At the helm of Karthick Iyer Live, its creator Karthick Iyer, a Carnatic violinist and vocalist, is making music that bridges the gap between the classical and contemporary. His new single, At the Theatres, is out and up on SoundCloud.
In Karthick Iyer’s sound-proof room, the walls are painted in grey and white. It doubles up as his pad for inspiration and its expression and it is where his two violins—acoustic and electric—share space with a bean bag, two tall armless chairs, a Mac and some wires and sound equipment. There is also a book by Pat Pattison called Writing Better Lyrics. For the last seven months or so, that book has been Karthick’s morning ammo! Every day, Karthick spends 10 minutes—and not a minute more– on writing about something that could be about anything.
“It’s a great exercise that instantly activates the mind,” he says, sitting on his bean bag after brunch at 11am. From a musical perspective, the idea of being a songwriter is hugely enriching for Karthick: “Being a musician and a songwriter somehow makes the process of creating music, true and wholesome.”
In the background, on his Mac, A Clown’s Junket, his band, Karthick Iyer Live’s own composition, is playing on loop. An instrumental piece almost pop-like in its format-verse, chorus with an interlude —largely dominated by the violin and liberally fusing together contemporary sounds of the guitar, the Calhoun, and the mridangam, has an interesting zing about it. In its appeal, it is part-classical, part-contemporary, part-Indian, part-Western. “That’s the gap we are trying to bridge,” Karthick says on the video of the track that was released (on Youtube) in November last year and that has approximately 8,200 views and about a hundred visitors, daily.
The track is significant, both for its creation and content because it marks the debut of Karthick Iyer Live’s own baby. The band was born exactly a year ago in the early part of May. “A bunch of us got together and played some film songs and some Carnatic music in a contemporary style,” he says. The concert was an instant hit; more opportunities came by, and Karthick Iyer Live slowly found its feet. And its music. “It is a slow but steady process,” Karthick adds, “We are constantly testing out grooves and looking to do something that is fresh, fun and not burdened by expectations.”
A Clown’s Junket is also reflective of Karthick’s own journey from being a freelance musician who bumbles along finding his way in helming a fledgling band and micromanaging the business of it. “It seemed apt almost to call it that,” Karthick says with a faint smile, “I was literally like a clown making sense of the world I had suddenly thrown myself into.”
And then, one evening, in November last year, while casually jamming with Vikram Vivekanand, who plays the lead guitar for the band, the groove for what has now come to be christened At the Theatres happened! The band’s second single, that is part-English, part-Tamil opens with Karthick’s voice that is near-luring: “Hey, I wanna tell you a story, today,” the song begins and segues into a contemplative conversation wherein the male lead monologues pertinent and philosophical questions about relationships and finally ends with a reconciliation of sorts on life and the Shakespearean doctrine of All the World’s a Stage... “I’ve always been intrigued about the idea of silence in the mind and I often wonder whether having another person in your life would allow as much quiet time,” Karthick says delineating the angst the song attempts to reflect.
In high school, Karthick and a group of boys started Oxygen that also marked his first real transition from Carnatic into something contemporary. A few years later, an Auroville-based Indo-acoustic band, Emergence, was looking for a violinist and a vocalist. Karthick fit the bill, brilliantly and with them, he toured the world including Glastonbury. A little after, Karthick was roped in to accompany the leading contemporary folk singer Raghu Dixit.
Silence is an important aspect in Karthick’s scheme of things. On stage, that silence translates into music that is deep, intense and emotional. It’s also music that is very sound; having trained in classical violin and vocal from age eight—Karthick is now 27—there is a certain assurance, confidence and maturity with which he plays and treats the violin.