Motherjane
2022 line-up of Motherjane
2022 line-up of Motherjane
Background information
OriginKochi, Kerala, India
GenresRock, progressive rock, world, Carnatic music
Years active1996 (1996)–present
LabelsMotherjane Music Productions LLP
MembersJohn Thomas
Clyde Rozario
Niranj Suresh
Anubhav Langthasa
Past membersDeepu Sasidharan
Santhosh Chandran
Suraj Mani
Baiju Dharmajan
Rex Vijayan
Laji
Biju Peter
Mithun Raju
Deepak Dev
Nithin Vijayanath
Vivek Thomas
George Joseph
Websitemotherjaneofficial.com

Motherjane is an Indian rock band from Kochi, India, formed in 1996. The band consists of John Thomas (drums and percussion), Clyde Rozario (bass guitar), Niranj Suresh (vocals) and Anubhav Langthasa (guitars). They have released a total of three studio albums, and five singles. Since their formation, genres like progressive rock and Carnatic music have influenced their music.

History

Formation and early days

Motherjane was formed in 1996 by drummer John Thomas, guitarist Mithun Raju and bassist Clyde Rozario to "fill in" for another band which had backed out from a college festival at St. Albert's College, Kochi. The initial line up consisted of John Thomas (drums), Clyde Rozario (bass), Mithun Raju (guitars) and Laji and Nirmal (vocals).[1] Vocalist Laji soon left the band and Motherjane had to continue as an instrumental band without a vocalist. In 1999 lead guitarist Mithun Raju left the band and was replaced by Baiju Dharmajan.[1] Around that time, Motherjane used to jam at a restaurant called Ancient Mariner at Marine Drive, Kochi. In 2000, Suraj Mani,[2] who used to perform with Bangalore based rock bands, shifted to Kochi and chanced to meet the band at the Ancient Mariner. John invited Mani to sing with the band, but he was not satisfied with the band only doing covers and not writing original material. Mani became the band's vocalist and wrote Motherjane's first original song "Disillusioned" soon after. About the same time, Motherjane recruited yet another guitarist, Rex Vijayan. Things took a slight detour after six months, when Mani moved back to Bangalore, but they continued to meet and jam as a band.[3] In 2008, Motherjane opened for Megadeth and Machine Head in Rock in India 2008, Bangalore and for Opeth in Saarang '08 at IIT Madras.[3][4] Motherjane has been a frequent headliner of college rock festivals across India.

Motherjane was ranked No. 1 in Rock Street Journal's bands of the decade in 2010.[5] In the 2010 AVIMA Awards, Motherjane won the award for the Most Popular Act of Asia, and lead vocalist Suraj Mani was awarded Best Rock Vocalist.[6] In the 2009 AVIMA Awards, Motherjane was awarded the Best Rock Act.[7] They has done an OST titled 'Jihad' for the movie 'Anwar' by Amal Neerad in 2010.

Motherjane at indigaga 2019

In November 2010, Motherjane on their website announced guitarist Baiju Dharmajan's departure from the band to work with his new band Wrenz United. In January 2011 Motherjane announced that Santhosh Chandran has joined the band as the band's new guitarist. In the same year, Motherjane performed at Autumn Muse, the annual cultural festival of St. John's Medical College, Bangalore.[8] Motherjane's vocalist left the band in November 2011 citing health problems. He was replaced by Vivek Thomas who joined Motherjane in December 2011. Santhosh was replaced in 2013 by Nithin Vijayanath. Towards the end of 2012 the band started work on a new single 'Clayplay' with Rex Vijayan as producer with a vision to revamp the sound of the band. Clay play was eventually released on January 10, 2015, and marked a drastic shift in the musical direction of Motherjane. Around 2017, Niranj Suresh joined The band as the vocalist and can be deemed as the right fit for the new sounding band. The single 'Namaste' released in May 2018 is to be seen as a follow-up to the change in musical style, again produced by Rex Vijayan. It hit #1 on the Apple Music rock charts in India within the 1st week of release. In June 2018 Motherjane announced on their Facebook page that they have recruited a new guitar player, Anubhav Langthasa, through auditions.[9]

Insane Biography (2002–2003)

Motherjane released their debut album, Insane Biography in 2002 under Kan & Will Records.[10] The songs "Maya" and "Soul Corporations" had strong Indian musical elements which would continue in later albums. "Soul Corporations" was featured in Geki-Teki Metal, a compilation album released in Japan in 2004.[3] Soon after the release of Insane Biography, Rex Vijayan left the band in 2003, and was replaced by Deepu Sasidharan. Sasidharan, at that time, was playing with the Kochi-based hard rock band 13AD. Insane Biography was the only Indian album to be featured in the Asian Rock Rising Festival in Japan on 1 November 2003. The band also headlined Levi's Great Indian Rock 2003.[11]

Maktub (2008–2021)

Maktub which was released in 2008, marked a change in Motherjane's musical style. Influence of Carnatic music was prominently seen in the guitar, vocals and percussion, and native instruments like the chenda were used. In 2009, Rolling Stone India named Maktub as the album of the year.[12]

111 (2022)

Songwriting started in 2018 and was completed by the beginning of 2019. The theme for this record was also metaphysical, reflecting the band's views of the existential plane. Former member and guitarist Rex Vijayan was roped in as the producer for this record also. Although the band started recording in 2019, the process was abruptly halted, first by the 2018 Kerala floods , and then by back to back touring. It was pushed further again by the covid - 19 pandemic. The album was finally released through the band label - Motherjane Music Productions LLP on May 19, 2022. The sound has evolved with the passing of time, becoming more current and relevant. To add to the post rock driven sound palette synths have been used extensively in this record. The 'Thavil' solo on the intro of 'Contact Sense' is also a new feature added to this record. The album is well received by the loyal fans and by the new listeners. Rolling Stone India magazine has stated in their article on the release - "Clarity and confidence drive Motherjane's new EP - '1 1 1' ".

John, Indigaga 2019
Clyde at Falcon festival, Umranso
Niranj at JBL Live, 2020
Anubhav Langthasa at IIT Saarang,2020

Line-up

Current members

  • John Thomas – Drums (1996–present)
  • Clyde Rozario – Bass (1996–present)
  • Niranj Suresh – Vocals (2017–present)
  • Anubhav Langthasa – Guitars (2018 – present)

Touring Members

  • Ajay George Joseph - Guitars

Former members

  • Suraj Mani – Vocals (2000–2011)
  • Baiju Dharmajan – Guitars (1999–2010)
  • Rex Vijayan – Guitars (2000–2003)
  • Laji George – Vocals (1996–2000)
  • Mithun Raju – Guitars (1996–2004)
  • Deepu Sasidharan – Guitars (2004-2013)
  • Biju Peter – Vocals (1996– 1998)
  • Deepak Dev – Keyboards (1996–1998)
  • Santhosh Chandran – Guitars (2011–2013)
  • Nithin Vijayanath - Guitars (2013-2017)
  • Vivek Thomas - Vocals (2011-2017)

Discography

Studio albums

  • Insane Biography (2001)
  • Maktub (2008)
  • 111 (EP) (2022)

Singles

  • Tribes of Babel (2010)
  • No Contest (2011)
  • Clay Play (2015)
  • Namaste (2018)

References

  1. 1 2 "Official Band Profile" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 October 2011. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
  2. ↑ "Suraj Mani Engineers". Archived from the original on 16 July 2012. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
  3. 1 2 3 James, Bobin (25 July 2009). "Motherjane: An Indian Tale". Rolling Stone India. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  4. ↑ "Not Megadeth enough". The Hindu. 23 March 2008. Archived from the original on 1 April 2008. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
  5. ↑ "RSJ Band of the Decade". Retrieved 26 October 2010.
  6. ↑ "FULL AVIMA 2010 Winners List (Official Release)". Archived from the original on 4 November 2010. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
  7. ↑ "AVIMA 2009: And the winners are..." 30 March 2009. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
  8. ↑ "Pics: ATFC, Motherjane, Pentagram @ St. John's College, Bangalore › NH7 | Discover new music and explore alternative culture from India and around the world". Archived from the original on 5 June 2015. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  9. ↑ Anand, Shilpa Nair (9 January 2015). "Motherjane set to 'play'". The Hindu. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
  10. ↑ "Aum-i Artistes:About Us". Archived from the original on 3 June 2011. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
  11. ↑ "Motherjane enthrals Sunday crowd". The Hindu. 8 October 2007. Archived from the original on 13 October 2007. Retrieved 24 October 2010.
  12. ↑ "Ethnic Spirits, Global Rock" (PDF). Retrieved 26 October 2010.

13.https://rollingstoneindia.com/watch-motherjanes-feisty-new-video-namaste/

.14.https://www.indulgexpress.com/culture/music/2018/may/09/listen-to-motherjanes-new-single-namaste-7246.html

15.https://www.indulgexpress.com/culture/music/2018/may/04/motherjane-is-back-7162.html

16.http://www.radioandmusic.com/entertainment/editorial/news/180512-namaste-about-recognizing-and-accepting

17.https://www.retrokolkata.com/post/motherjane

18.https://www.clubby.in/clubbytalks/motherjane-not-an-ordinary-rock-band/

19.https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/how-motherjane-carved-out-niche-itself-kerala-s-rock-scene-164710

20.https://rollingstoneindia.com/motherjane-an-indian-tale/

21.https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/motherjane-set-to-play/article6769182.ece

22.https://rollingstoneindia.com/watch-motherjanes-feisty-new-video-namaste/

23.https://rollingstoneindia.com/motherjane-111-ep-interview/

24.https://www.timesmedianews.com/lifestyle/kerala-based-rock-band-motherjane-releases-its-new-ep-111/

25.https://newscinema.in/kerala-based-rock-band-motherjane-releases-its-new-ep-111

26.https://highonscore.com/in-conversation-with-motherjane-score-short-reads/

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