Asthra    

This is a young band from Calicut. Formed just a few years ago, they have already done a few shows in Cochin, Kasargode etc. They are looking to break into the big-time. It will surely help that Rex, the ex-motherjane guitarist has joined them.

This band has one of the best young drummers I have ever seen. Diminutive, slightly built, ever smiling and affable and humble and courteous to the extreme, Daya Shankar is one mean drummer. The pounding he gives his kit and the dexterity with which he does it is to be seen to be believed. Incidentally, he is closely related to Hamesh, drummer of the erstwhile Stone Cold and Primitive Knights. Watch out for him, this bugger is really class. Rex, need I say anything, is really a class act and elevates the band to another level. The bass guitarist Reebu too is a decent player n the way he did the slap bass bit on the opening number was a treat to watch. Mohan is their vocalist. A good presence on stage, he does need to brush up a bit on mic techniques and learn to really let go, but boy, he is talented and can go a long way. But this band shud stick together as a unit for a few more years and then they can go places. I can’t really speak much about the keys as they really didn’t play many keyboard-oriented tracks. But overall, the band sounded good together, was tight, gave a good show and showed a lot of promise.

His band approached us a few months ago saying that they wanted to do a show through us. Things really fell into place during the last month and we did the show on the 27th of December 2004. The venue was the Beachotel Courtyard. The sound and lights were by Swapna Sounds, Calicut. The guy manning the console was Gopinath from Cochin (tjgopi@hotmail.com.)

The show started off at 7:30pm sharp. There must have been close to a 100 people at the show, which, going by the last two shows, was a good sized crowd!! The band played songs by RATM, RHCP, Deep Purple, Dire Straits, Eric Clapton, Audioslave, Collective Soul, Metallica, Doors etc. They did give me a CD of original compositions, some of which really showed some promise, but the vocals had to be filled and as such they were incomplete. The show wound up at 10:10pm and there was free grub 4 the audience, which was wolfed down with abandon. Perhaps the first rock show of its kind where free food was served!! Most of the pictures were taken by Dr.K.G.Ramakrishnan, an Intervention Radiologist at MIMS, Calicut, a dear friend, a partner in crime and a music-lover beyond compare.