202

My new album DELIRIUM is almost done and these are the demo versions of what would be the intro and exit tracks of the record…

202 is a short little musical snippet… its about confined space… a room that contains everything you ever need to survive… a room that contains your whole universe…

202 is about lighting a spark… and letting that spark grow into a flame… and then working hard to keep that flame alive… and burning high…

Take care and keep the fire burning…

The Wayfarer

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202 (keep the fire burning) demo:

202 (in me in you) demo:

through a microscope…

intriguing, every human…
unique in their design…
flaws and imperfection…
no need to underline…
for goodness is the key…
not what they seem to lack…
judge not all that you see…
for all a’int white or black…

i’ve been criticized for a lot of things… especially my music… can take a critique… but the changes lie in my hand… the reason why these melodies came to me is simple… they were born out of my experiences and am fortunate to have found an outlet… a means of release… and the way they have to be treated… is again in my hands… even if they don’t find acceptance in the world, i can breathe easy knowing that i stayed true to them and each one of them is beautiful.

when you look at the world through a microscope… everything’s got flaws… when you look at the moon up close… its full of holes… but when you sit back and look at it from a distance… and see the beauty that it holds… things become easier… and the moon is incredibly beautiful… its inspired so many…

have a great week ahead… and keep the microscope away… it never helps

r

ps: there’s a reason why i write in lowercase… it might offend grammatically true folk… but lowercase looks much more humble and easier to access

Reach out..

Reach out…for the brightest star…Love and faith…Will take you far…
Tattoo

The Wayfarer’s Lyric

Everyone has a song. Something that defines them. Their own lyric. Am fortunate that my lyric came to me. This is my song… this is me…


ComScore

Song: Wayfarer’s Lyric
Artist: Rajeev
Album: Wish
Year: 2007

i’m a wayfarer drifting by
silently under endless sky
days and nights are the same to me
got no home or a memory
blown around like a leaf in the wind
got no one and am free from within
no greener grass and no dreams i see
i carry on like a leaf in the breeze

crossed the stream now my feet are wet
nothing left that i can forget
touched by no one but cut by all
see my home not a single wall
turn the page and nothing you’ll find
all those people… i left behind
i carry on like a leaf in the breeze
the wings of fate… will cradle me

— Wayfarer’s Lyric
written and performed by: Rajeev
(c) 2011 Tabula Rasa records. All Rights Reserved.

I write my lyrics in lowercase. The reason being, I find lowercase letters much more… humble and grounded.

CONNECT:

Facebook: facebook.com/thewayfarerslyric
Twitter: twitter.com/wayfarerslyric

nonlinear

i do disjointed work… it leads to a lot of incomplete bits and bobs in the archives… incomplete projects… incomplete songs… incomplete books of poems… am not the kind that starts one thing and then just does that one thing till that one thing is done…

i think… and thats what leads to whatever… the human brain is a random access device… when the greatest organ in our body (most men may beg to differ) is designed to be random… disjointed… nonlinear… why should i break from that mould… and defy the one organ that makes me different…

and if everything was in a sequence… it would be boring… instead… let the brain dictate the thought…. and the heart decide the outcome…

while the wayfarer’s lyric project evolves and takes its long painful walk to reach its goal… i am launching another project…

and you’ll be the first to know…

be yourself… peace

No One’s There – the wayfarer’s lyric


No One\'s There – the wayfarer\'s lyric

This is a video clip from jam room sessions circa 2009. The song was written for someone who passed away and had special meaning in my existence…

The lack of lighting is intentional..

enjoy

5 Best Rock Legends

FIVE BEST ROCK LEGENDS????

This is a near impossible task. For starters, the word ROCK is a genre of music that has so many divisions. And there are scores of musicians who have been given the tag LEGEND!

And a huge percentage of rock and many other forms of music owes its existence to the BLUES!!  Now how does one pick 5 legends from this massive mix of musicians. And from which rivulet of the river called rock?? Blues rock?? Hard Rock?? Folk Rock??

I’m going to take that mighty dive blindfolded and am going to write this little piece… no re-reading… no editing… If I falter in this mission, feel free to throw your cans of soda on my head…

HEY!!!! Hold on!!

To Beelzebub with this TOP FIVE business… I cant do this… I cant pick five… I’d rather electrocute myself!

I’m going to jot down some names… who can safely be labeled LEGEND…

Individuals:
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* Jimi Hendrix (Electric Ladyland, Purple Haze, Wah Wah, psychadelic 60s…)
* Frank Zappa (The father of invention….)
* David Bowie (Decadent rocker who defied logic and churned out some innovative music)
* Elvis Presley (Its the KING baby! He’s a legend. And yes… Rock n Roll is rock too… so’s rockabilly)
* Janis Joplin (the queen of angst….)

Oh boy… Joni Mitchell… lets see… Van Morisson… Leonard Cohen… argh…. this is painful…

Groups
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* Bill Haley and the Comets (they started it…)
* The Beatles (heh.. you liked this choice didnt you)
* The Who (Pete Townshend, Roger Daltery, Keith Moon… boy… )
* Cream (the original supergroup)
* The Rolling Stones (Sir Mick Jagger and his @$$ shake had the Brits and most of the planet screaming for more)
* Creedence Clearwater Revival (Delta rock and the incredible John Fogerty)
* The Yardbirds (Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck played in this band)
* The Trinity – Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Black Sabbath (no need to say anything about these three)
* Aerosmith (4 decades of great music is reason enough to earn the sobriquet LEGEND)
* U2 (hey… they’ve been inducted to rock n roll hall of fame… so dont question this one)

There are too many… there are just too many….I’m done for now! Never in my life has writing a small piece like this tortured my existence so much. I’ve failed to accomplish what I set out… but there is always another day and this isnt done… not by a long shot…thanks for reading… watch this space… I’ll be back!!

5 Best Hollywood Action Films

Time to pick 5 action movies! Whoooopeeeeee….

Before I type, I have to warm up (does 50 virtual pushups, 100 virtual sit ups, 200 virtual bicep curls… ok… thats enough… thank God that was virtual… I would have died doing all that)

Now for these action flicks… hmmm… what qualifies?? There are several segments that all qualify as ACTION. You got the martial arts flicks, the sports flicks (sure… sports are action), the violent flicks (where bones break for no rhyme or reason) and so on. No point speculating… will just pick 5…

#1: First Blood
Sylvester Stallone was once the third most recognized face on this planet. Right after good old Ronnie Reagan and Mike Gorbachev. And its all because of the Rambo and Rocky flicks.

First Blood is the tale of John Rambo, the green beret who fought many a war including the Vietnam one (dont know how many movies exploited that one). While hitchhiking down the Canada-US border, he gets into trouble with the sheriff of the town who takes his position a bit too serious. Rambo is arrested for no reason and taken to the local precinct where he is mistreated. He snaps, unleashes his fury on the cops and makes his escape into the wilderness. The sheriff launches a manhunt but Rambo eludes him. Finally, John Rambo, a true warrior, trained in survival and the grim art of warfare, takes down the entire town and humbles the sheriff.

Sylvester Stallone in this movie is young and with a body thats carved out of solid rock. He had already become THE icon of action.

#2: Mad Max
And God made Mel Gibson…

Years before LETHAL WEAPONS and BRAVEHEART, there was a movie called Mad Max. Mel Gibson’s second movie made him a cult icon.

Set in Australia of the future, a notorious HELLS ANGEL style bikers gang murder a cops wife and child. The cop, played by Mel Gibson, takes his revenge by taking out the entire gang and becomes Mad Max. The movie had two more installations in MAD MAX 2 and BEYOND THUNDERDOME.

#3: Enter The Dragon
I am a huge BRUCE LEE fan. And no action movie list of mine is complete without mentioning the man who brought Kung Fu to the mainstream. Although this would have qualified as a martial arts flick, to me the sheer intensity that Bruce had was reason enough to put it here. Its more of an homage thing than a pure ’’I will conform to the topic’’ thing.

Bruce Lee is on a mission to bust an evil criminal Han who has only one hand. He accepts an invite to a Martial Arts tournament on a remote island owned by Han to spy on his activities. There he find the people who caused his sister to commit suicide. He makes short work of them and sends them upstairs. Several action scenes later, Lee destroys Han and his henchmen with the help of an American Roper (John Saxon)

R.I.P Bruce Lee… WAKAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

#4: Terminator 2: Judgement Day
Had to pick this one because of one reason. Its CULT material. Its got so many hooks, twists and ground breaking CGI. Not narrating the storyline here because I’d be hit by someone. Arnold Schwarzenegger throws some of the most memorable one liners… including the now legendary ’’Hasta La Vista… Baby’’

#5: Die Hard
Bruce Willis is the epitome of an action star in this one. He plays a reckless cop on vacation who singlehandedly saves a whole bunch of hostages from a dozen terrorists/crooks who have taken over a building (Nakatomi Plaza) and threatened to blow the whole thing, and the hostages, to smithereens.

With limited resources, no help, sheer ingenuity and survival skills to bank on, the hero triumphs and the terrorists end up in body bags. The title of this review was borrowed from a line Bruce used in the movie. Brilliant!

I have one more… saved this for a special occasion…. here it is…

MY FAVOURITE MOVIE: THE CROW
’’People once believed that when you died, a crow took your soul to the land of the dead…..but sometimes, just sometimes, the crow could bring that soul back, to make the wrong things right…’’

Eric Draven, a talented musician, is engaged to Shelly Webster and they are set to be married on Halloween day. Not to be, as a crime lord called Top Dollar’s thugs brutally rape Shelly and put a bullet through Draven. He dies and some hours later, she crosses over too. Eric Draven’s restless soul is brought back from the dead by a crow (to which his soul is bound). One by one, he destroys the gang and avenges his and his fiancees death.

The movie was tragic in real life too. The lead role of Eric Draven was played by the promising Brandon Lee – son of the legend himself, Bruce Lee. During a scene where the gangsters fire randomly at Lee (the crow) Lee too a shrapnel from a gun in his heart. He passed away….

All the guns were loaded with blanks for the scene. However, due to a quirk of fate, a piece of metal in one of the guns broke off, traveled and found its place in Lee’s heart… one of the most promising action heroes of all time was gone.

The Crow is a movie that brings a shiver down my spine every time I see it. Mostly because of Brandon’s haunting performance… and because of what fate had in store for him

Here ends my review…

~finis~

10 Songs for Easy Listening

Although I’m raised on good old rock – blues, hard, metal, industrial, grunge, garage, alternative etc., I do listen to everything I can – anything… except hip hop, rap and boy bands (although some of them do have some great covers like We Will Rock You one…). Also, I’m a man who has a whole spectrum of moods. Even though its mostly under check, I do go through the whole range once in a while. The calming factor has always been music. Whether its the mp3 player or the CD player or the car stereo – its on 24/7 (er… subtract the hours I sleep which would be around 2-5 per day).

I’m going to first define Easy Listening in relation to my thought process. Its got to be mellow, the words have to be beautiful, the music has to have a degree of subtlety and finally it should linger in your minds. And to me – easy listening is something that doesnt make my body churn out adrenaline (most songs do that)

Easy listening is a bit of a mixed bag as far as I’m concerned because on a given day, easy listening to me can be ENYA and on another day – NINE INCH NAILS! For this review, I’m going to pick 10 of the most mellow songs one can listen to (atleast from the sonic archives of my mind)

Tea in the Sahara – The Police (album: Synchronicity)
The Police is one of my favourite bands of all time. The band was made up of three of the most talented musicians ever – Stewart Copeland (percussions and drums), Andy Summers (Guitars) and Gordon Sumner (aka Sting – on Bass and vocals). The band sold over 75 million records and became on of the greatest acts of all time. For some reason, they broke up at the heights of their careers after their awesome record – Synchronicity.

Tea in the Sahara is a mellow ballad about two desert girls and a man who deceived them with promises of love… the lines ’’as their eyes searched the land… with their cups still full of sand’’ portrays destroyed feelings coupled by a hope that never dies. Sting at his soulful best.

Comfortably Numb – Pink Floyd (album- The Wall)
This could probably be the most haunting song you might ever hear. It blends melancholia with deep rooted emotion and a sonic structure that is hard to emulate and even harder to surpass. The David Gilmour solo is probably the most beautiful one he’s ever played – every note conveying pure unadulterated emotion. The song is part of the epic album The Wall.

Wish you were here – Pink Floyd (album- Wish you were here)
Hark! Another Pink Floyd song. And why does it feature here? Because its BEAUTIFUL! ’’How I wish… how i wish you were here… we’re just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl… year after year… running down on the same ol ground… what have we found… same ol fears… wish you were here’’

Fearless – Pink Floyd (album- Meddle)
A PINK FLOYD HAT TRICK!!!!! Now go listen to this one and you’ll know why I picked it. Another beautiful song from a legendary band.

NOTE: PINK FLOYD HAS OODLES OF SONGS THAT QUALIFIES AS EASY LISTENING

ok… I got emotional there… on with the review…

A Different Corner – Wham/George Michael (album- Edge Of Heaven)
I was going to pick Careless Whisper but then I remembered this gem. Its mellow and its great. George Michael is great.

Cherry – J J Cale(album- Troubadour)
J J Cale is a legendary bluesman. His guitar licks and his laid back vocal style is incredible. This little nugget from the Troubadour record is the perfect love song with simple straightforward lyrics and instruments set to SEDUCE!

Drive – Cars (album- Heartbreak City)
Heh, this list is harder to compile than I thought. I picked this song because I wanted ti pick one of those synth pop songs from the 80s and this is the one that came to mind. ’’Who’s gonna drive you home… tonight’’

Day-O (Banana Boat Song) – Harry Belafonte (album- Calypso)
Here’s a little fact: Calypso was the first record to sell over 1 million copies. Harry Belafonte is an icon, a true legend. He had a perfect sense of rhythm like all West Indians do and a very versatile set of vocal chords. His songs were spontaneous and the lyrics were often laced with dry humour. E.g. ’’Mama look a bubu, they shout… their mother tell them shut up your mouth… that is your daddy… oh no… my daddy cant be ugly so… shut your mouth… go away’’ heh heh

The Banana Boat song is a beautiful song. ’’Day-O, Day-O, Daylight come and me wanna go home’’

If you haven’t heard Harry Belafonte songs before, here’s some songs to download: Jump in the line, Matilda, Lion Sleeps Tonight, Come back Liza, Brown Skin Girl, Mama look a bubu and so on…

Shilo – N. Diamond (album- Velvet Gloves and Spit)
N. Diamond has churned out a lot of mushy songs but they do have a songwriting quality thats downright cool. Shilo is a pretty song.

I love you always forever – Donna Lewis (album- Now In A Minute)
The last one in this list. I put this here because this is the ideal song to send to your girlfriend or boyfriend on Valentines Day. Its easy on the ears, extremely hummable and pretty bubble-gummish.

I’m ending this list… I have some NINE INCH NAILS to listen to… This review has drained me heh heh…

PS: Dear friend… thanks for the patience. I know the songs listed here might not feature in your top ten lists but I tell you this… listen to them if you havent. They will definitely make a top ten list after that.

now… wheres the NIN CD

Advice on Singing

Take it from someone who hasnt had a single singing lesson in his life, doesnt have a great voice but still has clocked a few thousand hours of singing in front of an audience… YOU DONT HAVE TO BE BORN WITH IT!

Ok… so some people are born with it. They CAN sing by DEFAULT! Not me… all I had was a squeaky voice and a love for music. But that love for music helped. For starters it helped build an understanding of music. You start understanding the rudiments of music. The rhythm, the melody, the key, the chord progressions etc.

I realized I had an interest in using my voice! I wanted to sing.

The key to singing is the same as anything else. Its about PASSION… HEART… SOUL… BLOOD… SWEAT… TEARS… and phases of silence when you eventually lose your voice for a day or two…

So… singing… hmmmm…
Visualize singing in a band context. The guitarist picks, bends, taps and does other things to a bunch of parallel stings to produce music. The sounds are produced by VIBRATING strings. The drummer pummels skins. The sound is produced by vibrating membrane. The piano player bangs keys that trigger hammers to whack strings and cause them to vibrate. A saxophone player blows air to produce music.

A Singer Uses His Or Her Larynx Or Voice Box To Produce Music
Your voice box coupled with some other organs are what help you produce noises that can range from melodic to something that sounds like the cry of a hyena on heat. The other important bits of your body that contribute to the whole cause and these include the lips, tongue and lung.

Breathe… breathe in the air…
To be able to sing and sustain notes, you need to start pampering and conditioning your lung. Regular breathing exercises help. Yoga works wonders. Once you develop your lungs, you’d be able to regulate the flow of air within to produce and sustain great notes.

Listen! and then sing along…
Slip in a CD or tape of a song that you like. Listen to it. Feel it. Try to identify each instrument. And hum along. Slowly join in and try to sing with the singer. Try to emulate the highs and the lows.

The ear and the mouth are bonded. The ear provides the mouth with food for thought and vice versa. So LISTEN, LISTEN and LISTEN!

You’ll slowly start opening the doors for your voice box to experience a world of sounds.

Shadow boxing is the key
Deceptive topic heading but the intent is clear. Stand in front of a huge mirror, grab a comb as your pretend microphone and sing. If shadow boxing works for boxers, mirror singing works well for singers.

Break out of the shell
Next time the family throws a party, showcase your voice. Liven up the place and do your confidence a world of good. Confidence is a great thing. And its good to test your skills with known entities – you can get away with a few bum notes here and there.

Observe how they do it
I once saw a music teacher sing on stage. It was fascinating. The veins in her throat stood out. And you could see that her sound wasnt coming from the throat. It was coming from deep inside. From the very depths of her soul. Over the years I’ve seen many people perform on stage. Great singers. Their commitment and dedication made me feel miniscule. But it also inspired. It also taught a lot.

Exploring a passion
Now that I’ve passed all the paths I’ve tread to reach where I have, heres the piece of advice I have to give – if you have a chance to get vocal training (singing lessons) take it. A trained voice can do much more than an untrained one.

Pack these in your bag
* Fitness – both respiratory and the body as a whole – is essential.
* A passion for music
* The patience to listen!
* Determination to keep practicing
* A will to learn from others

If you are one of those people who are dead serious about being a good singer – invest in a tape recorder. I still have a dozen odd tapes of my own voice. Listening to myself has helped me improve my vocal range and fix flaws (even though there are tons more)

You don’t have to be born with it. You just have to discover it… and BUILD IT!

Finally, KEEP TELLING YOURSELF ’’I AM THE BL**DY BEST’’

~finis~

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Footnote: The genre that I sing is HARD ROCK. It places a lot of stress on the vocals. I used to lose my voice pretty often, till I discovered green tea and the virtues of honey. I also keep a bottle of DABUR’s HONITUS – a cough syrup made out of honey and other natural stuff like TULSI. Its great and completely non-toxic