Sound Affair

The response,so far,has been pretty warm. “We try and bring a sense of emotional authenticity to our music. Maybe,that connects with the audience,” says Eisenhauer. While Thibodeaux says he has been largely influenced by George Harrison and Ravi Shankar as well as the “unpretentious tunes of old Hindi songs”,it was at Eisenhauer’s insistence that the two have decided not to introduce any noticeable Indian influence to their music so far.

Jean Pierre Dangman aka JP,vocalist,guitarist and founder of Seven Degrees,a two-piece,‘punkadelic’ band in Delhi,came to India ten years ago. “At that time there was no alternate music scene here. Things have changed a lot,though the biggest challenge is still the lack of venues,” says the Frenchman,who formed his band a couple of years back. Like Nashville Freight,JP’s band too is focused on introducing a new musical genre— the punk style of the late 1970s. He already has a five-track album called Be The Change in the market. “In the West,bands primarily play originals while in India,a lot of covers are done,” he says.

While Thibodeaux and Eisenhauer love their India adventure,comparisons between playing in the West and here are inevitable. “In USA especially,it’s possible for a band to support themselves through merchandise sale and show fees,but in India you need a sponsor,” says Thibodeaux,who has gigs lined up at Delhi hotspots like The Living Room (TLR) in Hauz Khas and outside,in Jaipur.

As expats,they also have to deal with a lot of stereotypes. “I was approached by a gentleman in a music store,who wanted to book my group to perform at his venue on a regular basis without even listening to the kind of music I play. In India,expat musicians are assumed to be superior performers and their presence is a sort of affirmation that the place is happening. This I find offensive,” says Stefan Kaye of Delhi-based bands Emperor Minge and The Ska Vengers. The seven-member band,Ska Vengers was formed last year and it dabbles in Ska,a form of music that borrows from Jamaican folk music,reggae and jazz. “ There is more competition in the West,especially London than here,” he explains,joking that he came to India “because of the women,the classical music and the food.” Kaye,who moved to India from London a few years back,has also played around with remixes,adding Ska touches to the evergreen Dum Maro Dum for performances. The group performs a lot at private parties,besides shows at restaurants like TLR and the Ai in Saket.

Iraqi national Mohammed Abood of the Reggae Rajahs,also formed last year,hates the expat label. The Rajahs are a collective who are in to DJ-ing and promoting local talent and brings in reggae artists from across the country,and from outside. They perform at restaurants like Café Oz,Café Morrison,Lodhi Restaurant,TLR and at Ai in Delhi apart from performing in Pune,Mumbai and Goa. “ I hate being termed as an expat. I was born in Baghdad and raised in India— I consider myself Indian,” he says.