By: Umes Shrestha
(ktmROCKS Mag Issue 06, July 2005)
There are surely multitudes of guitar players, some rolling in the success wave of mainstream music and some still stumbling in the hard dirt reality of “creativity sucks…money matters” world, and some still caught and torn between the will to elevate and push the envelope for personal satisfaction and the will to stamp the presence in the commercial scene.
In this issue, we have tried to take a small plunge into the lives of some of the guitarists who have left a mark and a path for the youngsters to follow. They are the people deserving to be in the glare of publicity for sparing their unrivaled magic in today’s music scenario. And indeed they are the leaders and are the to-be legends in making. And we also take a peer into the complex personalities of young shredders and stringers, who obviously and undeniably possess character, charisma and talent to trample through the tough paths that leaders have shown.
This is our tribute to some of the guitar players of our scene and a simple nod of recognition, which they truly deserve and earn. For you all the senior generation (not the old generation of course), and the younger generation of guitar players, this is our solute. Here are some few among the ones who have had some major impact in our rock scene, (we could have included more of course!)
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BINAYAK B. SHAH
XIT
“Playing with Crossroads was just out of total passion. No one was officially in the band, it was just some friends playing together and we recorded the album”, reminiscences Binayak Shah. The band Crossroads (which included Sanjay Shrestha on vocals) made it’s mark in the early 90s with a very popular number “Maya Meri Maya”. He adds, “I was also playing with ITS and several other garage bands. We used to play at GAA hall and that was so fun. Our first ever gig was at GAA around 1988. Me and Iman were on guitars, Aashish Sinha was on bass and Dinesh Subba was on drums. We covered
White Snakes and Motorhead songs. And amusingly when an Amp got busted, we even did Daddy Cool, a Boney M. song.”
Here’s how he got started – “When I was 9 years old, my dad gave me a guitar, which he regrets now I guess. I would have become a soccer player if I hadn’t got that guitar in the first place. My early influences were Joe Satriani, Mark Knofler and Eddie Van Halen. And there are two particular songs that made me play guitar seriously – Every Breath You Take (the Police) and Sultan of Swings ( Dire Straits).
Later in the USA, he went on to learn Flamenco Guitaring for 6 months and also got trained for Film Scoring at UCLA. Then he spent next 2 years at GIT and the next 6 months at RIT (Recording Institute of Technology). And back here in Nepal, for the past 5 years, Binayak Shah has been involved with XIT band. (The band is on it’s way to release it’s first album.)
Younger days have seen Binayak Shah doing all kinds of speedy technical guitaring, however as his musical horizon widened, he believes that he is no more “just a guitar player, rather a musician trying to explore, not just getting indulgent.”
“I am still stuck with 80s rock music but now I wanna play what I feel, simple music with feel and melody, not just fast solos and 100 notes song. These days, I see everybody is using so many stuffs but their brains.”
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IMAN B. SHAH
XIT/DRISTY
Music Isle, the compilation which included Iman Shah’s “Feri Bhetaula” is certainly a song never been heard with such an aesthetic guitar playing from a Nepali musician. For which even Puru Lama (ex- X-mantra) exclaimed - this is one hell of a song, the melody, the solos, the harmonics and the riffs; there’s an awesome guitar work here. Be it with this song, or his works with Dristy or XIT, he has always been on the verge of utmost respect and admiration.
Some years back, there was this compilation named Music Isle, and there was this particular song titled “Feri Bhetaula”. I feel lucky to be actually at the studio where the compilation was being mixed. Till that day, I had never heard any song and guitar playing like that from a Nepali musician. Puru Lama (ex – X-mantra) was there too and he was like – this is one hell of a song, the melody, the solos, the harmonics and the riffs; there’s an awesome guitar work here. Me, I was already dumbstruck when the song finished. I have nothing but respect and utmost admiration for Iman Shah’s works. Be it his works with Dristy or XIT.
“I started playing guitar when I was 8 or 9 years old. Later in the school, me and Binayak used to play together in several bands. We were involved with bands like Vegetarian Vampires, Grave Diggers, Cacaphonix, Walrus, Rocksarous, etcs and were constantly playing Deep Purple, White Snakes, Motorhead stuffs. Smoke on the Water had to be our favourite song to cover”. “In those early days, I was totally inspired by Ritchie Blackmore along with other greats like Randy Rhodes, Adrian Vandenberg, Malmsteen and Vinnie Moore.”
Later Iman Shah too went abroad to the States to join business school, which he dropped and joined Recording Connection. He also played in a band In-Transit and played in various clubs. But it was during internship period at the American Gramophone, he studied the art of recording and mixing. “While I was there I was involved in the mixing session of John Denver, 311 and lots of local metal bands over there.”
Since coming back to Nepal, Iman Shah has been busy in the Sacred Soundz studio where he experiments with his recording and mixing talents. Having seen all sorts of artists and musicians come and record there, this is how he feels about the current state of music. “Most of the artists who come here don’t know what the hell they are doing. They lack musical passion but they just want to score a hit song. The bands which come and record are rather talented though, especially the metal bands. At least, they know what they are doing.”
So which is your favourite band – “Judging by the consistency in style, I have to say its Nepathaya. They have a unique sound and signature style.” And about the current status of his own band XIT, he informs, “We will be finishing the first album very soon. This album represents a soft side of 3 core musicians involved, me, Binayak Shah and Garima Gurung. The second album will see us returning to our early roots.”
Sound Engineer at Sacred Soundz, arranger, composer, musician and above all an inspiring guitar player, Iman Shah certainly possess an aural character. It’s fun and pleasant to hang out with Iman Shah and see what he does in the studio.
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JASON KUNWAR SHRESTHA
BEYOND/NIGHT
It’s often said that it takes a great deal of time for genius to be fully recognized and serious recognition might still elude Beyond (a progressive technical metal band) and it’s founding member Jason Kunwar Shrestha. Jason started his career with his former band Maya. The band did some demo recordings and also released a classic single titled “Itihaas” in the Music Isle Compilation. He left Maya because of differences in musical direction and personal sentiments. Now with his new band Beyond, Jason is busy writing and composing songs along with another fellow guitarist Subash Pant.
“Guitar playing is an expression of my personality. It is also an escape. Certain artistic and phychological traits are build up by outside influences and thus guitar helps me express those and I try to escape into another world of my own. Music is divinity and playing guitar makes me achieve it.”
So to a clichéd question - why do you play guitar, Jason states “I started playing guitar because it was so fun. The feeling and emotion these days when I am playing guitar are totally different from those in my earlier days when I was just starting. But the main factor in any of those stages is still the fun factor. I enjoy exploring more into it.”
“My brother influenced me into listening to death metal and other extreme metal stuffs and eventually I started practicing and playing the same sort of music. And at the same time I was also heavily into the albums of Stevie Vai and Dark Tranquility, especially the Gallery album of Dark Tranquility. In our current scene, I really admire our another guitar player Subash, Abhisek and Bibhusan. I also really admire Gopal Rasaily, who is an incredible acoustic guitar player”.
The only complains he makes is that there’s never a “right” situation to fully practice and delve into music. “It’s hard to keep it up because there’s my studies too. Regrettably, a lot of stresses build up during practice.” But he well understands that it’s never going to be easy, there’s going to be a lot of inspiration, perspiration and perseverance.
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ANIL SHAHI
EASTERN CLASSICAL VIRTUOSO GUITARIST
There are so many talented musicians who are in the shadows and amazingly there are some who like to be in the shadows. And there are some who, consciously or not, meander in the realms of unfathomable sea of talent, the intense wave forces the rest of us to recognize the presence of some great ones. “Popularity doesn’t and cannot define success if I have to say. For me, if I could get into the heart of any guitar player or musician and get a nod of praise about what I do and what I play, that’s success for me. I will be satisfied with that,” says Anil Shahi, the man who undoubtedly defined a new level of acoustic guitar playing by fusing it with revered eastern classical raags and music. A guitar player who could just be Nepal’s answer to John McLaughlin (and Shakti), but let’s not just put him in a pile of comparative adjectives.
“Even though I am relatively unknown to the people of our own country, I have had some sold out performances in England and that’s a matter of pride to me. The way I represented my country to those British people and played my guitar left them agape”, and recently he performed a charitable concert for disabled kids in London.
Maya Mantra, the first album by Anil Shahi done with tabala player (late) Atul Gautam is such a unique experience. It has to be the first ever classical-fusion instrumental album of Nepal, which was based on guitar. “I don’t think there are a lot of people who listen to classical stuffs, eastern or western. With Maya Mantra what we tried to do was make songs not that lengthy, but complex and interesting enough for any music devotee to be interested in it. The album tries to renew the spirit of classical music in the heart of younger listeners, especially guitar lovers.”
This is how Anil Shahi says he started with guitar- “My uncle Satrughan Shahi and some other friends used to play guitars and jam, and I used to play madal, dholak or flute, anything I could grab and make some noise with. I started playing guitar when I reached 12. The musical environment in my family was what inspired me in the beginning.”
“Once during this Minpachas ko bida (winter vacation in schools), I went to Banarash, India to learn and study classical music. There used to be a place, gurukul or ashram, where you could get to learn from this amazing guru once you render some service to him. No one needed to pay at all, you just had to help him do works and he would teach you lessons everyday. I never knew his name, didn’t even have courage to ask his name because he had that amazing and intimidating calm presence and personality. I would always want to have such feel coming out of me just like it used to happen with my guru when he played harmonium and sang songs.”
Talking about what makes Anil Shahi so driven, he replies, “During those days, I used to have an intense zeal about studying classical music but I really haven’t got anywhere near to what I have dreamt of achieving. I did gain vast knowledge about music in all these years, performed numerous times, made albums, but still, the desire to learn more keeps me unsatisfied and driven all the time. I never had any formal training on guitar playing. In the beginning, it was by watching my uncle and his friends play classical stuffs and later studied on my own from books about classical music and eastern scales and even western scales. I studied and learned varied form of music. One of my key interests is to learn about traditional music of other countries. But most importantly, I always wanted to specialize only in one style and that’s eastern classical music.”
“I feel happy whenever I am performing among the crowd. There aren’t many guitarists who play classical music based on raags and when people see me play, they are surprised and then get totally excited and most importantly enjoy my playing. Some cannot believe the speed and energy in my guitar playing and are left wondering about my fingering and picking.”
“I want to keep away from any wrong exposures right now. I still have a long way to go. When I was 15, I used to think I would be such a great player in the next 10 years. And at 25, I thought I would learn everything and reach my goal. However, those 10 years passed by and I am still searching for more. The quest is never ending and I am seriously conscious about what I can do and cannot do. Getting over exposed may not help me with that. What I am doing right now is definitely presentable but that’s not enough.”
Hearing that from such a greatly crafted guitar player will surely make anyone think about the impoverished realities of present music scene of Nepal which full of crappy no-talent over exposed musicians and individuals. Currently, Anil Shahi is planning to play one more time in London this coming September. “If the plans turn to be right, I will be playing along with a friend of mine Anna Phobe, who is such a marvelous violin player.”
In conclusion: Anil Shahi is definitely inspiring, intense and uplifting on any emotional level imaginable or unimaginable!
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ALICE SHRESTHA:
CRUENTUS/HOLOCAUST
Few bands embody the pure excess of the early 90s black metal scene like Cruentus does here in Nepal. Embracing the inflated splendor of extreme metal as well as its exploitable musical notoriety, Cruentus has created a unique stand in the scene. And in achieving such feat, the works of Alice Shrestha, founding member and the guitarist for Cruentus, can’t be left aside without total admiration.
Here’s something about Alice:
How did you start playing guitar?
“I have been playing guitar for about 6 years. The reason I picked up guitar was that everybody around me were learning it and I got interested too. My family members are also in music so they were also very supportive and inspiring. However, till this day, I see guitar playing as a hobby and it’s a great way to spend your time.
Who are your influences?
Even though Cruentus is a black metal band and my another band Holocaust a pure death metal band, as a guitarist, I am always inspired by 80’s neo-classical guitarists. Some of the guitarists I adore are Jason Becker, Yngwie Malmsteen and Paul Gilbert.”
What’s your dream equipment?
”Out of numbers of guitars I own, I really like this Ibanez RG Series. I think this is the best guitar for my style of playing. I use Korg Anolog Drive Pedal which I feel is also the best for me but I would love to use processor of Roland and Marshall JCM 2000 amp.”
Which local band do you like?
“Talking about our scene’s bands, I really admire Robin N The New Rovolution, specially it’s guitarist. This is the only band I think has the most potential to achieve something monumental.”
What do you think the scene was like before?
“The scene was really strong 5 or 6 years ago. It was dominated by really good guitar players, like that of Monkey Temple and Robin N’ Looza:. My elder brother Angel who used to play with Wild Grass, is also an excellent guitarist. I feel the current scene is dominated by drummers. There aren’t as many good guitarists as the drummers.”
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SUNNY TULADHAR
ELYSIUM/ATOMIC BUSH
Sunny is a magical guitar player, there’s a little shred of doubt in that. Everyone who has been following the live scene of Kathmandu and attended the gigs of Elysium will surely acknowledge the exceptional charisma and finger wizardry of this guy. Young, talented and calmly explosive, it’s a surely a sonic treat to see Sunny play.
Sunny admits he’s a huge Joe Satriani fan and his playing style definitely reflects that. “I am also heavily influenced by Steve Mores and Marty Friedman, but Satriani is the greatest for me. As for musicians from our own scene, I really like Jigme dai (JCS Trio/Cadenza), Prashant (Monkey Temple) and Bibhusan (Apple Spaghetti and the Rubber Mechanism/Karmavalanche).”
Just like most of the other guitarists, Sunny too stared with acoustic guitar. “I used to have a very old badly beaten up acoustic guitar. I didn’t have any money to buy a new one so I had to play that one. It used to wreck off in no time but I kept on restoring it in shape.” And that’s probably why Sunny is also excellent in repairing and customizing guitars.
“Currently I am using this Jackson guitar and Korg AX100G pedal processor but my dream possession would be a custom Ibanex guitar, an array of Boss analog pedals and one ultimate stack.”
“I picked up guitar simply because of that sense of pleasure and fun I got from it. The feeling is tremendous when you start going deeper and deeper into it. Earlier it was just fun, but these 2 years I have been playing and learning seriously and as I am getting to understand the music and relate to it with my guitar, there’s more of an inner satisfaction rather than just ‘fun’. I also think that having a theoretical knowledge is really important for any guitarist or musician.”
So how does he think about our scene - “The scene is definitely getting better. These days we are getting to play more and more. There are usually some concerts happening or small gigs in pubs and hotels. We are even getting paid…?. There are already great number of good bands out there. ktmROCKS is also giving some sort of exposure to all the bands and musicians. This is actually a good sign of our scene growing.”
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SHARAD SHRESTHA
THE AXE
The principal elements of the Axe band’s music reside as much in belief, outlook and real life as they do in their music itself. And in getting to have a closer acquaintance with the band’s guitarist, Sharad Shrestha, one would realize that certain attitudes are prominently displayed by his lifestyle and the way he plays guitar. Here are some excerpts of a small talk with him.
“Our music is definitely raw and funky which are mostly inspired by early 70s and 80s blues based rock and heavy bands. I listen to a lot of Jimi Hendrix, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Eric Johnson. So my playing style is definitely influenced by them. And there was this guitar player named Raymond, I don’t know his full name but he played with Prism for a while. He had a very unique approach of playing rhythm guitar and he is certainly a big influence on me.”
“I started playing guitar after the SLC. I still remember my dad buying me a guitar and it cost Rs 2800 at that time. Then I had an Indian Givson guitar which I used for almost 8 years. That guitar had a perfect crunchy and raw sound, just like I always wanted. The guitar I am using right now is a black Korean Vantage guitar and it’s more crunchy and better looking.. haha. I will never use any digital effect pedals, for me analog pedals are the best and I just use three; a Distortion, an Overdrive and occasionally a Crybaby. And hopefully someday soon, I will be able to have my dream guitar, which is a white Fender Stratocaster.”
“Today’s music scene is totally different; it’s developing in so many sense. Look at the kids, they have access, opportunity and environment to start really early. I see there are so many talented musicians and bands in the underground scene and they are so young, which is definitely a major advantage for them. Meanwhile the mainstream commercial scene is too much filled with farce and non-sense. I am disgusted with the so-called bands who don’t even know to play their own songs or those who sing behind song-tracks. What’s the point if you can’t play live in front of the crowd? The media is also hugely responsible for piling hypes and craps, which itself is full of no-brains RJs and VJs. Most of those RJs/VJs don’t even know what music actually is.”
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BIBHUSHAN BASNET
ATOMIC BUSH/BREEDING PESTILENCE/KARMAVALANCHE
“I believe that, as a musician, one always makes a personal statement, no matter what sort of level of musicianship one is in. You play guitar and perhaps when you play just a single A minor chord, you may achieve the greatest satisfaction strumming to that single chord. It’s about getting connected to that spiritual level, consciously or not. These days I feel like music essentially comes from the inner consciousness and any thing around you might inspire you. Maan bhitra bata aaunu ekdaam jaruri huncha. So it’s different when you play consciously and when you play just for the sake of playing. Musicians or any artists must possesses that evolving nature.”
Bibhusan is concentrating on his newest progressive rock project Karmavalanche (also known as Apple Spaghetti and the Rubber Mechanism) these days. He’s also well known for his involvement with Breeding Pestilence, technical death metal band and Unholy Menace. And there’s another project right on the turn.
” I am also jamming with Sunny and Rajan of Elysium and Alec of Ozzobozo. If things work out we would be doing some new-age jam based instrumental songs. I guess that’s the advantage I have, having started to play from a very young age. I am lucky to be able to explore and experiment with so many genres and styles of music until I figure out what’s really inside me “.
The start:
“It was during my 8th grade. Almost everyday, I used to see so many guys in my tole gathered around in groups playing guitar and smoking and doing other shits. Eventually, someone showed me how to play a few chords and some songs. Most of the times, they never let me touch any guitar, they were like bullies. So I forced my dad to buy me a guitar and started playing nepali songs, mostly pop songs by Nabin Bhattrai. Naturally, it was not a very conscious playing back then. Later after listening to Guns N Roses, I got hugely inspired by Slash. Dave Murray of Iron Maiden was also very inspirational.
Gradually I got into bands like Morbid Angel and Slayer and then Cryptopsy. When we started playing heavy metal and later some death metal, we were really unaware of what metal actually is. Nastik was the first band we saw live and that was a huge inspiration for our band. Eventually we went exploring the death metal bands and into some extreme metal bands too. When we listened to Cryptopsy, we got amazed that it had so much progressive nature in some really extreme shapes.”
“At the same time, I also got into guitarists like Steve Vai, John Petrucci, Robert Fripp, Tom Morello, etcs. Tom Morello ek daam innovative lagcha. Bands like Dream Theater, King Crimson, Trey Gunn band, Planet X, etcs, these all bands have been a huge influence on me and on my playing. From our own scene, Jiggme dai ekdaam babbal lagcha. I have a John Petrucci poster on my wall and there’s a Jiggme dai’s poster too. When I look at the posters, both players inspire me in the same way. Iman Shah is also one of the best but I always think he should be doing more music rather than recording. I had some guitar lessons from him and that was really inspirational. Sunny, Jason, these are also babbal players. And most importantly, I really respect and admire Abhisek Bhadra, he’s a great friend and a great musician. And I can’t miss Rohit Shakya, atti babbal and Rojan (Muga).”
Our scene:
“At the moment, I think, our scene is not really happening the way it should have. As a guitarist, I am going to try to make some changes in the scene. Khei garnu parcha yo scene ma, jassari hoos, I am really motivated towards that. I can’t do it alone and I surely don’t have such talent, however there’s too much talents in our scene and something better can surely be done collectively. I really take ktmROCKS personally and have a huge respect for its job in the scene. Now we musicians should also be aware and start building the scene and contribute from our part. There’s a huge number of talented musicians in the mainstream and the underground but no one’s being really contributing for the growth and identity of the scene. Musicians should explore and experiment, cos without that innovation doesn’t happen right away.”
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