Tonight, we’re in Delhi again.
Rendezvous: The School of Planning & Architecture, 4, Block-B, Indraprastha Estate, New Delhi.
Time: Midnight to 2 AM
That shouldn’t be such short notice after all.
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Getting there before the music starts
Last week’s Livemint carried a fresh take on marketing music online. What makes it all the more interesting to us is the opening, which quotes the opening lines of Paper Puli.
The article, titled ‘Net is the new mosh pit for local rock bands’ also talks about the online music marketing successes (read MySpace) of other Indian bands.
When Plan B was released online in 2004, most people thought we were mad to give away good music for free. Ok, so we had the online music license but it was still free music. Given away with the conviction that it will be widely shared. Around that time, we discovered BitTorrent and legal file-sharing and Plan B was distributed there, too. And by the time the NPR starburst happened in February 2005, Plan B was very nearly a buzzword. Downloads had shot through our small, threadbare roof and we had to invest in extra bandwidth.
Well, there was no MySpace then so it was DIY project for us. And now, there is MySpace and we have a buddy list that’s growing like a mushroom cloud.
What shall we say to this?
a) Been there, done that
OR
b) Wait till we show you what’s coming?
Read the article on LiveMint (you must register for free if you don’t have an account)
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Guitar Dr. turns one!
Happy burpday, daaktersaab!
Bruce Lee Mani’s celebrated agony uncle column celebrates its first birthday. Excerpts from recent conversations between Mani and the Mani-acs:
Q. I’m sure the thought was entertained before but… have you considered doing a clinic (on topics like basic guitar care or even playing style)?
A. Definitely possible… but I don’t know if the swine of my limited knowledge will reveal any pearls before a cast of musicos…
Q. One question I always have had is whether or not I need to detune my guitar after every session. I got different answers from different people…
A. Guitars are built to withstand the inexorable pull of six strings; if you’ve scanned the back of a pack of D’Addario strings, you’ll have a rough idea of how much force each string can exert when tuned up to pitch…
Q. I’m new to floating bridges… and like a jang i removed all the strings… the bridge collapsed with a thud!! please suggest somebody who will help/teach me how to set it up again…
A. Floyd Roses can seem like frightening animals at first, but they’re quite the pussycats really, once you figure the basics…
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Not the Grammys, but still…
If you heard it on the grapevine, it’s true. No sour grapes.
Thermal And A Quarter has been awarded the WorldSpace honor for outstanding contribution to Indian rock.
Catch a three-day TAAQ special on Radio Spin.
Schedule:
16th Feb, 9pm onwards – Interview with fans about TAAQ’s contribution to the Indian rock scene
17th Feb , 9am – RJ Hari walks you through TAAQ’s music
18th Feb, 12 noon onwards – Extensive Interview with the band on ’10 years of TAAQ’
Thank you all for making this happen. We’ve plenty of juice.
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The Gods are Back
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sHXCs84iJc
I wanted to catch them once before I bite the dust. Now is the opportunity I guess!
While am at it, back in Glasgow. Missing Temptation Wines, Pecos, Tavern and bike rides to HSR layout in total fog! Bleh!
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One for the roadie
One day, I’m going to get Mr. Umesh to round up all the roadies and take a group pic (with slates hanging down from their necks, of course). And then interview them to find out what they think about being TAAQ roadies, or whether they have ceased to think altogether.But we know it’s not an easy life. Here’s Slickthief’s account:
Just when you think everyone’s happy and having a nice time, mizter Rzhude would place his demand for stuffed turkey and roast duck calmly on the table at seven in the morning. Every nut and guitar pick would have to be accounted for. I’d have to keep pesky irritating egoistice (sic) photographers out of the band’s face. Then make a scene with rascal waiters who make a break through stage to fetch some beer and make a scene again when they return. What fun!
And you thought roadies were starry-eyed…
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Welcome to the 30s, Mr. Mani
Please join us in wishing Bruce Lee Mani a very happy burpday.
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The Paper Pulitzer goes to…
Wait, before we announce the winners, even before we announce the nominees, the story… our version of it.
It’s happened before. Someone brandishing the credentials of the forty-fourth estate (when did it stop at four?) trings Thermal And A Quarter, or drops by our dotcom property, and says: “I am doing a story…”
Lovely, what an opportunity for TAAQ to be splashed in print, we think. And we preen ourselves, turn our bullet-point thoughts over in our heads, evoke a cool drawl and give them what we think is the interview of the century, one that will make Rolling Stone turn into a pumpkin.
Yeah?
You wish.
SNAFU.
Sometimes it’s us. Usually, it’s them.
By them, we mean an editor who has no more column-centimetres to spare. Or a layout artist who lops off three juicy quotes in favour of one hedonistic picture.
But mostly, it’s the Paper Puli. Now in its deadliest avatar – the armchair journalist. The one who won’t quote quotes. The one who won’t stop to check facts, the one who won’t hesitate to bend the world. For whom a matter of fact isn’t.
And so, with all due respect, this month’s Paper Pulitzer goes to Business Today‘s Senior Correspondent Shivangi Misra for blasting us ten years into the past. According to the article Bands on the run (Feb. 11, 2007), Thermal And A Quarter has four members: ‘Bruce Lee Mani (guitars), Rajiv Rajagopal (drums), Sunil Chandy (bass), and Ajit Abraham (vocals).’
That was in 1996. Things have changed, Shivangi.
Bruce and I, who have both worked as journalists in our time, will tell you there’s something in our book known as fact-checking. It’s a bit of an old-school trait, but it holds even in these digital times.
The winner of the Paper Pulitzer is welcome to enjoy a dish of Paper Pulissery in my humble kitchen.
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End of hibernation
It’s been a long winter and a rather hoarse start to 2007. Each of us in turn was laid low by a very persistent and angry flu, our voices locked away for days. But the good news is that we’re back on the run. First stop, the far north.Three gigs coming up:
Chandigarh, Feb 10: First time in the city of Le Corbusier, chicken tikka, awesome lassi and, of course, in more than one sense of the word, kudis. The PEC fest is where we’ll play, and if you’re something of a (air)hop away, make it.
Delhi, Feb 11: Cafe Morrison plays host to us this time. Look out for a full set of new originals and some surprises.
Delhi, Feb 12: We stay on in the capital to play at St. Stephen’s. As once promised, this is a long-postponed rendezvous. What a way to begin the week – you Stephenians have chutzpah!
Coming up soon – more gigs in Bangalore and another in Cal. It’s going to be a hectic season. Meanwhile, see you tonight in Chandigarh. Check with the organisers for all schedules, please. Don’t blame us later
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Waxing Lyrical
Hi there everyone, I am back again, after a fairly long hiatus, as they say. A special hey hey to Mister Guru McDarshan, who is painting the town in all colors of the visible spectrum!
As a die-hard Thermite, I have a very big complaint against them. Well, not a complaint exactly but a rile factor. I always argue with the band that their very superior musician skills always drown out their equally fantastic lyrical penmanship.
As a case in point, I refer to this line… Wishing for Magic
I’m just an ordinary Joe
Waiting for Godot…
And I say, wow, did you get that? It worked on so many levels for me!
The band says… naaah, no one pays too much attention to the lyrics anyway, although we’d like them to. Well, I beg to differ… many of us would like to know what exactly you’re all saying and what the heck exactly are we humming anyway? So I thought I should let all of us know what some of the new and unrecorded songs are saying. Hence … Waxing Lyrical
Check out the super gritty
Chameleon…
I don’t have the time
There’s water in my hourglass
And the sand is in my eyes
I don’t have my mind
There’s flickering lights in my head
And my reasons are all lies
Today is just the same old same old
Too many teeth behind those smiles
And I don’t care about the stories told
If it means more, more, more,
More frequent-flyer miles
More secretary smiles
More…
* I’m dangerous, I’m your best friend
I’m a colour-blind chameleon
I’m moving up, I know what’s going down
I’m just an urban
Super human
The consumer and the consumed…
I don’t have the reasons
I lost them in the fire
Of my ambition to be
Something far far away from me
I don’t have a saviour
I’m too smart
To be taken in by
Your incense and your prayers that your round-trip to heaven
Today is just the same old same old
Too many teeth behind those smiles
And I don’t care about the stories told
If it means more, more, more
More frequent-flyer miles
More secretary smiles
More…
I’ll catch you singing those lines in the next show. Meanwhile more lyrics to wax about…
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