THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Discussing music with Michael Dias, the vocalist from Mad Orange Fireworks, is enlightening. “Genres are so overrated,” says the 28-year-old, who believes categorising bands based on genres is passé. And this Bengaluru based three-piece rock band has taken its philosophy into its music, too. They play, what they call, ‘orange rock’—a signature mix of pop, blues, jazz, funk and rock. Though they debuted in the city in February—when they played at the Mojo Rising festival in Bolgatty—their first solo performance will be tomorrow at Cafe Papaya.
Mixing it up
Dias, though a city boy, moved to Bengaluru six years ago because he felt the music scene was better there. There he met drummer Deepak Raghu, while teaching music at Taaqademy. Bass guitarist Kaushik Kumar soon joined them and the band was born in 2011. Though he recalls tough early days, Dias says the launch of Lifeline Cast, their debut album in 2013, was a turning point. “Our launch at Bengaluru’s Humming Tree was a big musical milestone for me personally, as well as for us as a group. The crowd loved our lyrics and the energy in our songs,” he says, adding that they are now working towards completing their second album, Under the Orange Sky, which will be launched next month. Shaking my ground, a single from the album is already doing the rounds on YouTube, with over 6,000 views.
School of rock
Talking about their songs, Dias says they are not complex; the lyrics reflect the everyday and appeal to an urban audience. Even the logic behind their name is simple. “There is something unique about the colour orange and since we are a maddening group, the name was a natural fit,” he smiles. Naming Police, Dave Matthews Band and a mix punk rock and heavy metal as their biggest influences, Dias says that Kochiites can look forward to their hits like Feet ain’t movin, On the ledge and Empty Saturday from their debut album, besides their trending new single, Shaking my ground. “The path of music is not always about fame and money. In fact, it takes years of hard work to reach that position. I strongly advise youngsters to only take up music for the passion of it,” he concludes.
(Courtesy: Indulge, http://indulge.newindianexpress.com/)