dream to Remember.’ ABOVE THE HABITAT,
The group got their big MUMBAI
April 19th break in 2007, after
FROM TOP: COURTESY OF DREAM N HUSTLE MEDIA; PRASHIN JAGGER
THE QUARTER MUMBAI they found themselves April 6th

amongst the winners THE MOONSHINE
SMALLTALK at Ooh La La La, a band PROJECT, HYDERABAD
Mumbai R&B-soul band hunt, and have been on
Smalltalk will embark the upward trajectory April 8th
on a multi-city tour ever since, emerging as FANDOM AT GILLY’S
this month to promote one of country’s biggest REDEFINED, BENGALURU
their sublime debut independent rock groups.
EP ‘Tacit.’ Their new April 12th
record showcases April 7th TURQOISE COTTAGE,
intelligent musicianship OPUS, BENGALURU NEW DELHI
and a seamless sound
which manages to both April 12th April 14th
sooth and surprise the HARD ROCK CAFÉ, NEW THE BIG SQUAT,
listeners. DELHI AHMEDABAD
GUEST
THE PLAYLIST
OUR FAVORITE SONGS, ALBUMS AND VIDEOS RIGHT NOW
LIST
2. Swae Lee
feat. Rae
1. Kacey Sremmurd
Musgraves “Hurt to Look” Mike
Gordon
Beloved hip-hop duo Rae
“Space Sremmurd are about to
Cowboy”
release a triple album; this
elegiacally spacey disco Five Songs that
Musgraves is a nugget suggests it might be
country truth- the psych-trap Sandinista! we transported me
bomber in finest never knew we needed.
Loretta Lynn The Phish bassist is
wrapping up a solo tour. In
tradition. But
she delivers this 3. Sade the summer, he’ll
head back out on the road
gorgeous breakup “Flower of the with Phish.
ballad with a gentle Universe”
touch, giving her Light some candles, The Beatles
cowboy all the pour that bubbly – Sade’s “Here Comes the Sun”
space he needs so first song in seven years When I was seven, those
she can find the shows why she’s still the harmonies oozed off the
freedom she craves. queen of satin slow jams. grooves of my scratchy
record like pure, sunny long-
ing, tinting the world electric
4. Yo La Tengo yellow.
“For You Too” 6. Iceage feat. Sky Ferreira
Three decades into their run and Yo “Pain Killer” Grateful Dead
“Weather Report Suite”
La Tengo are still finding awesome Gloomy Danish rockers team up with a stylish avant-pop
Teenage me blasted this,
new flavors in summery drone-folk singer for a little wolf-howl goth-punk abandon. The pain-
winding through New
majesty. This is lush even for them. killer in question: love. (And probably also painkillers.)
Hampshire mountain roads
at midnight,
getting out of my car
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: JAMIE NELSON; HARMONY GERBER/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM; STEVE GULLICK; KATHY HUTCHINS/
in dense fog to look
at darkness.
King Sunny Adé

“Easy Motion Tourist”
How can 20 musicians be so
telepathically entwined, the
pedal steel levitating on top?
Tune-Yards
“Water Fountain”
Merrill [Garbus] created
this by banging on random
things at home and around
Oakland. How can that
many flowing phrases be so
catchy?
7. Janelle Monáe The Louvin Brothers

“Make Me Feel”
SHUTTERSTOCK.COM; TONJE THILESEN
“Hoping That You’re

Hoping”
Best Prince homage of 2018 so
5. Natalie Prass far? It’s gotta be this “Kiss”-
I love when a song trans-
ports me so far it could be
“Short Court Style” scented jam from the adventur- Mars, or at least the Honky
A lot of singers try dance-y ous soul diva’s forthcoming Dirty Tonk Tuesday gigs Brett
Eighties R&B, but the Computer. The purple synths Hughes ran for years in
supertalented Prass has the lithe flash and the funk guitars flex Vermont.
vocal nuance to make the retro as Monáe sings about a “sexual
style seem fresh. bender” for the ages.
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BRODHA V ★ BHRIGU SAHNI ★ J-HOPE

> ISSUE 00122 > APRIL 2018

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