Motherjane Celebrate 21 Years With A Round of Shows
The Kochi prog rockers will perform in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Pune this week, bringing out rarities from their 2002 debut album ‘Insane Biography’
The Kochi prog rockers celebrate 21 years. Photo: Bilu Tom Mathew Photography
After 21 years of being at the front of the prog movement in India””and undergoing lineup changes in the process as well””Kerala veterans Motherjane may have occasionally slowed down, but never given up. Says drummer John Thomas, “The time we have on stage, every time””that feeling keeps us going. That adrenaline rush you get when you’re on stage.”
Touring across the country for the better part of two decades, the band celebrates with three shows in Mumbai (August 30th), Pune (September 1st) and Bengaluru (September 2nd), teaming up with Mumbai-based event/artist management and booking agency Mixtape. Thomas says, “Mumbai, we played last time at Hard Rock. Antisocial, we haven’t played and we’re playing for the first time, it’s one of the best places we’ve haven’t played yet.”
Ahead of the shows, Motherjane””comprising Thomas, co-founder and bassist Clyde Rozario, vocalist Vivek Thomas and guitarist Nithin Vijayanath (who joined in 2014)””are busy with pre-production of an upcoming album, one that arrives after several singles and 2008’s Maktub. Thomas says they’ll only be playing one new song from the as-yet-untitled third album on the tour, their 2015 single “Clay Play.” The drummer adds, “We’re playing five or six songs from the first album (Insane Biography), that’s the highlight.”
That means fans can expect early hits such as “Maya” and “Soul Corporations,” songs that haven’t been part of their set for at least six years. Says Thomas about going back to their earliest songs, “Now when we’ve started jamming with these songs, it goes quite differently. I wasn’t a big fan of ”˜Maya’ as such, but when I heard it again, I’ve laid on some new parts. It’s exciting now.”
The other big change over the years has been the inclusion of live members such as guitarist Varun Raj and keyboardist Sushin Shyam (both from folk/groove metallers The Down Troddence). Thomas says about their involvement, “They have a different perspective to the whole thing and add a balance. It’ll be exciting for us too, because the songs get a completely new dimension.”
Motherjane India Tour 2017
August 30th ”“ Antisocial, Mumbai w/Ankit Dayal
September 1st ”“ High Spirits, Pune
September 2nd ”“ The Humming Tree, Bengaluru
