Apart from the recent onslaught of school bands stomping the rock scene, Chennai is witnessing an upheaval of older bands making a come back! Last week, classic rockers Rusty Moe wooed audiences after two years, and the juiciest scoop out now is that progressive legends Grasshopper Green have been rehearsing and will perform soon!
Who else? LBG – Little Babooshka's Grind. Possibly the oldest Chennai band that has stuck around for over 14 years! With over 33 songs from three albums, a distinct cult image, the band has put their money where their brashness is. NXg distils out the rejuvenated mojo from Avneeth Janakiram, one of the founders of LBG.
Where have you been?
We've been real busy with our business and of course, lots of composing. We have all the recording gear in office now, so everything is in house. We do only the mastering in Malaysia.
What office?
The three of us i.e Arjun, Aum and myself run MMU Communications, which is “Matter Most Urgent” and we handle communication and e-marketing for Indian and international clients.
What caused the time-out for LBG?
LBJ decided to take a hiatus in November 2009, basically because we felt stuck. I mean, after 14 years and multiple line-up changes, there was stagnation. We wanted to do some “music searching” to find our feet again.
And how did that work out?
Our philosophy is the same in terms of pushing original music, but the style has changed and there's more dynamics. In fact, we've all been going for music lessons! We could speak music before, but now we read and write too! Old LBG fans may not hear what they expect, but the energy is still the same! We want to be confident and happy about our music, that's the priority.
Do I detect sedateness?! Where's the grind man!
Ha! Before it was more about the rock attitude — total debauchery! And we were also playing with the same guys for over eight years; we know each other so well, so you could afford that wild lifestyle! Now, its musical experimentation and we are also mentoring new musicians; like our drummer Marky is only 17!
So the genre has changed?
As always, we are still in line with the latest in the international music scene. We have a different set for an outdoor gig, we can modify to fit into an electronic music festival adding on a DJ and we can even play an acoustic set with a piano. We've grown technologically too and we use vocal processors and guitar software and we will even add electronic drums soon. The whole idea is to bring that album-like crispness to a live gig.
LBG is known for new material always. New album?
We will have five songs up for free download this month. Why free, because we don't want to make money on the music, but on live shows and endorsements. Our office treats LBG as a separate client, and thus the marketing takes a different speed. We will also sell some CD's to benefit the education of some poor children, but charity is at its best when it's not spoken about too much — so no details for you to print.
What's the gig schedule like?
After Unwind tomorrow, we are playing at Mahabs with Blues Conscience for some event in association with the local Panchayat! Yeah, the proceeds go to buying dustbins and to print stickers promoting “Keep Mahabalipuram clean”. Then we play at Geoffrey's, and headline MCC next week.
Looks like lots of thought has gone behind this resurrection?
It all depends on Friday! It's a new step and please note that we are playing 2011 songs and not rehashed stuff. It's going to be a total surprise for everyone!
Look up:>www.thelbg.com
Line up
Aum Janakiram – Vocals and Bass
Avneeth Janakiram – Guitars
Arjun Janakiram – Vocals and Acoustic guitar
Boskey – Keyboards
Marky – Drums
Uday – Sound Engineer
