Music of Modern Madras: A Contemporary Scenario
by Srinivasan R
During my sojourn in Bangalore, I discovered a lot of bands and artists. My friends and colleagues introduced me to their favorite independent music bands from Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi & Bangalore. I never knew a single band from Chennai, in order for me to share with them. I was trying to discover reasons as to why Chennai never had a well-known independent band. This idea got me so inquisitive.
Independent music aka indie music or indie, often referred to as music produced by artists who were independent or not associated with any major record labels in the West. Sometimes, they were partly dependent on mainstream record labels. Indie artists would produce music on their own and sell it online themselves. At times, they would also approach the big labels for distribution. The very term indie music reflects neither a genre nor a style in its definition. However, many sub-genres like indie-rock, indie-metal or indie-pop, indie-folk emerged later. In the Indian context, it is not well defined, since we tend to call everything outside of film music as indie music.
I started exploring Chennai’s independent music scene. I set up a rendezvous with my friend Tenma. Tenma is one of the long-running independent artists, who is currently the co-founder, bandleader and music producer of the band ‘The Casteless Collective.’ When I entered Tenma’s quite flat on a sunny noon, I didn’t know that I would be blown away by the amazing stories and songs of Chennai’s independent music scene, towards which many of us are nonchalant!
As a matter of fact, I had known only a couple of independent bands from Chennai, before I started writing this article. I wanted to explore the status quo. In my long conversation with Tenma, he introduced me to a few Chennai based bands and his association with those bands back in the 2000’s. Those bands are The Shakey Rays, Public Issue, Adam & The Fish Eyed Poets, Blind Image, Moksha, Junkyard Groove, Nerve Wreck. Some of these bands made noteworthy music back then. Very few people are aware of these bands now. The general audience might have not even known that these bands existed in Chennai. This conversation came as a big awakening to my ignorance as a music aficionado.
Moksha was a popular Chennai-based rock band which made it to the national level. It was the only Asian band to be featured on an ‘Iron Maiden’ tribute album. They were emerging as one of the most successful independent bands from Chennai. Blind Image was a metal band from Chennai. I listened to their album Psychobabble. The entire album took me by surprise heavily. Guitar solos were so brilliant and creative. Energetic and growling vocals worked so well with palpitating drums.
The Shakey Rays was a four-piece indie rock band from Chennai. They had a great Rhythm & Blues and rock and roll sensibilities in their easy listening songs. Their lyrics were simple and beautiful. Their songs are still suitable for radio play. I can easily say that The Shakey Rays is one of the best independent bands of all time in Chennai.
Adam & The Fish Eyed Poets was the recording project of Chennai based singer/songwriter, Kishore Krishna. I had a chance to listen to their album ‘More Songs From An Island & Dead Loops’. The band could have easily become one of the busiest alternative rock bands in India. Alas, very few people are aware of this band until now.
Kurangan was a Tamil indie band. Kaber Vasuki was the singer-songwriter and Tenma was the bassist andarranger. The advent of Kurangan in our Tamil independent scene was quite illuminating. Kaber’s rapt and expressive lyrics started gaining a good following on Facebook and YouTube. They could have easily emerged as a big independent act from Chennai. Unfortunately, Kurangan disbanded abruptly.
All of these bands had written great songs. However, they do not have any fanfare now.
Tenma says, “We did not have an eco-system back then to grow together as independent musicians”.
Chennai’s independent bands had played amazing music back then and they disbanded quickly without making it big or giving anything back to society. It’s very important to have an eco-system and pave the platform for other struggling musicians. Some bands did not focus on making original songs. Despite poor reception by the local people, very few bands realized the importance of writing original songs. Others resorted to playing covers of popular songs. Though recording facilities and gears are more accessible now than ever with the advent of technology, these independent musicians still need to work an odd job to make ends meet to pursue their career in music, which is still not a career option in Chennai.
I contacted one of my good friends from Mumbai, Satya, to know more about their independent music scene. Satya is a great rock and roll aficionado, who regularly attends gigs of indie musicians in Bombay.
Satya Said, “We do have a good eco-system where fellow indie musicians, clustered within a particular place, know each other because the number is also rather small. Hence, they eventually bump into each other at some point and follow each other’s career progress. Many a time, one can see musicians featuring on the other band/artist’s album/gig. That is another sign of a close bond and caring for each other”.
This is a very important culture that we need to adopt in Chennai. If we are not aware of our fellow indie artists and support each other, the least possibility of selling their music on digital platforms will be difficult.
Sathya added, “Indie music is extremely vital and is the pulse and driving force of the music industry. In many ways, it is an act of rebellion and an antidote to all the hackneyed mainstream music that we’re surrounded with. Metaphorically, even in a larger
context, it also serves as a medium to fight against oppression and crony capitalism. Indie music can also reinforce our freedom of expression. I also firmly believe indie musicians are not given a proper platform and marketed properly. They’re not at all backed with full throttle. They’re largely a neglected lot to fend for themselves. Music companies have to cop the blame for that.”
To know more about Chennai’s current music climate, I contacted my friend Srinivasa Krishnan, who is a rock music fan. His favorite bands are Pink Floyd, AC/DC, Whitesnake, Rage Against The Machine, Black Sabbath, Guns N’ Roses, Dire Straits, to name a few. He also follows our independent scene regularly.
When I asked him about Chennai’s independent music scene, he responded, “Chennai has got amazing talents and the scene here is good but can be much better. This can happen only when they get enough visibility”.
He added an interesting observation, “Pulling off stuff that dominates among the commercial audience itself is proof that our independent artists like Anthony Daasan are talented enough”.
My next question was, “Despite there being a small crowd opposing film songs, why are people reluctant to follow indie music?”. Krishnan replied, “A majority of people in our country have been exposed to music only through films and television channels. Only a countable amount of people have exposure to music beyond film songs – also, it would be either classical or devotional music. Later, indie albums made their way to their playlist during the audio cassette days itself. Sadly, with piracy taking over buying legal music, people stopped visiting music shops and they gradually started losing exposure towards new music. The concept of window shopping for music faded away.
In spite of all these, there is always a set of people who do get exposed to indie music and a good number of them wouldn’t hesitate to attend a concert, if they were aware of some good musicians. Street music performances happen from time to time. The credit goes to musicians like TM Krishna, Sean Roldan et al who have been doing their part to take music to people’s places. Urur Olcott Kuppam Festival and Music for All (live music in Chennai Metro rail) by TMK, Street Music Concert by Sean Roldan & Friends are few examples.
With the increasing popularity of indie artists/bands in this digital era, the growth rate will elevate rapidly, when these artists/bands are backed by production companies and music channels. Most of the artists/bands fund their albums out of their pockets or by performing concerts. Many of the bands do not release audio CDs due to lack of budget. The support from music channels has been happening in India but can be even better. For example, Tamil Nadu is yet to see regional programs such as MTV Coke Studio, MTV Unplugged etc.”
Tenma has been instrumental in creating an eco-system to grow together as independent artists. He is currently nurturing his band members of The Casteless Collective as to how they can pursue music as a career and find their niche. This is a very selfless gesture from Tenma. He shares songs of other lesser known artists like Siennor, on social media. I would also like to mention singer/songwriter Siennor. His unique storytelling, often through spoken words and the retro feel, makes him an interesting musician. You should check out his song Vaa Uyirae – Terrace Jams and Ponnira maalai on YouTube. His songs set a poignant mood as evocative as the late American folk singer-songwriter, Tim Hardin. He can be a successful indie artist if he gets proper recognition and a stage to perform frequently. Director Pa. Ranjith has been encouraging independent music through his production house, Neelam Cultural Centre. He firmly believes music can be a tool to express social issues and equality. The band focuses on the neglected style of folk music, Gana, that was originated in North Chennai by the working-class people. Gana came into existence through the livelihood of the oppressed people, which also acts as a sign of rebellion. You might have guessed it right. It is akin to Rap music. When someone dies, Gana singers not only mourn the loss of the deceased but also celebrate his or her successful life.
Music director Deva popularized this style with his own twist in his songs. Music Director Santhosh Narayanan has been exploring Gana in his songs, ever since his collaboration with Pa. Ranjith in the film Attakathi. He often gives opportunities to Gana singers from North Chennai, notably Anthony Daasan and Gana Bala. However, it’s a sad reality that these Gana artists need to be associated with films in order to gain some attention to express their roots music. Though our films have had Gana songs, The Casteless Collective Band has been changing this status quo ever since their inception. Gana singers are part of
this independent band. The Casteless Collective is a good beginning. Their sound is unique as it features Gana, hip-hop, rap and other forms of world music styles through artists hailing from Mumbai and Chennai. Their lyrics address social issues, agriculture, ordeals of the oppressed people, manual scavenging and equality. Despite serious subject matter, their songs are energetic and danceable.
Hence, it is very important to identify our own talents and nurture them. A potential artist who wants to make original music ends up doing covers of famous bands in pubs because of the abandoned state of independent music.
On the other hand, Chennai’s another rich heritage is Carnatic music. It does have its regular following by a meager crowd. Is it a mainstream music? The answer is ‘No’. This needs to change. The politics around this music has been influential in keeping this music within a closed loop. The reason why the Carnatic music needs to be accessible by all our artists is the sheer amplitude of creating original music. MSV and Ilayaraja had been very successful at using Carnatic music in their songs. Ilayaraja embraced folk music in his songs brilliantly. Hence, it is quite possible to blend all our musical forms amicably for mainstream audiences. Our independent bands should focus on embracing Carnatic music. I can mention the band, Jatayu, off the top of my head which is a four-member Carnatic fusion band. We need more bands to experiment Carnatic music, by blending it with their original ideas to reach a wider audience.
In parallel, we should also embrace our roots music. We also need to explore talented artists of roots music from other towns in Tamil Nadu. In one of his speeches, Folklore writer Kolappan asserted that many talented folk instrument players and artists exist all over Tamil Nadu, especially southern part of Tamil Nadu. Unless we resurrect our roots music, we cannot reach the global arena with our identity, where only the classical musicians have performed so far. Ali Farka Touré and Toumani Diabaté from Mali, Bob Marley from Jamaica are notable artists who played their roots music honestly. Thus, they became popular and were well-received by the West. We do not know if we might have our own Toumani Diabete or Ali Farka in Tirunelveli or Bob Marey in Chennai; nor do we know how to reach a wider audience. We need to go in search of our roots and embark on a journey of real music. I have always thought that making music in our regional languages is a barrier
to reaching the global scene. Few world music artists have changed my perception completely, such as Ali Farka, Fatoumata Diawara & Songhoy Blues have changed my perception completely. They toured other countries successfully. Buena Vista Social Club was an ensemble of Cuban musicians, who made to the global scene by collaborating with famous American musician and producer Ry Cooder in 1997. Their self-titled album was awarded the 1998 Grammy Award! Ry Cooder collaborated with Ali Farka Touré. Their album Talking Timbuktu is considered to be one of the best world music albums. I wish our independent musicians and producers like Pa. Ranjith could find a record producer from the west like Ry Cooder or someone from the world music labels. This collaboration will really help our talented musicians shine on the global scene.
Chennai’s independent music scene is like a peninsula, surrounded entirely by film music. Our unanimous affinity with film songs is unfathomable sometimes. Film songs are written for film’s characters. They are written by someone for someone else on screen, for a preconceived situation. A film should have music that is only necessary for that film. It cannot be a one-stop medium for all our purposes. In attempting to make it so, our film music is crammed with dance, patriotism, romance, hero worship, sentimental values, regardless of the subject of the film. Hence, the film becomes the byproduct of all these unnecessary elements. The core idea of filmmaking becomes weakened. It’s not an organic process by which an artist can express his inherent ideas. When Mellissa Ethridge wrote her biggest hit, ‘Somebody Bring Me Some Water’, we knew what we’re listening to. The song was about the emotional state of her lesbian relationship. When I watched her play that song in a live concert on YouTube, her passionate singing and guitar playing made quite an effect on me. Though we have just received a historic judgment on LGBT rights, I don’t think we can hear their voices through the mainstream in the near future. Independent music can help them express their voices, which is why it is vital to nurture the scence.
Tenma necessitates the importance of music journalism in Chennai. Proper music journalism will help independent artists get noticed and also assists to improve their performance through criticisms. We do not have music journalists here in Chennai. Few artists are unaware about themselves; they do not know what is wrong and what is correct in their performance. Criticism is an essential part for the growth of any art. We do not have proper avenues and channels for our musicians to perform. The situation has been improving lately. Terrace Jams web series have been featuring these unknown indie musicians. So far sessions are happening in Chennai. These are secret live shows with no headliners. So far is not going to do any better to get rid of apathy among mainstream people in Chennai. Though Madras Medai’s first concert (Madras Medai was the first Tamil Indie Music Festival held at CSI Bains School, Chennai on 19 May 2018) featured eight indie bands performing original music across various genres, the city does not have large music festivals like NH7 Weekender or Mahindra Blues Festival, which has national attention. Many popular musicians do not get a chance to do a concert in Chennai. I had to travel all the way to Bangalore to attend a gig of my favorite guitarist, Warren Mendonsa of Blackstratblues. When I had a chat with him after the gig, he mentioned that he had never received any offers from Chennai. He has played in all the major cities in India. If this apathy is all over the place, music journalism can only be a noble service out of someone’s passion.
If I were to summarize the music scene in Chennai, I would conclude that we do not have our unique identity in music. All of us have grown up on a staple diet of film songs. This practice has been changing nowadays. Our films used to have five songs. This number has been reduced over the years. Mani Ratnam, who was famous for his stylistic portrayal of songs, has played all songs playing in the background to heighten the scene in his recent film Chekka Chivantha Vaanam. The recent Tamil thriller Ratsasan, had one song, which wasn’t well-received by the audience. However, the film’s background score was very well received. Our directors have started writing their script without songs. This changing trend looks as if it’s going to create a good platform for the growth of the independent music scene in Chennai. In reality, a lot of things need to happen and change in order to achieve this. Our indie musicians should work as a collective and support each other. We need more bands, to write about anything under the sun – one can even write about how his Monday morning blues was or what he wanted to say to his father-in-law (for example, Gregory Porter’s Real Good Hands). Music journalists should evolve gradually to review new songs, albums and put forth their criticisms in a constructive way. Audiences should realize that they indeed have a choice to go to a musical performance instead of watching a film in theaters, once in a while. I am confident of a brighter music scene in Chennai in the future. Let’s see how soon it will be.
Srinivasan R is a Music Critic based in Chennai.
The Madras Magazine 