The music of the likes of Ilaiyaraaja and AR Rahman will never need an occasion to be performed. But when the opportunity presents itself, one must expect nothing else. Sending off this year of chaos and confusion with the melodious tunes of these legends is Tea Kada Boys, a six-member local band featuring Sriradha Bharath and S Aadhithya Sundharamurthy on the vocals, Nikhil Rajkumar on the drums, Prashanth Venkat on the bass, Dinesh K on the piano and Stevie Dave on the guitar.
The story of their unique name also gives us an insight into how they came together only about four months ago. “We all met throught Instagram, we were friends of friends to each other. Music brought us all together. We all decided to participate in a show called Rajaparvai on Sun TV and one of our earliest get-togethers was at a tea kadai, so that’s how that name came about,” share Sriradha and Aadhithya.
While they are still exploring their sound and looking forward to their original music, they currently are covering Tamil, English and Hindi songs with their own twist; infusing a little jazz here, a little melody there. This addition to the music is supported by the distinction in their music backgrounds. Where the vocalists bring in their classical expertise, others speak for genres like metal or rock. “It works for us, each of us get to come together and improvise a lot.
Every one has a particular take on a song because of our backgrounds,” explains Sriradha. But is this diversity a breeding ground for conflicts? No, says Aadhithya, who has seen the strengths of differing opinions. “If someone suggests an idea, we then realise and are surprised that such a concept can be possible,” he adds. With such ideas, they all sing it out and if it sounds amazing, it’s a go, according to the female vocalist.
About their plans for the last night of the year, Nikhil says, “We will be performing a mix of English, Tamil and Hindi as well. We are not focussing on one particular crowd; not just for those who listen to Tamil and English. We’re trying to bring everyone together.” What better way to end this year?
The band will be performing on New Year’s Eve from 6 pm to 8 pm at Phoenix MarketCity, Velachery.