CHENNAI: The mix of a violin and a guitar fills the air. Fusion music has been a mainstay in the city, with the trend of Carnatic fusion rising. Local band Carnatic 2.0 hopes to tap into this audience while presenting the traditional art form in a more accessible format. In their show at Bay 146 today, the duo — Shravan Sridhar and Mahesh Raghvan — will perform a 90-minute set with vocalist Sharanya Srinivas.
“We wanted to bring Carnatic music to young and new audiences and venues. We mix rock and electronic music into our performances. That is especially to connect with the audience, but the wow factor is brought in by the Carnatic bits,” shares Shravan, violinist. He says that Carnatic music’s malleable and complex nature to complement and work well with other genres added to its accessibility.
The performances by the Chennai-based band ranges from a variety of fusion pieces to pieces influenced by pop culture, such as fusion arrangements of Game of Thrones and Avengers theme songs. “We want to present Carnatic music, which is traditionally presented in sabhas and follows a certain flow, with other elements that make it more relatable to larger audiences,” says Mahesh.
Having already performed at Bay 146 last year, the duo hopes to bring their unique sound in a different form for audiences this time.
“We had people coming with their children and their parents. We are lucky enough to not feel the pressure to appeal to certain audiences. Our music appeals to a cross-section of audiences,” says Shravan.Carnatic 2.0 will perform at Bay 146, Savera Hotel, at 7.30 pm today. Tickets are priced at `300 and are available at BookMyShow.com