Make love, not war

Strings went from being the boys next door to becoming international rock stars, getting international acclaim and becoming UNICEF Pakistan’s National Ambassadors for HIV and Aids in just a little more then a decade. With each successive album they released, their sound matured and their lyrics became more meaningful. Their songs had a knack for reaching out to a mass audience. Strings grew on all of us in such a way that their songs became what we hummed day and night, the sound of their kind of music became more and more familiar —to the point of it becoming easy to predict a typical Strings song from any other. It just might be about time they do something about that.

Their latest offering, Beirut, written by Anwar Maqsood, although primarily based on the recent bombing on Beirut, is about the implications that a war has on a society and its people. According to Bilal, who was speaking for himself and Faisal, “This song is not just about Beirut. It is about what is happening in the world around us. It’s an anti war song” he went on to elaborate how Faisal and himself, being fathers, were concerned about the younger generation growing up in an increasingly hostile world and the need for them to be more socio-politically conscious. He stresses that, “we didn’t want to promote us. We wanted to promote the subject”.

When questioned about writing the Beirut song, Anwar Maqsood replied, “Actually Faisal forced me to write that song. He had already composed the music for it and needed the lyrics. I based it on the movies on Beirut that I used to watch when I was younger. Around the same time, I was also doing a project on Lebonnen, so that also helped”. He also added that, “Overall the entire song took around two days to write”.

Having already written several popular Strings songs already, he is expected to be the sole lyricist for their upcoming album leading one to wonder: why him? “We are comfortable working with him. He understands our concepts and our music” replied Faisal, “being an artist himself, the way he writes songs tends to produce a very graphical picture of the concept we have in mind. Plus, he writes prose in a way that doesn’t make the language difficult to understand to anyone”.

Strings upcoming album is due sometime in the end of February, beginning of March, right after Moharram. The status on the album is that they have already composed all of the music and are currently spending time in the studio recording it. The lyrics for most of the songs still need to be written, but they have already come up with concepts for each of their songs. There is no particular theme that dominates the album, however, they have composed some songs that touch upon socio-political issues, not unlike Beirut.

One of the songs they are working on is based on terrorism, the lack of security and uncertainty that surrounds it. It is about a man who leaves his house not knowing whether or not he will be able to come back home. Being the official UNICEF Pakistan’s National Ambassadors for HIV and Aids, it comes as no surprise that there is also a song on Aids currently in the making. Strings hope to launch the song on December 1^st, World Aids Day.

They are currently undecided as to which label to sign up with in Pakistan but will definitely be signing up with Sony BMG in India. They are currently touring between Nepal, the United States and Switzerland.

One has to credit them for taking the initiative to ‘talk’ about issues that are currently affecting the greater world. The video of Beruit, although not entirely a piece of art, seems to be inspired by that of Sarah Mc. Lachlan’s “World on fire”. It graphically depicts the impact of wars, making it more ‘real’. Since time immemorial artistes have used their power and influence to generate attention and focus towards issues and events that had a major impact on certain groups of people. Wars have been stopped and people have been saved as a result of those efforts.

With the world becoming more and more global, nowadays, what affects only a certain group affects everyone else directly or indirectly and whether they like it or not. It’s about time that someone from the media used their creativity to snap most of us out of the materialistically-driven haze we seem to be perpetually lost in and made us sit up and take notice.

Photo: A screen shot from the video of Beirut, Strings latest anti-war song.

First Published:
Images
October 29th, 2006

To Norway and back
Norway, which has a very large desi community, has always been somewhat receptive when it comes to having local musicians perform for them. Looking back, Junoon was the first Pakistani band to perform in Norway back in 1999 to a full house at the Oslo Concert Hall. In September 2001, they went back again and collaborated with Morten Harket, a member of the popular Norwegian band A-ha, on a concert in which they jointly performed several songs.

Fast forward to 2006 and three sets of musicians from Pakistan recently went to Norway to perform at the World Music Festival in August. Shallum and Gumby collaborated with the Norwegian band Fryd, Overload (featuring Puppo Sain) and Atif Aslam, who was accompanied by guitarist Sarmad Ghafoor, and also performed on separate days during the festival.

Images decided to have a heart-to-heart with Ingrid Kindem of Fryd on its collaboration with desi musicians during the festival and on their future plans in Pakistan. Also, Farhad Humayun from Overload shared his experience of performing for a Norwegian audience.

“Fryd went to Pakistan for the first time because of the Norwegian company Telenor,” says Ingrid. They have a big international cultural programme and they wanted us to play a concert together with Fuzon at the launch in Islamabad in March 2005. It was very interesting for us to work with Fuzon so we wanted to develop the project together. Later on, we went to Karachi for studio work in both Immu’s and Shallum’s studio.

“Shallum wanted us to meet some of the local musicians and he introduced us to Gumby and Khalid, the bass-player. We had several jam-sessions in Shallum’s studio and had a lot of fun playing together with local musicians. Russell and some local vocalists also joined us. We played some standard jazz tunes together, some pop-covers and also original material composed by Fryd and Shallum. For us, the original music is the most interesting. Shallum has composed a lot of great instrumental music; he has definitely developed his own sounds-cape and character, and we hope to work on that material later on.

“We had a great time working with Shallum and Gumby in Karachi. They are really great musicians, open-minded and they challenge us to play our best. We wanted them to join us at a concert at the World Music Festival in Norway,” Ingrid said, continuing on how Fryd ended up collaborating with Shallum and Gumby in the festival. “We also included a tabla and a banjo player in the band. We rehearsed for several days to give this collaboration a special sound.

“The concert was a big venue outdoor, and the audience was really enthusiastic. Later on, we did a live concert at the National Norwegian Broadcasting which included an interview with Shallum,” he added.

Fryd ended up performing a track they titled Thumri. Lyrically, it was in a local language. How did that end up happening? “After working with Fuzon, we really wanted to learn more about Pakistani classical music. Fuzon gave us an introduction to some Pakistani raags and we found some similarities in traditional Norwegian folk music. Later on, we made a new song together based both on a raag and a Norwegian scale.

“Mocci wrote some Norwegian lyrics and Shafqat made a similar lyric in Urdu. Last year, Fryd did some studio-recordings in Lahore, and we tried to record a classical thumri song. The guys in the studio helped us a lot and Mocci really worked hard to sing the lyrics in Urdu,” related Ingrid. “A lot of people liked the arrangement and the way we played the song, so we developed it to include some Norwegian lyrics as well. I'm sure we will develop a lot of songs this way. Music is a great and universal language. You don’t always have to understand the lyrics, but you can feel what this is about when good musicians perform.”

And what is your perception of the Pakistani audience? “They are curious, enthusiastic and friendly. What more can you ask for? We want to come back soon,” replied Ingrid enthusiastically. “Fryd has fallen in love with Pakistan and we are absolutely thrilled to return in November. The Pakistani people are so friendly; we have a lot to learn from them.”

Elaborating on their plans of coming to Pakistan, Ingrid told us, “The tour with the Norwegian-Pakistani Collaboration will be set in a few days and it seems like Shallum will be a part of that project.” Details of their visit include a concert in Islamabad on November 9, and after a performance and a short studio stint in Lahore, they plan to perform in Karachi on the 18 or the 19.

Moving on, Farhad related what Norway was initially like for them. “We were scheduled to play two gigs in Oslo at the festival at the Docklands. We were situated at a downtown hotel where all the nightlife is and all the decadent artistes hang out. The Oslo jazz fest was on so we took out the time to hear some good authentic jazz. The weather was cool and breezy –– perfect for us to kick up a storm. Ours was the only band which was at the venue well before the others for a thorough sound check, so we sounded really good as the opening act for the festival and got the groove going for other bands to follow.”

Talking about the festival, he says, “It was a three day fest. The first day was pretty desi in terms of the crowd turn out and artistes that played, although the Danish band Outlandish also played that night. The second and third days were dedicated to world music. We saw a great Egyptian band, a Palestinian band with a female singer and another big band with a great horn section. Other than music, there was food and a separate booth for poetry, cross-cultural discussions and debate. It was fun because we didn’t expect Norway to be so multicultural.”

How was the response that Overload got? “Phenomenal. Absolutely fantastic. I don’t want to praise the band unnecessarily but I must say each member of the band played like this festival was his last. God has been very kind. We were signing autographs and getting pictures taken right after we got off stage. Especially at the second gig, we had a turnout of about 100,000 people. It was a long street that accommodated the audience and we could see this wave — people just jumping and dancing and bouncing — like there were springs in their shoes. It was crazy.”

After performing at the festival and becoming acquainted with different international musicians and artistes, are there any future collaborations that we should be looking out for? “Well, I don’t know about collaborating with artistes in Norway, but right after the festival, the Sains headed back home and Sheraz, Hassan and I went to Barcelona where we had lined up some casual club gigs.”

On a more serious note, he said, “Most people aren’t clear about the fact that the three of us are Overload and we collaborate with other artistes like we did with Shafqat Amanat on the album and are currently touring with Pappoo and Joora Sain. We are talking to other European artistes so there might be something on that front in the future. But it’s clear that the next album and following gigs will feature more artistes.”

What would you have to say if you were to make a comparison between the Pakistani audience and the Norwegian audience? “The Norwegian audience is better educated in music. They will listen more than dance unnecessarily. They think and are receptive and are generous in appreciation which works out better for a band like ours which are completely instrumental at the moment. I feel the same way about the Japanese audience,” said Farhad, relating to Overload’s last performance in Japan.

“The Pakistani concert audience is more like a sports audience. Quick, emotional, noisy and crazy — which is fun too, but I think it’s better suited for pop/ vocal artistes — because Pakistani people generally like to be involved in every happening, whether it’s a car accident or a story about somebody whose daughter eloped. Pakistani people relate better to words/ vocals. That’s why the music of our artistes is weaker than the vocal content usually.”

With foreign artistes coming to Pakistan and providing local audiences with a fresh, new angle to music and with desi musicians travelling and collaborating with musicians abroad, one can hope that this exposure will result in a greater variety and enhanced richness in the music that local bands are currently churning out.

The fact that compositions made by local musicians are not only being recognised but are also gaining appreciation should also affirm that there is no dearth to talent in Pakistan, once a person puts heart and soul into what s/he’s doing. As for festivals, we still have a long way to go before we can host our own.
















Photos:
— Morten Harket in the studio with Ali Azmat and Brian O Connel (background)
— The musicians in Oslo: Overload, Atif Aslam, Shallum, Gumby and Fryd.

First Published:
Images
October 15, 2006

The Blue Raag

They emerged as a promising new rock band after attaining victory in the Pespi Battle of the Bands in 2001. Their first video, Sawal, skyrocketed them into commercial success and henceforth began the anticipation regarding the release of their debut album.

It seemed everything was going in the right direction for them — their songs were doing well on the charts, their fans were growing in numbers by the day and a major sponsor was backing their first album. What more could anyone ask for? More so, why would anyone want to mess that up?

Aaroh, the band in question, takes its name from an eastern classical term, aarohi, which in simple words means “ascending a scale”. The initial success Aaroh experienced also made them more susceptible to enticing offers from here and across the border. A person who found one of the offers tempting was Nabeel Chisti (the then lead guitarist of the band) who, along with Kamran Khan (keyboard player) hopped across the border and signed music deals with industry individuals in India allegedly using the band’s name without the prior consent of the other two founding members of Aaroh, Farooq Ahmed (vocalist) and Khalid Khan (bassist).

A tug of war between the two groups ensued over who rightfully owned the band’s name and songs in the first album. A court case later decided the issue for them: everything by Aaroh legally belonged to Farooq and Khalid. With popular hits like Jalan, Sawal, Jeay and Na Kaho, Aaroh’s debut album Sawal, although marred by controversy, attained a relatively good level of success. One question, however, remained unanswered: how much of its success could be attributed to the contribution made by Nabeel?

Nabeel’s exit marked the entry of Haider Hashimi into the band, then a relatively unknown figure in the industry. He not only had to learn and adapt his own formula to what Nabeel had left behind, but also had to ‘prove’ himself in order to come out of Nabeel’s shadow. Aaroh’s current lineup consists of Farooq (vocals), Khalid (bass guitar), Haider (lead guitar) and Jason (drums).

With two videos from Aaroh’s second and upcoming album, Yaara and Pyaar Ka Jaal, both written and composed by Haider, having already done pretty well on the charts, one would say Haider has more than just redeemed his position in the band: he has quietly proved that as a musician, composer and songwriter, he is a force to reckon with.

Farooq claims that most of the songs in the new album have been written and composed by Haider. However, when confronted, Haider refused to take individual credit, saying that it was all a “group effort.”

With the launch of Aaroh’s second album, Raag Neela, just around the corner, Images decided to take a sneak preview into what the new Aaroh has to offer to its devoted fans. For their second album, Aaroh has signed up with The Musik Records as its record label.

The song Khuda begins with Farooq singing in a haunting, almost hypnotic voice tinged with emotion. The song is one of Aaroh’s softer songs and has a small guitar solo near the middle with a distinct bass line towards the end. Following Khuda in the softer, more soulful category is Woh Jo Kehday Mujhay. Heartrendingly romantic, the song talks about giving one’s self up to one’s object of affection.

Where no one can really top the queen of sufi soul, Abida Parveen, Aaroh’s rocked up version of her classic Mahi Yaar Di Gharoli is nevertheless, catchy. I personally feel that the live version is much more exciting. However, what comes as a relief is that the song, although rocked up, still maintains a certain simplicity about it; it has not been ruined by over-the-top guitar solos or vocals extending beyond reasonable-breath. The mix and the music are just right to have Aaroh ‘owning’ a classic without disrespecting it.

The title track Raag Neela came somewhat as a pleasant surprise. It pumps energy in a similar manner that the Abida Parveen cover, done by Aaroh, exudes when performed live. Farooq seems to enjoy himself while singing this particular track and one can trace an intriguing mixture of irony and amusement in the way that he has rendered this song. Backed by a strong composition, needless to say dominated by powerful guitar-music, the neela raag definitely stands out as one of the better tracks in the album and deserves to be put on the playback mode.

Although the song Pyaar Ka Jaal is now familiar to most due the heavy airplay its video received on the tube, it still manages to stand out in the album and comes across as a strong song. With lyrics dealing with the darker side of love, broken promises and anguish that accompanies heartbreak, Pyaar Ka Jaal is still very much listenable.

Where there are so many good songs in the album, there is one that failed to rise up to one’s expectations, Ek Cha, the only song in the album written by Shafqat Amanant Ali. It seems mellow compared to the raw emotion depicted in the rest of the songs in the album. Ek Cha may appeal to some listeners, but as a song, it’s a little too ‘safe’ and lacks a certain edge. Also, Jeet Lo, Daira and Jo Ankhon Mein Aanso somehow fail to stand out. Confronted with much stronger songs such as Yaara, Pyaar Ka Jaal, Khuda, Woh Jo Kehday Mujhay, Mahi Yaar Di Gharoli and Raag Neela, these songs fade in comparison and somehow just don’t cut it.

Although initially promised to be a very ‘dark’ album, Raag Neela continues to embody the raw emotion and intensity that initially defined Aaroh; however it does have a light funky element to it. It may finally prove to some individuals that rock is not restricted to dark, melancholy music and depressing subjects. Rather, it can be experimented with and be used with to express the same emotions with a lighter angle. Aaroh’s Raag Neela definitely has new flavour and is overall a good album to have.

First Published:

Images

October 8th, 2006