14 June,2010 11:43 AM IST | | Shree Lahiri
The GUIDE caught up with Keshav Iyengar of Odd Band Out (OBO), just before their first major gig, to find out why they blend jazz and funk with Indian ragas
What do you call a band that blends the eastern ragas and the western Jazz and Funk sounds? That's why the crowds love the three-month old Odd Band Out (OBO), which plays fusion to suit eclectic tastes. Their latest performance will mark their first full-fledged 'major' gig, even though they have played on and off in the city.
Bassist Keshav Iyengar
All four members come from varied backgrounds, and have had diverse musical influences. The band includes Keshav Iyengar (bass), Jason Silipe (keyboards), Prashant Veloskar (guitar), Rohit Vasudevan (guitar and vocals) and Vaibhav Gadada (drums). While Prashant and Vaibhav are product designers, Kesahav is still studying while Jason and Rohit are full-time musicians. All four of them are based in Pune while Prashant is based in Mumbai.
Describing their kind of music, Keshav says, "It's heavy Jazz, Funk and even Indian classical music." The Indian classical angle comes in as Rohit is a trained sitar player. The band has been deeply influenced by Dave Brubeck, Jaco Pastorius, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Led Zepplin, Aretha Franklin and Joan Baez.
On: June 16, 8.30 pm
At: High Spirits, Koregaon Park.
Know your band
Prashant (aka Veto): The brainchild behind most of OBO's melodies, Prashant is a guitarist who has been strumming the 6 strings for the past 15 years. he is influenced by the likes of Buddha Bar, John McLaughlin, Jeff Beck and Jimi Hendrix and gives OBO it's Jazz background.
Vaibhav (aka Ziga):u00a0Founding member of OBO, along with Prashant, Ziga has over 7 years of beating the drums. Influenced by the big daddys of Jazz and Funk, Vaibhav is an industrial designer by day and percussionist by night.
Jeson (aka Fruity): The most experienced member of the band, the keyboard maestro has been entertaining people since the tender age of 15. With a wide range of influences ranging from Rock 'n' Roll to Jazz, Jeson is also the founding member of Pune-based band LIVEwire.
Keshav (aka Baba): The youngest member, and newest addition to OBO, Keshav is known for hisu00a0 strong basslines. Keshav and Vaibhav are the principal lyricists in the band. Influenced by the likes of Paul McCartney, Jaco Pastorius, Marcus Miller and John Deacon, he has played with musicians like Sona Mohapatra.
Rohit Vasudevan: He is graduate from the University of Baroda in performing arts. A sitarist, guitarist and vocalist, he is also the lead guitarist for the band Highway 61. His ability to sing Hindustani blends well with Veto's raga-based guitar-playing is the highlight of OBO's gigs.
