Thaikkudam Bridge: The magic makers

These are good times for the Indian music scene. There is variety, there is talent, and above all, there is opportunity. Named after the bridge where the band members first met, the Kerala-based Thaikkudam Bridge has come a long way since their inception four years ago. The band includes Peethambaran Menon, Govind Menon, Anish TN, Ashok Betty, Ruthin Thej, Anish Krishna, Vipin Lal, Nila Madhav, Vian Fernandes, Christin Jose, Mithun Raju and Krishna Bongane along with sound engineers Amith, Rajan and Hemanth. Propelled by the cult hit ‘Fish Rock’ and their popularity on social media, the band boasts of an array of musical influences owing to the diversity in taste of their members.

Excerpts from an interview with the band, ahead of their concert in Hyderabad.

The story of how you guys met at Thaikkudam Bridge to create this band is well known. How far do you think have you come from that day?

Five years is like being barely into your teens, in band years. We’ve learnt some humility amid some great moments. We friends are lucky enough to spend time with each other doing what we love, with people we love, and above all, make a living out of it. After two albums, we have started introspecting as well, about what we have done and what can be done better.

For a band of your size, how difficult is it to keep ego clashes away?

Keeping ego at bay is impossible, but we think it’s more important to channelise your ego. Every group needs a good leader to work efficiently. In our band, the role of leader changes from person to person depending on time and context. When it’s about the technology or something related to sound Hemanth, Rajan or Amith take the lead. Sometimes, Peethambaran uncle (literally, our godfather) puts his foot down. Sometimes our manager Sujith Unnithan has his way. The important thing is understanding what’s in the band’s best interests and respecting one another. And yes, 99% of the times, we vote.

Your band is affable for its music which borrows from several genres. What is your USP?

‘Genre’ is a marketing word. We try not getting suffocated by that word. Just like restricting ‘god’ to religions and lifestyles is unfair, we believe there is just music and noise as a primary classification of sound (as we study in primary school). Respecting that fact is our USP.

What is the music that one can find on your music players?

The playlist of each band member is going to vary a lot. Yet, we have all spent our time listening and learning from legends like Salil Chaudhary, Baburaj Master, Raveendran Mashu, Devarajan Master, Ilayaraja, A R Rahman, R D Burman, Metallica, Led Zeppelin, Queen, Shakthi, Trilok Gurtu, Steve Vai, Ustad Amir Khan, Ustad Bismillah Khan, Pandit Ravishankar, Ustad Vilayat Khan, Pt Bhimsen Joshi, Bach, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Paul Robson, Victor Jara, Karl Jenkins, Hans Zimmer, and Michael Jackson to name some.

What do you think the future holds for fusion? Are you bullish on Carnatic, for example, given the popularity of pop?

I’m no Nostradamus, but the journey of music clarifies plenty. Pop music, as the term suggests, absorbs what is popular and adapts itself. Pop music has accommodated jazz, funk, soul, hip-hop, trance, dubstep, et al. Classical music has stood its ground for centuries. Counting time from Purandara Das, one of the great contributors to Carnatic Classical music, it has been over five centuries. So yes, we feel optimistic with regard to the life span of classical music.

What is your take on the music scene in India?

Independent music has been making waves as compared to the scene a few years back. Is it seriously challenging film music? Clearly not. But, it’s one step at a time. Thankfully, rock bands are not restricted to pubs, college festivals and competitions to sustain themselves. We’ve been invited to perform on TV and movie award shows. NH7 Weekender and Music Mojo have helped independent bands make a name. There is lot more exposure thanks to social media.

What is the process for your music arrangement especially for tracks like ‘Fish Rock’?

Govind and Mithun spearhead the creative side of the band. The rest of the band seldom makes changes because they know what they are doing. Right now, we are working on our second album Namah, where along with Govind and Mithun, Vipin and Ashok have contributed. Vipin is doing the music for four songs and Ashok has penned and contributed to the music for one song which has been released as a single called ‘Inside my head’. ‘Saalaikal’ is another track we’ve released recently.

What is your take on bands creating their own covers for legendary songs?

Anything in public domain may attract praise or criticism and the audience has the right to do so. The audience can choose to improvise on it or recreate it. What attitude do you approach the cover with is important. It can be done boldly or mildly. Both attitudes may have respect and passion for the work and the creating artist. But, when recreating art, one must be bold enough to face the consequences elegantly.

What can we expect from your concert in Hyderabad?

Music, good vibes, refreshing energy, some OMG moments and muscle pain the next morning is all our Nostradamus can foresee.