We have heard musicians retelling stories of how addictive they find music and how they just can’t let go. It’s the reason Axis band’s front man, Sandeep Bishwokarma, also cites, in a rather matter of fact fashion, for his latest comeback. It’s certainly been a while since we last saw the singer in action, nine years to be exact. But while he has been away in Hong Kong for most parts, Bishwokarma shares that music has always been on his mind. This was eventually going to happen.

With the recent launch of their brand new album, Ghar Gau ko Bimochan, Axis band wants to musically make the most of 2017.  Even though the long gap has apparently made Bishwokarma a little nervous (he confessed that unlike his previous years, talking to the media now makes him shake in his boots), together with the band he is ready to roll. 
The Week talked to him about his comeback and also found out what’s on his playlist.

Do you feel the need to win back your listeners?
I have realized that it’s very hard to win over all the audience everywhere. Besides, where bands are concerned, many people seem to have a tendency to compare your present work with your past hits. In our case, it’s obviously Adhuro Prem. It’s seems like it is forever going to be a benchmark for us. If we sing a tune of a different pattern, there are people who say our old sound was better. If we bring out more songs like Adhuro Prem, there will still be people who believe the old tunes were still better. 

We actually worked in this new album with motives to offer something to everybody. Soft rock, heavy rock, pop, we have a little of everything in this new release. So we have certainly put in the effort. As for the response, it’s not in our hands.

Were there any inspirations for your comeback album?

There wasn’t any particular thing or event that served as an inspiration. We actually just tried to build our sound from the previous albums. The thing is after our 2004 hit album, Black and White, Axis hasn’t been able to offer much. Though we did release an album in 2009 as well, there were recording problems. We had to switch multiple studios and I believe that affected the quality of our songs to an extent.

So for this album, we took the best bits of our sound and previous hits and build new songs from there on. You won’t find a lot of experimentation but there is a lot of progress. The tunes are more refined and tight and there is more variety.

Axis has witnessed many lineup changes in the band, how do you feel about that?
There was a time when it seemed anybody who became our lead guitarist was eligible for a US visa, like becoming a part of Axis was their lucky charm. So they would play for a couple of months, then leave. Our original line up also changed because our members had to go abroad for their studies. That’s just how it is in Nepal but we are all still in touch with one another.

Currently though, we have Biju Karmacharya and Saurav Raj Bhandari playing the guitar, Romit Shrestha on bass and Kabin Shakya on drums. We actually knew one another from the time we were going around participating in band competitions. That was probably 16 or so years ago. I don’t even remember the name of those competitions. We all played for different bands back then but now, we have decided to do it together.

Bishwokarma’s Playlist

Nahera Malai: Mukti and Revival

This song never fails to take me back to my college days. Robin and Mukti dai were big influences when I was starting to professionally get into music. I used to follow their work religiously. I also remember that this was back when we bought CDs because after listening to Nahera Malai, I went out and got Mukti Shakya’s collection.

Daiba Hey, Sanup Paudel

Daiba Hey is a soundtrack of the movie Manjari. I had actually uploaded the video of this single on my Facebook with the caption, “best singer, best song”. It wasn’t that I was caught up in the hype either. I have always admired Swonup Paudel’s vocal tone. I sincerely believe that he is one of the best singers we have in our industry.

Raat ki Rani, Hemanta Rana

I had just left the country when Hemanta Rana dropped his hit album. I remember popular Nepali websites like cybersansar raving about his work. That’s where I discovered him. Back then, I didn’t YouTube as much but still the arrangement and composition of the song had me instantly loving the track. 

Aama, Yama Budha

His untimely demise has been such an unfortunate incident. Like most of his fans, I too find myself going back to his hits these days. I knew him before he began releasing his tracks and gaining popularity via the rap battles. His lyrics and flow were simply unparalleled. Our music industry certainly lost a talented artist. 

Mero Aakha Ma Bhardinu: Deep Shrestha

Even though my music preferences have changed over the years, Mero Aakha Ma Bhardinu still remains a classic on my playlist. It must have been one of the first songs I stumbled upon. I was a kid when it was doing the rounds on the radio but even now, every time I listen to it, I appreciate it more. It’s got everything you need in a song.

 
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