“There are many music festivals organized in our country every year. But none of them really focus on promoting our local artists. Foreign performers always take the center stage,” says Prajwal Kattel, event manager of Nepal Music Festival 2017, adding that they intend to create a progressive platform for Nepali artists. 

Since 2012, Nepal Music Festival has been organizing events to bind Nepalis together through music to create a peaceful and prosperous nation. This year, Nepal Music Festival is going to take place on the November 17 and 18 at Bhrikutimandap. Their theme is ‘Namaste Nepali Music.’ “We intend to promote new and struggling artists who have great potential and can make a positive contribution to the field of Nepali music,” says Kattel. 

“Our nation hasn’t been able to promote Nepali artists and music. Local artists often have to spend their own money and struggle a lot to gain recognition,” says Ashish Manandar, ambassador of Nepali Music Festival 2017. “We wanted to give them the respect and recognition they deserve by organizing and promoting an event exclusively for Nepali artists,” he adds.

Artists who play local Nepali instruments such as Tungna, Damphu, Sarangi and Dha have been invited at the concert making this yearly musical festival a celebration of Nepali culture and dying Nepali instruments. Another unique aspect of this musical festival is that they invite volunteers and train them for more than two months each year. “We want to inculcate leadership and organizational abilities amongst the youth,” says Kattel adding that they also want to create a batch of youth organizers who can organize musical festivals in the future.

The artists The Week spoke to were busy practicing for the concert and were extremely excited to perform at Nepali Music Festival this year. Their energy and enthusiasm was clearly visible at the rehearsals. Here is a glimpse of what all you can expect at the music festival this weekend.    

DidiBahini     
This band comprises of five female band members and their songs revolve around different stories of Nepali women. “Our songs talk about female boding and collective strength of women. They are mostly based on real life stories and lifestyles of women outside Kathmandu valley,” says Mannu Shahi, guitarist of the Band. With the use of traditional as well as western instruments, the band’s music is something that will surprise and enthrall you at the same time. 

“We use authentic instruments such as Sarangi, Damphu, Dha, Dhol, and Madal and western devices such as guitar and drums to create a unique combination of ethnic pop songs which we are excited to display at the event,” she adds. 

Spoken word poetry
Poetry recitation has been an integral part of Nepali culture and literature. However, poetry performance is a different genre in itself as this combines theatre with poetry recitation. Two enthusiastic artists, Nawaraj Parajuli and Samip Dhungel are performing poetry at this two-day event. 

Nawaraj Parajuli says that he loves incorporating music into his poetry. Hence, his 30-minute long performance will be in sync with the tunes of Sarangi. “My poems at Nepal Music Festival will be about youth, love affairs, and even break ups. I am excited to recite one of my favorite poem titled, Lok Sewa Ayog,” says Parajuli. “It is going to be an emotional entertainment,” he adds
Samip Dhungel, on the other hand, has a different style. His poetries are about current affairs and personal life experiences. Music, however, does not play an integral part in his poetry performance. “For those who do not know what spoken word poetry is, I request you to come and watch us perform. You will go back home with a smile on your face for sure,” says Dhungel. 

Kamero

A group of Kathmandu University students formed a musical band named Kamero in 2014. The songs performed by this band mostly questions human existence and is also about finding oneself. “We call our songs progressive playing,” says Sushant Roy, drummer of Kamero Band. 

This young band is adamant in building their unique identity and contributing towards Nepali music. “Come to this music festival and enjoy our performance. We request the audience to encourage music created by Nepali artists,” says Roy. The band also focuses on background visualization along with their musical performance. “I’m sure this will be a unique live concert experience for the audience,” adds Roy. 

Prism 
A group of Rock and Roll music enthusiasts formed this band back in the 1970s. “Our band members have not been constant since then. We have had to go through a lot of ups and downs but our love for creating music has only grown stronger each year,” says drummer of the band, Dev Rana, adding that their band likes catering to both young and old crowd. 

“Our performance at the music festival will be English covers and rock songs. We have dedicated our life for music. Creating and playing music are what we do best and we hope that our audience has a good time along with us,” says Rana. 

Pahenlo Batti Muni 
Rochak Dahal along with his friend Pravesh Thapa Magar used to practice at each other’s house before forming their band. “Those were the days when load shedding was a regular thing in Kathmandu valley. We used to light a candle on top of a cupboard and practice. That almost became our daily ritual and so we decided to keep the name of our band ‘Pahenlo Batti Muni’ meaning under the yellow light,” says Dahal 

This band has five members who have different musical inclinations. “Some of us are interested in rock music, others are inclined towards progressive or folk music. So our band performs a mixed variety of songs,” he says. 

At the festival, Pahenlo Batti Muni will perform songs that talk about love affairs, lullabies, and rock based songs among other types of music. “We enjoy performing on stage and will give our best at the music festival,” concludes Dahal.

 
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