CHENNAI: One of the most successful blues rock band of India — Soulmate, from Shillong, has made thousands of people groove to their hard core metal and rock music.“We formed the band in 2003 to be able to sing and play the genre of music, blues, that we loved so much. And by doing so, we also aspired to inspire younger musicians in India...to help them understand that the music they are playing, whether it was rock, metal, hard rock etc, had its roots in blues,” shares Rudy Wallang, one of the most respected blues guitarists in India and a band member. The other member of the brand is Tipriti ‘TIPS’ Kharbangar, who is recognised as one of the finest female singers to have emerged from North East India.
In a chat with CE, Rudy Wallang opens up about his band and his upcoming show in the city. Soulmate is conducting a pan India ‘Spirit of Shillong’ tour. They have already performed in New Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai and on Friday, it’s Chennai’s turn to swing to their beats.
“We haven’t played in Chennai in a long while so we are looking forward to have a great time. We have lot of fans here and they are eagerly waiting for us,” says Rudy, adding that the band will play a mixed set of original Soulmate material as well as covers of blues songs that have inspired them. When asked why they only play blues rock, they say, “The Blues, Blues Rock, Soul, RnB, Rock n Roll form the basis of the Soulmate sound. We have a touch of Jazz too...especially the vocal aspect of Jazz.”
Till date, Soulmate has performed in several concerts around the globe. Officially having only two members, the band often teams up with seasonal musicians. “The reason we work with seasonal musicians is that it would be easier for us to move on. In case a musician drops out, we could work with another. This also gave us the honour of playing with many musicians through all these 14 years,” shares the songwriter.
In Chennai, they will team up with Leon Wallang and Vincent Tariang who will look after the rhythm section. “We couldn’t have asked for better musicians to back us up.
Our music is kind of simple and down to earth and they have the skill to play this simple form without losing the feel of the song,” he says. Though India’s association with Western music dates back to the 30s and 40s, the country is known to have its own reservations. However, Rudy feels that he has been lucky as the band hardly experienced any such challenges. Sharing his experiences, the musician reveals, “Surprisingly, we have not really faced any challenges as such. We have been blessed to perform this music for people aged 16 to 60 enjoy our music.” He also feels the band has taken the saga forward by introducing and popularising Blues to the people.
Rudy, though involved with Blues and other western varieties, also appreciates classical music as he says, “Carnatic music is quite elevating for the soul.”
Soulmate will perform at Bay 146 on July 28. For details call: 9710976876