Grown-up sounds

From a warm,fuzzy,happy-go-lucky Goan boy to a very angry uncle – that aptly describes our transformation,” quips Keegan Pereira,vocalist and lyricist for Aftertaste. This alternative rock/funk band from Mumbai has added and subtracted its music qualities at every rung of the ladder. Till 2005-2006,they would play wedding songs,carols and also be roped in for communion parties and wedding anniversaries. What made them change their music style? “It was just not happening. People were getting divorced,breaking up. We had to vent our frustration through hard-driven,angst-filled,punk vocals with distorted guitars,” Pereira chuckles.

The five-member band includes Pereira on vocals,Ruell Barretto on bass,Levin Mendes on drums,Michael Lee on guitars and DJ Amit on turn-tables. The band establishes an easy connect with its listeners,courtesy its simple,contextual lyrics. “Our songs are like nursery poetry – we keep it as simple as possible,” says Pereira. For them,the most important factor is the message that their songs give out. “Whenever I sing,I always ask for feedback later. I want to know if they caught the pun,the word play. The lyrics are very social,very contextual. It’s like an umbrella – it takes care of different subjects but the listeners interpret it in their own way. They derive what they want to from the notion.”

Their songs talk of love,poverty,politics,sex,household drama and more,in an alternative rock/funk wrapping. “We’re also sampling electronic music. At our Pune gig,we’ll end with an electronic set. It’s an experiment. We’ve arrived at this sound after five years. We’re a work in progress,” Pereira says. In today’s music scene,it’s dubstep that’s trending. “The way I see it,the music scene is much like an art community that apes western culture. You always know which western culture is working well by the number of girls attracted to it,” he adds.

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So in which direction is Aftertaste heading? “We have a perfect plan. We’re going to get married,make babies and hand them the guitar and microphone!” comes the goofy response.

(The band will perform at High Spirits,Koregaon Park,tonight)