'I live life like a river' with Kailash Kher

Musician Kailash Kher appears on MTV’S show Rock On these days. Excerpts from an interview:

Kailash Kher is synonymous to Sufi Music. How did you get introduced to Sufi music and culture? 

I attribute that to my upbringing, and listening to spiritual music in my formative years. Not devotional, but folk form of spiritual music. From then on, I have developed a taste for spiritual poetry and philosophy.

Any particular saint who has influenced you?

Pure love. That’s the essence of the fundamental messages of all the saints. Love from the soul to the Almighty. Be it Santh Kabir or Baba Bulla Shah, Baba Guru Nanak or Baba Farid or Rumi.

From a solo artist to the band ‘Kailasa’. How did this happen? 

‘Allah ke Bande’ became a big hit. I started getting a lot of offers for concerts after that. It was then that the idea of my own band blossomed. For that would permit me to pursue with my kind of music, on my own terms. Otherwise, it is the regular Bollywood kind — sequences with lots of dance and fancy clothes. I thank the Almighty that with my band I can keep evolving, bring in novelty and give a unique identity to my music.

Any memorable experiences while performing at concerts? 

We recently performed at the Hollywood Ball in LA. Firstly, it is a very prestigious venue. Further, I feel so honoured to perform where the greats like The Beatles, Elvis Presley, Coldplay and such have performed.

You have moved on from Indian music to world music. With the release of your album of world music, you are now an international artist. How has the experience been? 

It is indeed a great experience. In India, people know me and are aware of my musical journey. They believe in my projects. But internationally, I am singing for people who do not know me. When they buy tickets to my concerts, those are the real examinations for an artist. In a language they do not know, can my music weave that magic? Can it bring about that enigma? So, these are great moments when such people come and say that your music is healing, and that it is divine.

You are currently working on a Bengali album. Tell me more about it. This is a very exciting project for me. Here, I have composed the tunes and sung to the poetry of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore and Kazi Nazrul Islam.

In the long and often difficult road that you have travelled through, what have been the high points? 

I live life like a river, flowing naturally. Accepting everything along the way. I take sukh and dukh, high points and the low ones, in the same stride. There have been many such crests and troughs in my life. Getting excited or depressed is a state of mind. I am usually calm and relaxed through both the situations.

What are the musical projects you are working on right now? 

Currently, I’m part of the MTV show, Rock On. I’m also working on composing music for films. With my partners Naresh and Paresh, I have just completed a film project called Allah Ke Bande. Since I have too many commitments due to concerts till January 2010, the other projects will start only after that.

Where do you see yourself in the next 10 years? 

I do not live in dreams. I live in the moment, now. As for the future, I see myself healthy and wealthy. That’s about it.

Name three musicians who have influenced you. 

Pt Kumar Gandharv, Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and A R Rahman.

And three people you have been inspired by? 

Mahaprabhu Sri Chaitanya, Santh Kabir and my father.

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/37145/i-live-life-like-river.html

Quizzing Ronn Moss of `The Bold and The Beautiful'

Ronn Moss, the debonair Ridge Forrester of the popular soap ‘The Bold and the Beautiful’, was in Bangalore to promote his solo rock album – Uncovered.  Ronn reveals his musical side, and a glimpse of what’s coming round the corner in the soap.

Aniruddha: Let me start by uncovering the making of a singer. Tell me about your upbringing and when you first got the itch to become a singer.

Ronn: I started singing when I was 4 / 5 years younger than you are now. When I decided that I wanted to try music, I started playing drums. Eventually that progressed to guitar and then to electric base. However, I always knew, I would sing in a rock ‘n roll band.

Aniruddha: And when did that band start?

Ronn: When I was eleven, the band started. We would rehearse in my family’s living room with very primitive instruments. We would play at parties every weekend. And we did that for many years, slowly but surely progressing into a matured young rock ‘n roll band. We toured the United States and also topped the chart.

Aniruddha: Yes, I know that your band, called the Player, was a hit way back in 1978. What made you leave music and now once again what has made you come back?

Ronn: Yes, I went into acting, and so it changed direction. But music did never really leave me. Even while acting, I would go on weekend tours with our band. And now I am back in music, recording this solo album, Uncovered. My long time partner in the band, Player, is the producer of this album. It’s like coming full circle.

Aniruddha: And your future plans on this album?

Ronn: I’d like to play live. This is my first visit to India and I am enjoying every bit of it. I am hoping to come back in March again, this time for a concert tour.

Aniruddha: There is a Ridge Forrester whom the world is familiar with in ‘The Bold and the Beautiful’. And there is Ronn Moss. How close or far apart are they?

Ronn: When I had started the show, they were, may be, closer to each other. But now, they are very far apart. Very opposite people indeed, and I made it that way very intentionally. I didn’t want to be like Ridge. When people see me perform live music on stage, they find the real me, the true Ronn Moss.

Aniruddha: How do you find the music industry has changed in the last two decades?

Ronn: I see a wonderful transition from when I started off with my band. I feel so much more free to express myself musically now. Of course, I have also grown musically. My acting career has also helped me in this growth.

Aniruddha: I can’t help asking this question – is Ridge Forrester and Brooke Logan going to be united at the end?

Ronn: Well, they have been together many times. They have never had a chance to really develop the relationship. I think we may get a chance to try out that in the near future.

Aniruddha: Is there a - “And they lived happily ever after” kind of thing?

Ronn: I don’t know how long it’ll last. But I think we are going to get a chance to be together again.

Aniruddha: Coming back to music, who has been your inspiration?

Ronn: I was studying medicine to become a doctor. The one person or group that changed my course of life is the Beetles. I have been listening to them from a very early age. And every time I heard them I got reminded what I really wanted to do.

Aniruddha: Your most memorable moments in singing or acting?

Ronn: Going out on tour with my band, Player, all over the United States. Playing rock ‘n roll live in front of 20,000 people each night, night after night. It’s just amazing. Nothing can give that kind of a high.

Aniruddha: And the most embarrassing moment?

Ronn: While performing live music, I was very acrobatic on stage. And on one such occasion I jumped around and split my pants wide open.

Aniruddha: Do you feel the need to recreate yourself?

Ronn: I feel the need to constantly evolve. Constantly experience new things, and that’s one of the reason I am in India. To be open to experiencing new things constantly is the key to staying young.

Aniruddha: As a celebrity, who can garner attention and influence public opinion, are there any social issues close to our heart?

Ronn: I get involved with charities revolving around children with cancer and their families. That’s been pretty much my focus for several years now.

Aniruddha: And finally, what does Ronn Moss do when he is not in the recording or shooting studios?

Ronn: I exercise pretty much. Photography. And of course having musical jam sessions with friends.

http://www.hindu.com/2005/12/12/stories/2005121215360200.htm

...and thus a song is made - with the legendary lyricist-poet-script writer Javed Akhtar

Speaking with the legendary lyricist-poet-script writer Javed Akhtar (Published by Deccan Herald on September 24, 2006 )

In most cases, the tune of a song is composed first. How do you go about creating the right words for a score?Even when you write a poetry, you work within a discipline. The first line sets the rule for the rest. So, people with the power of craft do not find it difficult to write songs within the condition of the tune. 

What are the fundamental differences between writing poetry and writing a song? 

In poetry, I’m the one to decide the theme and choose the meter. On the other hand, while writing a song for a film, I am given a situation, the screen-play as well as the tune. Moreover, the one who would sing the song on the screen can be a university professor or a street urchin. So I have to write according to the situation and the meter of the tune, decide the vocabulary and the intellectual wave-length as per the social background of the character. 

While writing a song, all the time you are thinking from the point of view of the character.

As the music gets louder and the tempo gets faster, does lyrics lose its importance?I am afraid, that is true. We are achieving experience at the cost of depth. As music gets louder; the words get crushed under that ruthless music. But we are gradually moving towards a proper balance. There was a time when sad songs had gone completely out of vogue, but they are slowly coming back. From the frenzy of the late 80s and the early 90s, we have now come to a mid-pace. 

Can a strong lyric carry a weak melody? 

Yes. It has happened many times. 

You have a fabulous vocabulary of Hindi and Urdu. Do you still work to increase your vocabulary?If you are an architect, you will take note of the structure of the buildings you pass. An interior decorator will look at the decor. Similarly, if you are dealing with words, the moment you hear or read a new word, metaphor, a simile, it registers. 

Working on the vocabulary does not happen on any particular time of the day. It happens constantly, at the subconscious level. 

Has there ever been a conflict between the two Javed Akhtars, the script writer and the lyricist?No. All of us play multiple roles in life. A person is a mother, sister and daughter, or a father, brother, son and a friend. 

In each of these different roles, the same person uses different vocabulary, changes the volume of the voice, etc. So, each of us is a collage of different roles and there is no conflict here. 

Among the three - script writing, poetry and lyrics - which one do you love to do the most? 

I love to write “good” whatever. Be it a poem, script or a song, I’ll be happy if it is to my satisfaction. So, it is not the form, but quality I want to achieve, that gives me happiness. I love all the forms. That’s why I put my energy in all of them. The degree of satisfaction is related to the degree of quality that I perceive. 

And of the different genre of music, which one is your favourite? 

I’ll repeat the same answer as in forms. You can write a bad ghazal and a great pop song, and vice versa. I like all the genres. My pursuit is quality. 

A lyricist has a very special view of the music composer. They share a rather complex relationship. From that vantage point, who would be your top three music directors?Working with R D Burman was sheer pleasure. Currently, I am collaborating mostly with Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Anu Malik, and have just completed one with Himesh Reshammiya. I work only with those I am comfortable with, and I enjoy working with.


http://archive.deccanherald.com/Deccanherald/sep242006/enter129382006923.asp