Blues is really not a major part of the Indian rock scene and blues isn’t the sensibility in the concert crowd. Metal is. For that reason the blues band Soulmate’s concert for the Parikrma Foundation was a welcome surprise. It was Bangalore’s first public blues-rock concert in recent times at least in the “rock show” paradigm of Palace Grounds — where largely metal and soft/hard-rock happens. Blues does happen during Freedom Jam and on World Music Day and on private occasions. The response to Soulmate though seems first of its kind. This was also Soulmate’s first public performance in Bangalore and its first public tour of India. The band came in from Delhi and is travelling to Goa, Mumbai, Delhi again and back to Shillong
Intimate spaces
Blues and intimate spaces go together. Doing that kind of restrained music in a public concert where an audience largely expects pace and noise is risky and bold. Soulmate pulled it off. The audience was surprisingly sportive, responding warmly to the band’s classy, sedate music. (But was this because of an arranged audience? Techies sat on chairs and watched the music — that is how you don’t do it.) If the audience is sportive more than a couple of times, something can be said for Bangalore’s rock reception. But audience apart, Rudy was excellent on the guitar, exhibiting great hold on the Blues-extended, unhurried, and nuanced guitar work. Sam was consistent and natural on the drums, while Ferdy did a good job on the bass. Tipriti no doubt has the voice though she can do far better. She is relatively new to the band (Rudy and Sam have been together from younger days) and yet her body language is evidence of her tremendous confidence. Her voice projection is good and she looks comfortable on the guitar
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People loved ’em
The band is four years now and has performed largely in Shillong and Delhi. While in Shillong, the band has been performing public, it has been doing pubs and clubs in Delhi — until 15 days ago, when for the first time it went public at the Pragathi Maidan for the Numero Uno concert. While their club performances in Delhi have been received well, the band, says Rudy, didn’t think it stood a chance in a public concert, not alongside three death metal bands. “We performed for more than an hour and the audience asked for more repeatedly. They did not want us to stop. That was surprising. The concert at Bangalore too has been good for us. It could mean that people might just begin to accept Blues in public. We are doing a couple of more cities after this. Hopefully, people will get to know more about us. But I am happy and kicked,” says Rudy
It is interesting that Soulmate comes from Shillong (North-East) considering that Northeast has a very strong metal base and that it performed here with much confidence knowing well that the North-East component of this city is metal inclined. But Rudy says the perception is a little more complex. “Shillong is the hub of North-east music. It has a great variety to offer from rock ‘n’ roll to pop, metal, rap, hip-hop, soul, gospel blues-rock… We also have the Bob Marley and Bob Dylan shows ever year as part of the roots festival. We also do the Beatles. While its true that youngsters are also part of metal bands because most college bands are metal, we have to take chances. But we have been doing well owing to the variety in Shillong’s music,” says Rudy. He acknowledges that the band needs to take chances elsewhere too. Bangalore was part of that effort and the band came off well. Rudy, also singer/songwriter, grew up listening to his father Toto Wallang making music while he himself started singing and playing the ukulele at a young age,eventually graduating to the guitar. Rudy, now 25 years into music, is considered one of the foremost singer/songwriters and blues guitarist in the country. He has been part of well-known blues-rock acts, Great Society and Mojo
Forthright
Tipriti is forthright about Soulmate’s music. “Once we start playing, we do it for ourselves. We get into the music and enjoy it. If the audience enjoys it, great. But we can’t give them what they want. We can give them what we are good at and what we like. Many bands do well because they give what the crowd wants.” Blues she thinks will take time for people to get used to — the music and the bands. Tipriti started out singing gospel songs at the Shillong church choir and was drawn to blues, soul and jazz. She likes B.B. King and Nina Simone, apart from Aretha Franklin, Billy Holiday and Etta James
Soulmate, which presented its first public concert in 2003 at the “Roots”‘ Festival at the Water Sports Complex in Umiam, now has its own album, Shillong. This entirely blues album about love and relationships the band says has done well on select rock charts
