The city's cultural scene is certainly getting more dynamic by the day. Youngsters with common interests are now teaming up to do their own thing and finding encouragement too. One such group of rock music enthusiasts came together to form an eight piece fusion rock band `Mehraj'.It all began when vocalist and Harmonica player Himanshu Sharma and his Deloitte band mate and guitarist Nitin came together at a performance at a popular music joint.
Hoping to do some experimental music, they met Sachin Naik a guitarist who won the Mood Indigo award for the best guitarist, way back in the 90s. Along came, violinist, Parsa Dattasai, a disciple of Ashok Gurjale, a senior violin artist from the city, Saarangi player, Aslam Khan, who they had chanced upon at Lamakaan , all decided to jam together.
The others include Ram Mohan works on the Tabla while Cherian Thomas provides support on bass. Umesh Naidu beats the sticks and Somu who plays the Djembe. The band has is an eight piece fusion rock band with an eclectic mix of both electric and acoustic instruments. The band's musical mantra is to focus on improvisation through a rich interplay between eastern and western influences. Mehraj quintessentially means ascension to heaven and its holds true for this band with a knack of making fusion music. Made up of musicians with varied interests, how does it band stick together?
These band features musicians who converge their music to create a balance in sound. The band performed at Lamakaan on Sunday. Aditya Mopur, a City based photographer Aditya Mopur says, “It was a great performance by Mehraj - excellent vocals backed up by good music, and the atmosphere could not be dampened by the rain.”
The band draws major influences from the Hindustani classical, Blues, Jazz, Classic rock, Carnatic and Sufi styles. Their music strives to explore the creativity in each of the band members, the mission they say is to evoke.
