Move Along to Straight Out Rock

This time i've completely outdone myself. I've done something I wouldnt normally dare to do which is to sing vocals on something i've written. I accepted the fact that I can't sing long ago and made sure I keep away from the mic even for back up vocals with any of the bands I have played with. I have no idea what changed today...maybe its the fact that I havent met or recorded with Lacunza or anyone else for a long long time and just had to do something outside instrumental. Whatever it was, its too late and its done. Its now a two and a half minute song titled "Move Along" which goes like this:

Move Along

Verse x 1
We ve walked through lanes
Where the images unfold
Behind the scenes
Of stories untold
And i've been watching
Falling grains of sand
As the time moves on
I don’t know where I am……

Chorus x 2
All I know is this road is unpredictable
Desolate and cold
A way unto its own
But I can't care enough to let it slow me
As long as you’ll be there
We ll move along

The inspiration for this song comes from some conversations I have had with one of my best long time friend Behzad about how unpredictable certain events in life are and also how through those unpredictable events there are still people who we can count on whose prescence in our lives is anything but unpredictable and what also gives us what it takes to "Move Along". When it comes to song writing, I usually put lyrics right up there with melody and structure in terms of importance but this track is recorded in the true spirit of a guitar player where the guitar is nice and loud.....and the words .... well we just threw a few in there somewhere :-) Download this song while you still can becuase the chances that I will pick up a mic again and sing into it are very very low. Happy listening.

Cast In Gold

Its been a slow lazy noon today and I would have probably dozed off to sleep but picked up the guitar instead which was already plugged in and set to record whatever would come out through the pre amp. In keeping with the slow and peaceful afternoon what turned up was mellow and jazzy. Cast in Gold is what it finally got named which comes from a thought which has been the theme of the week for me. I just turned 28 and in the spirit of moping about and feeling all old as many of my friends made sure they rubbed in as they wished me there was a strong positive thought that also lingered. Along the way I've met many people and formed relationships and bonds but there are some bonds that have been just so strong that they have withstood everything through time and been unaffected almost like they were cast in gold :-) This track is a toast to those bonds and those people. To more good times!

The Dawn Railroad Raag

This weekend I managed to plug in and record something in a record two hours. Although i've mostly played straight out rock, alternative, blues and the likes I listen to varied music which I keep absorbing and get influenced by. The three and a half minute track i've just put up is an odd piece which has an electronic dub kind of rhythm and a classical Indian fusion melody with a few bits of distorted rock elements. Why is it called the The Dawn Railroad Raag? Well ... I love traveling through India by train because there is something just magical about being able to zip across hundreds of kilometers while looking out the window, watching the landscape change and digesting just how vast, diverse and beautiful the country is. There is one particular memory I have of waking up early in the morning and getting up from my berth to the sound of the Indian classical morning music they play on the train. I was sitting by the window with a cup of coffee looking out at the Rajasthan landscape while the train was headed to Delhi and just enjoyed one of those perfect moments where you have the wind blowing, great music which blends with the amazing view outside. This track is a tribute to that moment. What has looking out of a train window have anything to do with playing guitar on some fusion track? ... download the song, give it a listen and find out. Till the next post... happy listening!

Videos Just Added

It's been a slow spell for writing new material recently and i've been having a busy few weekends so I havent been able to sit down and play or record. I'm not really expecting this to change much over the next few weeks but hey who knows? I did manage however to dig up a few handycam videos of some of the past gigs from my Moonstruck and Pufferfish days which I have uploaded and added to the Snapshots section of Sixstring Experiments. There is a clip from the very first gig I played with Moonstruck at Zwigs in Mumbai which will be a day i'll always remember. I think right from that day we knew there was chemistry in the new lineup and we could gel really well as a band. There is also a clip one of the Independence Rock Pune gigs where Moonstruck played the second last slot before the close of the night. There were about 9 bands that played through the early afternoon right till the time of the night when the cops come in to shut things down their way :-) The Pufferfish gigs were in stark contrast more quiet affairs where people came to listen to some classic more laid back stuff like Sting, Maroon5, Live, Tracy Chapman, Kenny Wayne Sheppard and Pufferfish jamming away. Well what are you waiting for? Click on Snapshots and get watching.

From Funk to Lullabys

Two new tracks uploaded today Light Blue Lullaby & Keep Running.....well its more like one and a half really. The first one is barely a minute long and is something like a blues lullaby if such a thing exists. It came about as a result of "hit the record button and play something" but its something I could fall asleep to listening to. The second one is more funk rhythm based with a running bass line and hence the name :-) Funk is one of the most enjoyable genres for me and its just amazing fun to play with a groove. I dig everything from James Brown, Earth Wind and Fire, Jamiroquai, RHCP, Victor Wooten and several other bands with that funky element to it. So if youre in that groovy mood or just want to doze off check these two tracks out. Ciao.

Dignity For Your Great Culture

So I cant really say what drove me to record this track....I mean I do have an opinion on just about everything. Everything includes global politics so today it just happened to be about American foreign policy. I did intend to try and record something heavier today and although its a stark contrast from many of the other songs put up on this site.....nu age and metal is not completely out of whack for me as a guitar player. In fact its something that comes quite naturally given I still do listen to a lot of nu age rock ranging from Nickelback, Linkin Park, Hoobastank, Alien Ant Farm and these are also some of the bands we used to cover for numerous Moonstruck gigs as well. Most of this song was recorded with the Ibanez and hence the growling low "B" from the 7-string although in the last week since I found time to string up the Strat I've been using it more last week when I put down "Mitzas Madness" & "And I Wonder Why" coz I just love that dirty blues tone which you just cant get out any other kind of guitar. Well "Dignity For Your Great Culture" is now for up for download and just for the record I am not trying to make a statement......or maybe I am.

How to Spend a Weekend

This weekend I managed to record not 1 but 2 tracks! It's been a while since I have plugged in locked myself up for a few hours and recorded anything at all but this weekend I finally did. Most of the instrumental tracks like the 2 new ones are not really structured or written songs. In other words unlike some of the Moonstruck songs which someone started with an idea, a riff or a sequence of chords....most of the tracks I end up recording on my own are not really structured they are just scratch recordings. I simply plug in without a clue about what I am going to do next and start playing around with something, add a few chords, go back and write a drum track and just layer them. What gets recorded in the end is just a reflection of the mood I was in at the time, what I've been listening to lately and what I feel like playing at the time which can range from bluesy to jazzy to straight out in your face distortion laden metal. Mitzas Madness and I Wonder Why the 2 new tracks have been put up in the download section. Check it out!

Six String Experiments is Alive

This site has been years in the making. Its just that I never really got down to doing it. Over the last few years I've been collecting GBs upon GBs of sound bytes. Music that just happens when I have some free time and hook up the gear to the home studio setup, tracks I put down with Moonstruck or collaborations with friends. After mulling how to share some of these tracks I finally put aside some time this Sunday to put together Six String Experiments. Its finally here....a place to share some of what happens when you have some ideas, everything plugged in and a bit of time to put it all down in digital format. Cheers.