But the lovers of Rock forget the fear of altitude and the sickness that comes along with it, and are ready to party at Namche.[break]
The “Pepsi Party @ Namche” is bringing the happening alternative Rock ensemble of the moment, Albatross, in what is termed as the most unique gig ever in Nepal. Do note the date and venue – Saturday, September 10 at Hotel Yeti Mountain of Namche Bazaar.
Albatross will be performing some 20 songs from their recent and past albums at one of the world’s highest regions for the first time.
The easiest way to Everest, and the concert, is, of course, to fly to Lukla. And if you love the outdoors, you can always go by road to Jiri and hike through picturesque landscapes, which will take about a week to reach Lukla.
For those planning on taking the latter, the concert organizers have decided to hire porters to carry all the equipments required for the concert.
A total of twenty people from different parts of the country will be chosen through lucky draws and flown to attend the concert at Namche Bazaar.
According to the organizers, transporting all the equipments to Namche and acclimatization of the band members have been the most challenging part of the concert.
Republica caught up with guitarist Sunny Manandhar and guitarist and vocalist Shirish Dali of Albatross at Upper Crust, a gig at Krishna Villa Resort of Budanilkantha, on August 20 to talk about their imminent concert at Namche, with snippets on their tours of Australia.
Gig at Namche! How did the news settle with you guys at first?
Shirish: A mix of incredulity and happiness. We got the phone call while we were in Australia. The U-Turn guys asked us to perform at Namche. We had worked with them before but I wasn’t sure what exactly the event was. I think it’s a good publicity
for the band, so I’m happy about it.
What do you think will be the biggest challenge?
Shirish: I’m a little concerned about transporting the sound equipments up there and managing the sound logistics. It’ll be a test, for sure! I’m also worried that we may succumb to altitude sickness. It’s a three-day show, so even if one member of the band gets sick, it’ll be difficult.
Sunny: Acclimating is still a big concern.
How does it feel performing in a new territory?
Shirish: Without bragging, I think we’re the first ones to jam at 11,000 feet (laughs).
Sunny: It’s special, of course. I’ve heard about singers performing with tracks but nothing like a full-fledged live concert. I feel privileged to be a part of this campaign.
Tell us something about the songs you’ll be playing.
Sunny: Definitely our most popular songs. It’s going to be an intimate concert, and a lot will depend on the feedback from the audience. As it so happens, we often make the set list but we never follow it. We’re so into breaking rules (chuckles).
Do you think this will also be a promotion for Nepal Tourism Year [NTY] 2011?
Sunny: It is. The concert is definitely putting the area in the news. Local tourism is very important. The Khumbu region is an expensive place. I think it’s a smashing deal for the lucky-draw winners. Hey, I would want to win (laughs). I think we’ll have international tourists as well. So this concert will surely help promote NTY 2011.
Do you think this concert will open the gates for other bands to play in the region?
Shirish: If this concert is good, why not? It’s still in an experimental phase. If the show is good, others will probably try. However, considering the terrains, it’s not exactly practical.
Let’s descend and head to land down under, Australia. Tell us about your experiences.
Shirish: It was organized well, something we aren’t used to around here (chuckles). It was more than just making money. The organizers were there for music and it showed.
Sunny: The concerts were really good in terms of technical aspects – the sound and light system left the performers in us well satisfied. There was meticulous attention paid to the technical parts.
How was the turnout, the audience?
Shirish: They were mostly Nepalis, really supportive. There were some exotic faces as well, fans from other countries. I remember a Korean girl who was singing along with us.
Sunny: Yeah, there were Filipinos, Vietnamese, Koreans and many others besides our Nepali crowd.
Shirish: I’m personally happy that there was no fight (laughs).
Choose between touring in Nepal or touring abroad!
Shirish: I’m not trying to sound modest, but we’re ready anywhere when it comes to performing. However, if the talk is about money, international tours definitely pay you good. But then, you know, it’s not all for money. These days, we’re mostly playing at bars, but we aren’t really interested in it. Our fans are mostly college students, and they aren’t allowed to stay out late into the night. Besides, they don’t have enough money.
That’s why we’re also trying to take our shows to colleges. We would also love to tour Nepal, but again it’s the technical aspects that drag us down. We don’t want to compromise on the sound quality.
Holler at your fans.
Shirish: Please, support our band. And yes, anyhow “Babbal machau!”
Sunny: We need people to support our local artists. There are some amazing talents out there. Our music industry has never been so diverse in terms of styles, genres.
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