Jeans & A Band of Boys

Published in 'Eyecandy' [The Post]

24th June, 2007

By Fariha Rashed
The invite, a black and white Polaroid picture splattered across with Coven band members, was enough eye candy to make any young girl rush over to see the gig! The well designed pass, gripped tightly in my hand read, 'Coven Live at the Levis Flagship Store….8th June…9pm onwards'.

Surprisingly the gig started almost on time. Credit must be given to the official organizers Radio 1 FM 91and JB & Jaws Productions, for ensuring that a good ensemble of people were invited to see Coven live in action. The gig took place in the spacious basement of the Levis' store on the busy MM Alam Road. As I walked down the winding staircase, I was given free cans of Red Bull, the company also being one of the official sponsors of the gig. By the time I got there, signing and handing out of the band's album had already been concluded. After mingling with the likes of Omar Chaudhry [Levis Brand Manager], musician Shehzad Hameed, RJ Fizza Aslam, and fashion designer Rabya Butt, people were making their way to an area enclosed in glass. This space is usually crowded with trendy accessories and Levis' exclusive vintage collection of jeans. However, for the gig, the entire area was cleared out and Coven had set up their instruments at the far end of the square room. The Jammin Java Cafe was the first place that fans turned to when they needed anything to drink. The ambience was created by a myriad of lighting effects. One of the oldest vintage jeans, boxed in a glass encasing hung behind Sikandar Mufti as he started the gig with drumming of the drums. The crowd huddled together was left anticipating a great evening of music that would tempt insurmountable amounts of foot stomping and head banging. They got just that!

Each one of the Coven boys took their places on the floor, clad in Levi attire. Sikandar instantly blew everyone away with his wild thumping at the drum set. The band began with an instrumental and slowly built up the pace. Sailing Fast was the first and by far the best performance of the night. Sikandar Mufti's energized drum beats, Sameer Ahmed's tight bass playing, Omran Shafique's electrifying lead and Hamza Jafri's soulful rhythm, amalgamated to build the instrumental up into a rock-inspired musical fury! The band launched into subsequent compositions, one after the other, driving the crowd to the point of insanity as young boys and girls hooted and sang along. Hamza Jafri's impeccable vocals were crisp and powerful, yet singing for an hour and a half takes a lot of stamina and by the end of the show he began to tire, which affected his ability to sing with the same intensity. The constant sweating due to lack of ventilation at the venue may have contributed to this happening.

Omran was clearly versatile on lead. His body movements uniquely blended with his playing style, as he shifted his weight from side to side while strumming with great fervour. He lit a cigarette after every few songs and it truly seemed like the entire band was jamming in its back yard, completely relaxed and at ease. There was a loud, yet intimate communication between the audience and the band. They crowd exuded an aura of encouragement while the band responded by offering a hard hitting performance.

Sameer Ahmed is known as one of the best bassists in Pakistan, and he proved just why, yet again, at the gig. His bass playing was solid and added masterfully, to the already brilliant Coven sound. Sikandar, it seems, only gets better every time he performs. His wrist movements are agile and his beat was confident. Best of all, anyone watching him could tell that he was completely immersed in what he was doing. His facial expressions aren't to be missed!

The gig was a roaring success. Coven was loud, passionate and most of all won the hearts of all present at the event. For a band not very fond of commercial collaborations, the boys made a smart move entering into a contract with a label that specifically linked itself with rock music all around the world. Being the brand ambassadors for Levis will take them far. Music lives in Coven's core and no amount of commercialism can take that way from them, it can only help to add to it and give them access to bigger venues and more gigs. We hope to see a whole lot more of the band in the near future.

Global Ambition

Published in 'Images' [Dawn]
24th June, 2007

By Fariha Rashed
August marks the release of Karachi-based Karavan’s long-awaited new album that comes after an extended gap. The year 2007 is also one in which Assad Ahmed (former Awaz member and guitarist) and Tanseer Daar (vocalist) complete a decade as a mainstream band. Currently recording the yet unnamed album at Assad’s studio, they have done three songs with another seven to go. It is the fourth studio and fifth overall album by the band.

“It’s not going to be a small affair because with it we also celebrate 10 years in the music industry. The feel to the new album will be different this time with more mature songwriting and heavy in all the right places. The stuff we have been working is miles ahead of what we had been doing in the past,” says Assad.

However, lyrically speaking, Tanseer doesn’t feel it is much different from their first four albums. “This time the songs are by Adnan Ahmed. He used to write for us before and the album Safar was by him. He co-wrote Gardish with Sajid Zafar and this time Anees Ahmed is doing two or three songs as well besides Adnan. We sit down with them and sense the direction of the songs they have written. If we leave them on their own, it gets complicated for us as performers because they use a lot of heavy words. This time there will be easier words and beats,” he explains.

One thing that Assad says they have learnt over the years is “when you write a song that connects with people on any level it’s great because it will always take them back to the moment when they first heard it. This time we have all the ingredients to make a great Karavan album. I think that if Gardish was the bar that we were measured by, we’ve managed to raise that bar this time.”

“People mostly go to India to become famous but we are beyond that. We want to
go there and look at India as another territory to play in. We don’t care about
record sales. Pakistan may be home, but you can’t stay here for the rest of your
life,” says Karavan guitarist Assad Ahmed

There is an element of motivation in one of the songs on the new album, called Sara Jahan. There is also one called Kaise Mumkin Hai, which is something the band has never done before. According to Assad, it is one of those songs that take you away to a far-off place. “We try to do what we do best and evolve within that frame.

“People are now listening more with their eyes than their ears. With all the TV channels coming up, now people only know you for the videos you come out with. So if you have an album out and you’ve done a video, they only know you through that one song. This is apart from your hardcore fan base of course,” he adds.

Tanseer feels that his vocals have kept on changing through time, “Usually, it occurs naturally. It’s the fans and band mates that make you conscious of the change. Your voice is not an instrument that you practice with and it gets better. Also, we are not from a family that supports careers in music. As a result, in an environment where you have no support, it is quite difficult to improve oneself,” says the lead vocalist.

Assad adds that if you stop evolving as a singer, bassist or a musician, it’s all over. “Just hang up your instrument and say thank you very much, it’s been a good ride and good night — Elvis has basically left the building. I remember when Tanseer first joined the band; I thought to myself ‘what are we going to do’? This guy can’t even sing. I told him to lock himself in a room and practice. In those eight months, on a scale from one to 10, this guy went up to at least 7.5. It’s all about applying himself.”

For the future, Karavan plans to come out with videos that are both cost-effective and creative. Assad explains that they picked out art students from the Indus Valley School in Karachi and asked some young students to come up with interesting concepts. “It’s about promoting young talent. We got in touch with a few people, Aman Ahmed being one of them. I’m not a big fan when it comes to making videos because I come from a generation that thinks radio gives artistes a break whereas television is just a marketing tool. However, you have to have good videos and for this album we’ll pretty much do the same. We might spend more money on them and have them done on film rather than video format.”

The band also plans to go to India with the new album this time. “People mostly go to India to become famous but we are beyond that. We want to go there and look at India as another territory to play in. We don’t care about record sales. Pakistan may be home, but you can’t stay here for the rest of your life,” points out the Karavan guitarist.

All of Assad and Tanseer’s attention is on the new album right now that will not just be released in Pakistan this year, but worldwide. “Most people want to go to the East but I believe our place is in the West. Desis and Asians, in general, are tuned in to rock music as much as the white man. I want to bridge the gap between us and the white man through this album. Hence, there are two English songs on the album which will be released there, not here” says Assad Ahmed sounding off.

Spreading the Word

Published in 'Images' [Dawn]
17th June, 2007

By Fariha Rashed
Ajoka Theatre’s play, Bullah, performed last week in Lahore was very appropriately timed in that it brought with it a strong message of peace and tolerance. It revived the true spirit of Bulleh Shah’s poetry, as his poetic message intermingled with the popular genre of drama grasped everyone’s attention in the audience. It seems the recent ban placed on Burqavaganza that was accused of ridiculing the veil and disrespecting Pakistani culture has, in essence, managed to attract more crowds to Ajoka’s plays.

Bullah tells the story of sufi poet Baba Bulleh Shah. Based on the events that came to pass during his lifetime, the play carries a strong message of love and a plea for world peace. Bulleh Shah’s teachings are based on tolerance and the play suggests that in today’s conflicting times we should spread his message extensively.

‘Bullah’ tells the story of sufi poet Baba Bulleh Shah. Based on the events of
his life, the play carries a strong message of love and a plea for world peace
along with an impressive blend of various aspects of literature and the
performing arts.

Ajoka, known to stress on social issues through its plays, moulded Bullah to address the present state of chaos in South Asia. The play started on time and as the lights dimmed, the events on stage began with devotees carrying Bullah’s mortal remains in a procession, chanting his verse: “It is not me who is in the grave it is another.” The backdrop of the play is set in Punjab at the time of the decline of the Mughal empire in the early 18th century. Sona (Kamran Mujahid) and Chandi (Furqan Majeed) act as narrators, giving comments on what the sufi poet had to contend with on various occasions.

The play is an example of what the magic of theatre is all about — an entertaining, live and interactive experience that carries with it a message that everyone can relate to. The play is a perfect blend of music and acting. Mian Shaharyar composed the music for the play and the kafis were sung by Khawar Ali Qawal and his ensemble accompanied by Arif Ali. As Sarfaraz Ansari (the lead actor who played Bullah) recited his poetry, the qawwals would enhance the recitations by offering their own music and voices as support. It was said that Sarfraz Ansari felt a personal affiliation with Bulleh Shah and elevated to a spiritual high while playing the role. This translated into a moving performance on his part.

The stage was not overly crowded with props and the lighting was impeccable. It created just the right ambience for each scene and gave depth to every character’s individual expressions. The dances were an important part of the play, lending through their movements a symbolic touch to the storyline. The live qawwali music intersecting throughout the play managed to enhance the performance marvelously. The actors themselves sang intensely and soulfully, clearly indicating that they were classically-trained singers as well.

The entire production was performed in Punjabi which is difficult to comprehend for many, but the actors’ powerful performances made understanding the story a whole lot easier. Lines were not forgotten, voices carried well across the entire stretch of the Alhamra hall and the space on stage was used intelligently by the actors which made the play visually appealing.

The dancers were in sync while the actors acting out the fight sequences were also quite agile. Both the dances and the fight sequences were choreographed with special attention paid to detail. The actors’ purposeful eye contact with the audience helped to keep them engaged for two whole hours. Eva Majid played the dancing girl Muradi Begum and Malik Aslam played Banda Singh Bahadur who avenged the deaths of Sikh saints. Both of them delivered convincing performances.

The last scene was one of the most powerful in the entire play and sums up the essence of the story: Bullah’s shrine is visited by devotees and Sona and Chandi proclaim that the sufi poet is still alive and loved through his teachings which will continue to live on for centuries after his demise.

The life history and contributions of Baba Bulleh Shah were artfully staged and accurately presented in Bullah. Madeeha Gauhar must be complemented for brilliant direction, Shahid Nadeem for writing a powerful script and Uzra Butt for strong choreography. The set designed by Aqeel Qazmi created an atmosphere which convincingly portrayed the living conditions and trends at the time of the sufi poet. The play is an impressive blend of various aspects of literature and performing arts that leaves a lasting impression on its audience.

Impressively, Ajoka is known to keep its set designs and backgrounds to a bare minimum, focusing entirely on acting, a strong meaningful script and brilliant background music. At the end of the day, the evening was a roaring success and it was good to see that the Pakistani public appreciates cultured theatre.