Motherjane: From Mindstreet to memory lane

In 1996, a group of college students in Kerala decided to form a band. Fronted by Byju Dharmajan, they started out playing the grunge rock to which they loved to listen, becoming captivated with Dream Theatre and moving slowly into prog rock, where they would more or less remain. Declared the rock band of the year by Rock Street Journal and the opening act for bands like Opeth and Megadeth, it was chance, really, that brought Motherjane bursting onto the indie music scene. 

Their frontman at the time, Byju Dharmajan, was extensively involved in the local music scene and one afternoon, during a jam with a musician friend, he strummed a Carnatic sounding riff almost absent mindedly. "Our friend noticed it first and said, 'This sound really works,'" said John Thomas, the band's drummer and a face from the original lineup. "We all agreed too, it was different." That's how Motherjane burst onto the scene, faces painted to resemble Kathakali masks as they set spiritual concepts to some pretty hairy riffs.

They were new, original and they took the nation by storm.  They also turned 21 this year. Motherjane will perform in Bengaluru this weekend, much to the delight of long-time indie fans, as part of a three city tour. "We're going to play songs from our first album, Insane Biography," he said. An unusual debut title for a fresh-out-of-college ensemble - "Our lyrics were always laden with intense metaphysical undertones,” he said. “Life is just an illusion, it never does to take it too seriously. It’s best approached like a child.” The album was released six years after the band was formed, after which it was marked by a series of lineup changes. “Our third album is in post-production now.”

Three albums in a career that spans two decades, in a scene where experimentation is the norm in what appears to be a race to evolve and change. “We all contain within us a fresh perspective,” John says at once. “We can experiment, yes, but what makes us original? That originality, that essence, I believe, is marked by an inward journey. It’s easy to watch other artists and harder to find the one thing that sets you apart.”

Lineup changes have provided their fair share of hiccups, although the band now has four core members. The gig this weekend comprises John Thomas  on drums and percussion, Clyde Rozario on bass guitar, Nithin Vijayanath on lead and rhythm guitar and Vivek Thomas on vocals. Two touring musicians, Sushin Shyam and Varun Raj will join them too, on the synth and guitar respectively.

Motherjane, despite having inspired hundreds of smaller indie acts, isn’t too preoccupied with the idea of meaningless experimentation. “As artists, we need to grow and reinvent ourselves but that comes from looking within. And that’s in contradiction to what the world tells you, which is to stick to the tried and tested. Art can never do that.

What:  Motherjane, with an opening act by Mad Orange Fireworks
When: September 2, 9 pm onwards
Where: The Humming Tree, 12th Main Road, Indiranagar