Guitarist Susmit Sen Begins His First Solo Tour

Photo: Anurag Banerjee

“Rejuvenation,” one of the tracks in Susmit Sen’s debut solo album Depths Of The Ocean, has been aptly named, since it points to one of the reasons why an artist embarks on solo career. In his debut, Sen, guitarist and cofounder of one of the country’s leading bands, Indian Ocean, found a release for his more introspective, rousing instrumental pieces. In the album that was launched late in 2011, two years since the passing of Indian Ocean band member Asheem Chakravarty, Sen also paid homage to his friend and bandmate with “Rejuvenation” that features Chakravarty’s vocals.

This month, Sen kicks off his debut solo tour supported by a backing band named Susmit Sen Chronicles that includes Anirban Ghosh on bass, Gyan Singh, who has also performed as a guest artist with Indian Ocean, on tabla, Nikhil Vasudevan on percussions, Amit Sharma on vocals and Rajeev Raja on flute. “Papon will show up if he’s free but I think we pretty much have a full band tonight,” said Sen, when asked whether the show would feature any collaborations. Assamese folk singer Papon featured on a track titled “Wild Epiphany” on Sen’s album.

There maybe more collaborative work in the pipeline, says Sen, post his recent visit to France. Sen, who was invited to Guitar En Scene, an annual festival held in France, met the likes of Joe Satriani, Steve Vai and other guitar greats who performed there and hints at a possible collaboration with former Whitesnake guitarist, Bernie Marsden. “He’s such a natural musician,” said Sen of Marsden, who has plans to visit India later this year and record at Sen’s Studio Beat Route in Delhi. “He wants to come down before Christmas and depending on Indian Ocean tour schedules, I might record with him for his next album,” added Sen.

Sen’s five-city tour begins in Mumbai and will wind up inDelhi.

Susmit Sen Chronicles will perform on

9^th August, HRC Mumbai. Entry: Rs 1,000 (cover Rs 500)

10^th August, HRC Pune. Entry: Rs 750 (cover Rs 250)

16^th August, HRC Hyderabad. Entry: Rs 750 (cover Rs 250)

17^th August, HRC Bengaluru. Entry: Rs 1,000 (cover Rs 500)

23^rd August, HRC Delhi. Entry: Rs 1,000 (cover Rs 500)