Into...AkashA is Over!!!Check out this review on www.virtualmalaysia.com!!
Akasha Continues to be Simply Smashing!
by Ariel Chew
Introducing the Rojak that is Akasha
Akasha, the band means many things. Their name literally means ethereal space - and otherworldly indeed they were.
Akasha is rojak (meaning mixture like the Malaysian salad dish) – having 3 Indians, 2 Caucasians, 1 Malay and 1 Mainland Chinese jamming well together like they’ve known and played with each other for years. The band members are Jamie Wilson bin Abdullah (compositions, guitar, gambus, vocals), Sivabalan Shanmuga Sundram (mridangam, ganjira, vocal percussions), Greg Henderson (bass guitar), Kumar Karthigesu (sitar, dilruba), Vic Ramakrishnan (tabla, vocal percussions), Badar Ben Taleb (world percussions, vocals), and Eric Li (piano). They are bonded by a common love for strange but good music, and for Malaysia.
Incidentally, their music is also rojak – from a hodgepodge of musical instruments ranging from the sitar to bass guitar, to the funky fusion of their songs.
Imagine savouring a dish prepared by 7 top world chefs – each tossing in their favourite unique ingredient, in their own style. It tastes strange, yet familiar. Peculiar, yet comforting. Traditional, yet refreshing. And astoundingly scrumptious. This is definitely not the case where too many cooks spoil the rojak. These cooks make the rojak work.
I Heart Akasha
I had my first taste of the addictive sounds of Akasha at last year’s Rainforest World Music Festival. They completely blew me away. The 30 minute of so performance only left the ecstatic audience clamouring for more.
So good were they that the Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) organisers requested them to make a comeback appearance at RWMF this year. These boys are also going places having received invites to perform next month at Harvard University in the United States. How cool is that?
Thus, when they invited me to attend their concert cum inaugural Into Akasha’s album launch held on Sunday and last night, I was thrilled to my socks. Imagine, 90 minutes of pure Akasaha music.That’s 3 times more than what I had in RWMF. I marked the sacred date on my calendar and found myself ensconced within the cosy depths of KLPAC last night.
This being a Monday night, the hall was half-filled. A stark contrast to the night before when it was a full house. Nevertheless the fewer crowds meant that the audience could get better seats up front.During the 2nd interval, Jamie Wilson (who’s also the spokesperson of the band on stage) invited us to fill up the seats nearer to the stage, which I promptly did. The view from the first row of seats was truly the best! I could see their every expression and how their fingers flew over their instruments.Simply priceless.
A Reunion with an Old Friend
They proceeded to play songs from the album as well as a couple of fresh tunes they composed very recently.
To kick things off, they played Bourbon Lassi – starting with Sivabalan and Vic’s signature vocal percussions. It was also the song they chose to begin their show at RWMF last year. Other old favourites include groovy Brickfields Blues (the place the band was birthed) and the dizzyingly fast-paced and funny Ants in My Turban.
It was a reunion of sorts. I felt the rush and excitement that only reuniting with a dear old friend can give. There are so many beloved traits to delight upon and tantalising new updates to catch up on.
A Different Beat
Purists may hate them. Newbies may wonder what the brand of music it was that is assailing their ears. But one thing is for sure: Akasha’s music is original, impactful, never neutral nor bland.
As I listened to these sweetly familiar tunes – I realised that I’ve only heard them once before but they have managed to etch themselves into my soul somehow. That’s how powerful and gripping their music is.
I can imagine their music fitting in everywhere – from swanky classy lounges to the alleys of Brickfields, it has definite mass appeal and as emcee Jason Lo said in his inspiring introduction of the band, it feeds the soul.
Throughout the 90-minute concert, they sat and did their thing.And the audience was thoroughly enraptured. There were no gimmicks employed. No special effects done. Of course, there was the percussionist maestro Steve Thornton who was a bundle of energy on stage to heat things up. But generally, the boys were seated and sedate and still commanded everyone’s attention with their great music.
They also dedicated a dreamy and surreal Javanese number to Datin Tiara Jacquelina and her husband as it was inspired by the highly acclaimed play Puteri Gunung Ledang. As the song was playing I could imagine the scene where the princess was waiting for Hang Tuah in vain on the slopes of Gunung Ledang.
The Irish Joget for Sitar, Ganjeera and Tenor Ukelelenearly had me breaking out into an Irish jig or was it joget? I couldn’t really make up my mind, heh.
At end the fantastic concert, they played a light-hearted epic-like Chinese tune humorously titled “Ipoh Hor Fun”. Jamie and gang had everyone bursting into laughter as they made kung fu noises on stage to go along with the catchy song.
The Seven Maestros
The warm and down-to-earth seven members of Akasha were maestros in their own right. In the hands of the divine Kumar Karthigesu, the typical Indian sitar became Western, Malay, Chinese, Javanese and even Spanish. Who would have thought the verily traditional sitar can be so funky and work so well with non-Indian flavoured songs?
The elderly Indian lady who sat beside me told me that Kumar is one of the three sitar gurus in the Temple of Fine Arts, a classical Indian performing arts school in Brickfields.Kumar was recently awarded with the illustrious Anugerah Karyawan Seni and the friendly Indian lady beside me turned out to be Vatsala Sivadas, the school’s dance director.
A recent addition to the group is talented piano player Eric Li who hails from Shanghai but fell in love with Malaysia. He literally jazzed up the songs with brilliant complicated pieces, playing so effortlessly as if he was blessed twelve fingers instead of just ten.
Vic Ramakrishnan’s palms pounded the tablas unceasingly, mercilessly until his hands became a blur.Sivabalan Shanmuga Sundram made the mridangam sing and did the small but potently loudganjeera (a mini tambourine-like instrument) ample justice. Together with Badar Ben Taleb, they formed a formidable percussion team that added immense punch to Akasha.
The affable Greg Henderson gave good bass on his guitar and Jamie Wilson could be seen totally immersed in the music that the group was churning so energetically. In the slower songs, he plucked each guitar note expressively, exquisitely and passionately. In the faster songs, his tousled blonde head bobbed up and down in time with the music. The experienced guitarist has performed with rock legend Jimmy Barnes, guitar maestros Tommy Emmanuel, Ian Moss, Richard Clapton and many others. The two Aussie guys may look Caucasian on the outside, but they are definitely Malaysianrojak on the inside.
Autograph signing with the friendly dudes
Mixed races, fusion tunes and passion for all things local – surely, a band can’t get any more Malaysian than Akasha.
