Bluesy Thursdays

Now it’s time for another episode of ‘Conversations With God’

Dear God,

Remember our last conversation? It was Sunday night, when I was terrified of closing my eyes and waking up on Monday. I prayed to you to give me the power to deal with the toads that I work with and in exchange I was never going to drink alcohol ever again.
Well, we both dropped the ball on that one.

Love,
Eve

Apparently there’s was this little music gathering in some corner of B’lore, which happens occasionally. Apparently at said gathering of music fans there was this big band that played a killer set and set off the revelers.
For those of you who are still unaware, Soulmate played a show last night at B Flat, Indiranagar. By my account - it was an epic show {but what Soulmate show isn’t?}. Apparently the band ‘Soulmate’ has played a few sets in B’lore over the years. And also, apparently, someone thought it would be a good idea to go and take a look at their act last night and write then about them. And yes, introducing you to great music is the ploy to get you coming back over and over and over again. Eat it.
If you’re looking to listen to their music you can check out each individual post at these links.

Set Me Free

Stay Away

Soulmate might be the best band to ever play the blues. Period. Granted Tipriti ‘Tips’ Kharbangar (the vocalist) might not be the most skilled guitarist, but when she takes the stage, everyone just shuts up. Everyone.

I’ve had the amazing luck to catch the band play an amazing live set and they left me wowed. The tracks were masterful and I recall being blown away by the songs I hadn’t had the pleasure of hearing. Another important note is that Soulmate is performing again this month on the 20th at the Opus. Call for tickets now, or risk missing what is sure to be a sell-out performance! This is going to be a great show, kids. Anybody who doesn't go is just a loser, plain and simple. Also, if you’ve have planned to make it to this event make sure you book a table well in advance cos a Solmate show is always packed. I was definitely looking forward to hearing their somewhat legendary live sound. For all the hype I was not even close to disappointed. The channeling of Tipriti ‘Tips’ Kharbangar continued on and off throughout their show and oh my is it brilliant live. She simply exudes a type of rock star cool that permeates the depths of the cool B’lore moon. Simply put, they killed it hard for the full two hours. They just sound great live. And for anyone still interested below is the entire touring list for Soulmate in this current year.

7 Aug 2009, 20:00
ZEST BEACH HOUSE,PUDUCHERRY,PUBROCK FEST
PUDUCHERRY, Puducherry

9 Aug 2009, 20:00
10 DOWNING STREET,HYDERABAD,PUBROCK FEST 2009
Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh

20 Aug 2009, 20:00
OPUS,Bangalore,PUBROCK FEST 2009
Bangalore, Karnataka

31 Aug 2009, 18:00
THE LADAKH CONFLUENCE 2009
Leh, Jammu & Kashmir

4 Sep 2009, 21:30
The Haze Blues and Jazz Bar
New Delhi, Delhi

5 Sep 2009, 21:30
The Haze Blues and Jazz Bar
New Delhi, Delhi

20 Sep 2009, 20:00
OPUS,PUNE,PUBROCK FEST,2009
PUNE, Maharashtra

25 Sep 2009, 20:00
KAMIKAZE,GUWAHATI,PUBROCK FEST 2009
GUWAHATI, Assam

26 Sep 2009, 20:00
POLO TOWERS,SHILLONG,PUB ROCK FEST
SHILLONG, Meghalaya

2 Oct 2009, 21:30
The Haze Blues and Jazz Bar
New Delhi, Delhi

3 Oct 2009, 21:30
The Haze Blues and Jazz Bar
New Delhi, Delhi

6 Nov 2009, 21:30
The Haze Blues and Jazz Bar
New Delhi, Delhi

7 Nov 2009, 21:30
The Haze Blues and Jazz Bar
New Delhi, Delhi

1 Dec 2009, 15:00
World Aids Day Venue TBA
Shillong, Meghalaya

4 Dec 2009, 21:30
The Haze Blues and Jazz Bar
New Delhi, Delhi

5 Dec 2009, 21:30
The Haze Blues and Jazz Bar
New Delhi, Delhi

I have never had that much fun at a live concert before. It was non-stop energy from the opening beat to the closing of their sweat drenched show. The entire show was laced with infectious, no holds barred, beyond-awesome singing and there wasn’t a moment during which front woman Tips stood still or took a breather. If you’ve not had the chance - I recommend you see their show for a life altering change. Honestly, after watching that set I’ve come to realize that I will never need to do drugs, ever.
The concert is over, but there is still the 20th. What a brilliant show.

Soulmate with ‘Smile at me’.

This Just In - 'Soulmate' is in B'lore

The weekend is over already? How on earth did that happen? Oh, I know. I was crazy busy! Although I tell people how much alone time I’d usually like to have to enjoy my peace and quiet, things actually haven't been that way over the weekend. It's been a busy schedule, albeit an enjoyable one. So just what have I been up to? I was busy doing glamorous star turns around town and being the delightfully charming and socially in-demand person you know me to be. Well, almost. For starters, I met up with some friends at a local pub, drank lots of beer, and spoke about tons of things that I can’t really recall. But, fret not, all you really need to know is:

That my jaw was sore from laughing.
My belly full from eating meat.
My liver saturated from drinking.

And these are the four biggest things I've learned since Saturday morning:

1. It's a small world. Really, really small.
2. You, too, can find something funny to talk about with someone you have nothing in common with, with just five easy mugs of beer.
3. Gay power is powerful.
4. And nothing but some of that sugary goodness can get your engines revved up again.

On Sunday evening I saw the musical ‘Breaking up is hard to do’- based on the music of Neil Sedaka. When I first saw the same actors at a show last year, I liked it but didn't love it. This time around I still had issues with it, but the night was enhanced by the fantastic performance by Mark Swaroop and Meghana Dhawan, who weren’t part of the old cast. Despite all of its flaws, this show remains one of my all-time favorites (how can you not love that score?) and Neville De Nazareth’s performance alone is worth the price of admission. I had the pleasure of going for the show with six gay men. As I expected, it was extremely fun. I won't go on about it, except to say that I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. It's hard not to appreciate a show that has some awesome voices in it- Jerusha Verghese, Mark, Neville and Jude Lazaro.
So that brings us up to tonight, which is my day of rest (God isn't the only one who deserves one, you know). And then after this post is done I can, knock on wood, veg out on my bed once again. I’m about ready to pass out just thinking about it. Hoping that the night goes slowly and work doesn't come as quickly as I fear it will!

Some people are lucky enough to have two families - the one they are born into, and the one they create from the friends they collect over time. There are always highs and lows but each has the potential to last forever. I'm lucky enough to have both, and I love them all, even if they take turns being dysfunctional. Belated Friendship Day to all my lovely readers and close friends.

An announcement...

Soulmate, a band I’ve recently come to obsess about, is once again gearing up for what is going to be an amazing performance of some truly gorgeous blues. If you're interested in attending, please make it to B Flat, Indiranagar. It’s only on Wednesday, but I wanted to give you a heads-up:

August 05, 2009 8:00 p.m.
B Flat, 100 feet road, HAL 2nd Stage, Indiranagar, Bangalore
Entry is about 200 bucks… and that will probably get you a drink or something. I'm very much looking forward to seeing them in concert and would love to see you all there.

I was looking through my list of single songs the other day and I came across this one by Kinnie Starr title ‘Sun Again’.

There is a certain quality about this song that is inescapable. Something inside of me craves more music like this. Music that is light, interesting, and ultimately builds upon itself with harmonies, layered beats, and clever lyrical twists. Years ago I came up with a classification of people that could best be described as incorrigible romantics. They weren’t hopeless, they weren’t carried away, they believed in a moment of absolute emotion even though the odds were stacked against them ever finding it. And now I have found the iconic artist to sing their emotions to the world. Simply gorgeous music. I love this song but it’s really what’s left unsaid in this song that makes you think. It’s subdued and sets the perfect mood for a looking out your window into the rain.

You Give Me Fever

In the days leading up to my eventual contracting of the most terrible Flu I’ve ever had and it was hard to know what to believe; One camp was saying, "Watch out!" and the other camp was saying, "But it's just a cold." In fact, even in my own household, the four of us each displayed dissimilar symptoms, and if it wasn't for the fact that we all had it at pretty much the same time, I would have said we all had different illnesses.
So which camp was right? Well, in some sense, both camps are probably correct. The illness was just the flu, but boy did it hit me with a vengeance.

Now, keep in mind that I don't get sick all that often. Well, before joining the company and being away from central air-conditioning I used to be stricken with anything substantial once every couple of years. This time around, though, I felt as though I had been surfing and got wiped out by the "big kahuna" (whatever that is).

My fever lasted six days, mostly hovering around normal temperature but peaking one morning. That particular morning was wretched. I swapped between freezing and sweating profusely. Headache, body aches, and all that yucky stuff went together with it. Aside from the fever, the worst part of the flu, for me, was feeling so weak that I could barely walk out of my room and back and the cough! In fact, I'm still coughing, and this is after spending my entire 4 day vacation initially coming down with it. So basically this meant that I had to stay home, confined to my bed. My friends whose parties I had to attend weren't thrilled about that. I did try writing something, but frankly, I've been feeling so anemic and sluggish that it was hard to concentrate on anything.

I've been good ... I've gotten sleep, I haven't yielded to the temptations of doing stuff that needs me to get out and have fun, and I'm trying to get past this thing. I don't know how much of it's because I'm older (funny how that works) ... I suppose as one gets ages, it takes longer to recuperate from these things. I don't know.
Yes, it's the flu and it feels like the flu, but it's never taken me this long to bounce back before.
Anyway, that's it! There are tons and tons of articles on ways to protect yourself from the flu. Obvious stupid safety measures that any simple minded moron already knew. Wash your hands, stay away from the sick folk, don't pick your snout... take a bath. You know the same typical bullshit any person looking to worry you would say on a blog.
‘Rock & Roll’ is the creative outlet of singer Eric Hutchinson, a hugely prolific artist from Washington D.C and the track you’re going to be listening to today was an immediate favorite of mine. The guitar playing provides a perfect backdrop for the song’s sugar-coated melodies and good-time nostalgic lyrics. The track is reminiscent to the sunny folk-pop but it’s anything other than a simple pop song about fun or rock and roll but instead revels in the superficiality of it all; "cheap romance", the humor of 'love', and the idea of two complete strangers, both pretending to be people they're not, living up what amounts to be empty 'rock and roll' weekend facades. I definitely find there is a level of depth to this catchy tune and it all comes together to prove an irresistible piece of indie pop. I can only expect great things from this guy. I mean, really? Where shall I start? From the hand-claps to the catchy vocals that make me forget I don’t know how to dance. It’s fresh, youthful, and so in the “now.” The track never loses your interest, with its delightful, forward-looking rhythm, a ridiculously catchy chorus and a stomping finish. This artist is undoubtedly an act to follow this year. Although there is no word on any recent albums of his, I feel it is only wise for artists with such an addictive sound to release their work a-song-at-a-time. I mean, really, it’s just better that way.

I spent Friday morning at home and then went to meet Natasha, a friend I would be seeing after 15 long years (thanks to Facebook, we found each other again). Its weird meeting someone that shared your snacks, played in the mud with you and held your hand during parent-teacher meetings. I always feel strange facing people from my past, because while I love recollecting and reliving those memories, I know I won’t ever live there again, and while I love meeting old friends, I know that they are so different now. I don’t really know where my current friends will be a couple of years from now, and sometimes that makes me feel anxious.
However, my meeting was anything but anxious. We did nothing but talk about old times and our lives now. I even got to revisit that favorite feeling from my childhood, the one where we’d bunk classes just to go eat some of those black and white peppermint candies, kick the mud and get our white shirts dirty, sleep with happy tiredness and exhaustion, then wake up in the morning, listen to our parents shouting at us for being horrible little imps, and then get our shirts mud-stained again.
The story might seem really lame, but lame is sort of a doubtful point when you’re talking about what makes you all emotional. And it wasn’t that I got emotional because the little friends I befriended back then were so cute and true and modest, but seeing them in the flesh it got to me. That’s right: I teared up after hugging Nat and watching her ride away. Recollecting misty water colored memories, don’t make me cry? No. Just coming face to face with them, apparently.

Alright, you’re just here for the music so let’s get to it. This one’s a blast from the past. Before you listen to it be warned that this baby is a one-hit wonder from 1997 by White Town aka Jyoti Prakash Mishra. It’s worth it, but plan accordingly. And a bit of snooping around led me to his blog named ‘Bzangy Groink’.

The track ‘Your Woman’ reminds me a lot of early 90’s pop smashed up against standard Ace of Base. Interested?
Anyway, if we were playing “one of these things is not like the others” this would be the track you should choose. Where the rest of this month is filled with typical folk/alternative styles, this track is as smooth and fluid as we all thought Prince and Gloria Estefan used to be. I could have kept this information to myself and only listened to it with headphones on, pretending all along I was nodding my head to new tracks by some awesome rock band, but at some point the lies would have caught up with me. And a liar is just not the type of blogger that I want to be. Good week, blogosphere!

Aaaand… Breathe Out.

Call off the bloodhounds...I survived office today.

Sort of.

Phew. It's been quite a day. The situation requires that I can't really talk openly about it. For the time being.

I should be feeling a little relieved since I returned home, but I'm kinda just stressed out and beat. So much so that I didn't even notice when I accidentally picked up a crazy brand of juice instead of a regular Coke. Which tastes oddly similar to wine.

Or maybe that's just wishful thinking.

Between trying to get some sleep nowadays, the long hours at work, spending time with my nephew and niece, and all the many birthday parties I’ve been trying to attend (from which I emerged relatively sober - surprise, surprise), I'm just plain worn out.
I'll be back to my usual perky self in a few days. I just need some down time.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, thanks a million times over to my friends, a few colleagues and readers for being supportive, caring, thoughtful and helping me maintain my sanity levels everyday during the past week. Thank you.
Having exhausted most of my pre-lunch mental energy on making sure I finish my work, I don't have a heck of a lot to say just yet today. Seems like everything is in working order, comment system included. And it's not just there for decoration, people.
Please leave a comment on this post, even you lurkers out there! Just say hey, so I can get a sense of who is out there. Or let me know how you came upon this unpretentious little site. Or give me a good artist suggestion! Or tell me if there's anything in particular you've been dying to know about me or would like me to share.

Once again, thanks for swinging into EC. I hope you keep coming back!

No matter how busy my life might get I always find a way to listen to music. Some days I find myself drifting along to whatever ‘100hitz.com’ has to offer, other days I browse random websites, myspace pages, and other forms of online media like Youtube/ Lastfm, and on a few days each month I dive into the old albums and songs that I’ve always loved. I love music and I love to hear random tracks, brilliant live covers, and new music from artists that I genuinely appreciate.

So it's with great pleasure that I can announce that I watched Transformers – Rise of the Fallen, the other day with fellow blogger Pete and Ruan and it's a well-made, well-written, well-acted movie with good characters, good scenes, a clever structure, solid, unpredictable, and plenty of both the serious and humorous varieties. There's the inevitable shout “Yeaaaa!” every time Optimus Prime kicked ass… (Which might I add was highly sensational). Overall this was pretty good for a movie. I was entertained. It's action-centered and fun, and that's all it needs to be.

Which leads me, naturally, to Megan Fox! And where it intersects with her being a worldwide male fantasy! Which will be what my next post's about.

Promise. :D

And, yes, this still is a music blog so the song on today’s post is from the Transformers’ soundtrack. If you haven’t seen it yet you better either live across the pond, be under the age of 10 {in which case it’s obvious your folks or friends don’t care about you, I mean you are reading this blog, so go watch Transformers, it can’t hurt}, or be on your way to the closest DVD store to fix this mistake in your life.

Cavo with ‘Let it go’