Everyone wants to be a musician nowadays: Sachin

India may be known for producing soothing, soulful percussion sounds, but what happens when youngsters strum guitars, clang cymbals and play a bass guitar? You get Parvaaz — a Bangalore-based band with Kashif Iqbal on lead guitar, Khalid Ahmed on vocals, Fidel D’souza and Sachin Banandur on drums.
Parvaaz, which means ‘flight’ in Urdu, has inspired these music artists to distance themselves and become spectators to everyday realities.Their songs are about experiences of love, loss, faith and dreams, among others. The band, which has performed in several college festivals in 2010, are now launching an album for their fans.
Ask how the idea of for album came about, and Sachin says, “People have been asking us to come up with an album, so we just decided to do it when we were jamming once.”
And like most upcoming bands, they are the financiers of this project. “We’ve done everything, from finding a recording studio, to coming up with the album art,” says Sachin, adding, “The toughest part of recording is finding a good studio. There are not many recording studios of good quality in Bangalore for people on a shoe-string budget.” But Sachin is radiant and hopeful that the effort and time invested will reap its rewards sooner or later.
The band is so passionate about music that each of the members have jobs related to music. “The best part about being a musician is the freedom to be yourself and to express yourself. But unfortunately, everyone wants to be a musician nowadays,” says Sachin.
While most rock bands play their music in English, and access a large group of people in the process, Parvaaz dishes out music in vernacular Urdu and Kashmiri. Ask Sachin why the band has chosen a road less traversed, and he says, “Khalid and Kashif are Kashmiris and they like to write and sing in a language that they are comfortable with. For Khalid, Urdu comes from the heart.”
And this band is not piqued that people might not understand their songs. “Fusion music has now become quite popular in India now. For example, Raghu Dixit is going places. People might not understand their lyrics, but it is the music that captures everyone’s hearts,” says Sachin.