A tribute to rock-and-roll greats

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Circa 1976. The fledgeling rock band Bahn Kruger was awaiting their 40-minute turn at the Senate Hall. And then comes the announcement over the loudspeaker which Nandu Leo still remembers; “Now the band Barn Karukar will perform ‘poope’ songs!” “And we go and start off with ‘Immigrant Song’ by Led Zeppelin,” seated beneath a framed B&W poster of John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ at his ninth-storey apartment, Nandu, aka T Nandakumar, recalls with a chuckle. Bahn Kruger - literally ‘highway innkeepers’ in German - was part of the rock-and-roll frenzy that gripped towns like Thiruvananthapuram in the seventies and eighties. Bahn Kruger lasted but two years and represented a music-oriented sub-culture that existed in the capital city back then. But the memories still linger. 

Come April 14, Bits n’ Pieces, the band led by Nandu, will stage ‘Forevermore’ at the Co-Bank Towers which will recreate some of the unforgettable rock classics by Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Simon & Garfunkel, Deep Purple and others. The concert will also constitute the sixth edition of ‘Music for Peace,’ launched by Nandu and his like-minded friends in 2013. The difference this year is that it is meant as a tribute to rock-and-roll greats who influenced Nandu’s generation of music lovers. 

“All of those musicians who influenced us are now 70-plus. Some have passed away, others are on the brink. It’s very painful. I feel very sad. So this year it is sort of a tribute, like thanking them for influencing us,” says Nandu, now 58. He recalls how, as music-crazy college-goers, he and his friends would gather at the old Indian Coffee House at Spencer’s. “In those days you had to wait a long time to get your hands on a new record or a cassette. There were no TV channels or internet. LP records were available at Jacob’s and the Brilliant Furnishing Mart. But there was a thrill in it which is missing now. 

The idea behind Music for Peace is that for at least one day, for some time, they can go back to their younger days,’’ he says. Back then, Nandu and his friends used to write their own songs, which they even sent to music companies in the US. But they lacked the funds to make it big. Bahn Kruger lasted about two years, after which Nandu formed the band ‘Moonstone.’ “Not even in my wildest dreams did I think that western music would be wiped out from Kerala,” he says. 

On April 14, the concert will begin at 7 pm. Sunil Silvester will be on the guitar, Babu Moon on bass guitar, Shibu Samuel on the drums and Garry on the keyboard. Nandu and his daughter Cindy will supply the vocals. Entry is free. Free passes are available at Style Plus, Baskin-Robbins at Kowdiar and Slice of Spice at Anna’s Arcade. Passes will also be available at the venue - Co-Bank Towers - on concert day. For details call: Nandu Leo at 9847344777.