Guitarist Konarak Reddy’s ‘Madras 1968’ is a tribute to Madras and a celebration of 50 years of his music
On a rainy Tuesday morning, we reach out to Konarak Reddy’s wife Kirtana Kumar to connect us with the guitarist whose name now strings synonymous with the instrument that he has been playing for 50 years now. As we congratulate him for this incredible milestone, he reflects, “I feel I was searching for the goddess (creative energy) but all the time she was there in front of me, right from the beginning. It was I who was evolving and hopefully, evolving to a more integrated and clearer human being. Through the years, I travelled through vast multitudes of music and musical genres. First came classical music which was a transformation of my mind and a world of the outside, to a more internal world. Then came rock n roll. Playing in Delhi and being young and unafraid to jump off anything — ideas, rules, realities, made it a freeing experience. Later, as I grew older, I ventured into a more internal understanding of how I perceived the world around me and this moved into a phase of solo acoustic playing and the bars I set for myself were taxing, both musically and technically. I came up with compositions like Deviant Goddess and Short Circuit trying to remain true to myself and not wanting to imitate or copy from western or even from Indian tropes. In that part of my life, personally, I grew more serious and solemn. Now, 50 years later and after my bout of cancer, the freedom of youth has come back to me, shinier than ever. The fun and excitement of knowing that the goddess was always by my side and that I was the one who was distracted. It now gives me joy and excitement to perform and play to my audience.”
Excerpts:
Your upcoming Madras 1968 concert is generating a lot of excitement. What does this concert represent to you personally and professionally?
Personally, I feel I need to connect with listeners, as the audience is equally important in the ritual of making the goddess (creative energy) descend. This happens only when the performer and listener are both in participation. I am super pumped to be performing in Chennai. I am also sharing my experiences of 50 years of creating and playing music now from a vantage point of detachment, so my stories are first for me most incredibly exciting. And feeling now more like a child, I want to share these experiences and feelings with the audience.
What can the audience look forward to from this concert?
Well, I am going through the whole gamut of my musical journey from modern harmonic guitar compositions to rock ’n’ roll of the 70’s. I’m also looking at my musical journey through histories and story-telling; enjoying the freedom of rock and the feeling of revolution it brings by playing guitar solos. I’ll also be playing Handel’s Presto in D minor that was written for harpsichord/piano, but with the arrogance of youth, I announced I that I would transcribe it for guitar. It took me a while to complete and now I’ll play it and explain the story behind it. I’ll also be playing my take on jazz styles while trying to be true to my experiences. The music will be accompanied by visuals I have created with the help of AI.
How did the idea for Madras 1968 come together, and what drew you to be part of this special tribute to that era?
Madras 1968 came to me as I was born in Madras, picked up the guitar in Madras, started my first band in Madras, learned classical guitar in Madras and as my family moved a lot, I experienced most of the localities of Madras. Later from Bengaluru, I used to come and perform at Madras. I see a vital energy in Madras and love the Tamil language. So 1968 for me was the time of that Madras breeze and the Madras thorn and the sea and the calling of the koel and the lazy summer afternoons with the sound of the fan… This is my tribute to Madras.
You’ve seen music evolve in India over the last five decades. What major changes have you witnessed in the music industry, especially in the guitar scene?
Well, I feel we, as humanity, are slowly becoming ones and zeros. Technically, I think younger musicians are amazing in their skill set and knowledge and will only get faster and more precise. But unfortunately, will also lose the intimacy of connection with others at a more relaxed and easy wave length. The trait of a human to want to excel in virtuosity, will lead to more robotic and smaller concepts of musical worlds. So, music as a living and breathing entity, will diminish and suffer during this period where AI is slowly taking over human beings.
You’ve worked across genres and with a wide array of musicians. How do you approach collaborations, and what’s your process for blending your sound with other artistes?
I have most recently collaborated with the acclaimed writer and musician, Amit Choudhury. These days, I feel you should treat another musician like any guest coming to your house. I feel I need to treat this (collaborations) like god, and bend every which way to make it feel at home and comfortable so we can explore together.
Having been a part of the evolving music scene in India, how have you seen the role of live concerts and performances change over the years?
I feel it has become more and more corporate and the musician is more of a puppet; the elaborateness of marketing, sound and lights, managers, media, etc has taken precedence over music.
The ‘PA’ systems I feel has ruined the journey of musicians and I can see the deterioration from when the first PA system arrived in India. My own performances now are drawn to small gatherings.
Is there a particular performance or moment in your 50-year career that stands out to you as truly defining or transformative?
Well, there are many such performances. Once in Poland, I felt the music just lift off the ground and I was just a participant in the journey of my own concert. Another time in Madras, in Congress Grounds, Idid a rock show and a sadhu standing on one leg with all his namams and beads, was witness to the electric guitar energy as if it was a sort of kundalini energy experience. Another moment was in Delhi in the 70’s, a girl came up and kissed me on stage and I fell back onto my amplifiers. This particular incident I retell as a rock song in my upcoming concert. The times that stand out are mainly the times I connect with the audience and where both the performer and the listener meet the magic of creative energy.
What advice would you offer to someone starting out in music today, especially in a world where the industry has become more digital?
My advice is to look into yourself and try to perform as truthfully to yourself as possible, and know that with time, you will get to know yourself better. As for the digital world, use it as you please and enjoy the benefits it brings.
Your music blends traditional Indian elements with Western influences. Can you share a little about how you balance these different musical worlds in your compositions and performances?
I feel Western music and traditional Indian classical music can never really meet. One deals with harmonic structures and playing over changes while the other is based on ragas or scales and rhythms. For me, the silence between the notes is where one can express one’s feeling of who you are and where you are coming from. Interestingly, I was recently quoting Amit’s Chaudhury concept of combining two ragas as in Jod Raag. He says it is like giving permission to enter a different realm and then exiting. I do this in the song White Duck which is about Goa in the 70’s. I play a veena based tillana on the guitar re-imagining it is a veena.
After 50 years in music, what is your vision for the future of your music? Are there any new projects or directions you’re excited to explore in the next phase of your career?
My vision is very clear, I will be playing in beautiful intimate spaces. I have the music, sound and light equipment, and a small generator to run everything. So I will travel around India, playing to people who enjoy music, and will try to find beautiful places and spaces and bring the goddess down to be witness to the performances with the help of the audience.
Lastly, what drew you to the guitar and what is your relationship with it? What kind of guitar do you use? How many times have you changed guitars, and have you ever modified them?
My relationship with my guitar is vey close. I talk to it and it talks back. When I play, it connects with me. I can communicate with it even if it’s in another place.
My first guitar was a Musee Musicals Madras guitar. Then I got a Rs 200 nylon string called Angelica that stayed with me throughout and is now at our farm.¸It left me for a couple of years or was given away, but I got it back. My first electric guitar was a hollow body Eko bought from Australian hippies who were busking on MG Road. I added Gibson hum-bucking pickups to it and used it for many years till the body caved in. I tried making an electric guitar with a veena fretboard but this was not easy to play. I made another guitar with a sarod fretboard and gave it away in Hoosick, in upstate New York. I sold my Gibson Standard and regret it.
My nylon string guitar, the Wechter Pathfinder, is my workhorse and has a wonderful tone and I think it now understands me. I love my Parker Fly electric which needs some wiring repair and I will take it to Pondicherry to fix.
My Zane electric is a hot-rod and I will use it for the show.
The modifications I tried were done too early, when craftsmanship in India for guitars wasn’t up to the mark. What worked like charm was the Gibson pickups installed in the acoustic Eko guitar but after about eight years or so, due to the installation of the pickups, the body grew weak and caved in.
Entry free.
November 15, 7 pm.
At the AF Auditorium, Alliance Française of Madras, Nungambakkam.
rupam@newindianexpress.com
@rupsjain
