Hyderabad’s live music scene has been growing by leaps and bounds and enthusiasts are loving it all

New band on the block
Anahatha, music band
Anahatha, music band

Hyderabad’s live music scene has been growing by leaps and bounds and enthusiasts are loving it all. The more the merrier, say music lovers who are more than happy to be exposed to the best and freshest of talent the city has to offer. The latest to join the list is Anahatha, a multi-lingual, six-piece contemporary band from the city. In a quick chat they open up about their style, genre, USP and more.

Just two gigs old, the band already has a huge following on social media. The big wigs of the Telugu music industry, including lyricist Chandra Bose, singers Prudhvi Chandra, Revanth and Geetha Madhuri, have been rooting for them. Ananya Bhaskar, one of the vocalists, is better known for her soulful renditions on the ZeeTelugu SaReGaMaPa 2020 stage. A semi-finalist on the show and a fan of classical and Ghazal music, she has been trained in Carnatic music and has sung for several albums and independent labels. “I think it is after a long time that a band is being led by two women vocalists. All the six of us are a really good blend of different styles of music and have great things to put together,” she says.

Meet Joel Jeshurun, the lead guitarist who is sure to grab your attention for being one of the rarest left-hand guitarists in the city. A music educator during the day, he says, “I have been trying to replicate other instruments on the guitar. I’ve been fascinated with cutting-edge guitar techniques such as the seven-finger tapping, artificial harmonics, etc. There’s always been a strong urge to blend complex musical ideas to harmonise with everyday simple melodies,” he says. His favourites range from AR Rahman’s Humma Humma to Guthrie Govan’s Ner Ner, but loves playing Vayari Bhama to a packed audience.

Lasya Priya, another vocalist, is the youngest yet one of the most-talented members of the band. She balances her internship and music career with ease and is a huge fan of Sufi music. Sunny Samson, the bass guitarist of the band is known for the versatility he displays. A huge fan of progressive rock and metal, he prefers his music does the talking.

Drummer Paul Guthikonda, an audio engineer, picked up his sticks when he was 15. Paul, who also runs a photography company, looks to contemporary jazz, Latin and Blues for inspiration and can play a teeny tiny bit of guitar too.

Bony Kadari, who is on the keys, can tickle your bones with his music. He comes with more than seven years of experience in live music and production, and is a breath of relief to the band as he can play most modern-day instruments. The band receives the loudest cheer to regional classics Something Something, Oy Oy, Mayya Mayya, Chitti and more. While keeping their audience entertained throughout is what they strive for, in the long run, they hope to come up with their originals. “We also hope to create a space for artistes where they do not have to hesitate to take up music as a career,” Joel says.

Anahatha
Six-piece, multilingual band
Members: Ananya Bhaskar, Lasya Priya, Joel Jeshurun, Bony Kadari Paul Guthikonda and Sunny Samson
Genres: Regional, fusion, Jazz, Rock ‘n’ Roll, Hindustani classical
Venues: The Moonshine Project, PoshNosh, Grease Monkey, Iron Hill

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