Kochi constantly surprises its art and music aficionados with what it has in store every week. Instrumental in changing the visual and experiential art scenario in the city, the Kochi-Muziris Biennale also played its part in nurturing off-shoots, nudging the music venues alive.
Bands like German Soyza’s Groove performing at Uru Art Harbour got the city riding on an upswing momentum last year and it’s the Muse Room who is all set to carry it on into the new year. After returning from a brief hiatus in the recent months they are taking the musical graph of the city up a notch with a yacht party.
Debuting in the city, the year-old Bengaluru-based pop and funk project Ginny and the Bottle fits the bill perfectly with their groove-oriented approach to music.
“I’ve a lot of experience on stage as a bassist and doing backing vocals. But, being a lead vocalist terrified me and my last year’s resolution was to articulate myself out loud with courage,” says vocalist Shalini Mohan, about the project which started as a duo with guitarist Anish Nadh.
We catch up with the bassist—who’s known to Kochi’s crowds with her stage presence as the rhythm keeper of the folk-rock fusion band Lagori—to know more about what to expect onboard on January 13.
Move it along
Over the past ten years, Shalini has played various genres like alternative rock with the acts like Lounge
Piranha, collaborated on projects such as a Sufi piece with Mukhtiar Ali and even worked as a sessions musician with film music composers like Arjun Janya.
So, what’s it with the new sound that she exploring with this band? “Whatever kind of music it is, a song should make you move; both physically and mentally. Unfortunately, I’ve never had the opportunity to play with funk bands or session with musicians who share the interest. With Ginny and the Bottle we just want people to get up on their feet and dance,” says Shalini.
Though the project has expanded to a five-member team—including two sax players and a drummer—in the past four months, only the initial duo will be travelling to sail over the backwaters of Vembanad.
The string performance will be rooted in vocal harmonies melded with a percussive spirit to keep the groove going with a little assistance from a foot tambourine.The setlist will feature originals including Shine and Flight, and their distinct takes on tracks like Roxanne by The Police.
“We’ll also bring in a bit of spice by playing a couple of Tamil numbers such as Petta Rap and Nenjukulle,” Shalini winds up.