Here's a new feature on EC. Every month, this space turns it’s scheduled tasks over to friends to find out what’s playing on their music devices or in their heads. This week, we hear from Silvester Phanbuh, my peer from work. He's from the North-East, is a swell cook (he hasn’t invited me over yet) and person all around. We have a ball when we get together, which is always too rarely. Read his blog, Down-Shop Memoirs, here.

Where are you from?
Shillong, Meghalaya

What song did you think about when you got dressed this morning? Any new artists you’d like to recommend?
Not specific to this morning but if I were to have a soundtrack for my mornings it would have to be some landscape piece like an epic movie theme or Ennio Morricone, or the likes - A nice grand string arrangement. That’s because I live in a city so the only open spaces that I can open my windows to are in my mind.

How has your music progressed from when you started listening to music to right now?
As a kid I listened to anything that was popular or accessible – more than the word “listen”, the better terms would be “heard” or “familiar” as I never really paid attention. Although there were a couple of songs which I’d actually make an effort to listen to. As I grew up it got interesting - I discovered the Doors and Scorpions and finally I started listening to metal. Megadeth was, is and most probably always will be my all-time favorite band.
Initially I was very close minded, and my music represented my rebelliousness and there was always an “anti-something-or-the-other” angle to it. However, there was a natural expansion of my tastes and music started being influenced by my moods rather than an image I was supposed to cultivate. Hence, I don’t like it when people assume that I’m a plain old metal-head, because that term confines me.

What were the first songs that you liked that made it onto a music CD?
The first mixed tape I made had songs from KISS, Scorpions and Deep Purple if I correctly remember.

How do you feel the reaction is to music in B’lore?
I believe the music lovers in Bangalore are quite intelligent and there is always something for all genres. From my first hand experience I regard the metal crowd as the best in the country. Also the local scene is supported well which is refreshingly nice.

Where did you get the music you listen to?
I borrowed a lot of tapes from friends and vice versa – later on with the dawn of the “inter-web” acquiring music became easier. Of course, I always follow up on my favorite musicians to know about releases etc.

How big do you think blogs and internet buzz has been in a band’s success?
The internet is a great place to find music – I cannot explain the huge difference it’s made. Everything is faster, easier, has more options and mostly free. So automatically this led to exposure to lots of bands who would have otherwise been dependent on whimsical trend conscious record labels.

Check back and there’ll be more music lovers to read about.

The breaks between posts have been long and I do apologize, but I’ve been busy. I’m attempting to cobble together my life and that has taken over most of my music listening time. Fortunately I stole some time back over this past week to listen to a handful of random songs strewn about here and there on the web. Even more fortunately for all of us I tripped on this cover that the Noisettes have done that are worth a listen.

For those of you who are completely in the dark about Pop/Indie rock band, Noisettes, they covered the popular ‘When You Were Young’ by The Killers in March 2009 . This cover is especially nice. As would only be appropriate for it to gain space on EC.
I’ll do my best to post as often as possible. Rest assured that the music is still here and EC will continue on. Enjoy the music.

For a large chunk of my young-womanhood, I lived in B’lore, a heavily residential Anglo-Indian neighborhood. Despite having Khasi (Shillong) relatives myself, I wasn’t actually aware about the area; my family paid little attention to lineage and I never heard the language spoken. Until I met my best friend and later, my bro-inlaw. They were the main source of my North-Eastern influence in the neighborhood, particularly in the area of food. My first life-changing Naga-influenced food experience was delivered courtesy of my bro-in-law’s mum, Aunt Anung, in Nagaland. But not just any meat preparation. Her meals were tastier than any spread I had eaten before. The pork was perfectly smoked and fried, served with steamed vegetables and axone (fermented soy-bean) on the side of raja-mirchi (The Naga jolokia) chutney. When paired with a bamboo mug of red tea, made a far better nightcap than a Hot chocolate with a shot of Bailey's Irish creme mixed in ever could (well, maybe not far better).

So my first lesson in great food pairings came to me on a chilly evening, in a small town of light and bright colors and late night city occupants, while I sat at the dinner table combining tastes and on the edge of every flavor of meat, vegetables, side dishes and drink. And it’s still one of my favorite moments. The crunch of the roasted pork, the snap of the fried fat, the bite of the rajamirchi-axone mixed chutney; nothing on the planet sets up the taste and texture of a meal better.

Picture Courtesy : The Naga Kitchen

But the reason for this post isn’t about the recollection of a gourmet moment. There’s one other major culinary event for which I have the Naga neighborhood to thank: it’s the opening of The Naga Kitchen. The first Naga restaurant in B’lore city that I visited on Friday and Saturday. This local joint, serves a wicked version of authentic Naga cuisine, and from the moment I bit into my first roasted pork piece, I was hooked. I don’t care who you are, or how much you struggle with ethical issues around eating meat: you’re just going to have to admit that there’s pretty much nothing as delicious as properly cooked pork.

What's better than this? Almost nothing.

So allow me to say it: it’s time to come home to Naga food at:
The Naga Kitchen
#26 A.V.S Arcade, Above F Square Garment store
Terrace Floor, Opp. Adidas Showroom
Next to Empire and Nandhini hotel
Kamanahalli Main Road
Bangalore - 84

If you’re around this side of town, do get to The Naga Kitchen and taste some of their smoked pork and your ethical dilemma will be a thing of the past. At least until hunger strikes again.

In exactly three weeks, at 9:01 a.m. on Friday, September 24, I will turn 27. If 27 is dead in woman years, does this mean I am approaching resurrection? Or has my flesh finished rotting off my bones and is my skeleton just lying here, deluding itself that there is any life left in it at all?

Sara Bareilles : King of Anything

If you haven’t figured it out yet, I was trying to branch out a bit on this track. Most of the time I get into the groove of singer/songwriter Indie kid with a jones for folk tunes music and run it until it’s dead. But on this single I was looking for a bit more. A bit of pop oomph. Welcome to Sara Bareilles, almost-gonna-make it pop rock act. But I bring you good music with a focus on the music being good. Hence, she has made the cut.

WEEKEND RECAP

Another weekend is, once again, behind us. Admittedly, this is a condition which sucks donkey balls. But the weekend was a busy one; I've got a lot to tell so I can't dwell on that.

On Friday, I was tuckered out by the time I rolled out of work so I preferred to collapse on the couch for the evening and watch Criminal Minds. And surprisingly I had a great time.

On Saturday, I headed to a friend’s place, who also happens to be guitarist and vocalist for popular local band Lounge Piranha.

He’s working on a new t-shirt line and I wish I had taken my camera with me to capture everything I had seen - the creator at his home. I just loved his work, a place that looked like a home/ studio and work on the walls for ideas and inspiration.
His work place is like something out of a dream sequence, and the designs on t-shirts are full of humor and playfulness as well as great craftsmanship and unique style. Visit his homepage here to view his work!

Saturday afternoon - There was more than a little playing, multiple rounds of beer in a well-known pub called ‘Noon Wines’. I think I fell in love with the Lamb Steak Burger at Ice & Spice instantly, and a shockingly impressive consumption of mayonnaise. We had a wonderful time. Afterwards, I think we were all worn out. We headed home and passed out for the evening.

Sunday involved sleeping in for me, the expected weekend with older sis and her family for lunch and desert. While that was neat and all, it was my niece that stole the show as usual. By the time they left, though, I had her trained, getting her to sit down, stay still and everything. I'm sure "accidentally" feeding her cookies and chocolate didn't hurt her conformity either.

Most of you probably wouldn't mechanically leap to this guess but, if left to my own devices, there's a fair chance I'd become a loner. I like time to myself and with my music. But through all this eventful weekend, I was reminded that it's often through the eyes of other people – family and friends - that you're told again and again how privileged you are. And I'm one fortunate lady.

It seems like I talk every month about how surprised I am by the amount of new artists that show up on my playlist, but they’ve really outdone themselves this year. As far as this blog goes, I’ve added a new band to review this month, titled ‘Revelation’ by Sons of Sylvia. In fact I’m listening to it right now and it’s still solid from start to end. The album ‘Revelation’ is so good, so instantly timeless, that my unconscious has filed it away with albums I’ve loved over the last 15 years of my life.
As always, make sure to leave a comment if you like what you see or have your own favorite albums or songs to add. To the readers, thank you for continuing to support this blog and reading what I have to say. Have a wonderful September!

It’s Only Love’ by Sons of Sylvia

I CAN EAT MY DINNER IN A FANCY RESTAURANT......

Here's something to ponder while you sip your coffee, make plans for the weekend, get ready to have a nice meal or sit in an endless stream of traffic on your way back from work. Who is your role-model? And, in fifty words or less, why? Watch, allow me to demonstrate:

My best friends, Runa and Ruan are my role-models. They stand strong when I cannot, push me towards the right path when decisions are lost upon me, and help me to be a better person. Wonderful people, loyal friends, beautiful chicas, and of course, they have smokin’ hot asses.


So - husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend, mom, dad, teacher, altar boy, rockstar or football fan - let me have it.

In an interesting turn of events, I won last quarter’s ‘Star Performer’ award and my team (Display Advertising) won the most prestigious annual award our company can give to any individual/team; and this is among 13,900 employees in the world. The gods of technology seem to be cutting me some slack. It was a good day. Now? I need chocolate...and tea...lots of tea.

Sinead O’Connor's 'Nothing Compares To You' cover by Stereophonics

I still really, really, really love this song.

As I was struggling through one of my longer runs on the treadmill, this song came up on my playlist. (Yeah, what’s up? I listen to this Sinead O’Connor cover while running.) One of the ways I get through the parts where I just don’t want to run anymore is allow myself a little psychotic lip-syncing singing along with whatever is playing. I was working my way towards the end of a run, and mouthing the words to this song while people did their stretches and lifted weights. And by “lip-syncing,” I mean puffing out incomplete lyrics, by which I mean crazily panting, “I CAN EAT MY DINNER IN A FANCY RESTAURANT.”

I’m at a point in my life where I’m fortunate to discover so many wonderful covers. As I’ve said before in other EC posts, I’m a sucker for good covers. And Sinead O’Connor’s famous ‘Nothing compares to you’ covered by Welsh band Stereophonics is pure class. There is something captivating about spitting venom over a gorgeous O’Connor backdrop. I simply cannot force my brain to move beyond this track. If you have only one song to listen to today this should be your choice.

Keep listening to good music.

"Drink Tea....Destroy Everything!"

Things have not started out well...

There are three kinds of moods I seem to break out into depending on the way I feel and the significance of whatsoever it is that happens to be off beam. First, there's the I'm somewhat bothered and/or sore but, hey, I'll get over it mood which is more grumpy than anything. It's effortlessly treated by receiving a hug or waving something shiny in front of me. Next, and to some extent more tough, is the damnit, I'm mad, I feel like crap, so get your asses out of my way, people, marked by a more serious mood. Finally, there's the horrific holy shit, people, a pack of untamed chimpanzees somehow made it into the place, climbed a flight of stairs and started gnawing on my limbs mood. You would think that the conclusion of humankind as prophesized by the book of Revelations was playing out.

This morning? It was that third thing.

Then, before I knew it, the driver was calling and, of course, I let the phone ring over and over again even though I was so late because I was feeling about as inspired to go to work as I am to let wild rabbits consume my brain. When I did head to work, it was cold and blustery and the traffic sucked. I strolled into my office, took a sip of tea and ordered breakfast. Instead of it being the standard slightly grilled cheese sandwich, they dumped gallons of some green gooey crap into it and burnt my breakfast beyond recognition. I felt betrayed. Those men at the cafeteria, I thought they knew me. I thought we were tight. Soulless dogs.

I have meetings and countless hours of work standing between me and the weekend. I think it’s time to get more tea.

It’s been a while since I had some Alternative rock to listen to and Lifehouse’s ‘Joshua’ is filling that void quite nicely. Music from this band is always a huge plus in my book. This single is a remarkable display of guitar-light rock. The shimmering riffs that slip into the song are mixed in with some truly lovely guitar interplay all finishing in a densely layered, glorious tune. The dynamic highs and lows will be familiar to anyone who’s ever put on a Lifehouse record, but the band’s elegant musical craftsmanship are enough for them to make their own mark in the alternative-rock world.
This song from Lifehouse, was totally unknown to me until I was looking through their ‘Rare & Unplugged’ album. It’s yet another one of those things I listen to and think “damn, I wish I’d made that.