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Rock 'n' roll forever

Eddie waited till he finished high school,
He went to Hollywood and got a tattoo;
He met a girl out there who taught him some chords,
The future was wide open...

Into the great wide open -- Tom Petty

Indus Creed

A perfect description of the Indian rock scene today. A few long-haired guys with enough moolah to blow on instruments get together and start jamming in some old garage and there you have it.... the birth of an Indian rock band. Several elongated practice sessions and some shows later, they become the hot favourite at rock concerts. The crowds chant their name.

The mind-blowing response encourages them to compose their own tunes, even record a demo. With stars in their eyes, these young wannabes attempt to register their presence with the chieftains of the music industry -- the record companies. Thus begins a long saga of closed doors and helpless shrugs. Sad, but true. Who's responsible? And who's to blame?

With rock bands mushrooming around every corner, the Indian rock scene is definitely happening. Everyone knows of bands like Parikrama, Pentagram, Millennium, Every Mother's Nightmare, etc. But the bottomline is -- no records are coming their way. Except for Pentagram, none of them have the backing of the music companies.

Says Parag Kamani of HMV Music, "There's definitely no dearth of talent in India. But one must remember that music companies have to treat bands as products. When a music company backs a band, they expect a sizable return. This just does not happen in the case of Indian rock bands. Although people attend rock concerts, they don't actually pick up the albums. With the sales figure looking like an androgynous model on a Parisian catwalk, record companies are obviously hesitant to back Indian bands."

Then how do they fund their bread and butter? Obviously, the money they make as a band is negligible. The only way out is to do ad jingles, studio work and any other stuff that is remotely music-related. Yet, that's not what they set out to do. Which begs the all-important question -- why can't they just make good music and sell several million copies like all those bands abroad?

Therein lies the paradox.

Millennium

Ask the average Metallica tee shirt-clad collegian if he'd actually go out and buy an Indian rock album, and watch the expression of amazement that crosses his face. "Come off it, man. Why should I go for Pearl Jam or Metallica clone when I can get the original at the same cost?" This is the catch. Many Indian bands are so caught up in the whole 'attitude' and 'coolness' thing that their horizons are only limited to being wannabe Kurt Cobains. But they have none of his dedication, talent or depth. The few who do, destroy themselves by being wannabe Cobains.

"When we talk music, we need to talk freshness and innovation," says Shameen Desai, ex-chief, Channel V. "Indian bands are still stuck in the '70s. Most of their music is a hangover of the Woodstock era. Being inspired by the '60s and '70s is fine, but one must be in sync with the '90s. There is a need to evolve. Even in the West, rock bands are moving in whole new directions -- U2's Pop and Kula Shaker's Hush being cases in point. There is a need to focus on technology-driven music. Currently, the only Indian band that's doing well is Colour Blind."

One highly neglected aspect of Indian rock music is the importance of producers. Most bands claim to be their own producers. But music production is a very specialised area, involving in-depth knowledge of technology and sound and loads of experience. Producers even provide direction to the band. Besides, well-directed, unique, eye-catching videos do wonders for a band's music. As Mishaal Verma, who works with MTV, says, "There should be a synergy between the music, the band and the channels."

There's still a long way to go before record companies are willing to absorb these bands with the same vigour as they do pop artists. Kamani offers a probable solution, "In order to succeed, to reach the audience, these bands need tremendous support from the music channels, the radio and the press. MTV has taken a step in the right direction by holding The Great Indian Rock concert and conducting regular interviews. Channel V, which has wider penetration, should do the same. Both channels, if they are willing to promote Indian rock, should hold interviews, contests, maybe feature artistes as VJs in their shows. Only then can these bands have a future."

Till all this changes, bands have only live shows to strut their stuff. Moreover, most of these are just rock concerts, held as a part of college festivals like IIT Bombay's Mood Indigo. The only advantage is that these shows succeed in spreading awareness about the bands to the average guy on the street, thanks to press publicity and word of mouth.

This, though, is not enough. The bands have to have their collective fingers on the pulse of the market. They have to try and find out what clicks with the listeners; what sends the cash registers ringing.

Most of these bands claim they are trying to introduce a different sound to their music. But this doesn't mean just throwing together a medley of Indian instruments. Says Vishal, vocalist, Pentagram, "It's not about having complex grooves in a track. That may make the music sound different; but it will not click with your listener. The music has to be fairly humble. The thing is, Indian audiences are used to a regular diet of Anaida and Baba Sehgal. They won't accept an original unless it appeals to them instantly. And that will happen only if you keep it simple."

But many bands believe Indian rock can be taken into the future. Says Ram Sampath of Colour Blind, whose debut video is currently making waves on the music channels, "We are fusing rock 'n' roll with the future. We're trying to take the music forward and bridge the gap between rock and dance, but we're obviously inclining towards rock. We will continue to make music for as long as we can."

Uday Benegal of Indus Creed

Even bands like Indus Creed, which have been around since the diaper age of the Indian rock, are probing new avenues. Says Uday Benegal, "We are using live Indian percussion in our new album. It will also be more melodious."

Most talented, reasonably successful rock bands dream of making it on the international music scene. They are aware that the narrow Indian rock market can only be captured if they gain worldwide fame. Somehow, the Indian youth don't seem to appreciate original stuff -- be it books, music or spiritualism -- unless the firangs (foreigners) rave about it.

The grass, though, is not as green as it seems. Indus Creed's rendezvous abroad, though apparently successful, did not really take off due to lack of funds.

What Indian rock needs is a shot in its arm, which will happen if a local band is signed on by an international company. Then, rock will become the magic word. The dough will flow and there will be no stopping the bands. We might even give the world another Freddie Mercury.

But, come what may, there will always be the starry-eyed 16-year-old with a six-string guitar who dreams of doing what Lennon did. There will always be hordes of screaming, head-banging crowds at rock shows, making the band's adrenaline flow. None of this will change 'cause, after all, rock 'n' roll's forever!

What goes into every show...

With inputs from Seema R
Photographs: Jewella Miranda

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