Mekaal credits the addition of musicians Gino Banks (drums), Sharmistha Chatterjee (vocals) and Sheldon D’Silva (bass), with the band’s new sound. PHOTOS: PUBLICITY
Mekaal Hasan Band has earned their spurs as a mainstream rock band in Pakistan and across the border. Known for their unique take on fusion music, the band’s line-up now boasts a combination of musicians hailing from diverse backgrounds. As their third album Andholan makes its way to the CD racks at music stores, the band’s frontman Mekaal Hasan shares what’s fresh about their latest soundtracks and line-up.
Mekaal shares that since the band completed on their second album Saptak, he wanted to create a different sound for their next alum. He credits the addition of Indian musicians, Gino Banks (drums), Sharmistha Chatterjee (vocals) and Sheldon D’Silva (bass), with the band’s departure from their traditional sound, which was mostly based on ragas.
“[The new line-up] will mark a change [in our music] for the better,” states Mekaal. “Previously, the rhythm section was more rock-centric but now, it will be more jazz-based, which will add more finesse to the sound.” He states that the scales used in Andholan are ‘darker’ and that it became necessary to have a heavier treatment on their latest album as, according to him, “these scales benefit from heavier treatment.”
Commenting on why he decided to revamp the line-up, he says, “My interest lay in finding a common ground culturally where both Pakistan and India could equally participate in and contribute to.” He adds, “I did not want to turn music into a competition as it is an endeavour that can unify cultures.”
Mekaal met the current band members during his tour to India nearly eight years ago. “I met them after a concert with the original Mekaal Hasan Band line-up in Bombay in 2007,” he states. “I instantly connected with Sheldon and Gino due to our common love for music,” says the musician, whom Gino later introduced to Sharmistha, a classically-trained singer from South India.
He clarifies that, in Pakistan, the band would continue to perform live shows with the old line-up, with Humera Channa replacing Javed Bashir on vocals. Unlike other major bands and musicians from Pakistan, the band has not featured on music shows, such as Coke Studio, Pepsi Smash and The Dewarists. According to Mekaal, a major reason for this has been that these programmes are “singer-based and not band-based.”
He shares that the song Ghoongat from Andholan was to be performed on Coke Studio season 7, but despite repeated negotiations and meetings with the producers of the show, it couldn’t materialise. But the musician-cum-producer said he has no qualms about it. “I am happy that I didn’t do it because I wanted to prove that independent musicians don’t need corporate backing to succeed,” he comments adding, “And the result is that both the critics and fans have appreciated our song. This shows that the band is headed in the right direction without any support from corporate organisations or shows.”
Mekaal laments over the current state of Pakistani music, saying that, at present, it “stands nowhere.” He feels that Pakistani musicians have the added disadvantage of not being able to perform in Pakistan and face difficulties in the issuance of visas when they plan on going abroad to perform.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 7th, 2015.
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