As published in http://www.cafedenepal.com/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=79
Currently we are focusing on our new album.We are working on the music arrangements and it's almost complete.We are putting in the final finishing touches to the arrangements and we've been editing the music that we are not completely satisfied with.We'll be starting the insertion of vocals from 9th August and we won't take more than a month to complete the album. Besides that we have been seriously practicing our new songs.
"...a musician no matter how and what genre of music s/he follows, first of all they should know where they stand because it affects their music. Those who wish to come to the music field should enter with a clean heart and an open mind..."
What will the music be like in this new venture?
Nepathya is a folk rock band and it has it's own unique style and taste but this time round we intend to incorporate a different kind of music other than what we did last time on 'Ghatana'.Talking about 'Ghatana', there was a lot of 'halla' because of the concept that we had for the album, whereas in this album we have concentrated more on soothing and love related songs.
Your last album 'Ghatana' was a little different. How was the feedback and how was the concept of the album developed?
In the album 'Ghatana', we tried to portray the situation of Nepal in the context of the time. That was something that an artist had experienced first hand. Artists tend to be a little more sentimental and certainly society's environment affect the creation of an artist. Nepathya didn't do the album 'Ghatana' for a commercial purpose; it was based on what we saw and experienced those days. The music was liked by intellectual people and the sales were pretty good with 20/25 thousand copies being sold. We are more than happy if someone likes our music and listens to it and if someone doesn't like it, we have no hard feelings. Artist should have the freedom to express their creation and we always follow that. When we sing songs of 'Ghatana' we don't feel anything while singing but once we finish singing, all of our band members become sentimental because of the sentiments attached to those songs and the messages they carry. So we are very satisfied with 'Ghatana'.
When may we expect your upcoming album in the market and what will it be named?
Our producer is responsible for the production of the album. My job is to come up with the songs and we hope to finish the album and hand it over to the producer by the first week of September this year. After that I'll go for a vacation. Talking about the name of the album, we have thought about it but I don't want to disclose it as yet because we might think of changing it.
We would like to know more about the practice schedule of Nepathya!
We don't have a fixed time for our practice sessions. We can carry on with our practice anytime. It actually depends on the mood of our band members. But approximately we practice 5 days a week for three hours daily.
Nepathya was initially formed as a pop band, what is the reason behind the transformation into rock now?
Initially we were students who came to Kathmandu for their studies and at that time music was just a hobby. We started doing music as a hobby and up to 1995 we were not serious about music as our career. We thought we'll take music as a hobby until we were in collage and later we would move on and do other things for our livelihood and it happened that way. The entire band members went separate ways. I got involved in making documentary. But after sometime all my friends and even my previous band members forced me to continue making music with the band. Finally, I was ready to do music and since I was into rock from my childhood days, I wanted to do music that I strongly believed in. So it's obvious that the music composition of a person reflects the way the person is. This is the reason for the change.
The compositions of almost all Nepathya songs are great. Who does it for you?
Thank you. I do the compositions and write the lyrics most of the time and we all (the band members) together improvise on them later.
Nepathya has a different identity in the Nepali music industry and there are a lot of new and aspiring musicians who wish to follow in your footsteps. How does it feel? Any suggestions for them?
It definitely feels great! What I'd like to tell them is, a musician no matter how and what genre of music s/he follows, first of all they should know where they stand because it affects their music. Those who wish to come to the music field should enter with a clean heart and an open mind. The contribution of an artist is recognized only after his/her death. Artists should be here to give something back to society, not to gain something or to become a star. They are supposed to share their art with the society and it's very important to understand this particular aspect. An artist should be clear about this and it's really amazing to study and understand these things.
Nepathya was never and is still not much in the media limelight, what is the reason?
This is intentional. It's not very important for us to frequently come into the limelight, it's all about doing good things. I'm a loner and that's one of the reasons why we do fewer concerts in comparison to others. Sometimes the media tend to violate personal freedom. Wherever I go, I meet someone who knows me and comes over to have a chat. This is good and makes me feel good too but at the same time, I feel like I don't have the freedom that I want. That is way I don't like to be in media much.
Nepathya has been doing musical tours "Shanti Ko Lagi Sikshya"(Education for Peace) every year for the past four years besides various other charity shows. Where did this idea came from?
Actually we've been doing these kinds of shows for a long time but it was only in 2002 that we started doing it by giving the tours a name. There is an incident how we started that. In 2000 my friend Kiran and myself had gone to Ilam. There in a place called 'Mai Khola' where we saw some kids crying. We asked them what the reason was. They said that just the night before their SLC exam forms were burnt along with their school. We felt so bad about that. Then on the way back we both thought that Nepathya should do a program appealing to all quarters that the schools should be left alone...kept away from the war. Then we started the appeal in the name of "Shanti Ko Lagi Sikshya". We got a lot of support and even during the time of war we didn't have any problems.
For a few years now, Nepathya is working in affiliation with "Nepalaya". How are things going?I'm feel very good about it. The band doesn't have to look after the management and because of that musicians are free and they can concentrate more on their music. We don't have to look after technical things, otherwise even if we needed a string of a guitar then we used to have a problem. The other important thing is the management of monetary matters. If it's not handled properly bad feelings within band members arise. And we don't have that problem either. So it's very important to have a manager to look after logistics professionally. If 'Nepalaya' had not managed our band we wouldn't be where we are today. I'm very happy with our partnership with them!
In the 15 years of Nepathya's existence, we have witnessed numerous changes in the band members. How do you cope with this constant change?
Initially, there may be some difficulties. But within a few days we become close and then we understand each other better and work accordingly. For new comers Nepathya has become a platform. We feel happy to introduce new talents. If our old members were still in the band, for sure the band would have been better musically.
What are the future plans of 'Nepathya'?
These days we have been practicing and are rather 'underground'. Besides the recording of our new album we are doing nothing much. We'll work on plans only when the album comes out in the market.
In your opinion, what are the qualities that a good song should encompass?
The lyrics should be good and the tune must be melodious. The singer should be able to deliver the vocals according to the lyrics and the tune. If this combination doesn't jell well, then the song will have no taste.
You are also into documentaries and photography besides music. what's going on with that these days?
I have a very positive quality within myself, that is patience. I do photography when I'm out on a vacation. And I'm also working on a documentary of 'Ghatu'. The documentary is about how a culture is passed onto the next generation through traditions and it's a narrative music related documentary. I finished the shooting after 7 years and now it's undergoing post production.
How do you define yourself?
I'm clear about myself. I love isolation, I'm close to nature and I like to live as a simple human being.
How do you define life?
You think good and life will be good, may be it's because of that thought I'm here today. 'Artist Ko life Dukhieya life Ho... Yo Pesa Nai Dukhai Dha.'
How interested are you in Politics?
I am very interested. I've been seeing only one thing since 2046 (after democracy), that is - political powers that be and war. Nothing else has changed. If they had mobilized everything correctly then we wouldn't have to face these problems. Nothing is going to change by just sitting inside 'Singha Darbaar'. Here we have two countries, one is Kathmandu and the other one is Nepal. We now need a new generation of leaders, only then we can hope for some change. The country is not going to change by just threatening people.
How do you think our music industry was affected by the political situation of the past?
I've always taken music as a 'Tapasya'. Everyone knows and I don't have to advocate about the effect of the political system on music. If the political system is in proper place, everything goes well, not just music. Let's not talk about it!
What do you do during your 'fursad'?
I love to read books in the evening and I listen to music during the day, otherwise I just take a walk.
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