Psychedelic rock band Parvaaz, which kicked off its journey from Bengaluru about 6 years ago credits crowdfunding with an important role in helping independent artists to launch their careers. Incidentally, the band took the same route to launch its album in 2014.
The quartet, began its euphonious journey in 2010 after childhood friends from Kashmir Khalid Ahamed and Kashif Iqbal reconnected during their college days in Bengaluru and decided to jam together.
Using Kashmiri and Urdu poetry, the band whose songs speak of experience and ideas and explore traditional literature have apparently made a mark in the country's music industry with some hit numbers such as 'Gul Gulshan', 'Aaj Ki Subah' and 'Itne Arse Ke Baad.'
'Baran', its album released in August 2014, and is a Persian word for rain was crowdfunded with the band getting a chance to come face to face with fans.
"I think crowdfunding is important as you get an opportunity to interact with your fans and for any small emerging artist it is a much needed thing," says lead vocalist Khalid Ahamed.
"There are many independent artists coming up and promoting themselves through various musical tours which not only grabbed the attention of the people but have also given them a variety to switch to something fresh apart from similar sort of composition and lyrics by the Bollywood," he says.
With Ahamed as vocalist and Iqbal on the guitar, Fidel D'Souza the bassist and drummer Sachin Banandur, the musicians together deliver a mix of progressive, psychedelic and mellow rock.
"Indian rock music is evolving and becoming gradually better. If you see there are many good rock artists in India. I am myself so much inspired by the story of the Indian Ocean," says Ahamed.
The musicians say the idea is to keep evolving by playing
with beats, lyrics and concepts.
"Every band takes its time to fix a spot on the chart. The more you evolve the more you get to explore yourself that is why we keep playing with our beats, lyrics and concepts and continue to experiment," says the vocalist.
Despite using Kashmiri and Urdu for lyrics the essence of the songs, the band says is not about Kashmir but based "purely on imagination."
A case in point, says Ahamed is the 'Beparwah' single, from the album 'Baran', which talks about the materialistic world.
While 'Behosh' their first album was released in 2012 followed by 'Baran', the band has been releasing a lot of independent singles and are busy with an upcoming yet untitled album by the year end.
It says the lead vocalist are also "open to working in Bollywood if any such project comes up."
The band is set to record its upcoming yet untitled album by the end of this year.
