
LAGORI

Thus over beer, biryani and geeth's birthday, Lagori was born. Then stepped in Vinyl(drums), Shalini(Bass) and finally Tejas(Vocals) to complete the Lagori family!
Independent music is still not considered a secure career in India, how did you deal with the conventional thought process?
We wouldn't like to say Independent music is not a secure career. Because there are many artists/bands out there who are able to live happily and support themselves well enough being dependent on their Independent music career. At the end of the day, the music industry is Entertainment business. So we need to realize that and plan out the direction of our music accordingly.
About us, It's been a roller-coaster ride since inception. But we have been extremely fortunate to play at some of the best music festivals and college festivals in the country at such a short span. More than anything, within these 3 years to amass an ever growing Lagori family of fans and friends, we feel extremely blessed.
What is the inspiration behind your music?
LIFE! Everything in this world inspires us to make music. Be it smiles on the faces of people, or nature or the everyday emotions we go through. They all play a big role in the kind of music we make.
But if we have to put a name to it, our biggest inspiration is LIFE. Everything we experience in this life deserves to be made into a song.
Who are some of the artists who have inspired your style of music?
Each one of us come with a varied background in music. Tejas shankar on Vocals brings a lot of Indian classical elements and Indian lyrical influences to the music. Geeth vaz on guitars brings the eclectic sound of Rock into the band. Vinyl Kumar on drums brings in his metal influences on the percussion. Shalini Mohan on Bass induces a lot of funk, even without the guitar otherwise. Lastly Edward rasquinha on the acoustic guitars brings in the smooth country music influences into the band.
So all of us are hugely inspired by different genres, which makes it really difficult to zero in on any one particular style of music or artists!
Which are some of the most memorable performances of yours so far?
From Kashmir to Kerala to Calcutta to Bombay. We have a lot of memorable shows, But There are a few shows which are unforgettable. Like our first show in Kashmir when we performed at freezing weather which went up to minus temperatures. Acharya college fest where we performed to around 15,000 people. We performed on top of LEE store in the middle of Bangalore's most crowded street. Singing to thousands of onlookers from the rooftop was once in a lifetime experience. And off course every show we do in kerala is just unbelievable in terms of the crowd and all the love we get. We have the most awesome and crazy crowd ever in Kerala.
What do you think about the changing scenario of Independent music in India?
The music scene has become so versatile that it's in great shape at the moment. Today, a music lover on a Wednesday night could choose between a jazz concert, rock show, classical gathering, or just a Indian pop-rock band gig. The choices a music lover has is amazing in India, along with the great music venues we have too !
So when it comes to versatility and how different every band is from each other in India, our country scores greatly in that department !
What gives you more satisfaction as a musician- creating new music or performing or jamming?
We love all three equally to be honest. Coming up with new music gives us as much pleasure as our fans enjoying the new music. It's all a wonderful inter-related process.
How are your songs made? Do you have any particular story or reason behind each of your songs? Any inspirations? If so, reveal it with examples.
Our songs are pretty simple that way. We meet up for a jam, play whatever is in each one of our minds, and then join all our ideas and thoughts into one happy crazy lagori song. We basically have fun whilst composing it. We are not the serious face kind at all. I guess that's where all our happy music comes from. And i guess that's why it's easy to make people smile with our music. The HAPPY quotient :)
What are your future plans?
We are recording a couple of new singles. A big surprise for our fans. These new songs are going to be really special. Lagori in a different avatar almost!
What would you like to say to some of the young, budding artists/bands who want aspire to become a musician like you?
DO NOT GIVE UP ON YOUR MUSIC! No matter what :)