I had chance to catch up with the immensely talented PROSODY from Pune. PROSODY is a  alternative funk/progressive/experimental band . Let’s hear from them.

IRMP3 : Tell us a little bit about who you guys are ?
PROSODY : Well the current line up of the band is as follows :

Sumit Agarwal – Bass Guitar
Andre Fernandez – Lead Vocals
Kirti Pathania – Lead Guitars
Abhay Sudhakaran – Rythm Guitar / Vocals
Angad Pathania – Drums

As of now Kirti, Sumit and Angad are pursuing MBA from Symbiosis Pune whereas Abhay and Andre are working

IRMP3 : What does Prosody mean and how do you as a band relate to the name?
PROSODY : Well Prosody technically means the science of versification that is to say the way we speak. This is the concept we had in our minds when we initially thought of this name. However, after a few not so successful competitions we started feeling that the name was not that lucky for us. But then again, as more competitions came, the conviction and the belief in the band grew. This is when Prosody became no more just a name for us. It was BELIEF. It was PASSION FOR OUR MUSIC. It was the feel of us being there with each other on stage and in studio doing what we wanted, creating what we wanted… living it the way we wanted. Today we find ourselves known by this name more. Whenever each of us meets any of our earlier mates, it’s this name that we are remembered.

IRMP3 : How do you define your genre?
PROSODY : Well frankly we as individuals and as Prosody have found that a genre should never restrict you from discovering your own music.Sometimes for bands in India, the pressure to like what the audience likes or the pressure to stick to a genre usually gets the better of them. Prosody has experienced that dilemma too. However, we are glad to be finally working in a direction and creating the kind of music we actually feel. But, we still can’t describe our genre in words.
Oh well we can give it a shot – “Alternative Funk”

IRMP3 : You guys have a Hindi Song ‘Tu hain kahan’ tell us a little bit about this .
PROSODY : Well to be frank, we try to integrate folk into our music. Once we were jamming and this tune struck our Hindi vocalist – Cariappa Prasad (he’s currently working in Hyderabad). We gave a lot of thought to the fact that this might clash with our genre, especially since we have been playing English all this while. However, we strongly believe in a no-bars-on-creativity concept. We Create, We Process and We Play. If it’s Hindi songs that our creativity gets delivered in, we don’t have a so called “problem” with it. Again…Originality is Primary !
So, there we were discovering the desi us and hence was born our single Hindi own composition “Tu Hai Kahan“. It was an instant hit. It was the song that made us win Mantra and was also awarded the best own composition. Our fans loved it and so did we.
Prosody feels it’s important to connect with the masses. If Hindi be one of the ways of achieving it, then why not.

IRMP3: Have you guys ever thought of going ‘ full Hindi’ like Euphoria or Swarathma ?
PROSODY: Well every time we jam to Hindi songs this thought has crossed our minds. We have initiated this concept of English as well as Hindi however we intend to take Prosody forward as an English band.

IRMP3: Do you think as an upcoming band, to get recognition it is a ‘must’ to release CD ? Whats your take on it?
PROSODY : The Indian Rock scenario is still at a very nascent stage. There are only pockets of population across India who respect and follow the Indian Rock Bands. Rock is still a baby in India. Considering this, doing regular gigs, giving tight and good stage acts, keeping in good touch with your fans through social sites, etc. seem to be satisfactory to take a band to another level. However, after a certain level, every band in its journey to find its own music ends up recording its songs on CD’s, whether they be singles or an entire album.
Bands can advertise their songs through popular sites like MySpace, Tempostand, etc. However, Prosody feels it’s always better to have some merchandize which your target audience can take back and hence can access your music anytime. It is where the net fails that CD’s gain importance. They are not a must yet, but again they are silver objects that represent your band and take it places. Prosody feels originality is primary, the medium is optional.

IRMP3 : As a band you guys are no strangers to struggle, what you think of ” Indian Rock Scene”  ? Does it have a future?
PROSODY : As we mentioned earlier, the Indian rock scene is still at the growth stage and will continue to be until there aren’t proper abundant forums and platforms like V-Launchpad, Livewire, Great Indian Rock which give bands the push required. Normal gigs and competitions bring bands to the public and give them an initial push by giving them free recordings, initial start-up cash, music video production, TV space, etc. This is very much required however after the initial excitement bands usually end up getting lost as to what is the next step. This is where the industry top notches have to step in and give these bands proper incubation and the required know-how.
The Indian Rock scene is definitely on, but yet lacks the required reach and stamina. There are so many popular east bands which if brought to the right platform can work wonders.

IRMP3: A lot of ‘reality shows’ seem to be intrested in ‘rock bands’  , what you think of LAUNCHPAD III ?
PROSODY: Again, reality shows add to the required masala that the Indian Rock scene lacks. They make a bunch of bands the most  popular ones around and then after the show they are forgotten. However, these reality shows are a sort of a blessing pushing the talented bands to another level. This motivates the bands but one has to make sure the this motivation is that of a long term. These shows are good for fishing out the talent, but the Indian Rock scene needs to switch to another level to give these bands the required flavour…. damn i’m hungry

IRMP3: What is the current status of the band?
PROSODY: Well as of now all of us are busy with the more materialistic parts of our lives. Corporate;  MBA; etc. But even in these circumstances we try and make the best of whatever we can. Participating in some competitions, we recently won a competition in Pune and got to open for Parikrama. Apart from gigs we are focussing on our own originals. We try and devote majority of our time to developing original music and are progressing slowly but surely the way we want.

IRMP3: What does Prosody’s future look like?
PROSODY : To be honest, we haven’t discussed that topic much. Guess the materialistic life and then the time devoted to music doesn’t really leave us with time to discuss these significant issues. However, withmore than a year for us to come to a significant decision about Prosody, we continue to focus on our originals and making the best of US.

IRMP3 : Thanks you guys, I wish PROSODY all the best . Thanks for the interview.

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