Karnatriix for Live Earth - A Review

Nearly 500 people gathered at Bucks Theatre for an evening of fun -- a fun way to show solidarity and take back some tips to help each of us save the earth. Where politicians and scientists have failed for want of commitment, public spirited musicians from Chennai, Bangalore and Madurai rocked a crowd spanning at least three generations. With the planet going to hell in a handbasket, thanks to the climate-warming gases released by wasteful private and elite transport, the musicians who performed today insisted on none of the electricity-guzzling jazzy lights. Indeed, all of them took the train, sleeper class, to get to Chennai. Youth activists associated with Mitra Foundation underscored the motivation behind the concert: "Have fun, but have a care. Use less, consume less. Think about simple things like switching off your lights; taking public transportation or bicycling to work."

Karnatriix's fresh sounds, with "Darbuka" Siva keeping a deadly beat to a trippy rendition of Saint Thiagaraja's Pancharatna keertana, "Entharo" was a masterpiece that highlighted the talents of Dharwad vocalist and Sarangi player Fayyaz, and the lead-guitarist-cum-producer John Anthony. Featuring a number of originals and exclusive renditions of popular Carnatic tunes, the band delivered song after song that underscored relaxation as a way out of the hectic and earth-burning life that most of us live. Karnatriix' performance, short though it was, covered their special numbers -- Angel's Dist, Entharo, Delicately Tuned, Exorcism and Namaste.

John Anthony is an ole time rock guitarist, with the defiance, pride, creativity and dexterity befitting an activist. On more than one instance, he has stepped in to pull off massive shows for social causes. In 2000, in a gesture of farewell to Greenpeace's flagship Rainbow Warrior from Chennai, Johnny and his "Banned" organised a "No More Bhopals" concert. No corporate sponsors; free tickets. More than 5000 students rocked peacefully to a series of socially-relevant songs set to invigorating music.

"Darbuka" Siva, a sprightly lad in his early twenties, was a hit. A Radio anchor on Radio Mirchi, Siva's solo percussion performance, -- he starts off testing this bell and that xylophone -- eventually cascaded into a riot of beats that had the old and the young keeping rhythm in their own ways.

Fayyaz Khan, an accomplished Hindustani classical vocalist and Sarangi player from Bangalore by way of Dharwad, punctuated the otherwise instrumental-emphatic performance with vocals flowing from the belly, a sound that touched you awake from the mesmeric music that straddles evolving genres such as new age, electronica, ambient and alternative.

With all four musicians/bands making it clear that they were playing for the planet, the show was set apart from the rest both by the commitment of the performers and the fact that the show was largely sponsored by the five-hundred odd music lovers that bought tickets to attend the show. Performing in the lead-up to Karnatriix' performance were Marana Gana Viji, Manoj from Chennai-based country western band Shoestring, and Rajasekhar, another old-time radical Tamil rocker from Madurai. (Courtesy Nityanand Jayaraman)