There are a lot of different stories doing the rounds online about how rock band Menwhopause got its unusual name. Asking founding member and guitarist Anup Kutty isn't going to get you any additional clarity.
“Basically, we got bored of answering the same question over the last 10 years, so we just make up random stories now,” he drawls during a phone interview. So what's the story this time? “Just say that it came to me in my sleep or something.”
Not the typical approach to giving an interview, but then, this Delhi-based alternative rock group has never been what you'd call conventional. They've always insisted on playing only original music, even when most Indian bands did covers. And they refuse to peg their music to a particular genre (“that's for the music journalists and listeners to decide”), though after being asked the question incessantly over the years, they've — naturally — made one up.
‘Post-office rock'
“In the beginning, we all had full-time jobs and would jam post office hours at a warehouse we'd rented, so we decided to call it ‘post-office rock',” shrugs Anup.
Chennai rock fans will get to decide for themselves what genre fits best when Menwhopause performs in the city for the first time tomorrow, as part of the nation-wide tour promoting their second album ‘Easy'. This album comes five years after their acclaimed debut ‘Home', which Anup says was ‘more introspective'.
“‘Home' was written when we were in our early 20s, trying to find our way in the world, and figure ourselves out,” he says. “‘Easy' is about dealing with reality once you've found yourself and understood the world outside.”
Started nearly a decade ago by Anup while he was still in college, Menwhopause is today composed of five members — Sarabjit Singh (vocals, harmonica), IP Singh (acoustic guitar and other instruments), Anup, Randeep Singh (bass, djembe, vocals), and Paul Schneiter (drums). Ask Anup what the secret of their longevity is, and his answer is simple — their dedicated base of listeners. “It's definitely not the money,” he laughs. “We make it a point to actively interact with our fans (because we can't believe they actually like our music!), and we give out tons of freebies.”
And, they're far from done. After their current tour, they want to do a complete tour of the Indian North East, and then head outside the country. “We want to take our music to Europe, to the smaller countries and music festivals,” says Anup. “Our albums are already doing well in some parts through digital downloads on iTunes and Amazon.”
They previously did some touring in the U.S., and believe it was an important experience. “It helped us evolve — the production values and standards on this album are much better because we got to interact with a whole different art scene,” he says, adding a with a grin, “plus, people have a very different notion of what bands in India are like, and it's great to see them react to us!”
(Catch Menwhopause at 6.30 p.m. in Landmark, Citi Centre, on Sunday, June 12)
