ep 15. Lakshmi and Kiran - The commercial bandleaders

In this episode, we sit down with Lakshmi and Kiran, the dynamic duo behind the commercial band Yaazhi and a popular rehearsal space in Chennai. They share their journey from aspiring musicians to professional performers, offering a candid look into what it takes to run a successful function band.

Lakshmi and Kiran discuss their personal musical awakenings and how their understanding of performance has evolved from simply playing notes to becoming true entertainers. They reveal their meticulous preparation rituals, from detailed rehearsals to pre-show routines, and share their views on the role of technology and the art of improvisation. The conversation also delves into the business side of the music industry, addressing the challenges of dealing with promoters, the importance of contracts, and their mission to establish a union for freelance artists. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in the realities of being a working musician in India.

Transcript

My guests today, Lakshmi and Kiran, lead a commercial band in the city known as Yaazhi. They also run a well-known rehearsal space which they let out for people to use. This episode hopefully gives us a lot of insights into what it takes to running a working function band. 

Hi, Lakshmi. Hi, Kiran. Welcome. 

Thank you for talking to me. Absolutely. It's a great pleasure being here. 

So how did both of you get into performing? Well, for me, personally, music has always been something I have always wanted to do, meaning music has been something now in the school and I have been trying to do. So into live performance was this desire in me where I wanted to become that entertainer, a performer before a huge crowd. That has always motivated me since school. 

Okay. The transition happened somewhere around the early college days, I should say. For me, I was into just studies and going to job and all that. 

And then when I met Kiran, he was already into music and I always wanted to pursue music. So I met him and I got an opportunity to pursue music professionally. So that's how I got into live performance. 

Can you describe a pivotal experience that you saw, a performance that you saw in your formative years which made you think this is what I want to do? Absolutely. There are a couple of things I can mention, but something that stands out is I'm a huge fan of this band, Carnatic rock band called Agap. Something that moulded me into wanting to become a band, I have to grow as a live performance musician, was one of their shows in Lady Antartica. 

So I had known a couple of them. I was a friend of Harish and Jagadish in the band. So they had invited me as a pit crew. 

So help them out with audio and set up. Watching them up close was a life changing moment for me. It was like, wow, that's where I should be. 

And so much people should come and listen to what I'm doing, that I should experience. And that my music should influence so many people, that was something that motivated me a lot. For me, the first live concert I ever saw was in Chennai after I moved to Chennai. 

I'm from Delhi, basically. So I saw a lot of musicians and with Kiran I travelled, he took me to a lot of concerts and stuff like that. One live performance that stood out for me was I had an opportunity to visit Rehman's Sufi concert. 

That was like something and I saw a lot of musicians performing there and I thought, wow, look, this is how a live performance should be. So, yeah. How was your understanding of performance evolved through your career? Well, to start with, just all that I thought was performance was you just take an instrument, get on stage, just play. 

You will be naturally talented. That was the common idea I had. But then boy, I was so wrong. 

Once you get on stage, for some reason you get rooted in fear there. So like over time for me, performances, I mean, being a live performer has been always about wanting to create a story. So slowly, I think that's something that I've learned step by step to being someone who can just get on stage to going through that ritual, that level of practise, that level of understanding what all it takes to go on stage more than your skill. 

Just knowing the song is not enough. You need to know about the stage, know about the audience, know about the tech that you're dealing with, everything. So it has been a very interesting journey step wise. 

And something that we, I mean, Kiran also says to the band members in our band, you should always enjoy what you're doing. And performance is not about just singing or just performing and playing the exact same notes, what you've learned. Once you start enjoying, like stop enjoying and then there it ends. 

Yeah. Music loses purpose when you stop having fun. That's a huge motto that we follow. 

Very well said. So I think you just previously, you just took me to my next question. How do you prepare? Suppose you have a concert tomorrow. 

How do you prepare mentally, physically? Apart from, of course, you have to rehearse and I guess you have to rehearse. Yeah, absolutely. Other than that, you have any other kind of rituals? Well, our band has a structure, meaning something that I would like to try and make most of my members follow. 

First, I'll answer from the perspective of a band, then as an independent musician. As a band, how many members are there in your band? Oh, that's it. Maximum strength is 10 people. 

But we kind of keep shuffling between 5 and 10. Depends on the show. Yeah, depends on the show. 

Whatever the show requires, we try and make that available. To be very honest, I think before, like opening music rough, our rehearsals would not be so systematic and like, it wouldn't be like that. It was a bit loosely placed earlier, where meaning, just one rehearsal is enough was the common idea. 

Let's wing it. That one word I started to hate right now, where now after opening up a rehearsal space, seeing a lot of people practise, I have come to understand that a proper structure and a 

ritual is needed. For example, answering a question. 

We have a common structure where we start with having a proper solidified song list with additional of at least 10-15 songs, depending on the set you're performing. So let's say my set requires 20 songs, I'll make sure I have 30-35 at least. Then we'll keep practising all the 35 till we reach like the probably last two rehearsals, where we will cut down to the exact number of songs we need. 

So even you've prepared excess, your exact number, you will cut down only in your last two rehearsals. We mostly we try and make sure all our members know their individual roles first and then collective roles next. Yeah, I was coming to that. 

So as a singer, initially during our first, I mean, initial shows, I used to think as a singer, I just need to do my part. I just need to remember the lyrics. I just need to remember my role. 

So that was not enough. So I had to like memorise the BGMs. I you know, I should know where I should come in and how many times the BGM comes in, when I should start and all that. 

That I learned after during the rehearsals. This kind of helped when this approach usually helps and I recommend is that when the singer or the other musician learns the other person's role, let's say one show I mess up a BGM. Let's say you take this Vazhitha Neya song and I mess it up. 

She will be ready to sing the BGM immediately the second I miss it. So that's that happens only when you know the entire song, not just your specific role. So with regards to the song list is that personally, I make sure that I put pen and paper down. 

Like even though now I've become dependent on technology, but writing down the notes usually helps and does a lot of wonders for me. Like I'll have to notate the song from start to stop from rhythm to bass lines to melody, I'll have to write it down. When I do that, then I internalise the song properly. 

That has personally been my ritual. For the vocalist, what do you do? Yeah, I try to memorise the lyrics and try to memorise all the roles and BGMs, including the interludes, preloads and everything. At least the tune of the melody or something like that. 

Yeah, that's the basic structure follows warm ups all day as a musician. So I make sure I do at least 10-15 minutes of warm up before performance before practise also. Warm up definitely helps. 

Warm up in terms of scales, arpeggios and all that. I do that for my vocal warm ups. And what about like things like eating and food and rest? Oh, absolutely. 

This is a very interesting angle. Okay, it might not be healthy what I'm going to say, but this is something that I've followed is that before the show, let's say my show is in the evening, I don't eat in the draft now. Okay. 

Kind of puts me in a zone where I become a little bit lethargic. I have to be on my toes. So probably I'll drink a juice but I don't eat a full-fledged meal or else normally I just go crazy with the food. 

So that's something that I normally do. On the day of the show, mostly I'm pumped up with so much energy I have and I don't think about eating or having something because we're so excited and pumped up. We don't think about all that, which is very important. 

After the show, our entire energy it just drops down to zero and it'll be like, I mean, we shouldn't be doing that. But on a healthier note also, what we try to do is we try to get some sleep before the show. Mostly things don't work out like that. 

But if there is an opportunity, we do try to get some sleep because that kind of puts you on a refresh mode. It gives you that space to recategorise everything that you've prepared for the show. Or else if you go without sleep, it kind of burns you out faster. 

Without sleep, it's the best. But the point is, if you get some sleep, it's definitely best. One more thing is, we don't have rehearsals one day before the show. 

Yeah, that is a strict no-no. Okay, okay. Why? I personally feel and my team also shares that, quoting this Karate Kid quote, you know, Uji, be fair. 

If you do something too many times, it kind of becomes saturated. So there is something called over-rehearsal. Yes, absolutely so. 

So one day, we just don't do anything related to the show completely. Then on the day of the show, the pressure again automatically mounts up. So at least one day you need a cool down. 

Just need one day to just unwind and relax. Just don't think about music. You were talking about technology. 

So how important is, what's your relationship with gear and technology? How important? Again, that is a journey that I'm trying to learn and get fluent in right now. With regards to my being a performer, starting just only with an instrument to having a lot of gear pedals, tuners, blah, blah, blah, and all that, technology has actually only bolstered my strength. It's only made me more stronger. 

There are a lot of conflicting opinions where people say technology, becoming technology reliant is not advisable. But okay, I'll take a 50-50 on that. My stand is that you use whatever you have in your hand to get better, become better. 

Don't be dependent on it, but why not use it? For example, I'll use it to be better. So what is your stand on using stuff like auto-tune in a live show? Auto-tune? We are experimenting with backing tracks right now. So there are live instruments, but the kind of songs that we want to perform, it won't work with the instruments that are already there. 

So if we want synth sounds, we need backing tracks, right? So we're kind of exploring that. Answering the auto-tune angle, in a way, because I'm also a music producer, auto-tune is needed in certain things, in certain angles. Recording, yes. 

Recording, even in live shows, what kind of a stand would I give for that is, take medical technology for example. From long ago to now, things have become more precise. So if your output is dependent, you can do auto-tune. 

But again, I will advise, don't go into technology without skill. Skill has to be there, technology has to refine your skill to a finer point. If you don't put your effort on your skill, no matter the technology, nothing can help you. 

Skill has to be your foundation, then only you can go to technology. Well said. Okay, you're talking about skill, skill, technique, everyone has it. 

Is there something like a spirituality, spiritual realm in performance, that you believe in? Meaning I... Is there something beyond skill and technique? I try to, I am not a very apt person to answer the spiritual angle, but I have this one zone, maybe I can call that spiritual. Yeah, yeah, whatever, you can give it whatever name, I'm just using the name. My tether to this zone is that, till the moment I get on stage, I'll be shit scared. 

Meaning, no matter how much I prepare, no matter how much I rehearse, I'll be like, oh no, I'll mess it up. I'll be in that state of mind. But when I get on stage with violin, from Kiran the musician to Kiran Kashyap, so I'm called Mr. Violinist on stage. 

So when I become Mr. Violinist on stage, then everything shuts down. Then I am the king who's going to rule everything. I don't know if I played it wrong. 

So it's a kind of, it's a thing that I go into for every show. So that I would like to call spirituality, where all the culmination of my practise, my efforts, my meeting a lot of musicians and all, that creates a zone where apart from my practise, that is what fuels me on stage. If I go there, I don't just become a musician, I also become an entertainer there. 

That is what my take on spirituality with performance. I think spirituality, like he said, can be equated with performance energy. So when I started singing, I mean, I was not trained. 

But I knew if I get on stage, although a few Hindi songs, that's my strength. So why should I be skilled? I don't think about anything. I just know I love that song. 

I know how to sing it. So I'll just perform. But we shouldn't stop there. 

Like he said, we need skill. We need to keep learning and develop our skill also. Because if we just depend on that, we might get caught down the lane. 

What role does improvisation play in your work? Oh yeah, that is something. How do you balance improvisation and doing like perfectly rehearsed stuff? Beautiful. So improvisation, I'd 

like to equate it to that one unspoken language that connects people generally. 

For example, you can go down to France, and to get rid of your hunger and thirst, you can use gestures. You don't need to know the language. Improvisation in music is also that. 

For example, all wonderful BGMs composed by music directors, blah blah blah, return scores, all of them are perfect pieces of music. But if you improvise something that you don't know, or that your audience doesn't know, and if you get an expression from the audience, that actually concludes the victory of that entire piece. So improvisation, for me personally, is something that I love doing a lot. 

Because that kind of becomes my language. That is my utmost achievement in improvisation. But apart from that, we are huge followers and disciples of score playing. 

We play exactly to the score. We play exactly bar to bar. We do all of that. 

But improvisation is that X factor, you can say. That one extra ingredient that kind of turns in your favour. We play mostly cover songs. 

Instead of playing it exactly, we try to bring in some new element to the performances. So that is our interpretation of the original song. There will be an element of improvisation during the performance also, and some rehearsed also. 

During the performance, it is great if the audience understands it. If the audience doesn't understand it, at least the keyboardist, along with the musicians, will say, I harmonised it. Is it great? A personal satisfaction. 

So unexpectedly, I will be harmonising, and the keyboardist will do something else. So that kind of satisfaction is enough. I was just going to ask, do you like to take risks? Oh, very much. 

Very much. I would like to proudly say, this is not like a full claim, but I will proudly say, when Ponniyin Selvan came, we were one of the few live bands that performed Ponninathipakkanam. We blindly tried to emulate the instruments as much as possible. 

Our band is also known for one thing, where we do crazy last minute requests. We got suspended. We were playing, dangling in the air, 20 feet from the ground. 

I did all that. So, taking risks is something I'm all up for. Okay, so you're talking even about taking physical risks. 

I was only talking about like, musical risks. I always make it a point to have a pit crew with me. So, I'll make sure I have a pit crew with me. 

All that happened. I think we had an experience. How was your connection with the audience? Are they passive observers, or are they active participants in your... We've had both balanced. 

We cannot depend on it. If I choose to go on stage, not utter one single word and just perform my song page to page, I'm a good musician, but I'm not an entertainer. So, some shows require me to be only a good musician. 

So, I can only measure that from there. But if I see at least one or two people who are reciprocating, I include them as part of my performance. I'll have conversations with them on stage. 

I'll do a song they like. Maybe I invite them on stage and make them sing with me. So, I very strongly believe with music, you'll have to paint a story. 

It cannot be a story that is only about you. It has to be a story that includes people. If it's like that, it's good. 

Otherwise, it'll lose its purpose. So, to make an audience active or passive in our performance, it's primarily dependent on the mindset you go with. I remembered what I wanted to ask. 

Since you said soundcheck, how elaborate is your soundcheck process? Oh, that's a very learning curve for us. At first, we were a bit arrogant. That's why we got beaten up so much in the past. 

Because I've said, half an hour is enough for a soundcheck. Now, I say, at least four hours. Three hours. 

I won't accept less than that. Who gives you four hours? In SLR clients, we cry a lot. I have to cry even if I get beaten up. 

Now, there's a show coming up. We're performing on the 21st at VR. For that, the show is at 6.30. My soundcheck is at 1 o'clock. 

And mostly, our audio team comes with us. So, we make sure that they reach the venue by 1 o'clock. And then, we go by 2, 2.30. And then, finish off soundcheck. 

And then, start the show by 6.30. As a band and an enterprise, I kind of make all the assets that come into the place. Are under my control. It'll be my audio guy only. 

It'll be my camera guy only. It'll be my crew that is working only. So, as a person, I would like to be in control of parameters that I can control. 

Meaning, I cannot control audience reaction. But I can definitely make sure the audio vendor that is coming, reports on time. Otherwise, he won't get any business the next time. 

So, if I bring in such factors, it kind of reduces that overall unnecessary stress. I'll insist on it all the time. You have to put in the audio, right? I'll take up that job. 

Give me the budget. I'll take care of it. So, when I do that, it kind of eases the overall chaos that 

can happen. 

Even after doing all this, there's still chaos. Yeah, chaos is bound to happen. If IEM is announced, they won't even come with a monitor. 

We recently did a show with a string ensemble. So, they don't have an IEM. They don't even have a monitor. 

They'll be like, you go and get it. So, when there's an extra soundcheck, we can do all this. You can make mistakes and you can rectify it then. 

I asked for a 64-channel mixer for a show. It was only 32. It wasn't enough. 

So, I asked the audience to bring it back. They brought it back. So, extra soundcheck hours help. 

See, for an average band, a musician definitely needs more than two hours. Otherwise, it won't work. Because if you keep it for an hour, it'll be set up and done. 

It'll be gone in a jiffy. You don't know how it'll go. And the audio team will work very slowly. 

They'll roll the bat and do it. So, I feel it's our responsibility to factor in all that. So, you'll have to gauge that time and make preparations for it. 

We're the ones who get affected the most. The drummer takes the most time. He'll take an hour. 

In the end, when we sing a single, he'll be like, overall soundcheck, 1, 2, 3, 4. Where did we do it? How important is appearance and stage persona to you? Again, he's asking me my life questions. First of all, I had a very bad habit of not properly dressing up on stage. I just wore whatever I could find. 

Why is it important to... Again, this is what they call a half-man, half-woman. Your skill alone doesn't matter. When I see you on stage, a lot of musicians, apart from their skill, I kind of remember what they're doing. 

What look they have, what colour instrument they have. Or if they have one specific quirk that they do on stage. So, that makes me remember things visually. 

Same applies here also. When I'm on stage, the music has to be good. That's the basic requirement. 

It has to be good. What else do we do other than that? That's what the audience remembers. How do you do it? Sometimes we colour coordinate, sometimes we style coordinate. 

We have a Yazhi costume. We have a Yazhi uniform. We all wear one type of dhoti pants. 

It's all unisex. Everyone wears the same pants. We all wear the same pants. 

People remember. Right now, they're wearing the same pants. That's how we achieve our purpose. 

Either dress coordinate, colour coordinate or style coordinate. We have to remember somehow. Some kind of impact or picture we should leave to the audience. 

It's easier to do it visually. Same goes with food. No matter how tasty the food is, it has to be visually appealing. 

That's the first thing you see. Recently, we exchanged instruments for a song. The keyboardist played the guitar. 

The guitarist played the violin. The violinist went to the keyboard. That's how we exchanged instruments. 

It's easier for the audience. We announce it to the audience. They're like, what are they doing? Why are they doing this? It's okay. 

We know what they played. But the audience doesn't care. They played well. 

I want to talk about organisers and promoters. Oh, welcome. Bring it! I saw your social media 

post about a recent experience. 

Could you briefly tell us about it? Very shortly, because that post is still there. But very shortly, we were approached by a Malaysian event manager. This person wanted us to come perform there as a resident band. 

The pay they suggested and the pay we asked for were the same. That was the ultimate crux. They didn't like our proposal. 

It didn't work out. They had all the liberty to say, No, brother, this is not within our limit. I'll find someone else. 

It didn't work out. They decided to go aggressive and hurtful. There is a general mentality, Arvind. 

Many musicians have faced this. Since music became a hobby, now it has become a very crucial part of life itself. After COVID, we have all faced the importance of art and music. 

I strongly feel that musicians have not yet been respected. I'm not asking you to put respect on a pedestal. But people need to understand that to become an artist, to perform something creative, it takes a lot of stuff. 

It is not a switch-on, switch-off button. Most people still think we produce music by button-on, button-off. That is not the case. 

Talking about event organisers, I feel there should be... I can give an example, but generally, everything should function on mutual respect. Trust and mutual respect. You can earn trust, but there should be mutual respect. 

Musicians are seen as a second-rate commodity. Take a wedding, for example. At the wedding, you cannot bargain on venue at all. 

You don't have a place to talk. Not for food or decoration. When there is nothing else, it's the only place they can put their hands on. 

Why is that? Why don't we put in the effort? That is also our salary. It's an idea of music. You can put it on your phone, or you can call a DJ. 

So, even though I can understand why people think like that, it's years of conditioning. Years of people thinking that music is a hobby. I know that. 

People think that music should be free. No one knows that there is an effort behind it. After this Malaysian incident, I had a dream. 

It won't come true, but I think it will always be a dream. All artists, not just musicians, TV, singers, playback, anchors, everything that involves digital media, and artists with art per se, should boycott. Boycott for 10 days. 

No blackout, art blackout. What will happen? The world will stop, I know. But no one understands that. 

If this dream doesn't come true, there is always a replacement. There is always a cheaper replacement. So, in this entire issue, we took a stand against this Malaysian issue. 

Not because he swore at us. We shouldn't do it. But that was the least of our worries. 

He decided it was okay to go ahead and insult people. Insult musicians, Indians, Tamil musicians. I got angry. 

I wanted to do something. If he approaches some other musicians from Chennai, people will be ready to work for them for the offered cost. That's very sad. 

We wanted that to come out as an awareness in our video. You need not go as an option. People need to know. 

He was only offering to pay 1000 rupees per day. For 6 months. 4 hours of performance. 

Per head. For 6 months, I should approve my livelihood and go there. For 26 days, you have to work for a month. 

If this was a contract, many people wouldn't know how to handle it. Even now, I know many seasoned musicians. You get into a problem. 

A legal dispute. Many people don't know how to handle it. Lakshmi and I, and Yazhi as a whole, are trying to bring forward a representative, like a union. 

This is for live bands, artists, performing artists, who are not confined within Cine Music Union. This is for freelancers, independent artists, like a union. The job of this union is legal representation, conflict resolution, if you go international, this union will support you to keep you safe there. 

We have to educate people on handling contracts. We are doing emails. Emails are in a level binding. 

But how many people look at contracts internally? No one does. We need contracts. Only if you have contracts, you can implement and enforce mutually agreed-upon terms and conditions. 

I have said this. You agreed. You didn't deliver this. 

I can't do this because you didn't. Many people didn't know Let's talk about money. We know how difficult it is to make ends meet and to support the whole thing. 

You have built your rehearsal space. How has your relationship been with money? I was very impressed with how you dealt with the YMCA show. YMCA show promoter and refused to take the stage before. 

It was a long-distance relationship. I know lots of artists who will just say, if something like that happens, we will go and play. Then it will become a headache. 

It's a learning process. Just to make this comical, in a similar dispute, we are daily wage-to- wage. She said that. 

We are rarely wage-to-wage. We are rarely wage-to-wage. You are daily wage-to-wage. 

It was a hard learning for Mani. As Kiran, the musician to the head of Yardie, I have easily relaxed together I have lost money where people have not paid me. They will change the rate at the last minute. 

You can't do anything. You can't do anything. You can fight and cry. 

You can't do anything. Then I slowly understood that if I had a contract, I could enforce it. I didn't know anything else. 

The legalities which I can use for an artist's benefit, I learned as time went by. Apart from using legal segments, I learned how to talk to people and correct them. This is a deal. 

It's a transaction. You should go happily, and I should go happily. We will find a middle ground for that. 

If you do that, it's a deal success. Many people don't do that. Most younger musicians think it is their duty to please the person who is hiring them. 

Don't be afraid. They think it is their duty to please the other. It's not at all. It's a transaction. It's a big place. You will have a lot of exposure. 

Can I buy two dosas because of your exposure? Can I pay my rent? What is the use of exposure? It's a medium of exposure. That's it. I will give you a name. 

You can use it if you want. There are no restrictions. We were in their early contracts. 

We used to send musicians. We also managed people. If I couldn't go to that show, I used to give it to another team. 

At that time, they were paying us 30k-35k for audio and a three-piece band together. It was not an Oho deal. It was a management thing. 

We used to do weekly shows. It was manageable. If you start in T Nagar, it's near Sipkot. You have to travel. You take the audio with you. So, 30k-35k was okay. 

This was when? 2-3 years ago. How much did he ask me? 25k? 5000. What? 5000 for a three- piece band and an audio. 

No, he said he didn't want three-piece. That's a topic I'll come to next. I got annoyed when he said that. 

I really wanted to tell him that. I'll make a trip and go tell him that. I'm not your musician now. I'm your client. I'm going to rent a room in your place. He asked me for 5000. 

Last year, our books were in losses. So, I can only afford this much now. I want to tell him the same thing. 

Last year, I was in severe loss. I can only afford a room for 2500. Will you take it? He'll take it. 

I really want to go ask him this. Musicians, either senior musicians or younger musicians need to understand that nobody is doing favours for anybody. Everything is transactional based. 

I'll give you my skill. I'll bring it to your event. You'll pay for my effort. 

You'll say it's good. That's your right. We can talk about it. 

Oh, the music is here. Sorry. That is the mentality I wish people start implementing. 

It's not easy to be an artist. You'll have studied something and become a musician. I'll have studied something and become a musician. 

I've studied biotechnology. I don't know why I studied it for 4 years. We've made a lot of sacrifices. 

It's just because someone owns a business doesn't mean that they've suffered more than us. He doesn't even know my story. He doesn't need to know my story. 

Similarly, I don't need to know your story. After a lot of learning, we've decided that before the show, we'll have to get 50% advance. On the show, before we get on stage... This is the structure as a band we are following. 

Compulsorily 50%. If you don't give me advance, you don't even need to book me. Before the show starts, if you don't book me in advance, it's a happy day for me. 

After the show, I'll go on my honeymoon. I can't catch anyone. Before I get on stage, I need to 

get the remaining money. 

I'll only get on stage if you pay me. I think a lot of musicians don't even know this. Advances are non-refundable. 

It's by default. A lot of people have paid me. Why should I pay you? I just kept it on my date. That's a big mistake. The girl ran away at the wedding. I can't do this to him. 

I'll return the balance with a portion or a token. We can do middle-grounds like this. At the end of the day, the other person is a human being. 

If he gives me that respect, I'll give it back. This is a worst-case scenario. A token... My artist would have missed the date. 

I'll return the balance with a token. Few clients are very nice. Even before we meet, they'll come and give. 

Only after they give the full advance, they'll ensure that we're all... If we're travelling abroad, they're very sweet. Even the groom himself asked me to shake his hand and eat. They've read it. 

Not all clients are like that. That's why... Apart from ethics, if we look at our regular parameters, every detail of the show has to be made clear. There can't be hidden details. 

For example, it'll take more than two hours. Some promoters have unfortunately insisted to some of my female artists that they don't want this dress. They want something else. 

So, all details pertaining to the show should be made crystal clear, transparent. What we agree to is what we'll deliver. Nothing more, nothing less. 

First, the details of the show. Second, the promoter or his team needs to be in constant touch with our band to check on where we are, if there's a problem with travel, if we've arrived, if we've received the services or stay or audio. To coordinate all that, we need a promoter. 

If these two are done cleanly, there won't be a big issue. Talking about money, when we deal with a promoter, we talk about the cut and rate. How the percentage is going. 

50% advance, 50% cut. We also give a little leave. If he can't give it on time, we set three working days. 

You have to keep giving and if you don't, you have to give an explanation and intimate me. If they follow this, it's easy for the promoter. If I have such expectations, the promoter expects the band to be strict and follow things to the T. When there's an expectation on both sides, things flow a lot smoother. 

Ambiguity is the problem. They assume and do it. That's the problem. 

Ambiguity in transactions and deals are the deal breaker. You provided us details regarding the venue and who is looking for the stage tech. If they put us in touch with those people, it's easier for us. 

Sometimes they don't even contact us. We have handled issues If the client himself arranges a call between us and the audio team and the stage team, it's easier for us. Use technology to your efficacy. 

Form a WhatsApp group. Put all the vendors inside. I'm insisting on bringing my own audio and lights. 

Let's start a stage as soon as possible. Let's give the show to ourselves and make it ours. How do personal struggles affect your performance? You're not able to separate the two. 

We should be able to. Ideally, it's not possible. For example, sometimes Lakshmi and I fight. 

We come to the show. We have to perform together. He screams at me on the stage because of that. 

When that happens... If he scolds me, I won't sing the next line. Luckily, I've never done that. Don't do that. 

How do personal struggles affect our performance? It's reflected in the performance. Sometimes I zone out. Unfortunately, it's not a personal struggle. 

I'm sleeping in the middle of a song. It has an impact. It kind of influences your psyche during the performance. 

Whether the show goes well or not depends on your mental state. If I'm in a very dejected, depressed mood... Or I'm angry... Angry also doesn't work in a show. You have to be level- headed. 

You want to have fun. Fun is the right emotion for a show. If it's angry, sad, or anything else... Confused, fear... You'll get caught. 

We try to suspend all those emotions and still come on stage and perform. But it happens. It's a continuous process. 

You make a mistake today, you learn with it tomorrow. Don't try to do the same thing tomorrow. That's the thing that we do. 

If it's a personal issue, if the band members themselves have an issue, that also impacts the performance. They won't even look at each other. If they try to eye-contact, they'll be ignoring each other. 

What about external stimulants? Alcohol, drugs... I have so much to say on this. As a band, we 

are a tea-totaler band. When it comes to... Not that we don't consume anything. 

We have a strict no-stimulants policy during the show. On the day of the show. They do pub shows, right? They give it on the house. 

I have a strict no-tolerance policy. If the show is in the evening, you shouldn't touch anything from the morning. You shouldn't drink anything other than Pepsi. 

Beer, alcohol, weed... Nothing. If you touch it, you're automatically out of the show. After the show, you can do whatever you want. 

That's not a problem. Until the performance is over. Even after the show, I'll handle you. 

This shouldn't affect the show. We've had unfortunate instances in our team. That's why we brought this in. 

I'm very much against the stand where if and when somebody claims... People have supporting evidence also. Let's say weed makes you more creative. I'm coming from that angle. 

History has lots of artists both in Carnatic music and Western music, of course. I kind of know about this topic. My background was in biotechnology. 

Do stimulants alter the way of how you think and maybe in turn affect the outcome? To an extent, yes. But your quality and output does not depend on that. Maybe it changes perspective. 

Take weed. Basically, weed drops your inhibition down and slows down your entire thought process. That's okay. 

But before a show, it's not a mandatory need. No, that's what I'm saying. As long as the stimulants are intelligences, it's okay. 

Let's say a musician wants to compose. I'll take a joint and unwind down. Go into that zone and do. 

If that works for you, no problem. But this is a mandatory compulsion before the shows that I don't agree. I have a zero tolerance policy in my band. 

Recently, I've been learning this. There's a huge world of difference In sessions, you can do do- overs and correct your mistakes. But when you listen to a session, I don't get that energy that I get in live. 

Live is more like a story. If you shoot a performance video, that mistake adds beauty to your performance. Whereas in recording, there's a compulsion to be correct. 

Only if it's correct, the output and sound will be good. See, it's a good thing. But this comes from my philosophy where you need not be 100% perfect. 

You're not a machine. I think people like Rahman and a lot of big people have insisted on it. This doesn't translate saying that you shouldn't learn skills by doing hard work. 

You should just do the work and put in the correct effort. What is going to be the value of a live performance and humans performing music in our increasingly digitised digital world? I've experimented with it. I've seen it in my own way. 

When AI creates music or when music becomes more and more digitised... I use stuff like VST. Of course. It's a current requirement. 

But the difference between playing with a good VST and a good violinist is the human element. I think all of us commonly agree on that. The human element is not just a skill. 

It's also a journey. There's a story behind Joshua Bell and V.S. Narasimhan. Their life speaks through their music not just their skill. 

If you want to play a tremolo, you can learn it and so can I. But your tremolo and my tremolo will never be 100% the same. To break it down further, in the scenario I grew up in, my body's physique is different and so is yours. The tremolo will impact everything from your finger size. 

That's the beauty of it. The story you grew up with is spoken through your skill in music. Not everyone can do it. 

That's the problem with VST. They articulate everything perfectly. It sounds beautiful and realistic. 

But it's not real. That's the problem. I have a big problem with VSTs. 

You take a piano like Keyscape, which is supposed to be one of the best sample pianos. Every note you hit at the same time, that same artefact sound will come. If there's a piano creak, you play it at 64 velocity, one creak sound will come. 

Every time you play at 64, that same sound will come. Which is not how a real piano is. Absolutely. 

That's the problem with sampling. Sampling has pre-set parameters. It's all about what happens when it's recorded. 

AI is like Ilaiyaraaja. It writes a symphony. Will it do everything Ilaiyaraaja does? Will it write a score in 30 minutes? It doesn't write a score in 30 minutes. 

In 30 minutes... It has to perform. It has to make 100 people listen to it. Will AI do it? It has to make 100 people play it the way you expect. 

Only Ilaiyaraaja can do that. AI will give you a score in 5 minutes. How will you make 30 people play it? It may be a strong statement, but I don't think AI can ever replace the creative work a 

human can do. 

If it can type minutes of the meeting, it can do it superbly. But the creative element will always be missing. Technically, the source code of AI is human fit. 

The essence is human fit. There's no way it can be equal to a human. It can evolve and learn. 

It can learn 100 things at the same time that a human cannot do. But the idea, the spark is human fit. AI can never match that. 

Thank you so much, Lakshmi. Thanks for having us. We are very happy that we could do this. There's lots of things to unpack from this. Definitely. We were very happy when we heard it. It's like a recording story. Someone is writing a story and we have to go. Thanks.
 Thank you. Thank you very much for listening. I really hope you enjoyed the show. 

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