GLOBAL MOVES

The band Pseudonym. Picture by Sanjoy Chattopadhyaya

Who: A five-piece outfit called Pseudonym, comprising Damayanti (vocalist), Devapriya (guitar), Sompratim (guitar), Roheet (bass) and Rajan (drums) — a band that prefers its music to do the talking. Leaving a string of line-up changes in the past, the guys seem to have finally settled down on the current company.

What: With a focus on playing ambient, guitar-based rock, Pseudonym has been playing the local circuit for a while now, playing at Planet M outlets, City Centre and Someplace Else, among others. An interesting bit about this bunch: all Pseudonym members share a singular disinterest in “band competitions”. “We don’t think music can be judged,” vocalist Damayanti explains.

Why: Pseudonym has already created a buzz with its list of “rare” covers from artistes like Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Porcupine Tree and Poets of The Fall. But its true claim to fame is a clutch of deliciously fresh originals, of which Little Calvin and Clouds deserve mention. While Little Calvin almost always gets people moving, Clouds is an enchanting, dreamy track. Not bound by genre pigeon-holes, the band has “varied influences”, but “are inclined towards alternative music on the whole”. “That doesn’t mean we play what you may call alternative rock,” says Rajan, who is also the primary lyricist, while Devapriya arranges the songs. These guys pay equal, if not more, attention towards “marketing the band effectively”. They have Avirup and Abhinav to help them out in this quarter.

“We want to play to audiences at national and international platforms; this requires us to present our music as part of a well-prepared package,” says Rajan. The band labours at its logo or publicity posters as much as on its selection of songs. “At the end of the day, no economic strategy can help if your product is no good. So it is important to do the ground work and make your music qualitatively sound,” says Devapriya.

Up next: With no plans for an album in the near future, Pseudonym wants to focus strictly on playing stage shows. “We are reaching out to the international scene already via the Internet,” says Rajan. The skilled band dreams of “taking Calcutta beyond local boundaries”.