September to December is the season for rock festivals in the country. But before the head banging and instrument thrashing (in the case of the rockstars at least) begins, there’s a world of planning that goes into each concert or album release. As opposed to the West, where the industry is more structured, here it is often the manager who dons multiple caps, handling tours, bookings, finances, endorsements, social media and so on. We speak to four managers of some of the country’s top bands, from different genres, to find out why they wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.
Anisha Banerji, Thermal And A Quarter, Bengaluru
Fairly new to the job, the former media professional says it certainly beats corporate life
Having worked in the television and radio industry, Anisha Banerji says that she turned band manager by accident. “I bumped into Rajeev (Rajagopal, the drummer) and heard that they were looking for a manager. I offered to help once a week.” But the work involved and the commitment of the group saw her taking it up as a full time job. “It beats corporate life,” she says, explaining that her role involves supervising everything from music distribution and selecting shows to organising merchandise and planning concerts. “You need to have a critical eye all the time,” she insists, adding that it is not only about filling up the events calendar. Banerji is attuned to her band members, and says Bruce Lee Mani, their lead guitarist, is the “daddy” of the band - “always watching over everyone, being fair and not taking sides.” Most of the lyrics of their songs are penned by him and he’s also a heavy reader of everything, from science fiction “to spaced-out philosophy.” Rajagopal, their drummer, “loves cats and was heavily influenced by the Seattle grunge scene - Nirvana, Alice in Chains etc.” Prakash K N, aka Praki, their bassist, is “the baby of the band,” and collects bass guitars and goes on road trips in his Bolero with his boxer, Axl. Offering a peek into the green room, she says, “Bruce likes to be quiet before a gig, so you will find him sitting silently in a corner. Prakash will be out for a quick stroll and Rajeev would be worrying about how many people have showed up.”
While the frenzy of concerts in India is not yet at par with concerts abroad, Banerji does accept that at times “the atmosphere is surreal.” And that said, she ensures that every fan gets to meet the band and have their photograph or autograph. “No fan ever goes disappointed from a TAAQ show - and we all take great pride in it,” says our manager.
Sahil Makhija, Demonic Resurrection, Mumbai
In the industry for about 12 years, Makhija sheds the robes of ‘The Demonstealer’ when he steps off stage and takes the reins of his band
When Sahil Makhija started his metal band 12-years-ago, he decided to manage it himself because there weren’t many managers at that point of time. “I am a bit of a control freak, so managing the band came to me naturally,” he chuckles. The front man and only remaining founding member of the band, Makhija also manages the other bands he plays in — Workshop, Hellwind and Reptilian Death. He admits that the ‘metal scene’ is unique because “it is not the most marketable or the most appealing kind of music.” A key skill that a band manager should possess, according to him, is a sound knowledge of the industry and the ability to make the most out of each band.
The 30-year-old does everything from handling bookings, timing album launches to planning the bands’ finances, endorsements, artist bios and social media. And while there’s usually a tour manager who oversees concerts, he says that in India it’s usually the manager who takes care of all this.
DR, however, have a sound engineer who doubles as tour manager, when The Demonstealer is on stage. Planning is imperative, for a metal band has around 24 concerts a year, and if the band is younger and into college competitions as well, we’re talking around 45 gigs a year. Since DR have performed at every major festival in the country, their focus now is on tours and festivals abroad. They have played at Inferno in Norway and Brutal Assault in the Czech Republic in 2010, and Bloodstock in UK this August.
Naveen Deshpande, multiple bands
A manager is primarily the business representative of a band, says Deshpande, who believes in well-defined roles and a structured industry
Another musician-turned- band manager, Naveen Deshpande from Pune, saw the need for coordination in bands and signed on his first metal act, Brute Force, in 2001. After a three year stint at OML (Only Much Louder) Mumbai, where he worked with The Raghu Dixit Project and Pentagram, he formed his own artist and event management company, Mixtape, in Mumbai, and was approached by Indus Creed. Today, Deshpande handles bands like Scribe, Shaa’ir + Func, Shkabang and Chennai’s Junkyard Groove. He says a manager’s profile includes show enquiries, costing, fixing monetary matters, logistics, supervising the tour managers who travel with the band on tours and, if necessary, accompany the band themselves. He is on speed dial with the tour manager and lighting, sound and visual engineers, some of the most important people at concerts.
Talking about Junkyard Groove, Deshpande says that they do around six shows a month, sometimes even eight. Currently handling six bands, he offers that every band he has worked with has been different. This variety makes the job even more interesting. And while Junkyard Groove is one of the most energetic bands he’s handled, he admits that the crowds in the country are not as wild as one would find at a rock concert elsewhere. Even interactions with fans are done systematically.
Keith Wallang, Soulmate, Shillong
From musician to event producer to talent seeker to band manager, Wallang says everything in his journey was interlinked, but jests that much of his work involves sending and responding to mails
For Keith Wallang, managing bands was a natural step. Wallang says that he was always looking out for bands on his travels while producing events, and when he did come across a few he liked, he signed them on. As manager for Soulmate for two years now, Wallang says that during the season (September/October) they are on the road for around 15-20 days and do about six to 10 gigs a month. “My work for each gig begins at home, fixing the terms for the bands’ performance with the organiser, ensuring logistics are in place, seeing that the band is comfortable in all aspects so that they put on a good show,” he shares. As for ensuring a good working atmosphere, he refers to members Rudy Wallang and Tipriti Kharbangar and shrugs, “Their on and off screen personalities are the same.” Kharbangar sticks colourful butterflies that her uncle makes for her on her microphone stand - something fans might be familiar with. Some of his best moments are from the Baltic Blues festival in Germany. “We were getting curious looks from many and much amusement regarding this ‘Indian’ band that played the ‘blues’.” But when Soulmate played, the festival director urged them to extend their performance. Three encores later, there was a queue waiting for the band to autograph CDs. Wallang gushes that they “sold so many CDs that it covered the cost of the van we used for the whole tour in Europe. And from then on, everyone knows us, the Indians!”
As for managing fans, he says, “The only thing I do after a gig is to ensure that the band has some breathing space before they mingle with their fans. They are very accessible and like to meet people who like their music.”
Comments
0 comment