The Year That Was 2009 – Ashutosh Pande
Name : Ashutosh Pande
Band : Khiladi .
City : Bombay
How was 2009 for you and your company/band? What do you think has been the best thing to happen for the Indian Rock scenario in 2009?
2009 wasn’t all that very exciting for BAJAAO because we havn’t done anything besides selling gear, but we’ve survived a tough year and are looking forward to 2010. I’ve got some weird new ideas on helping the rock scene…Like N.O.C., I will prove that they can work, and wait for the others to catch on. While the live gig scene in India remained tepid in 2009, it was great to see the jump in music production quality from bands all over India. Home recording equipment has become very affordable now and its heartening to see a lot of bands building home studios and actually coming out with decent recordings…oh and the IITs bringing down bands like Opeth and Porcupine Tree with no external help was fuckin awesome. Valuable experience they’d be glad to share and a shot in the arm for anyone looking to promote international metal gigs in India.
But the best thing was the NWOBMP – New wave of blogs and music portals in India! Respect to the people behind indianrockmp3.com, chordvine.com , indiecision.com…split radio….etc….you guys have thrown off the yoke of the two deadest music portals in India and revived interest in and CONNECTED the rock scene.
What are your Favorite song / album from 2009?
Blakc - Choking on a Dream, Bhayanak Maut - Bhayanak Maut
Please share an instance on/offstage that you can’t forget from 2009.
The best moment was going on stage for a competition with my band Khiladi in Pune and finding almost every band holding BAJAAO gig bags of all shapes and sizes 
What is your and your company / band’s plan for year 2010?
Hopefully get more involved with semi-pro bands and look at endorsements for talented musicians…promoting Indian albums alums and transform BAJAAO.COM into a more interactive site, to give the musicians who only drool at gear something constructive to do, like posting their profiles, gear, sound clips, reviews, etc. Also looking at some attractive affiliate programs to help generate revenue for Indian rock portals and websites.
If you had to change something from the year gone by what would that be?
I’d have spent a lot more time playing my guitar.
How do you think the Indian rock scene will change from 2010 onwards?
It may not change, but it will endure. Twice as many albums, hopefully. Atleast ten Indian bands touring abroad. That would be awesome!
[ Interview questions compiled by Ashwin Sharma ]
