If you talk about the independent music scene in India, it’s very likely that the band Parvaaz will figure in the conversation sooner rather than later. With immensely popular songs like Beparwah, Shaad and Dil Khush, the eight-year-old Bengaluru-based band has carved a place for itself -- not only with its unique sound, but also with lyrics written in Urdu, Kashmiri and Hindi that hold on their own as beautifully written poetic pieces.
The founding members of the band – Khalid Ahamed (vocalist/guitarist) and Mir Kashif Iqbal (guitars) – are from Srinagar. The duo met in college in Bengaluru, and were joined by their drummer Sachin Banadur, and bassist Fidel D’Souza in 2011. The four have been together since. “It’s an achievement honestly,” Kashif chuckles, “We have such different ideologies and figuring out how to work with them together is something we continue doing.”
At a time when artists drop singles and albums frequently, Parvaaz, whose second album’s digital release is on October 18, has taken five years to put it together after their debut album ‘Baran’ came out in 2014. Parvaaz’s music is an eclectic blend of prog/psychedelic rock with folk and world music, and the band members say that their second album has been a long process in the making.
“None of us are professionally trained in music,” begins Khalid. “We are inspired by sounds and soundscapes – they could be from anywhere. That’s how we have worked from the beginning. We all come from different backgrounds, and so everyone has a certain idea of a piece of music. When we play together, there’s a lot of arrangement and rearrangement that happens. So, shaping of a song is a lengthy process for us.”
Ask them about their journey, and it turns out that the city of Bengaluru has had a significant role to play.
“When we started out, independent music was taking off in Bengaluru and elsewhere. But there weren’t many bands that were singing in their native language,” Kashif recounts. “It helped that we started out here, because Bengaluru is the rock capital of the country. The response we got as a band that was singing in an unfamiliar language here encouraged us to keep making music,” Kashif adds. “As did the culture of people going out to listen to music as a social activity, and even the rock and independent music festivals that started happening in the country,” chimes in Fidel.
While the band members have been spending quite some time together of late with their new album coming out, they like to unwind just like anyone else when they are not making music. “We order pizza, go for dinner with friends and family, finish household chores," says Fidel. "And try to balance life and work (music),” he adds.
With such fond memories associated with the city, the clampdown on live music in Bengaluru over the last few months does bother the band. “It has affected us because where do you play when there no place or platform to perform, what do you do? But I think the younger bands are more affected, especially if they are only playing in the city,” Khalid says.
Kashif points that if live music performances are not just about the venues or the artists making money for that evening. “It’s a big loss to the society in general, not just music fans. People who come out for a night out after a long week take back a lot with them when they attend a live gig, or listen to music. Music is food for the soul,” he says earnestly. “But I hope it becomes better in future… we’ll find more ways to do concerts. Musicians will find a way,” he assures.
Music has also been a refuge for the Kashif and Khalid in the last few weeks given the communication blockade in Kashmir over the last many weeks. “We’ve finally been able to get in touch with our families,” they say. “But music is a place where we go to find peace. We write songs and create music in an isolated manner. So, there’s isn’t a direct reference or influence on our songs, but it’s there in the back of our minds always.”
There’s a lot that Parvaaz has achieved in their career – critical acclaim and awards for their music and previous album and EPs, making the cover of Rolling Stone magazine’s May 2018 issue as “India’s Most Exciting Band”, going on national tour in 2016, and even opening for English rock band Alt-J during the Emerge Festival in 2015. But there’s still a long way to go, they say.
“We want to spread our music as far and wide as we can, even go international. The goals are high, the rest is up to god,” says Khalid.
“We also want people to truly experience our second album ‘Kun’. There’s a lot of hard work and thought that has gone into it… It’s a record of our last five years,” Kashif adds. Describing ‘Kun’, which means existence, as a theme-based album, the band urges people to listen to it as a whole. “As our drummer Sachin would say – just turn off shuffle and listen to the album from start to finish. Take it as an experience,” Kashif says.