A staple act in most concerts and events, they sure do enjoy a throng of loyal followers, but surely listening to the same old songs, watching almost identical routines can spell repetitive monotony.
It doesn’t take long before the novelty of being a novelty act wears off thin.
Thinking outside the box, perhaps it’s about time artistes let music take precedence and let it do what it does best -- unite and ignite passion.
And a fine example was set on December 14, at Basantapur Durbar Square, when the folk ensemble Kutumba shared stage with rock outfit Albatross for the very first time. The occasion was Under One Sun festival – 60th anniversary of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
The fusion of the western acoustic with Nepali folk instrumentals was unique and it gave songs a touch of exclusivity; even “Timi Bhane” the anthem song of Albatross sounded as fresh as the day it was released.
“This was most unexpected, I still have goose bumps”; “They are two totally different sounds, yet the blending was so seamless, it was awesome”; “I’ll go and watch them perform together, any day,” are some of the testimonies that delighted crowd at Basantapur shared.
Definitely a proposition worth considering; and exploring the viability of this merge is Musicology and eleven11 who are bringing the two bands together one more time at 1905, Kantipath, Saturday, December 25.
According to Nitesh Linkha Rai, Director of Operations, Musicology, the response the artistes garnered at Basantapur Durbar Square sure did act like a catalyst for the impending concert at 1905.
“The reaction of the crowd was indeed encouraging and now our agenda is not only to bring two well-known bands in Nepali scene together on one stage but also to unite listeners with varying musical tastes,” shared Rai.
Whatever the self-certified residents of the capital might have to say about their musical preferences, it is evident that music can bring people together.
The two bands are not only skilled in their respective genres but enjoy a huge fan following, and have a combined hit of over 500,000 on their websites, including YouTube, MySpace and Facebook.
Shirish Dali, the vocalist/guitarist of Albatross revealed that the fusion idea started with the desire to experiment with different styles. However, he believes their performance was not up to par and was overwhelmed by the crowd’s reaction at Under One Sun festival.
Answering whether it was tough collaborating with Kutumba, Dali admitted, “They delve in totally different genre from ours, but somehow we manage to find a meeting point; I believe that’s the universal appeal of music, it unites.”
Just returning from practice session Pavit Maharjan, Percussionist of Kutumba, shared, “Every day has been a learning process for both bands, initially it was tough but now we are enjoying our jamming sessions and we’re excited about the concert.”
Adapting and adopting new ideas, learning new technicalities has been fruitful for both the parties, believes singer Dali.
Maharjan from Kutumba revealed that one of their missions has always been to preserve the authentic Nepali sound. “Through such fusion we want the people to know that it is possible to incorporate traditional instruments into modern musical ensemble.”
Saturday’s gig will see the bands merge together for six songs, which will include their earlier hits “Timi Bhaney” along with “Srishti ra Drishti” and “Nischal” from their latest album “Atti Bhayo”.
The event is scheduled to take place at 1905 in Kantipath, Kathmandu, December 25, from 5 pm with tickets priced at Rs 300.
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