Someone listening to the band Jigsaw Puzzle’s album now, a decade and a half after it was recorded, can sense the rawness that marked the indie rock recordings of that time of transition, of cassettes fading away, compact discs slowly making their way in, and bands still dreaming of regular live gigs.
John P. Varkey, one of the founders of that band, is someone who moulded each song with a thought of playing it live. When ‘Jigsaw Puzzle’ morphed to become ‘avial,’ with a polished modern sound and went on to become one of the most successful bands from the State, John had drifted apart to work solo, as music director in films.
More than a decade later, last year, the vocalist-guitarist and his friends got together at the Regional Theatre in Thrissur for a concert titled ‘Tribute to the children of Gaza.’
Having tasted the heady energy of the live performances once again, he decided to stick on. ‘John P. Varkey and the Slow pedalers’ was born out of that decision. The band draws on John’s “relaxed” philosophy and plays an easy-listening rock with tints of jazz.
With around 22 originals in their kitty in Malayalam and English, most of them written over the years by John, the band of the middle-aged is slowly making its presence felt. With him are his old friends, vocalists Jophy Chirayath and Rose Johny, bassist Rajesh Dass, and percussionist Hebin Johnson. “We all get together in the evenings to jam our songs. All except one are full-time musicians. It follows the style pioneered by Jigsaw Puzzle,” John says.
From 1989
Following John’s musical journey is almost like reading the history of rock music’s evolution in the State. Starting in 1989 with ‘Band the politician,’ which lasted only two years, John was part of many bands of those early days, including Nomads, Karizma, and Boston trio.
“I started listening to bands like AC/DC when I was still in Class 5, thanks to my uncle who worked in the Gulf. I started with the guitar around that time too. After college, some of us used to perform at a hotel in Bengaluru. Jigsaw Puzzle was formed after we came back home in 1995. During that time, there was no social media, recording facilities had not improved this much, and distribution of music was also tough. Live concerts happened once in a blue moon. All that has changed over the past decade and I think this is the best time to make a comeback,” John signs off.
