Finding ’alternatives’

Pentagram is back with their new album bloodywood and they will be playing at the capital this thursday

Finding 'alternatives'

Pentagram is back with their new album bloodywood and they will be playing at the capital this thursday

Pentagram is back, this time with their new album Bloodywood. MiD DAY caught up with band members Vishal Dadlani and Randolph Correia about their new album, musical inspirations and the Bloodywood tour.

How is Bloodywood different from your previous work?
Vishal Dadlani: There is a lot of new stuff in this album. This time we have gone somewhere we've never been before. Sonically it's like a giant step ahead. It's heavier, more guitar driven than the previous albums and yet stays true to our whole electro vibe.

What does the name Bloodywood signify?
VD: The name is reflective of the city and the indie side to Mumbai. The thing is that across the country or even the world for that matter, only the Indian mainstream is heard. But there is a viable strong alternative to that; which is vibrant, edgy, sharp and beautiful. That alternative is finding its own strength. And this is to say for all streams of creative expressionu00a0-- film, art, music, theatre. So Bloodywood is just to represent that scene, it is the exact opposite of the mainstream.

What took you guys four years to come out with this album?
VD: You need to live life in order to have something to say. Everything has changed over the past few years. It's normal. It has been three-and-a-half years and literally everything changes in that time. The only thing that hasn't changed is that it's the same guys and the same band. Life around us has changed, the city has changed, and the people have changed. There are more clubs, more venues and a greater acceptability of indie music. It's like there is a sharper divide between people. We are trying to look at the positivity, the energy, the upside of it all. The album is very true; there was no thought process or filter.

Name five upcoming bands you would recommend.
VD: I really like bands that are doing intelligent cool shit. Scribe is awesome. Tough on Tobacco has some great songs. Then there's Thermal and a Quarter from Bangalore, Midival Punditz, Tedy Boy Kill, and Jalebee Cartel. The list goes on and on. And let's not forget Raghu Dixit Project, who has been a consistent favourite ever since we first heard him. There are also a great number of independent song writers. I recently heard Alisha Batth and she's very good. A few years ago you could name five bands and it was done, but the beautiful thing now is, there must be at least 100 great artists and bands to pick from.

Best audience you've played for and enjoyed playing the most?
Randolph Correia:Glastonbury was fantastic. It was one of our biggest gigs outside India, and we played to a completely different audience. Everything was smooth and the sound was banging. It's fun to play gigs like that. We've also played some of our best gigs at Rang Bhavan. That venue was the pinnacle of evolution of rock music this side of the world, and it's special to be a part of that.

VD: Most of our gigs are memorable. For me personally, playing shows in smaller towns would be most memorable. Because the people come in with no preconceived notion. Many of them don't even know what a rock band is, but they come to the gig and just listen to the music and lose the plot. That's the beauty of music. It doesn't have to be language specific, doesn't have to be similar to what people are used to hearing sonically. It can be completely new, edgy, mad, and as long as you believe in it, people will get it.

What's next for Pentagram?
VD: There's a bunch of stuff in the pipeline. Vijay Nair of Only Much Louder (OML) has been talking to a whole lot of people. We've been fairly preoccupied with putting the album together and putting it out. In fact, initially when something like a tour came out, we had to put this on hold. Now we've decided to finish the album first and then focus on the rest. We are invited to a lot of festivals and should be going out and touring towards the summer.

What is Penta TV? Who and when did you come up with the idea of showing the making of your albums online?
RC: Penta TV is something we wanted to start, so that our fans could see what Pentagram is all about. People think we are this huge and inaccessible band, and we wanted to change that. We're regular musicians who love music and it's at the forefront of whatever we do. So Penta TV, which you can watch by logging on to www.pentagram.in, is an inside view about what we are about and a way through which we can connect with our fans.

Can you tell us a little about Nocturne and Mental Zero? How has Mumbai influenced this album?
VD: There are songs like Mental Zero and In My Head and Tomorrow's Decided where the beat of the bass line is directly derived from the street sounds of Mumbai.

At: Hard rock cafe, saket
Timings: 9.30 pm onwards
Ring: 47158888u00a0
Entry: Rs 250

Their videshi picks
>>u00a05 Step- Radiohead
>> Reach Downu00a0- Temple of the Dog
>> California Englishu00a0- Vampire Weekend
>> Silent Dispositionu00a0- The Temper Trap
>> A New levelu00a0- Pantera