Mangaluru: If you are craving for some Bollywood songs like “Jiyen Kyon and Maula’ or “Kabhi Jo Bada and Galiyan”; and for that Western songs like “Rhythm of Love (Scorpions), “Sweet Child O Mine” (Guns and Roses), “Lay Back in the arms.” (Smokey) and many more-then head out this Saturday 21 March to G6-Music Cafe-Valencia, where six youngsters belonging to the the Desi Rock Band “Charitra” will be performing live from 8pm onwards. It’s a band by the “Young” for the Young”- and for that matter even adults are also welcome to feel their music. And in case you miss them this Saturday, look out for their “Big Gig” planned for 17 May 2015 at St Agnes Special school grounds. These guys will rock your socks off with their unique and versatile music!
For those who feel it is infra dig to be present at musical concerts, there is an alternate now. Western and Desi Rock bands in the city are giving a fresh look to musical groups. These bands do different genres of fusion music depending upon the mood and theme. What band members of Charitra do is rearrange the music and present an old song in a different manner or give a different touch to a Bollywood song. Its very different from the DJ spinning music on the turntable, because here the band plays live and give the song a different beat.
Many hard core rock lovers may find this as dilution of the genre but those dabbling in it say that it is the only way to survive. Many say very soon that rock in its original avatar will be hard to sustain, so these days though the style may be rock but songs are both in Hindi/Kannada/Marathi. Little heard original compositions are not appreciated. People want to hear popular numbers.Rock/pop bands are all about western numbers or original compositions- In the city that culture was to be found only at Pubs or other places where bands would belt out English songs.
It is this desi touch which is the survival mantra for many of these bands in the city-Rock bands here perform Bollywood which are already popular. Change of singers and performing artists adds freshness to these already well known numbers. Being a rock band they have the freedom to present popular numbers differently. There are many new Bollywood soft numbers these days, and the band members present them in their style and improvise on the compositions. The audience are more appreciative of such presentations and they get an opportunity to let their creative juices flow.
I have noticed that many youngsters form a band at college level. That’s the only period when they stick to the genre as they are participating in competitions.But once out of college most either give up or start singing Bollywood songs. It is one way to make commercial gains out of a passion but in the end I feel one should have faith in their music and keep doing original work. The members of ‘Charitra” have formed this band two years and have stayed together to give their best performance to music lovers of Mangaluru- and believe me, they simply rock!
“Charitra” band members are all geared up to make a difference in the society with their music, by promoting their music and connecting with their friends and fans. They are looking for more and more support from their fans. No doubt that they have already won the hearts of hundreds of the young generation so far, they are looking to expand their popularity even further. Of all the bands that are playing in and around Mangaluru at the moment, I can definitely say that one of the most promising Desi Rock Band consisting of this six-piece outfit is “Band Charitra”
Constantly gigging and gaining a reputation as one of the most hard-working Desi Rock bands in the city, they create a sound which is reliant on the energy and honesty of yesteryear songs and present hits. It is difficult to pinpoint solid influences, but what they produce is enjoyably familiar. As far as I know so far they have been reluctant to commit to anything strictly official, preferring to continue to do their own thing, in their own way and without the hassles and interference of third parties.
Some might say that they should grab the chance right now while it exists, however it is not something that overly concerns the band. They are continually growing in stature and the odds are that such interest is just a taste of what is to come. The band wants to concentrate on their live performances, and that’s the reason they have planned an mega outdoor concert in May. This is evident when watching them, as it is here where they shine. It seems as if the stage is a place for emotional release, where they can perform without concern or compromise. The musical chemistry between the band musicians is clearly evident. They are all equally competent and fill the role extremely well.
Ever since the band was formed in 2012, every member of the band has getting along good with each other and have been working together in harmony, with determination and enthusiasm to give their best performance and to the sheer satisfaction of the audience. With many bands splitting after a while due to differences with each other, but interacting with the band members I learned that they want to perform together and stay together for a long time, entertaining the society to the best of their abilities.
The main motto of the band is to render the best music that they can provide , to please the crowd, keep their reputation and anticipate good remarks from their audience. Hard work, ignore what anyone else is doing how well or badly they are. Focus on what they are doing-perform at big gigs, network and make friends. Learn music trade through time and patience, and when they have done the best job someone will notice. Like everything the music industry is one where you need thrown in at the deep end to learn how to swim. Most swim enough to make it to the shallow end then the changing rooms. Witnessing some of their performances at G6-Music cafe in the past, I can say that: Band Charitra” has reached to greater heights through their intensive practices, thoughtful lyrics, and mesmerizing the crowd with their impeccable performances.
The main motto of the band member is to capture the audience, with an insane amount of music thrown at them. “It’s a very interesting job and we are thankful to be together in this “Band” playing with the best and kindest musicians we have ever known- and that’s us. We have the energy and momentum that inspire the organizers and audience alike. Performing live is always precarious. You’re on your toes to make sure things don’t go wrong, and it’s amazing that things don’t go wrong all the time. But there are fantastic people working to make it turn out well.” say the six-pack crew beaming with pride.
The band comprises of Lead Vocals – Melwyn Antony D’Souza; Keyboards & Vocals- Loy Valentine Saldanha; Lead Guitar& Vocals- Patson Pereira; Bass Guitar- Rikith Soans; Drums & Percussions – Ian Sachin Saldanha; and Percussion & Drums- Jill Gavin D’Souza. One has to watch these guys play live- their prominent electric guitar riffs, bright synthesisers, a homogeneous sound and message, and the pitch-correcting software Auto-Tune are superb. This “peppy” band who are heavy on clipped rhythms and chugging guitars and mesmerising keyboards are sure to entertain everyone once they are on stage live.
So far the band has worked on various projects- from doing live concerts to creating jingles to various companies, namely Corporation Bank, Karnataka Bank, Campco, Pratham Inn and Resorts, Losofina Games 2014-Goa and many others. They have also made short films like Ek Galthi, Back To Square One, 5 Letters; also come up with music albums namely Sparsh Tuza(Marathi); Chinthna, ashellon, Bindas, Tuje Khatir (Konkani); made videos namely Meri Zindagi, Mera Mann; They have also done theme songs and videos for: Dance 2 Dance, Dance Mummy Dance, Kudla Telepale, Shalimar Liverpool, Maheshianz;
There is a thriving Desi Rock scene in India. What’s your take on it? It is very understandable that such a diverse, distraught, and beautiful country like India creates such great Desi rock music. It has all the important elements –– novel and emotional subject matter, and swift revolutionary change in the economic, political and social spheres, creating further rifts within the society itself. I have become very fascinated with the scene recently. There must be more attention paid to venues, sound equipment, engineers, and producers.
The power of each song performed by the band is just exceptional – awesome vocals, awesome arrangement of instruments. Once the band starts performing they let you lost into a real word of rock! A worth listen for each and everyone out there! Seriously! Keep rocking “Charitra”! A band which pumped life into Indian Fusion Rock! Brilliant Songs all round! Simply superb; Great music.. All the band members are awesome at what they do. This band is amongst the few bands who revive the true essence of Indian/Bollywood Music. Attend a live concert from these guys and you’ll know that ‘Charitra’ is definitely the best Desi rock band around.
Loy Valentine Saldanha:
Loy being the managing director of PMV productions & BAND CHARITRA has been pursued his engineering in music production and sound design from A.R Rehman’s Institute Audio Media, Chennai. He has been playing the keyboard since he was 10 years old, and has been the Official Composer/vocalist/Music Programmer/Sound engineer at PMV ever since its formation. Loy is a bundle of talent, enthusiasm, and creativity maxed out. Plays the keyboards & synthesizer for the band and is a vocalist.
Melwyn Antony D’Souza:
Melwyn has pursued his degree In Carnatic music, Art & Culture. He is an amazing Lead Vocalist/Composer/Lyricists of the band and with his extreme high notes, he is well known to sweep the audience off their seats and bring them to the dance floor. Melwyn has a Creativity to write lyrics who got Nominated for the best lyricists for KONKANI GLOBAL Awards 2012 ,And is the official lyricist of this Production House. Over the years he has written amazing lyrics & sung for several Projects or jingles.
Patson Pereira:
Who has Pursued His business management studies at St Aloysius College is the lead guitarist of the band and is a Co-vocalist,. He is also a music programmer and a sound engineer from SAE Institute , Kaula Lampur- Malaysia .
Ian Sachin Saldanha:
Sachin who has pursued his bachelors of commerce at St Aloysius College , is the drummer and the percussionist of the band with an energetic spirit
Jill Gavin D’Souza:
has pursued his bachelors of commerce at St Aloysius college, has got lot of experience playing for various bands is the percussionist and drummer of the band .
Rikith Leonard Soans:
is pursuing his nursing studies at Wenlock College of Nursing is the bassist of the band- he fulfills and covers up the band with his magical talent on the bass guitar
Following are the excerpts from the interview with the ‘Band Charitra”:
Q : Can you tell us about the formation/reformation of the group? What made you and how did you all got-together?
It was all about our friend circle with our buddy musicians and the understanding which made us get together and form this amazing group.
Q : What do you feel about the music industry today?
Music today has been very energetic and there is a new trend and a new generation music is been introduced for today’s generation.
Q : Are you all planning to be a full fledged band or just a fun band?
Yes obviously we are planning for a full pledge band and to reach great heights and give good music.
Q : Do you think singer/songwriters are the best interpreters of their own work or do you believe some cover versions can be better then the original?
Actually original work has a lot of value and acceptance since the composer or the band will have a own identity . Cover versions are more appreciated if they are improvised and a new creativity is been shown.
Q : As you are starting out your career in the music industry what steps do you plan on taking to reach your goal?
We are planning to work more on our originals and give out some unique cover versions and give out some amazing music which will be accepted by people.
Q : What courses/classes would you recommend someone to take if they want to be a successful musician in the music field?
We would suggest some theoretical classes as well as practical performing classes to be a successful musician.
Q : How many years did it take for you guys to finally set-up with your band?
It took up almost 2 years for us to set up finally with good co-ordination.
Q : From your experience so far, what have you found to be most challenging? And how are you dealing with it?
From our experience the most challenging is to compose our tunes and give out the best so that it will be loved by people .Good performance by the band to sound amazing and give a good output at the end of the day.
Q : Share with us your proudest moment in your music career or a gig so far?
Performing for a political leaders event , inaugural of Pratham Inn &Resort and many other corporate events.
Q : What aspirations do you all look forward for your band/group?
Our aspiration is to give out the Bollywood Level Music by our performance and with our potential .
Q : What kind of music influences your song writing? Are there any artists that inspire you?
Since we are a Desi Rock Band , we concentrate on many genres of the same kind that inspires us in songwriting and we are inspired by several Bollywood artists.
Q : Are you planning on releasing any music CD of your own shortly? What’s next stored for you guys? Any upcoming events?
Yes very shortly we will be releasing our own music CD. We are stored with many amazing compositions in various languages like HINDI,KONKANI,KANNADA etc .Yes we are holding an Mega Event on the 17th of May 2015 to give out an Unique Musical Concert with a release of our album.
Q : What made you think of a band to play different kinds of music in different languages? What has been the response from the crowd when you entertain them?
Since we face multi lingual crowd we need to focus on the different kinds of music in different languages and till date we have received an amazing response from the crowd for our performance.
COME AND WATCH THIS BAND PLAY LIVE THIS SATURDAY 21 MARCH AT G6-MUSIC CAFE-VALENCIA . BE THERE-IT’S LIVE AND LOU
Comments:
Venga Boys-Manipal, India Mar 23, 2015
Three words to describe ‘Chritra”–“BAND SIMPLY ROCKS”
Loy Valentine – CHARITRA, India Mar 23, 2015
Thanq So much guys…. for the great support and love towards the band…. this support and love is surely gonna boost our confidence to a great extent and help us in giving out the best of the best Music forever……
Thanx to Alfie D’Souza-Team Mangalorean for helping us to reach all you people out there…..
Prashanth Sequeira, Shirva/Dubai, UAE Mar 22, 2015
I haven’t heard this band yet. But the artists those who involved in this band are just superb with their musical instruments and im sure they are going to Rock in every musical shows..Wish BAND CHARITRA all the best and success.
Julie and Friends, manipal, India Mar 22, 2015
Charitra guys simply rocked the night with exploding Bollywood hits, with a bit of Western hits.
Saturday night with \”Charitra band was a night to be remembered.
Mahesh Revanker, Manipal, India Mar 22, 2015
Thanks for the information- me and my friends just witnessed one of the greatest indoor live concert- and “Band Charitra’ rocked the house.
Stevan Fernandes, India Mar 21, 2015
Great Band! Great Music! Great Performance- wish the band all success in their future ventures.
Mathew Thomas, Mangalore, India Mar 21, 2015
Awesome band who perform some of the best Bollywood and Western tunes. Best of luck in their music career. They simply rock!
A Ardent Fan, India Mar 21, 2015
These guys simply rock- can’t wait to see them live on Saturday at G6- will be there with my buddies.
Nithin Shetty, USA Mar 21, 2015
I would love to see you guys when I am back.. Rock ON
