Tansen who? Baiju's here!! The painted face of Indian Rock: Motherjane

I have been part of a band for the past 6 years. But a long time before I had formed my band I was listening to a variety of music. From the normal fare dished out on MTv and Channel [V] like boybands and Britney( yes Britney! Dude she's hot and I was 15!) to mellow rockers like Eagles and Bon Jovi. However, being a part of a band means exposure to a whole new world of music(read : METAL). Enter Metallica, GnR, Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath. Over the years, the list has grown quite long but what was missing from the list was an Indian presence. Well, smashing through the ranks, I give to you, Motherjane.
Although I am a very recent addition to their ever-expanding fan-base, my respect for them borders on reverence. As a guitar player whose sole ambition in life is to be a professional musician, these guys are living my dream and kicking some major ass while they are at it. The pre-defining element of Motherjane is India. Their innate "Desipan"(serious lack of a better term) sets them apart from the crowd of deep-throating, mosh-pitting metal messiahs. From kathakali faces to carnatic guitar solos, they move across diverse genres of music with such seamless ease that one can't help but marvel at the skill that is involved. It is fusion, but unmistakably rock. Anthemic choruses, progressive riffs, funk drumming and the cherry on top of this formidable cake, Baiju's solos.
On to the different members of the band. Firstly, the voice, the frontman, the poet, Suraj. As tight and classy in the studio as he is live, here is one performer who will never let you down. Plus he writes the words, and the lyrics are as progressive as the music. People tell me he doesn't sound international enough. Hello, he is the voice of the band that has just won the AVIMA Best Rock Band award, and they are opening for DreamTheater in Indonesia. Ask all of the guys who sound international whether their musical CV can mirror his. I would think not.
Next up, Clyde on bass, one half of a very formidable rhythm section. The 5 string Fender he tots turns into a groove box once he gets going. Aside from the normal bass playing which he carries out with elan, a stand-out feature are his runs that accompany most of the acoustic sections of their songs. My personal favourite however, are the unison lines played by the bass and guitar when they launch into their progressive riffs. Very reminiscent of Geddy Lee- Alex Lifeson, or more recently Myung- Petrucci. A true stalwart in his own right.
We move to John, drummer, percussionist par excellence. It is so easy for the drummer of a metal band to just let loose a flurry of double bass mania, and John is technically capable, but he refrains from that temptation and switches on a groove instead. His drumming style is most similar to Chad Smith of RHCP. The funk he plays in response to the prog riffs of the guitars makes for a most delicious combination.
On rhythm guitar we have Deepu. Always running the risk of being overshadowed by the brilliant Baiju, Deepu bring a lot to the plate. Super tight rhythms, handling the riffs live when Baiju is playing solos or fills and putting in a tight shift as the back-up vocalist, no one should underestimate the value of this musician. Baiju's solos might be the icing on the cake but Deepu is the cake.
And finally, Baiju. What can I say!! Being a solo guitar player myself it is hard to not write a full post about him alone. With looks like Hendrix and a playing style somewhere between Dr. L. Balasubramanium and Eddie Van Halen, Baiju has redefined the way that rock and carnatic music can be fused. His solos are unlike anything that anyone has ever played. His technique is exceptional, all my time spent shredding seems wasted once i hear his two handed tapping( you know he might break the sound barrier with the speed of his legato). Those carnatic fills that he puts in the middle of his solos are so sharp that they immediately yank a listener's ear to attention. What sheer genius, for me he is one of the greatest guitar players because he is stretching the boundaries of the instrument. Those classical runs are executed by slides and not bends, and from personal experience I can say that it is both difficult to execute and control. Plus he is an exceptionally gentle and humble human being. I do not have enough words to describe the man.
To sum it up, they are the thing. They are not some fad, nor the result of a marketing strategy, they are the heart and soul of where music should be. Of lyrics and melody and that infinite sense of pride that one feels that these are our countrymen. Hats off to Motherjane.