Singer Kailash Kher and his band Kailasa shift base back to Mumbai after spending six months on world tour. The Guide caught up with them before their Mumbai concert

Singer Kailash Kher and his band Kailasa shift base back to Mumbai after spending six months on world tour. The Guide caught up with them before their Mumbai concert

The instruments are set. The last-minute tuning is still on when Kailash Kher enters the studio. As soon as he takes position, Sameer starts off a tune on the keyboard, slowly picked up by the other band members. When Kailash opens the song, bass player Naresh can't help but let out an appreciative, "Wah!" By the time the six get to the refrain, we can't resist tapping our feet. And when Naresh with lead guitarist Paresh, finally brings the song to a close, we are begging for more. Never mind that we've hardly ever heard the number Chaap Tilak, they were rehearsing.

Kurt on drums, Naresh on bass, vocalist Kailash, Sanket on percussions,
Paresh on lead guitar and Sameer on keyboards. Pic/Ashish Rane

The Sufi-meets-Rock band is performing in Mumbai for Sur...The Rhythm of Compassion, a charity fund-raiser. The band that plays songs that have "mitti ki khushboo", has been busy spreading its fan base across New York to the relatively obscure Suriname in South America. They've been shuttling in and out of the country since June when they launched their third album, Chaandan Mein. September saw the release of their first international album, Yatra-Nomadic Souls, which has bagged them a footing on the world music scene.u00a0

It's all working out thanks to a healthy mix of destiny and effort, they believe. Kailash says, "It all started in 2006, when an American tourist heard songs from Kailasa on a trip to Kerala. Ever since, he was looking for us and then happened to meet our manager in the US. That's how we got invited to the Global Festival." The album was a result of reaction the band received on their overseas concerts. "Our friends would play our music before different audiences, from the Japanese to the Moroccan, and they loved it. That gave us confidence to go international," says Paresh Kamath, one of four founding members.

They've stayed away from the lure of Bollywood, and developed a unique style. At tonight's concert too, the band will go beyond the hit numbers Teri Deewani, Tauba Tauba and Saiyyan.

On: Today, 7.30 pm onwards at Jamshed Bhabha Theatre, NCPA, Nariman Point. Call: 22824567. Tickets: Rs 1,000 to Rs 4,300

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