Independent music finally goes mainstream

Like it or lump it, boom or bust, boon or bane — whichever way you look at it, media and entertainment in India has been focused on independent — or indie — music over the past few years. Much of the growth or, for old schoolers like me, the resurgence of indie sounds has a lot to do with the introduction/popularity of platforms like YouTube, Reverbnation, SoundCloud, and ilk that provide artistes an opportunity of uploading/sharing their content. However, as much as the number of platforms providing similar support appear to be increasing virtually every day, providing indie musicians a potential upside to showcase their talent, the downside is that that the online marketplace has got itself too cluttered and, with it, potential talent often finds itself caught in a virtual black hole. Nevertheless, in an attempt to remove the wheat from the chaff as it were, support for independent content appears via promoters like ArtistAloud, various pan-India venues, MTV Indies which is due to relaunch itself entirely in a digital avatar, festivals like NH7 Weekender, radio stations such as Radio City, and even record label Universal Music, which recently launched VYRL Originals, a platform created to promote independent singers, music composers, and lyricists with the intent of releasing one new song every month. In support this year, ArtistAloud recently announced the sixth edition of its annual Music Awards that intends to honour artistes from India and around the globe by recognizing the mammoth wealth of independent talent across various genres, including Pop, Rock, Fusion, and Global Music. The digital awards are based on both jury and public voting, with the first round of public voting having begun on February 9th, running up to 20 shortlisted names across Best Song, Best Male, Best Female, and Best Group categories, followed by a second round of voting that will decide the winners due to be announced on April 4th.

Similarly, Radio City announced the fifth edition of its Freedom Awards to promote an amalgamation of modern music with traditional sounds under the theme of 'Sounds Of The Soil'. Genres include Hip-Hop, Folk Fusion, Pop, Rock, Metal, and Electronica. Radio City Freedom Awards 5.0 kick started activities by organising a gig in Chennai on February 8th with performances by 'Oorka' and 'LIVE Banned' at Bay 146, the first of 13 live gigs scheduled across eight cities, with the grand finale at the Glocal Junction, Mumbai, on March 22nd.

In discussing live venues for showcasing indie talent, the Mahindra Blues Festival deservedly goes beyond the call of musical duty every year, supporting the likes of amazing guitar talent Warren Mendonsa through his band, Blackstratblues, that also features drummer Jai Row Kavi, bassist Adi Mistry, and keyboardist Beven Fonseca. In ripping up the audience with his instrumental prowess, Warren maintained his superior ability of making the guitar sing this year too, making me ask: why has Warren has not been able to crack the global market with his dazzling rock guitar technique, and his melodic compositions through the years, including on Blackstratblues' brilliant last album, The Last Analog Generation?

Similarly, the biggest revelation at the Blues Festival was the winner of the annual 'Band Hunt', judged by well-respected musicians Ehsaan Noorani and Loy Mendonsa. The bands short-listed included The Mojo Hand, a blues band from Bangalore; Submarine In Space, an instrumental project from New Delhi whose repertoire ranges from jazz to Hindustani Classical; and eventual winners Arinjoy Trio, from Kolkata, who enthralled the audience across both days of the festival with renditions of Elmore James' "The Sky Is Crying" [which I heard for the first time when guitarist George Thorogood and his band were shown performing it during Doordarshan's broadcast of Live Aid in 1995], Albert Collins' "Honey, Hush! [Talking Woman Blues]", "Out Of Sight", a twelve-bar blues song written by James Brown under the pseudonym of Ted Wright, and originals by the band: "Cold, Cold" and "Baby, You're So Fine". The trio also comprises of Sounak Roy on drums and Aakash Ganguly on bass, but it was leader Arinjoy who certainly became a shock introduction to a blues guitarist who seemingly blazed out of nowhere, unleashing torrents of notes to fill up every blues space.

Looking forward to seeing more of them! While here is no doubt that independent music and the musicians behind it are effectively showcasing their musical wares through various digital platforms, it appears to be only a matter of time before live gigs make indie music go mainstream.

The writer has been part of the media and entertainment business for over 23 years. He continues to pursue his hobby and earns an income out of it.