Face the Music

For the three-member band Kabul Dreams,one of Afghanistans first rock bands,its been difficult to disassociate the problems of the country from their career as musicians.

From Kabul Dreams to Indias Pentagramthe third South Asian Bands Festival has an interesting line-up of musicians

For the three-member band Kabul Dreams,one of Afghanistans first rock bands,its been difficult to disassociate the problems of the country from their career as musicians. Everywhere we perform we are asked about the Taliban regime and if things have improved. As a band,we dont always want to dwell on it. Thats why we prefer to sing in English, says bassist Siddique Sohrab Ahmad,over the phone from Kabul. The band is all set to make their debut in Delhi this weekend as part of the third South Asian Bands Festival,which begins on December 11 at Purana Qila.

Kabul Dreams though,is not the only exciting band coming your way during the festival that was initiated three years back to promote cultural exchanges between neighbouring countries in the SAARC region. The three-day festival will feature as many as 15 rock outfits from across nine nations in the region. They include the popular Strings from Pakistan,Whos Your Daddy from Bhutan,Nagarbaul & James from Bangladesh,1974 AD from Nepal,Emperor from Myanmar and Fathu and the Early Birds from Maldives. Among the Indian bands there are Raghu Dixit Project from Bangalore,Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and Pentagram from Mumbai,Avial from Trivandrum and Faridkot and Half Step Down from Delhi.

Now that the festival is established,its footprints have reached far and wide. We have been getting applications from bands from all these countries,so we have merely streamlined the best for the festival, says Sanjeev Bhargava of Seher,the organiser of the festival along with ICCR.

Most of these bands bring a curious blend of local and rock elements. The four-member Nepali band AD 1974,for instance,sings in Nepali and has a generous mix of local folk tunes and traditional rhythms. We sing of national integrity,of the current political scenario,and about liberating peoples minds and thoughts. The traditional elements help to forge an instant connect with Nepalis staying elsewhere in the world, says Nirakar Yakthumba,the bassist of the band.

For many of them,breaking into the urban Indian music scene has been a dream come true. Shillong-based all-girl band Afflatus,for instance,is banking on this concert to familiarise them with the music scene in the capital. Its only very recently that the market for experimental music has opened up in India. We are mostly performing original tracks with a few covers thrown in. Hopefully,the audience will like it, says Karen Donoghue,the lead guitarist of the band. The festival has brought together young talented bands from south Asian countries enabling a confluence of ideas, says Virendra Gupta,director-general,ICCR. Jam on.

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Face the Music

For the three-member band Kabul Dreams,one of Afghanistans first rock bands,its been difficult to disassociate the problems of the country from their career as musicians.

For the three-member band Kabul Dreams,one of Afghanistans first rock bands,its been difficult to disassociate the problems of the country from their career as musicians.