Young guns: 4 upcoming blues musicians

Blues is easy to play, but hard to feel. The reflection of the world is blues, that’s where that part of music is at.
                                                                                                                                                     - Jimi Hendrix

If the integrity, beauty and emotion of a blues song can strike a chord with your heart beat and awaken your restless soul, you know you are the kind of human being that truly ‘feels the blues’. For several generations, the blues has been a genre strongly associated with the depth, wisdom and experiences of an older musician. However, there have been talented young guns whose musical style has resonated deeply with this meaningful genre. It doesn’t matter if you’re 19 or 35, age is inconsequential when it comes to any kind of categorisation with regard to music. Here are four blue blooded, passionate young musicians, who truly believe they’ve found their calling in this poignant and allegorical genre of music. 

1. Double Whammy

Anek Ahuja, the vocalist and bassist for Chennai based Blues Conscience, believes the blues is an integral element of world music today and needs to be comprehended, before one explores other genres of music. “I remember my first blues performance happening at my sister’s wedding, it was a Sindhi wedding and the people were surprisingly energised by our performance!” laughs Ahuja. His influences range from Buddy Guy to Ray Charles, and he believes there are two ways someone ends up as a blues musician, “You could either start off with the blues and end up experimenting with other genres or begin with rock and metal music and then land up in the blues,” says Ahuja. During the day, he runs a creative design and advertising agency, aptly named, ‘Whoa Mama Design’ and by night, you’re likely to bump into him crooning at the top of his lungs, at a popular club in Chennai.

2. Rising Star

Ayushi Karnik, at the age of 19, is the youngest blues musician to be creating a storm across the nation. Older musicians who have collaborated with her, describe the shy girl to be a ‘monster performer’. When she was in the sixth grade, her grandmother bought her her first guitar for 1500 rupees, and that is where it all began. “I used to watch a lot of songs, so I tried to imitate those sounds on the guitar. I had no idea how to even form a blues band!” giggles Karnik, who is currently pursuing architecture academically, but admits her heart lies in performing, instead of drawing designs inside a classroom. Why the blues? “It’s more raw and I get to play exactly what I want to play,” smiles Karnik, whose heartfelt vocals and ingenious guitar licks will leave you craving to hear more from this delightfully giggly, talented teenager.

3. The Storyteller

A self-taught vocalist, trained drummer and pianist, Arunima Dasgupta has been part of the professional music circuit since the late 90s. She has been fortunate to perform at different venues across the nation, as well as in cities like London and New York. It was her husband, one of India’s finest blues guitarist, Jayant Dasgupta who influenced her musical sense. “We started gigging every Saturday night in Kolkata, I was open to all kinds of music except for metal!” chirps Dasgupta. As a rock-loving musician, what was it that really pulled her into the blues? “It’s very difficult to not get into the blues, because it moves you, it’s about telling a story. We’re talking about our regular lives. It’s about very basic emotions which I found very easy to relate to. And being a great storyteller, that’s essential,” smiles Dasgupta.

4. The Saxfroman

Ryan Sadri is a popular face in the jazz music circles in India. He was once a part of Something Relevant, what he describes as ‘a fun, college live band’. Soon enough, it evolved into a more experimental and funkier version called Baycity Lights, adding RnB and hip hop elements into the tunes. Did you know that Sadri, primarily known for being a saxophone player, only learned the saxophone when he was 19? Kind of proves the fact that it is never too late to learn a musical instrument. 

“I grew up studying the piano, but my main motivation and inspiration towards learning jazz came about through Micky Correa,” says Sadri. Correa was in fact, famously known as the ‘Sultan of Swing.’ It is Sadri’s love for the blues that led him into jazz, “Louis Jordan, Albert Collins and Louis Armstrong are just some of the inspiring musicians that come to mind,” continues Sadri, “In fact all of the music we listen to stems from the blues, even Bollywood songs!” According to Sadri, when it comes to niche genres like the blues, the central issues revolve around the lack of accessible venues and the entertainment tax which can really affect musicians from performing in Mumbai. However, he’s optimistic and envisions a brighter future with venues like The Bandra Base springing up in the city.