Zero guitarist Warren Mendonsa will perform today at MICA for the institute's annual brand management festival. Those familiar with his music sure are a happy lot as he will play songs from his album, Night In Shining Karma (NISK) and his latest, The New Album (TNA).
Mendonsa developed a love for the guitar in childhood. His father Darryl Mendonsa, a bass player with the band Savage Encounter, always had music instruments at home which Mendonsa as a kid used to play with.
Born in Dadar, Mumbai,Mendonsa later moved to New Zealand where he kick-started his solo project, Blackstratblues (BSB).
"I was playing with Zero then, when my folks moved to NZ in 2003. I visited them later, liked the place and by the time I realised it, five years had passed. By then I got a permanent residency and voila I am at both places now. I move here and there, perform gigs, record and play my best instrument, my guitar and live music," Mendonsa said.
Talking about the shift from NISK to TNA, Mendonsa said, "In NISK guitar formed the fundamental of the songs, whereas in TNA it does not follow the same basics. It is not a solo guitar album and is more of a soundscape album that is audio scenic in nature. Moreover, NISK was more of garage playing and TNA was more organised, with recording being done in a studio. The guitar continues to have its prominence in TNA, it is my way of expression, but it is accompanied with lyrics, drums, and acoustic guitar. So, definitely one finds a huge difference between the two albums."
In TNA, Mendonsa has included pakhwaj (Hindustani counterpart of mrindagam) for a song named, Newness. When questioned about the likelihood of Indian instruments finding place in his set of instruments, Mendonsa replied, "It depends on the level of creativeness with which I play my music. Since I have grown listening to Indian rhythms, I am likely to include some in my projects. It is mainly the sound that hits my head and makes its way into my songs."
The Zero guitarist will be in India till January 2011. Although there is nothing concrete in the pipeline, but he does have a family wedding to attend. He mentions that he is likely to reunite with Zero for a tour in December.
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