All posts tagged: Music

RootsandLeisure_Pelenuo Yhome

A Chat with Pelenuo Yhome – The Architect from Nagaland with a Musical Soul

  “Will you go with me to the ends of the earth.Where we will build a story, a story that will last” ~ An excerpt from Pelenuo’s song You feel a certain kind of ease and calm when listening to Pelenuo’s song ‘Build A Story’, her first single. We catch up with this architect from Srishti Institute of Art, Design & Technology, Bangalore to talk about her foray into music and how she got started. Hi Pelenuo, say something about yourself 🙂 My name is Pelenuo, and I am from Nagaland. I am an architect graduate from Srishti Institute of Art, Design & Technology, Bangalore. So I am home now in Nagaland working as an architect/interior designer in Dimapur. Besides my work, I also love food, sneakers ( I like walking and sneakers are the best shoes ever!)  and of course music! I’m a fan of singer, Taya Smith and my favourite genre is country music. Those that follow the north-east music scene on Instagram, would most probably  have heard of Jonathan Yhome. He’s my younger brother and he plays …

Representing Our Blood Line, Our People- Khasi Bloodz from Meghalaya

“Here’s to the heartaches that pulled you through/Here’s to the walls you built to stop them coming back to you/Here’s to the bad times you’ve been there before/ And oh your feet are sore and you can’t do it anymore…”  – A verse from their song ‘Don’t Stop’ Khasi Bloodz is a hip hop group from Meghalaya. The group, which started in late 2009, is the first Khasi hip hop group. Their music is influenced by Old School music, Hip Hop from the 90’s, Jazz and Rock. R&L member Lisa caught up with the group during one of their rehearsals. Hi there! Tell us how you got together to form a band? We started off with six of us but a few months back, new members have joined the crew and our family has gotten bigger and better. Initially, our band was called ‘Khasi Blood’ as we wanted to represent the blood line of Khasi’s but later added the Z to make it sound more Hip Hop. What kind of music do you make? And what is your …

RootsandLeisure_TriauTrackx

Interview with Triau Trackx Band from Mizoram

Triau Trackx is a pop-rock band based in Champhai, Mizoram. They released their self-titled album in 2015 and are currently recording their next EP.  Lisa, from Roots and Leisure, recently sat down for a quick chat with band members, Ramenga(drummer), Ruatfeli(vocalist), Ate-a(guitarist) and Lalthazoa (Tz’a) (Bassist), before their performance at the Bacardi NH7 Weekender, Meghalaya. Here’s an excerpt from the interview as Triau Trackx tells us about their music style, thoughts on the Northeast music scene and their message to the R&L community. Tell us how you guys got together to form the band and the origin of your band name? It started out as a project to promote local artists based in Champai, Mizoram. There is a river called ‘Tiau’ which flows between India and Myanmar, which is near Champai, the people there used to call us Triau Trackx and that’s how the name of the band came to be. What kind of music do you make? We make different kinds of music, sometimes ballads-working with only a piano, and other times it is grunge music, …

Rootsandleisure_Indonesia_Music

Making My Own Musical Instruments From Bamboo | Rizal Abdulhadi – Folk Music Artist from Indonesia

“Music is the universal language of mankind.”― Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Rizal Abdulhadi from Indonesia believes this to be true. He is a full-time musician, instrument builder, multi-instrumentalist, social activist, video producer & editor and the founder of the ‘ThatBamboo’ company – a music label that uses bamboo to create hand-crafted musical instruments. The most interesting fact about Rizal is that he makes his own instruments out of bamboo. His most recent handcrafted instrument called ‘Rasendriya’ is a combination of guitar with didgeridoo and celempung (percussion).He recently came to India for the Ziro Music Festival, and we had a chat with him to know more him, his music and his craft. Rizal Abdulhadi was here in India for the Ziro Festival of Music and R&L team caught up with him to know more about him, his music & his unique musical instruments – and his experience with the people, the place and the festival at Ziro, Arunachal Pradesh Hi Rizal! Tell us briefly about yourself. Hi! I am Rizal Abdulhadi from the band – Rizal & The …

RootsandLeisure_ImliakumAier

Losing Our Hearts to Nagaland’s Very Own John Mayer | Imliakum Aier

“Poise, prose, and passion make a great musician,” goes a famous saying. Nah! We just made that up. But it’s true! Most of our favorite artists today have struck a chord with millions of fans not just for being good singers. They gotta have the looks and be completely invested in their music beginning from lyrics, to costume, and even their Instagram posts. It’s what the music industry calls ‘a whole package’. Somewhere amidst the bustling, vibrant city of Kohima, Imliakum Aier is strumming a guitar whipping up a new tune for his brainchild, a young band of funky young musicians aptly named The Electric Cool Kid. Aier sports a pair of Lennon round sunglasses, a funky Hawaiian shirt and a pensive look that would put John Mayer to shame. One cannot help but think that Nagaland’s music scene has found its whole package. We spoke with Imliakum to get to know him and how this budding artist weaves magic through his simple lyrics. Tell us about the musician in Imliakum Aier. When did realise you wanted …