#PastForward: TAAQ’s frontman Bruce Lee Mani is one of the city’s OG rockstars as we discover in this chat with the crooner

The rock scene in Bengaluru in the late ’90s and early 2000s was nothing like the buzzing landscape we see today. Bruce Lee Mani remembers a time when gigs were rare, venues were almost non-existent and young musicians had to fight for every chance to play. For him and his band Thermal and a Quarter (TAAQ), the journey began in college, where they were among the few who dared to perform only original music. Their early wins gave them confidence and soon they found their voice by simply refusing to stop doing what they loved.

“There were no music venues and you needed to reach a certain level of fame or notoriety before you would be invited to play at those same college festivals because there were no other venues and things like that,” he recalls. “ So, yes, I remember it being very difficult and you couldn’t even go and watch other bands perform because it was pretty rare for an international band to come visiting.”

From validation to survival in independent music

The turning point for TAAQ came when their founding bass player, Sunil Chandy, left in 1999 and Rzhude David (Rudy) joined the band, bringing with him years of experience and new creative connections. This boost helped the band record their early albums and build a small but steady path forward. For Bruce, these moments were both grounding and empowering. “We won entire competitions playing only originals, no covers at all. That was in 1997 and to win 25,000 bucks at a fest in National Law School… it felt like a big validation.”

Despite the excitement, making a living through western music was almost impossible back then. Bruce admits that the lack of structure forced musicians to take up other work, even if they wanted to stay true to their music. But he also feels that this struggle helped keep the art pure, allowing them to write without pressure or compromise. “If you wanted to be a full-time musician, you just couldn’t. If you had a band and you wanted to survive just by playing live music and writing and releasing albums and all this stuff, forget it. Music was just something that we did for love,” Bruce explains.

Teaching became an important chapter in his journey. After learning from musicians who were far more experienced, Bruce wanted to give younger artistes the same opportunity. His academy, Taaqacademy grew out of a simple idea — to create the kind of support system he never had. “My mentors were welcoming and generous enough to share their time and their experience and their knowledge with a kid (himself)… so, yes, that generosity really, there’s a desire to pay that back.”

Bengaluru’s audience, he observes, has changed with the city itself. With people from everywhere calling it home, the crowd is now diverse, curious and more open to experimenting with new sounds. That’s part of what keeps the city’s music culture alive. “Bengaluru being Bengaluru, has always been a bit more welcoming to experimentation to things that are a little more niche. Artistes and musicians that want to live here may have it slightly easier than Mumbai or some place like that,” the musician tells us.

Reflecting on his own journey, Bruce believes that every artiste carries their past into their present work, which is a balance of influences, experiences and the people who shaped them. That is how he understands the idea of Past Forward, the theme of our anniversary issue. “Acknowledge your own life experiences and all the people who have influenced you and take all of that and make something new.”

Even with the challenges, Bruce feels the spirit of old Bengaluru still survives through the city’s young musicians who continue to push boundaries and create fresh work. “ Sometimes you can see it’s hanging on by its fingernails, but as long as there are people working in the scene, making new music, playing, doing all that, it will always be alive,” he explains.

For upcoming artistes, his advice is simple: love what you do, keep learning and don’t be afraid to ask for help. “Do what you love, get really good at it and ask for help if you need it. Study the masters, get good at yourself and use that to make something new. Just keep doing it,” Bruce concludes.

Email: alwin@newindianexpress.com

X: @al_ben_so

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