Some Disillusionment and Yay! A New Band

Back when I was just a fresh graduate I wasn’t very careful about the dates I went on. My frailty being what it is, many of these became serious little relationships and then I regretted getting into anything at all. After it was over I'd spent very little energy dwelling on missed connections.
There were a few cases, however, in which the photograph that accompanied the initial romance depicted a fellow of such breathtaking beauty that even now a small part of me regrets what might have been, even if the time for which it might have been was less than a couple of months. I am not so naive as to pout over the guy that got away, but I have spent an occasional moment or five since then wishing I’d bump into him.

Keep this in mind, as I kinda change the subject to mention that while I was going through an old social networking site that I was a member of a long time ago. A quick exploration of the photo album revealed the photo I have described above, which I hadn't seen for years. I sat back in my chair spending a few moments reminiscing a moment of a time long gone. A minute further into the inspection of the photograph exposed features that were average, and possibly worse. My memory made him look like Lancelot and damn my visual senses for judging him attractive in the first place. I deleted the pictures but now I’m worried at some point later in my life my laptop’s going to tell me that I have to repeat the same exercise with some other built up memory and I can only imagine what illusions I’ll have to smash to smithereens then.


Moving onto something a little happier now- If you feel like you are sick and tired of hearing overplayed songs on the radio or the television and you just want to hear something fresh and new then give The Afters a try.
The Afters is a band composed of Josh Havens (vocals), Matt Fuqua (guitar), Brad Wigg (bass) and Marc Dodd (drums), young music artists from Mesquite, Texas. The band was formed at a Starbucks coffee shop under the name ‘Blisse’. They came up with ‘The Afters’ after realizing that there was another band that used the name ‘Blisse’. The Afters’ music has an upbeat rock sound. The album ‘Never Going Back to OK’ will surely be worth your listening time and deserves to be part of your playlist.

For more on this band, check out http://theafters.com/

A Date with Karma6

So for those who want to know what went down yesterday here goes… Ruan and I went to Landmark to get a present for Tony’s upcoming birthday and I had found the perfect gift. For someone who likes Gordon Summers (Sting) so much I bought a book titled ‘Lyrics by Sting’. The book contains Sting’s collection of lyrics along with his commentary for each song and black-and-white pictures that would make any Police fan quite ridiculously happy. Giving Tony this gift was the best part of it all- the innumerable kisses I got back was priceless.

I found myself with nothing to do the entire evening, so I decided to go with Runa to palace grounds to watch the Independence Rock concert. The thought of seeing Karma6 in concert again sorta invigorated me. I never made it for many of the Sunday Jam events because there are hardly any girls at the concert and secondly, I don’t dig strange death metal music. I prefer listening to music that I can hear and understand, not cringe and head bang to. Runa and I got to the concert just when Karma6 got on stage to do their sound check. We screamed Tony’s name so that he could see where we were and then we waited for the magic to happen. Being at the concert, I came upon two conclusions. First, the guitarists- Prakash, Alwyn and Tony are bloody great. Effortlessly, they rocked with the purest sort of rough-edge glee. Fantastic. Mark had the crowd going with his classic rock voice that makes you melt like butter on a biscuit. This five-piece South Indian convergence of classic and new, rock and yes, we'll say it, roll, has made quite the impression on the Bangalore crowd. The band performed tracks by Mr. Big, Foo Fighters, Coldplay including the track that got them all on TV- the Earth song.

Overall, many of the tracks they managed to get right. Some others, however, are caught between good- but- not-a- good -fit- for a rock concert. If I had the time to stay on till the end of the entire concert I would’ve loved to tell the band that they put up an awesome show and I swear that with their own compositions they would make Bangalore gods to rock fans. Tony, the music genius of the band is going to be busy writing the lyrics for their upcoming album and I can’t wait for them to show B’lore their own stuff. My only complaint is the fact that there were some girls who were screaming crazy whenever Mark came around the corner. Ugh, I hate the stench of hyperactivity. And that's about all I can say about that fantastic concert. Woohoo!

So, I’ve created a new blog. It won’t be an everyday thing like this blog but it will be updated on weekends. I’m attempting to write posts dedicated to one man I honestly don’t know a lot about so I’m just going to wing it. Why would I decide to do this? Easy, the voices in my head asked me to. This will be quite the adventure, especially since I hardly stay in love for too long. So the new blog is about Jeff Buckley and my life with his music. Basically, a personal blog such as this one but just the songs played and reviews made will just be on Jeff Buckley’s tracks. I can’t wait to share the music that leads me to have an outburst of emotion. His songs do not let up in intensity and it will have you singing along. Even if this is not your style of music, his music is still gripping. The lyrics are believable and many people can relate to such regrets. The rhythm of the songs is moving and fit well with the lyrics. The lyrics are definitely the most serious and straight-forward part of Buckley’s normal freestyle type vibe. With a 5 minute plus running time his songs never seem long but rather it leaves you wanting more, which is usually why I put it on repeat. If you like songs with layers and no screaming (no offense to screamo fans) this is your guy, your blog. I’m open to suggestions and criticisms that will help me make this blog an interesting read. And with that I leave you with this track by Travis called ‘Side’.

Evuhleen's Downtown for Music

After work I went out with the girls and Ck for dinner last night. All I could think about was my new friend. I imagined the face of my intended, embracing me in his arms- uh! I didn’t know I could be so theatrical. I don’t think my self-esteem could handle it if it actually happened. My hyper state of existence has thrown me into a tangle of uncertainty and over dramatics.


My addiction to shopping is getting out of hand. I told Ck and Ruan to go ahead and order food while I took Runa to my favorite shopping place so she could get something for Tony’s upcoming birthday. I was famished but that didn’t stop me from spending a good amount of time buying some clothes. I worry that my priorities are misplaced.

I was all ready for it to be a horrible, hellish experience at work without Shreyas around to check on us. When the day came for him to leave to Goa for a holiday I kept asking him neurotic questions about the process and couldn’t take comfort in the fact that he was leaving the team to fend for itself but it’s been pretty painless and we’ve been able to do just about a good job on our own.

Last night, I was in a pretty good mood because I’ve got two new readers, who happen to be colleagues of mine. Both of them started reading my blog after hearing about it from friends of mine and one of them sent me a message online to tell me that she was a fan. I had heard that the other reader maintained a blog on LiveJournal, I decided to visit his page after the flurry of activity at work had died down. Sometimes I really just love the world. Fabulousness from this blog. Take a gander and see what you think.

In my mind whenever I think of the word ‘Guitar Hero’ I’m probably thinking Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Santana, Slash…way before I’d ever think of the video game. So, by now most of you guys might’ve heard about Guitar Hero. Personally, I wasn’t brought up on video games. So I don’t see what the big hoot about it is. The news related to the game is about some 16 year old that has dropped out of school to practice and compete in the game. Is that ridiculous or what? I mean, if you’re spending all that time perfecting the push of buttons why don’t you just learn the damn guitar. I’m hoping folks out there get it in their heads that there’s a difference between the two- buttons and strings.

Chan photographed by Jean Baptiste Mondino for Jalouse '05

Years down the lifeline of rock, entire uniqueness is tremendously uncommon. Everything is an offshoot of something. So when I listen to an artist or a song and it doesn’t remind me of anything I’ve heard before I’m real curious. Chan Marshall is at a point where, like it or not… is going to be included in my blog for more than a post. She’s here with ‘He War’ and she’s proved that she’s worth checking out. Go Cat Power!

Height Issues, Dexter review and Chan Marshall...Straight up!

As a kid I was consumed with proportions and sizes. I was so bugged that I was never as tall as dad or my older sister and I used to go out of my way to explain to my tailor that I wanted my dresses to make me look taller.
As I look at my sister’s wedding album I think to myself, ‘I looked like the friggin flower girl!’

Since I’m talking about the past, I have to mention that when I was real tiny I had the biggest crush on the now late Charlton Heston of Ben-Hur fame and I had told my older sister that I would run away with him but now that he isn’t alive I think I’ll add another to my list- John Barrowman. Watch his fabulous performance here. His voice is of such fine quality that it is beyond description. Well, maybe he won’t go on the list right away but he is sure nice to look at and listen to.

Life isn’t too terrific today as I had made up my mind to quit the band that’s playing on the 30th. It all happened because I didn’t have time for practices and the final day is coming very close. My dear friend Ash made it significantly better by listening to it all and then sharing her warped philosophy.

Dexter is a wonderful series that I had discovered a couple of months ago. 2 seasons with 12 episodes each about a serial killer who satisfies his thirst for slaughter by murdering other serial killers. The world of Dexter is punctuated with adventures and much entertainment. The action is riveting, the humor wicked, the script impressive and convincing enough to grab anyone’s attention. I regret to say that the series I've got is actually a bootleg, since the originals are pretty hard to locate (unless one is living in the US or able to order it online). Getting the bootleg is the easiest way to view this amazing series. If you do begin watching the serial, do note that there’s quite a bit of gore, profanity and nudity- your average dark thriller. Not appropriate for those below 18 possibly?

Now I must mention the music. I’m quite a huge fan of Chan Marshall known popularly by the name ‘Cat Power’. The russet-haired blues singer skillfully channels her strong emotions through truly arresting songs. Her music is delicious to the ear and her voice delivers them perfectly to the point. You can visit her MySpace page here and have a listen to select songs. My favorite pick is the track I’ve uploaded below. It’s a bloody good listen and it demonstrates the breadth of this artist. It’s wide-reaching and it’s a great piece of work. And so, without further ado, I present to you ‘Metal Heart’:

Single Life and John Mayer

While I do feel lonely at times, I have to say that we single people have a better deal.
We’re lucky because we can do what we want to without having to check in with anybody else. I don’t have to complain to friends about relationship issues, the mess I’m in and how i prefer work or the nearest pub to being at ‘his’ place. While I like the idea of just having me in my life, a dame such as I have to tolerate the outrageous questions from neighbors and aunts (basically old women) about when I plan to give up the fun life and settle down. Now why would I possibly want to do that?
So, here are the questions I'm asked most of the time and the answers I'm going to give:

When’s the big day?
A: Oh! Soon… I’ll let you know when I sign the deal to front my own rock band.

No, seriously. When are you planning to get hitched?
A: Long time from now. But when I do, I’ll invite you….err…maybe your kids.

Have you at least found The One?
A: Yeah. But he’s currently married.

Don’t you ever feel lonely?
A: Of course I do. No one else does?

For me, the benefits of being single are more than the disadvantages. No remote control issues or me being on the laptop or reading or watching TV for endless hours or using up all the hot water. So, for now I’m just going to stick by my point that I am better off solo.

Today, I had the pleasure of viewing a performance of John Mayer on YouTube. Keeping aside the healthy amount of news he gives to the paparazzi he is one of the reasons why music, at this time, doesn’t blow big time. His music is extremely notable. It hits you where it’s supposed to and the guitars- leave you absolutely breathless. He’s one of those artists who can come out with as many albums as he wants to and still remain outrageously famous for each one of them. He produces some great quality music and leaves no doubt in any mind that he’s fucking brilliant!
The track below is Mayer’s rendition of a very famous song- I love the way he sings it. It sounds rich and gorgeous. The song has a feeling, if I may be so vague. You’ll have to hear it.

If you are in search of good music then do a little unearthing further than what’s been played on these wretched radio stations and give a listen to something that entices and gratifies you.