South Indian band Masala Coffee to perform in Mumbai for the first time

The band in performance

For a fusion rock band that has as many as eight members from across South India, Masala Coffee are extremely adept at keeping things tight on stage. The outfit has even composed music for a Tamil film released in 2016, and plays a gig in the city for the first time tonight. We caught up with them over email ahead of the concert. Excerpts:

What role does language play in music? How does singing in the vernacular affect the way your songs are received?
We perceive music as our primary language. The emotions we try to share and the message we want to convey, we do it through the music. When you hear a song about celebration or exploration or love or strife, you're going to know it even if you don't understand the lyrics. The lyrics are just an additional tool to get into the details of what the song is about. In that way, regional languages don't affect what our listeners experience. And if we couldn't do that, we'd rather be authors than musicians!

The members of Masala Coffee

Given the number of members in the band, how do you manage the differences - musically or otherwise - that might crop up?
Well, we leave our troubles at home and bring our best to the songwriting process and live performances. When you have a common goal, the differences fade away. Our goal is to write music that the general audience can relate to, and be entertained and inspired by. If we think what we're doing won't achieve that, we change the plan and continue, but we never change the goal. It works.

How important is it for indie bands to be open to the idea of composing/playing for films?
It's very important. If we don't start bridging the gap between independent music and films in India, we will never be able to reach the masses. Ten years from now, we'd still be playing for free burgers, guest passes and two likes on our FB page. People need to know that you and your music exist. And film music in India is a great tool to achieve that.

What do you have in store for your show in Mumbai tonight?
We hope that everyone reading this shows up for the gig! We do our best to bring our A game at every venue. Having never played in Mumbai before, we are excited about this gig, and look forward to having a super fun time with Mumbai's audience.

On: Tonight, 9 pm to 11.15 pm
At: Hard Rock Cafe, Worli.
Log on to: guitarclub.in
Entry: '500 (plus '500 cover)

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