A nice interview by the folks at Shout-out Kolkata-
1. When did you pick up the first guitar and who was your first teacher?
I started playing guitar when i was four,my dad got me to take lessons from a Goan gentleman whose name i unfortunately cannot recall, he who would come home every Saturday to teach me the basics,this was when we were based in Chennai in the early seventies.
2. How will you define your music?
i would define my music as World Rock- let me break it down for you,we Krosswindz are a World music band but also have roots in Rock music so looking at it more closely we are a Rock band that plays World Music with a Rock edge.We also tap on other genres like Jazz,Funk,Bossa Nova,Country and Latin,so its a tapestry of sounds that touch the soul but with feet firmly planted in the soil of the earth.
3. Your favourite guitar maker and your favourite guitar ,both in acoustic and electric section.
My favourite guitar maker is Schecter Guitars,they are based in California USA and produce some of the highest quality guitars with cutting edge technology embracing newer advances in science and technology to improve tone and playability.I am currently using the Schecter Damien Elite FR as my main electric axe and it has served me well over the last 7 years.For acoustics i like several-the Ovation brand is very close to my heart as it has a pronounced mid boost quality tone that make it ideal to play single note lines akin to the great AL DI MEOLA and BIRELLI LAGRENE.I also like the work that Music Kafe Tollygunge is doing in the budget acoustic guitars range they have manufactured the ALEX brand of guitars and the slightly expensive MK Kustom which i personally use-excellent tones all around.
4. Few project of yours, beside Krosswindz.
A few side projects i dabble in are Chlorophyll Dreams which is a contemporary jazz band which has been around since 1990 but is on a hiatus since our bassist and drummer now live overseas.Another side project that i am very excited about is Tuki and The Dreamcatchers-its a purely singer-songwriter driven project featuring Chandrani and me that has only done studio sessions till now but i plan to take this act live soon.Another side project i loved was the ironically named band-THE PROJECT featuring the late KOCHU Da,it was a latin jazz and funk outfit that did a few live shows and some recording projects too,i hope to release the recordings of this band someday.
5. Your all time favourite guitarists from world music and your favourite musicians from Kolkata.
My all time favourite musicians are THE BEATLES,JAMES TAYLOR,PAT METHENY,BILL FRISSEL,ERIC JOHNSON,AL DI MEOLA,JONI MITCHELL,SUZANNE VEGA
From Kolkata i really liked the short lived duo of IFS and BUTS. i wonder what happened to them.
6. A musician with whom you always enjoy to play and a musician with whom you dream to collaborate with.
A musician i always enjoyed playing was the late KOCHU Da ,unfortunately i cannot jam with him anymore as he passed away very tragically a few months ago.I dream to collaborate with Eric Johnson,Lyle Mays(Pianist),Airto Moreira(Percussionist),Stewart Copeland(Drummer) and Roscoe Beck(Bassist)
7. Your favourite street food, favourite restaurant and favourite venue/club/pub for a gig from Kolkata.
My favourite street food is Jhaal muri albeit without the jhaal added in it as i am not much of a jhaal freek.
If there ever was a music venue that elevated a musicians performance to staratospheric levels it's Someplace Else.there is a magic fairy dust that seems to propel musicians to churn out the best possible music there can be.i have been coming to Someplace Else from the year 2000 and have noticed how they have kept their standards really high with live music on all 7 days of the week along with a delectable assortment of food and drink.There is a happy hour till 8.30 pm and on Tuesday it's lady's night so the ladies get free booze.I have been to venues like The House of Blues in Dallas,The Groove New York city and Copa bar in Austin Texas amongst countless other live music bars around the world but this venue stands in a league of its own- quoting the Eagles "it's protected by amazing grace".a must visit if you want a live music experience and fine dining experience of international standards.
8.your hobbies when you are not doing music.
My favourite hobbies are Luthiery(Guitar making and repairs)and electronics,i have recently gotten into actually soldering stuff together with a soldering iron and it feels so liberating and empowering that i don't need to visit the nearest guitar service centre whenever some electronic stuff in my rig malfunctions now.I love collaborating with local guitar building company JOYBANI based in KUDGHAT Tollygunge,they have built several custom made guitars for me over the years and it has been a very fulfilling and joyous experience to see these guitars come to life as per my designs.
9.any message for the young people who wants to take up guitar, as a profession.
My message is WORK WORK and more freakin WORK,there are no shortcuts and if you are in it for the long haul be prepared for a rocky and dry ride as its a long way to the top if you wanna rock n roll hahahahaha,try to learn as much as you can,there are no excuses any more now with youtube and edx online free training platforms,in fact i am teaching myself classical piano,i just started and am learning everyday,never stop learning-the day you stop thats the day you plateu out and then decline.
10. A line for shoutoutkolkatahere.
You guys are doing great work i salute this new initiative of yours and always try and raise the bar,push out new and invigorating content to readers so they can push the boundaries of their minds and stay inspired.
Youtube Channel
1. When did you pick up the first guitar and who was your first teacher?
I started playing guitar when i was four,my dad got me to take lessons from a Goan gentleman whose name i unfortunately cannot recall, he who would come home every Saturday to teach me the basics,this was when we were based in Chennai in the early seventies.
2. How will you define your music?
i would define my music as World Rock- let me break it down for you,we Krosswindz are a World music band but also have roots in Rock music so looking at it more closely we are a Rock band that plays World Music with a Rock edge.We also tap on other genres like Jazz,Funk,Bossa Nova,Country and Latin,so its a tapestry of sounds that touch the soul but with feet firmly planted in the soil of the earth.
3. Your favourite guitar maker and your favourite guitar ,both in acoustic and electric section.
My favourite guitar maker is Schecter Guitars,they are based in California USA and produce some of the highest quality guitars with cutting edge technology embracing newer advances in science and technology to improve tone and playability.I am currently using the Schecter Damien Elite FR as my main electric axe and it has served me well over the last 7 years.For acoustics i like several-the Ovation brand is very close to my heart as it has a pronounced mid boost quality tone that make it ideal to play single note lines akin to the great AL DI MEOLA and BIRELLI LAGRENE.I also like the work that Music Kafe Tollygunge is doing in the budget acoustic guitars range they have manufactured the ALEX brand of guitars and the slightly expensive MK Kustom which i personally use-excellent tones all around.
4. Few project of yours, beside Krosswindz.
A few side projects i dabble in are Chlorophyll Dreams which is a contemporary jazz band which has been around since 1990 but is on a hiatus since our bassist and drummer now live overseas.Another side project that i am very excited about is Tuki and The Dreamcatchers-its a purely singer-songwriter driven project featuring Chandrani and me that has only done studio sessions till now but i plan to take this act live soon.Another side project i loved was the ironically named band-THE PROJECT featuring the late KOCHU Da,it was a latin jazz and funk outfit that did a few live shows and some recording projects too,i hope to release the recordings of this band someday.
5. Your all time favourite guitarists from world music and your favourite musicians from Kolkata.
My all time favourite musicians are THE BEATLES,JAMES TAYLOR,PAT METHENY,BILL FRISSEL,ERIC JOHNSON,AL DI MEOLA,JONI MITCHELL,SUZANNE VEGA
From Kolkata i really liked the short lived duo of IFS and BUTS. i wonder what happened to them.
6. A musician with whom you always enjoy to play and a musician with whom you dream to collaborate with.
A musician i always enjoyed playing was the late KOCHU Da ,unfortunately i cannot jam with him anymore as he passed away very tragically a few months ago.I dream to collaborate with Eric Johnson,Lyle Mays(Pianist),Airto Moreira(Percussionist),Stewart Copeland(Drummer) and Roscoe Beck(Bassist)
7. Your favourite street food, favourite restaurant and favourite venue/club/pub for a gig from Kolkata.
My favourite street food is Jhaal muri albeit without the jhaal added in it as i am not much of a jhaal freek.
If there ever was a music venue that elevated a musicians performance to staratospheric levels it's Someplace Else.there is a magic fairy dust that seems to propel musicians to churn out the best possible music there can be.i have been coming to Someplace Else from the year 2000 and have noticed how they have kept their standards really high with live music on all 7 days of the week along with a delectable assortment of food and drink.There is a happy hour till 8.30 pm and on Tuesday it's lady's night so the ladies get free booze.I have been to venues like The House of Blues in Dallas,The Groove New York city and Copa bar in Austin Texas amongst countless other live music bars around the world but this venue stands in a league of its own- quoting the Eagles "it's protected by amazing grace".a must visit if you want a live music experience and fine dining experience of international standards.
8.your hobbies when you are not doing music.
My favourite hobbies are Luthiery(Guitar making and repairs)and electronics,i have recently gotten into actually soldering stuff together with a soldering iron and it feels so liberating and empowering that i don't need to visit the nearest guitar service centre whenever some electronic stuff in my rig malfunctions now.I love collaborating with local guitar building company JOYBANI based in KUDGHAT Tollygunge,they have built several custom made guitars for me over the years and it has been a very fulfilling and joyous experience to see these guitars come to life as per my designs.
9.any message for the young people who wants to take up guitar, as a profession.
My message is WORK WORK and more freakin WORK,there are no shortcuts and if you are in it for the long haul be prepared for a rocky and dry ride as its a long way to the top if you wanna rock n roll hahahahaha,try to learn as much as you can,there are no excuses any more now with youtube and edx online free training platforms,in fact i am teaching myself classical piano,i just started and am learning everyday,never stop learning-the day you stop thats the day you plateu out and then decline.
10. A line for shoutoutkolkatahere.
You guys are doing great work i salute this new initiative of yours and always try and raise the bar,push out new and invigorating content to readers so they can push the boundaries of their minds and stay inspired.
Youtube Channel
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