Godfathers of rock are back

For young George Peter, each visit to Kochi’s Sea Lord hotel was a pilgrimage. A bass guitarist with the band Val Halla in those days, the young man with long hair admired 13 AD, which used to perform there in the early 90s. The popularity of the band had reached its peak after it released its two albums, Ground Zero and Tough on the Streets, and it was regarded as one of the top three bands of the country along with Rock Machine (Indus Creed) of Bombay and Shiva of Calcutta. No less than 40,000 casettes of Ground Zero were picked up by the band’s fans all over the country, a record of sorts.
One day, as George was listening to his idols — Eloy Isaacs, Glen La Rive, Paul K.J., Pinson Correia and Jackson Aruja — he was called over to the stage to sing a song by Glen. Later, Glen asked George if he would like to join a band and the reply was, “I want to join only one band.” “Rock Machine or Shiva?” Glen asked. “13 AD.”

George had to pass a test, however, even though he didn’t realise it at the time. He was asked to come back and sing, When a man loves a woman, a hit single by Percy Sledge. George practised and practised the high-pitched number and when they asked him if he would like to join 13 AD, he couldn’t believe his ears.

Glen, who decided to give up music to pursue the spiritual path handed over the baton to George at a concert in Bahrain. “We used to perform to packed houses all over the country,” recalls George, who remained with the band till it was disbanded.

Much water has flown under the ‘Thaikkudam Bridge’ but it looks like one of George’s unfulfilled dreams may soon turn into reality. He may be part of the third album by 13 AD, whose members are planning to reunite. All the members of the erstwhile band are in Kochi except for Eloy, who used to be the mainstay of 13 AD and now has his own business in Dubai. These days, George is in constant touch with Eloy in a bid to evolve the songs and music of their next album which will have about 10 songs. “Eloy is definitely one of the greatest guitarists in India and a greater human being...He can bring out the best in you and that’s one of the greatest gifts a man can be blessed with. The only other person in whom I found this quality is A.R. Rahman,” says George who has been a part of Rahman’s world tours.

Someone who was keen about 13 AD’s reunion was another associate of Rahman, the late H. Sreedhar who had mixed and recorded 13 AD’s albums. “We were on our way to the US for a Rahman show when he told me that we should come back. So the idea was always in the air but right now, we feel the time has come.” Interestingly, Team Sonata which had organised one of their biggest shows in St Albert’s ground in Kochi in the 90s is regrouping so that they can relaunch 13 AD in style, perhaps in May, after the third album is out.

The question is, can they recreate the magic of rock for which they were famous for? Will people, especially the new generation, accept them? “A person who likes coffee will always opt for coffee. Of course, there are different brands of coffee available,” says George. “We were a hit when there was no Internet or so many channels. True, the scene has changed a lot. Now, the phone itself has become your world. But the spirit of rock has not changed.”