BENGALURU: When this group of seven musicians came together to form a band that would focus on Carnatic Progressive Rock, they weren’t sure how large their reach would be. But 12 years after the formation, the members of Agam have been able to form a niche for themselves. Ahead of International Music Day on June 21, which encourages and fosters musical diversity across cultures, the members of the band take us through their journey.
“We’re not creating a fusion, rather it’s about keeping the complexities of Carnatic music with progressive rock, by adding new and unique arrangement. We don’t tamper with the original form as such,” says Swamy Seetharaman, the keyboardist. He along with Harish Sivaramakrishnan (violinist), Ganesh Ram Natarajan (drummer), Sivakumar Nagarajan (percussionist), T Praveen Kumar (guitarist) Vignesh Lakshminarayan (bass guitarist), Jagadish Natarajan (guitarist) started off with casual jamming sessions during their college years which they continued many years after college.
In 2007, they formally called themselves Agam – meaning inner self in Tamil – after they took part in a reality show Oh La La. “It’s apt for us since we want to look within ourselves, at our emotions and our collective thought processes – all of which forms our kind of music,” says Swamy, adding that it is important to create music that resonates with the audience.
All the seven members of the band have full-time corporate jobs and juggle their interest in music simultaneously. “When we formed the band, we were different individuals who came together for a common goal. It has taught us how to manage a team, which is essential in a work space,” says Kumar.
With the music scene mushrooming with new-age alternative bands and independent musicians hitting the scene, competition is stiff. But their confidence stems from their “unique identity”. “Once an identity is created, the competition is not with others, but with ourselves. We strive to better than what we’ve been,” says Swamy.Agam will be performing at 6pm on June 21, at MLR Convention Centre, JP Nagar.
how they started
The band members started off with casual jamming sessions during their college years which they continued many years after college. In 2007, they formally called themselves Agam – meaning inner self in Tamil – after they took part in a reality show Oh La La.
Swamy Seetharaman – keyboardist
Harish Sivaramakrishnan – violinist
Ganesh Ram Natarajan – drummer
Sivakumar Nagarajan – percussionist
T Praveen Kumar – guitarist
Vignesh Lakshminarayan – bass guitarist
Jagadish Natarajan – guitarist