Music
World’s first Baul Rock band’s drummer Kunal Kundu tells us about his brain-child Bolepur Bluez.
How did Bolepur Bluez come into existence?
There’s no rocket science story behind it. Bolepur Bluez is my brain-child, actually. I’ve been a musician since 10 years, playing with different band across different genres. I wanted to do something with regards to Bengal. In Bengal, there are a lot of Bangla Bands. But being from the Bengal circuit, our music wouldn’t gel with them. Bengali is a very sweet language and it doesn’t really gel with a lot of instrumentation that’s part and parcel of Bangla bands. Hence, I decided to do something very ethnic with the Bangla music. I came up with the idea of combining the traditional sound of Bengal which is called Baul with rock. I met with few Baul singers from Bolepur, we started jamming and composed few songs and it just happened. Things started falling in place and Bolepur Bluez came to life.
How did the people perceive the idea of the combination of Baul and blues rock, when you first proposed it?
Lyrics in Baul are not very sweet and lovey-dovey; they speak of a lot of pain, pathos, physical hassles, sex and other things. The lyrics are little wild and dark in Baul. So, we thought of borrowing blues rock from the west. Soon technical structures started gelling in and it all sounded good to our ears. In 2011, we released our first album internationally via EMI Records. And the most important thing is that people loved it. I might sound a bit immodest over here, but yes, people love it and that’s what matters. And that’s the reason why we’re the inaugural band at the Kolkata chapter of NH7 and we’re proud of it.
How is playing on the Red Bull Tour Bus different from the other places where you’ve played at?
It’s a freaking stage, man! It’s so unique! That roller coaster ride to go up & down the Red Bull Tour Bus is unlike anything I’ve experienced. It’s super fun! We totally loved playing on top of it.
According to you, which fusion bands besides Bolepur Bluez should people listen to?
The only Indian fusion band that I’d recommend to people is Indian Ocean. I’m a ‘bhakt’ (disciple) of the Indian Ocean. I know them personally, as well; they’re like my elder brothers, they’re like my mentors and if there’s one band apart from Bolepur Bluez that I want people to listen to, that’ll be the Indian Ocean. That’s it.