The Score Magazine - Archive April 2009 issue! | Page 23

S
uraj, Baiju, Clyde, Deepu and John, the guys from Motherjane have taken Indian
Music another step forward by being awarded The Best Rock Group in Asia at the
Asia Voice Independent Music Awards [AVIMA] 2009.
The first song I heard from Motherjane was Chasing the Sun and I was intrigued by
it, because of the subtle shifts between the sounds. Somewhere in the middle of a guitar riff,
I could’ve sworn I was listening to a carnatic melody being played on a veena, when it was
just Baiju working his magic on that lead guitar.
I especially liked how there is a sync between vocalist and instrumentalists. There isn’t any
individual element that stands apart. And that sort of blend is not easy to achieve; not just
for an Indian band but any band.This element of a subtle Indian influence in such a western
sound, and with perfect moderation & sync is what sets Motherjane apart.
At 19.30 hrs in Mumbai Airport, we caught Suraj for what was intended to be an interview
but turned into a friendly chit-chat about music, movies and 9-5 jobs.
His reaction to their success at AVIMA was that they were unexpectedly happy about it. De-
spite the fact that they weren’t thinking much about it [expect for their promoter Eva], they
now felt great for having won it. “I think bands should concentrate on making music and
have someone else take care of everything else. At least we function like that, and ultimately
when something like this happens, it feels great,” he said.
The SCORE Magazine | April 2009
23
Rock Reign