Mathures Paul

Music is all about life, of the paths we travel every day. Before a splash, Lou Majaw speaks to Mathures Paul about the music scene in North-east India It was beauty of the rains that inspired The Great Society to compose April Showers. The melody lingers on long after a meeting with Lou Majaw, one of Bob Dylan's most ardent fans. “April Showers transcends time and can be played throughout monsoon. The Great Society composed it on my birthday. The song is an ode to monsoon," says Majaw, whose visits to Kolkata has dwindled over the years. An Ace of Spades concert (featuring Lou, Arjun Sen and Nondan Bagchi) at Someplace Else at The Park brought him to Kolkata, the city where he first heard Dylan, the city where he began his career. Born into a poor family, Majaw and Shillong are synonymous. Every aspiring musician in Shillong knows him, has spoken to him sometime or the other on a street like Upland Road. The beauty of Shillong, the ageless Jacob's Ladder or the Laban hill...

Taking music from the north-east across India is Abiogenesis, which has created a new wind instrument ~ the bamhum; and a new genre ~ howey. Members speak to Mathures Paul about their next album The bamhum is an instrument that one hums into to produce tones that captivates listeners. It can be played solo or in an orchestra. And it was only on 2 May 2005 the instrument was unveiled in Shillong. Meet the Abiogenesis, which is developing a new genre called howey ~ a fusion of Naga folk tunes and rock. Their latest album ~ Aeon Spell, released by Saregama ~ is a reminder that the north-east is where some of the most talented musicians reside. The Abiogenesis comprises Arenla (vocals/bamhum), Moa Subong (guitar/bamhum/main composer), Longden (lead guitar), Imli (drums/percussions) and Kongdir (bass). Let's hear it from Moa Subong... What have you been working on since the release of Aeon Spell? We are still promoting the album (and the band) through concerts, radio and television inte...