Seldom do we come across a band that not only plays soulful music, but often stands up for important social issues too. Bengaluru-based folk/fusion band Swarathma fourth studio album, Raushan, talks about being in a state of liberation and floating in a state of feeling light within.
The band has taken a different approach with its latest album, and decided to release each song separately. This has given them time to work on each track, while in the midst of their tour. “There is no running theme to this album, so each song has its own thing going on. It’s interesting even for us, because we don’t know how the next one is going to turn out,” said Varun Murali.
‘Bas’ is a comment on the state of the country or world at large and how the band chooses to respond to it. “I’ve heard a couple of my friends interpret it quite differently, and that’s actually great. So, I would love to hear how people interpret it,” added Varun.
The band during a performance. | Photo Credit: Courtesy: Swarathma
The next track to be released from the album is ‘Aiyanar Kudurai’, a song about the journey of a horse. This is the first time Swarathma is attempting a Tamil song, for which they have collaborated with Anthony Dasan, a renowned folk/fusion artiste from Tamil Nadu. Undergoing final mixing and mastering at the moment, the band has been playing the song live to see how people respond to it. “We enjoy such collaborations as they bring forth fresh ideas and styles that sometimes contrast beautifully with our own,” said Sanjeev Nayak.
In their current series of eco-tours, Swarathma has used solar and clean energy for key concert systems in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chandigarh and Lucknow among other cities. The initiative has been one of the most enriching and challenging projects the band has ever done. It began when they worked on a music project with SELCO Foundation, which works on accessible renewable energy across communities. “In the course of composing a song for them, we came up with a wild idea of powering a 1,000-person concert with renewable energy,” recalled Jishnu Dasgupta.
The conversation sparked off a beautiful chain of events that culminated in SUNNY, the 100KVA clean energy system that is travelling with the band on an eight-city concert tour in which the sound, visuals and sometimes even the lights of the show are fully powered by solar or clean energy, eliminating the need for the standard diesel gensets that are otherwise used at concerts. “We hope to set a new standard for environmentally-conscious entertainment and promote the adoption of sustainable practices within the music industry. This idea resonates with the kind of music we make, and it has been heartening to see the response from audiences and organisers alike,” added Jishnu.
Under the ‘Tour of Trees’, the band partners with groups working to protect green cover in urban areas. | Photo Credit: Courtesy: Swarathma
Recently, Swarathma also supported retaining Bengaluru’s green cover with an acoustic jam inside Cubbon Park.Under the ‘Tour of Trees’, the band partners with groups working to protect green cover in urban areas, a cause that is very close to their hearts. “On the appointed day, we move from tree to tree performing acoustic versions of our songs for the trees as well as tree lovers. The announcements go like ‘9.00 am: Peepal Tree’, ‘9.30 am: Banyan Tree’, etc. It’s a humorous take on the concert tour format, but with a purpose,” explained Jishnu.
“As artists we tend to be open and vulnerable to things happening around us. We are blessed to have music as a means of expressing and healing; whatever affects us gets an outlet in the form of music,” said Vasu Dixit.
In the past, the band has also made music around issues such as child sexual abuse, urbanisation as well as a satire on politics in daily life among other things. “Music is a great way to communicate and start a conversation about difficult things, and we know that it might not be an answer to everything or anything. But music definitely helps build bridges in our hearts,” concluded Vasu.
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