Folk music with a contemporary twist

You may have heard it all…classic rock by The Beatles and country tunes by Bob Dylan. You may have even been guilty of karaoking to Uptown Funk. But get a muso (one who appreciates music across genres) to be enthralled by a band that blends folk with contemporary tunes, and you’re bound to witness someone experiencing euphoria. Exaggerated much, you may say. Well no; more like, been there, seen that!

A couple of months back, in the quaint and culturally-rich Prithvi Theatre, Juhu, we witnessed a performance that reaffirmed our faith in the beauty of Indian folk music. Not only were we unstoppable while applauding (and messing up the video we tried to capture), we also saw music create a dialogue between the audience and the band, and help unravel social issues one probably would ignore on a busy day. And, we weren’t the only ones—a crowd of music enthusiasts, mostly twenty-somethings, cheered and accepted the genre. There we noticed a new breed of musicians, one acquainted to the rich-traditional folk music India takes pride in. Following the footsteps of popular bands like Indian Ocean and The Raghu Dixit Project; Indo Gypsies, a Mumbai-based (Borivali residents), six-piece band has joined those who have contemporised folk music without dissipating its identity. 

Teaming up
The love for music was what got Nayan Kawale, Durgesh Khot and Mahant Parikh (ex-bassist) together, and that’s where the idea of starting a band came from. “We are engineers; Mahant, Durgesh and I met during a college fest. We knew we wanted to take up music seriously. So we got together and formed an instrumental band namely Farol Trio; we played Latin instrumental jazz music. Finally, we planned on forming a band that would concentrate on World Music as well,” says Kawale, guitarist and founder of Indo Gypsies.   
He had met Saurabh Shetye (Indo Gypsies’ vocalist) while performing at an orchestra. In 2011, Shetye joined the band and that’s when they decided to create Indo Gypsies. Later in 2013, the band went through a major line-up change; Indo Gypsies was now made up of Saurabh Shetye, Nayan Kawale, Durgesh Khot (keyboard player), Vinayak Gawas (tabla player and percussionist), Amit Mhatre (drummer) and Aditya Jain (bassist). The band has performed in many music festivals including The Secret Garden Weekend 2014 at Pune, Wassup Andheri and Thespo@Prithvi. Indo Gypsies have also won the India Fest Channel [V] Launch Pad 2013 and were recently honoured with the Young Achiever’s Award 2015 by Rotaract Club.
Ask them about the genre of music they focus on as a band and Shetye responds, “Our genre would primarily be Folk/Fusion/World Music. We keep a base around Indian Folk tunes as that's what we've found resonates the most with us and with our audience. We have also brought along a few World Music influences. For example, there's a song with Irish Yodels, one with Arabic licks and yet another with African rhythms. So we're trying to show the best of the world, all the while having our music rooted in Indian folk music.”

Music to awaken society
There’s a reason why it’s said that music is the mirror of society. Socio, political and economic issues can be highlighted in the garb of tunes and lyrics with musicians using their platform to echo what the world is probably turning a deaf ear to; proof being classics like Another Day in Paradise by Phil Collins and Heal The World by Michael Jackson. Indo Gypsies have also attempted tracks that carry a message in them. “We have a lot of concepts, social and other common ones that we wish to speak about. Being a band, we get to say what we want in our own words and tunes. That, to us, is the biggest influence of creating music and performing,” says Jain. 
Releasing an EP online, Indo Gypsies has made a music video for their song Soldier Love, which is a song portraying the conversation a soldier has with his wife, through letters. Currently working on two singles, the band plans to cut an album by the end of the year. 

MORE ABOUT THE BAND
>>     Indo Gypsies songs echo social causes. I’m sending India to School is a song that encourages education and Kaun Bharega talks about the plight of farmers in the country. 
>>    Some of the Indo Gypsies tracks like Anjani Raahein, Goonj Uthe, Ayo Re have been written by Kaustubh Bhalekar. 
>>    Follow the band on www.indogypsies.in, fb:/indogypsiesmusic or on Twitter @indogypsies.

WHAT THE FANS HAVE TO SAY...

I have known  Indo-Gypsies from 2012. I met them in the studio when they were jamming and creating Soldier Love. I instantly fell in love with the song, so much so that even my ringtone is the same. What I love about them is that they are very passionate and dedicated about what they do. I think as musicians, they are naturals and do everything right from the heart. Even their lyrics are very heart-warming. It's some great teamwork and that sets them apart. 
- Caroline Crasto, Walkeshwar resident

I'm also a part of the music scene. If one notices, the genre that Indo Gypsies performs in is very unique. While in today's time, heavy metal and rock are extremly popular, they've brought back a mix of soft music and folk. Fans of bands such as Indian Ocean and Euphoria will enjoy their tunes. I think Indo Gypsies has mastered the fusion style, and that's very rare for a band in such a less time. 
- Dinar Jadhav, Dadar resident