Folk meets rock: that’s the music of The Sancharis.
“Sanchari means traveller. We are on a journey, a musical one,” says Rohith L.T., drummer of the four-piece band. Their claim to fame has been six songs they performed in Music Mojo on Kappa TV.
“With many bands focussing on covers or original compositions, we realised that there is space for folk music and that’s how the band was conceptualised,” says Rohith. The band went live last year at the Onam week celebrations in the city.
Rohith adds that rock flavours are infused to folk lyrics without tampering with the essence of the song. “There is a listenership for folk songs performed with traditional instruments and those incorporating rock elements. So we have arranged the songs in such a way that it appeals to all. Music band Avial has been a huge influence on that account,” he says. The other musicians of the band are Balu (bass guitar) and Rony George (guitar). All of them have been working as freelance/session artistes with leading indie musicians and in films.
The voice of the band is Sunil Mathayi. “We were on the lookout for an experienced folk singer. It was singer-composer Job Kurian who introduced us to Sunil, a veteran in the industry,” Rohith adds.
Commenting on his experience with The Sancharis, Sunil says, “They are committed to their music and it has been a learning experience for me. I am not a trained singer and these musicians, all of them experienced, understood my limitations and were supportive. Experimenting with folk music, I feel, gives a better reach for folk songs. The tune remains the same, only the orchestration changes. Folk music has a huge patronage in the music industry. My only disappointment is the mushrooming of musicians and bands who dilute the genre,” says Sunil, a playback singer as well.
A native of Sasthamkotta in Kollam, Sunil says that folk musician C.J. Kuttappan was an inspiration for him to take up the genre. He was part of the veteran singer’s troupe for more than 15 years. Sunil’s debut in cinema was in Bachelor Party and he has also sung in films such as Iyobinte Pusthakam, Mullamottum Munthiricharum, Oru Murai Vanthu Parthaya and Kammattipaadam. “My friends were instrumental in getting me these opportunities. I was meant to sing track for Kuttappan sir in Bachelor Party, but eventually sang two songs. A big break was Puzhupulikal from Kammattipaadam, written by Anwar Ali and composed by Vinayakan,” he says.
Sunil, a recipient of Kerala Folklore Academy’s Yuvaprathibha award (2014-15) has a collection of traditional folk songs, categorised into different periods of history and sung for different occasions. He usually sings them with his folk band, Pattupura.