One of the perks of this job I have is meeting the coolest, nicest folks and getting to know them. The talented young artists of the musical group Saptaswar offer us a glimpse into their persona, their passions and the precious ability that they possess.

Mohan Somasundaram is the man behind the band, one who brought the whole group together, Kumar is keyboardist and a composer in his own right (watch out for his new song that will hit cyber space very soon), Karthik Marudur is the man with magical fingers on the Mridangam and Christy is a composer who has produced many CDs, plays the keyboard and owns a studio. Chrissty also has two CD projects in the pipeline.

1. Saptaswar is evolving as a group that performs for social causes, for the good of the community. As an artist what is your commitment such endeavors and do you think other artists, painters, actors etc, should put their craft to good use?

Mohan-To me this was a natural progression from hosting my Central Massachusetts Community Radio Program of Indian Classical & Contemporary music for the past 13-plus years.  My efforts are earnest and I believe I have been able to contribute – more appropriately, give back - to the community, in the special way I can and infinitesimal as it may be.  The Saptaswar-musicians feel the same way and is one of the reasons they are volunteering their time and talent for this venture.  Lots to do and too little time; and I firmly believe I am echoing every artist’s inner thoughts who take their craft seriously.

Kumar Padmanabhan- As a research engineer with a relatively stable full time job, it is easy for me to say that all artists should contribute to charity!  I feel professional artists should not be pressured in to contributions anymore than professionals in non-art related fields.  I feel everyone, artist or not, should take social work seriously.

Karthik-I think this is a choice every individual has, whether to be more than just an artist. I think everybody has some kind of obligation to help the less privileged people and what else can be better than doing it through something you love (playing music).

Christy - I try to keep my focus on doing a decent show to provide good entertainment for people in the community. I am not really concerned about doing shows to help any charity organization in the community (Indian) since they don’t have any respect for any artist and don’t have a clue as to what it takes to be a painter, actor or a musician. I always tell Mohan not to get into this trap of helping the local charity organizations. I encourage him to focus on the future and quality of Saptaswar.

2. Do you sing/perform with any other musical group?

Mohan- No.  But I would entertain the idea of artists from other groups perform as a guest during our concerts, if mutually conducive.

Kumar-No, I don’t.

Karthik- No, Saptaswar is the only musical group I perform with.

Christy- Yes. I work as a composer, arranger and a producer. I play for a Christian rock band in New York (Exiles).

3. Do you plan to diversify into other realms /genres…like Jazz or Western Rock?

Mohan-My original intent was to have two separate groups under the Saptaswar-umbrella - Saptaswar (Classical) & Saptaswar (Contemporary).  Now that the Contemporary wing has been established, I am working on the Classical wing.  Also, during our previous live performances we had made it clear that we do not want to develop into a garden-variety music group; instead, step down from the curb, and explore into fusion, folk & jazz genres.

Kumar - Jazz some day…if I can ever attain that skill level.

Karthik- Yes, definitely. That’s because I play a traditional South Indian percussion instrument (Mirudangam) I would love to experiment with Western Instruments particularly.

4. By singing mostly Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi songs are you not missing out an entire demographic that does exist in the area?

Mohan- I envision Saptaswar to be an inclusive music group.  I wanted us to set our foundations on known turfs initially and we have done that successfully.  We are looking forward to singers of other Indian languages join Saptaswar to fill the current demographic void.

Karthik-We cannot please the entire Indian community in one concert. What we can do is probably have a Bengali/Hindi concert, Tamil/Telugu/Kannada/Malayalam concert etc.

5. Have you had formal training in music?

Mohan- I had momentary dips in the vast ocean of vocal Carnatic classical music, and fleeting acquaintances with guitar, saxophone & keyboards.  Nothing even close to the training many of my Saptaswar-colleagues have had.

Kumar- No.  Inspired by popular musicians during my college days in India, I learnt about chords and chord progressions from my friends who played the guitar in my hostel/dorm.  I believe in playing by ear, out of fear that playing sheet music would be akin to typing!  I do plan to get some formal training in jazz piano down the road, when I feel I am not learning enough from composing and performing music.

Karthik- Yes, I have learnt music for 15 years.

Christy-BM (in Composition form Berklee College of Music) MM (in composition from Boston Conservatory of Music)

6. What inspires you as an artist?

Mohan- Music, music, music…

Kumar- A need to create, discover and express. 

Karthik- Money…just kidding!!! Self- satisfaction and appreciation.

Christy- Creativity !!

7. What music do you enjoy listening to? Your favorite genre artist, director?

Kumar- Hard to pin down a genre since I feel the genre classification more often than not limits one from appreciating music with an open mind.  Having said that, I find myself more inclined towards harmony based music than melody based music.

If I were to pick my favorite artist, it has to be Ilayaraaja.  Never in my life have I seen anyone so secure about their identity and churn out compositions day after day that are not only versatile, but also have a deceptive depth about them.

Karthik- 80s English Bands. Late 70s, 80s Tamil songs. Ilayaraja, SPB, Police, The Cars are my favorite artistes/bands.

Christy- Hip hop, techno, Pop, Satravinsky.

8. Do you plan to release an album with original (or cover) music? Are you interested in composing/directing?

Mohan- One of the near-future goals for Saptaswar is to release albums with original music.  We have many talented composers within our group who will be heavily involved in this venture.

Kumar- Please check out http://www.mp3.com/kumar_p.  

After almost a year’s gap, I’ll be releasing another song “What is it all about?”, 

and it should appear within a couple of weeks.

Karthik-Yes, we intend to do a Fusion CD with some members in the band.

Christy- I arranged and produced the music for an album which is to be released in May. MY TRUE LOVE  by Anu . Currently working on a Malayalam Christian Devotional album featuring play back singers from Kerala

9. If you were given a chance to chuck you regular job and pursue music full time, would you take it?

Mohan- I have considered neither music nor Saptaswar music group as a ‘job’ yet.  So the answer is ‘no’ for now.

Kumar- No.  I look at music as a hobby and as a means of self- expression.  My current fulltime job satisfies my need for innovation in a way that music alone cannot fulfill. 

Karthik- Nope. Reason being that I enjoy what I do because I realize what I will miss. I’ll not miss it if I do it as a regular job and hence wouldn’t enjoy it.

10) And finally, can other Indian organizations doing charity work in the area contact you for performances?

Mohan- Yes, definitely.  Given the right opportunities Saptaswar would love to perform for in-State and out-of-State Indian Organizations and Organizations that involve the participation of Indian Community.  Contact by email (chakravakam@hotmail.com) or by phone (508-856-4151).

Kumar- I prefer they contact Dr. Mohan Somasundaran directly.  This would help streamline our efforts more efficiently.

Karthik-Yes, they can.

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