This Friday will be fantastic, because I’ll be going to see the Das’ (Tony, Chris and Judy) do their thing, which I’ve been waiting for so many months now so you can imagine my excitement! I’ve been trying to get a little scoop about the show that’s going to happen and I’ll be spilling some of the details in this post. I have a feeling that this show is going to be even better than their previous appearances together cos it not only has Tony and Judy Das performing but his brother- Chris Das (who’s part of my crew) and Avinash Grubb- a pianist who would make any show worthy of sweeps.

As far as music goes, there are few things better than seeing a band live and realizing that they sound better than the stuff you hear on the radio or on CD. In a world of faltering, peevish, and weirdly assertive singers, it was like someone had thrown the door wide open to let in some air and that’s precisely what this band offers - excellent vocal clarity that perks your ears, good vibes between the band members, they relate to each other as one might imagine they would if they were playing in someone's home. From my point of view, I can't even begin to explain how much impact that has on stage presence. None of them had to try overly hard to provide some sparkling sense of humor, they’re just naturally witty and hilarious and it just makes them seem like very likable people.

I don’t want to get y’all excited, apart from the fact that secretly I do.


My crew and I will be the guests of the Opus event, to watch the brother-sister band (who, may I add, is incredibly easy on the eyes). The concert kicks off in the evening at 8 at Opus in Bangalore city on Feb 27th. It's going to be a wonderful evening and I'd be thrilled if you joined us.
If the very gorgeous family, gorgeous music and gorgeous place aren't enough incentive for you, then hold on to your hat. All this can be yours for a minimal cover charge. If anything it’s the best way to spend your Friday night. There will be songs from artists such as Ingrid Michaelson, Snow Patrol, One Republic and The Wallflowers along with one of Chris’ own compositions.
Let me know if you'll be in the audience so that I can look for you afterwards.

Hope to see you there!

Signing out with a an old favourite - 'Englishman in New York'by Sting

And the sick days are almost over...

I suspect I’ve eaten more mints over the last week than ever in my life. But the past week was also great (even with being sick and all). I’ve been experiencing all these feelings that I haven’t felt for over a year, something I normally feel awkward about when people ask me to explain and I feel like hiding behind a strand of hair that I place in front of my eye.

Things in my life are yet to be repaired, and it makes me cringe every time I walk into a moment of my past, so I spend all my time with earphones tucked into my ears. Every day, I’d wake up, go to work, eat, watch movies, and then fall back asleep. Sometimes, I’d be with friends or do things if only for the sake of getting out. On the weekends, I’d open the curtains in my room and let some of the sunlight pour in, just so I could know that there was something out there, outside of my little globe.

I’m glad to be back to living. I was feeling so apathetic and cut off, doing things without any motive or intention. In an odd way now, I feel rejuvenated, if only because the past week was spent without a regular schedule. So I’ve decided that I need to throw my life into a bit of bedlam so I can put it right again. Amongst work and TV shows that have been occupying most of my time lately, I went to see Tony Das perform with his side band ‘Bhoomi’ at Mount Carmel College on Saturday. I'm quite thrilled that they sound so strong live. They seem like they would be sensational. I don't know if I will ever own a record of theirs. You see, they don't have a label, or even an LP. Sadness. Admittedly, when I was first told about them I was mostly expecting a metal band, and the huge fan base in B’lore didn't do much to influence me otherwise. Heavy metal is not my favorite genre by any means so; I really didn't know how I was going to feel about this band.
Fortunately, what I found were some very solid (non metal) sounds with great guitar rock and the best harmonies and vocals. Few local live bands have enough skill to make it sound like anything more than cheap imitations of the greats or the kind of crap that should never go past the walls of a bathroom.
                                                            Tony at the Bhoomi Show

So, what I am saying to you is this, check these folks out. You won't be sorry and you've got to know that I don’t put my hand in the fire for just anyone.

Besides, we could all use a little more awesomeness in our lives.

It's been a while since the brother-sister band had done a show. But they're back, baby. Anyhoo, the show will take place this month end at Opus. A little bit long but you've got to go for it. I had written about the band last year, so you can check out the review by clicking here for a helping of musical truth.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is officially a reason to dance. I was worried I wouldn't get to see them. I would post the dates, but I don't know them myself. Deal with it.

In other news: my phone has finally given up on me. It is indeed a sad day.

Shout outs:

To LG for the coolest mobile I’ve had all year.

To Christopher Meloni, the coolest guy I’ve spent my days, nights and dreams with.
Give me one good reason why you shouldn’t have a crush on him. To the strange little circle of dedicated Meloni fans.

To my sidekick, Ash. We’ll be together someday, baby. Someway, somehow. Don’t worry your pretty little head about it.

And to you, gentle reader. It’s so good of you to check back regularly. Even better when you send me an email or leave me a comment, though.

On The Subject of Cooking Shows, Neville, Music and More

I hardly get to watch TV because as soon as I return home from work I’m on the laptop again typing my thoughts away. When I do watch TV, (which is sometimes on the weekends) my older sister is usually at home handling the remote and I’m forced to watching a cooking show on Travel and Living. Let me tell you these shows are everywhere and you can’t seem to change channels without coming across one. As much as I don’t cook (unless you can call making Maggi cooking), I have occasionally watched these shows and I’ve noticed a few things that stand out. So most cooking shows are about making great meals at the comfort of your own home with ingredients that you can find quite easily. But the stuff cooks always use on their shows, are things I’ll never find in my kitchen or at the local store or at a fancy store or in B’lore altogether. Can some hot, talkative cook just tell me what I can do with bread, eggs, tea and normal cheese? If they can, then they might be worth watching. Then we come to the tasting act. The same bloody reaction from every damn cook gets kinda frustrating. For once I wouldn’t like to hear the ‘mmmm...’ and ‘ooooooohhh’ and the ‘it’s divine’ or ‘mouth-watering’ or ‘heaven on your tongue’ (well, you get it). I would love to hear someone say ‘it fucking hell tasted like horseshit’. Not really, but I’d just like to hear it once rather than watching someone pretty much getting turned on by food. I hear female cooks like va- va- voom Nigella Lawson is getting a lot of male viewers. Guess that moaning thing’s not going to change anytime soon.

I know I keep going on about this quite often but you gotta feel my pain. The state of the music industry- it’s so very obvious the junk that’s famous nowadays. And yet numerous people continue to support the very junk that waters down the quality of music.

I hope you guys have visited the new blog I’ve created. As you can see I haven’t written more than a post but that’s only because the weekend was horribly crazy. On Wednesday, I should post something on my knight in shining armor. I’m constantly adding new music to this blog so keep reading. If you’ve got any questions/comments please contact me.

I’m finally done with ‘Burn Notice’. Just waiting for the next few episodes of Season 2 to be released in the US. It is a good action series and an entertaining watch. Definitely worth watching to understand the life of a spy.

I finally got to see the musical ‘All Shook Up’ and it was a great experience. Two and a half hours later I was left with the biggest crush on the lead actor- Neville De Nazareth. He could just about be the best imitator of Elvis I’ve seen in B’lore. I know I had mentioned my uncle John was too. He could be the king of the west but Neville- rules in b’lore. He was also one of the contestants at the Opus Kroaknights. Overall, I’m just about recovering from the play last night but still feeling elated because of all the dancing I saw and the singing I heard.

The Wallflowers have made its mark on the music world, while amassing their own, unique group of devotees and selling millions of records in the process. Their reputation as a must-listen-to-band is well deserved… So check out their track below titled ‘One Headlight’.

A Local Band and A Fan

The radio and the internet get a mention because up until middle school or so I thought music consisted of acts like – Michael Jackson, New Kids on The Block, Prince and Journey (which was mostly for sentimental reasons). Now I’ve turned on my mind’s musical side and I realize there are hundreds of them! From Matchbox Twenty, Lifehouse, Third Eye Blind, Goo Goo Dolls, Vertical Horizon to Taking Back Sunday, Counting Crows, Coldplay, Tori Amos... and this is just Alternative.
I haven’t discovered a new artist to write about this week. Training for a new process at work is over. I barely made it through the first week and i cant believe the weekend’s almost over. Last night I remembered this local show that took place about 3 yrs ago and I decided to write about it before my memory fails me. It was during my first year in M.A. My friend’s boyfriend asked me to come and hear him play at a coffee shop. I had seen local bands play in B’lore and I had never gotten the whole Spazobilly punk rock mayhem thing and that day it rained quite monstrously. I wanted to give up going to the concert altogether but I decided to go for it anyways because anything was better than staying at home.
Tony Das, was the friend who invited me. At the time he was playing for Thermal and a Quarter and he was also part of the three member band- Golden Boy, who performed that night. The other two were his older brother, Chris and his little sister, Judy. As a family they’ve been together cultivating their sound for so many years and what took place that night was real music - unplugged, acoustic, at its best!
Judy sang Bonnie Rait’s ‘I Can’t Make You Love Me’. Her voice was intimate and sultry and that reflected her artistic and personal life. Chris sang the very famous, Maroon 5 ‘This Love’ and Vertical Horizon’s ‘Everything You Want’- these were my favorites at the time and if anyone had sung them and screwed them up I would’ve probably had some seething comment ready. But Chris exerted a powerful creative presence that night with his acoustic rendition of the two songs. Tony Das, (now the guitarist of Karma6) a multi-talented guitar player - If you haven't watched this boy play, hold on to your space suits kids!
The trio’s music is not en vogue in a sense. They sing the kind of songs that you would listen to on those wintery days. Always catchy and always thoughtful. These folks exude a strange sort of confidence that makes you feel like throwing your hands up and loving.

The Miracle of ’08- after a long break, the Das’ performed again at the Opus. By this time I had gotten to know them pretty well and this was the local act that I had wanted to see perform. Some of the songs sang by the group were from the 80’s.. It made the night seem sunny and hopeful and took you out of a world of dead end jobs, phonies, sycophants, making up and breaking up.
Judy sang Sara Bareilles and Jewel. Chris sang tracks by Del Amitri and Winger, with a special dedication to their biggest fans- their mum, Tony’s girl- Runa and then the unique devotee- ME!
Don’t know if these guys will ever play again together, but if they do… I’m there. You should join me too. Long live Alternative Rock!