(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) LUKE KENNY BELONGS to a generation that grew up on music the old-fashioned way, via radio, audio cassettes, the occasional walkman, and of course, once cable kicked in, MTV. Despite the tendency of this set (myself included) to get nostalgic about 'the good old days', Kenny, who first came into the spotlight in 1995 as a video jockey on the Asian music channel, Channel V, doesn't seem to harbour any romantic notions of the past when commenting on the transition that has taken place with the advent of technology.
In a chat with City Times, Kenny shared his views on the shift in programming content on channels like MTV and V, both of which gradually phased out music-based programmes in favour of reality shows. "Music has definitely taken a backseat on television but the only reason for that is technology. In the pre-internet era music television became the only destination for music consumption per se. But once YouTube kicked in, that dynamic changed hugely. No longer would one have to wait to watch one's favourite song or video. It was available with the effort of a quick search and a click of a button. So music channels had to find alternative programming to keep the eyeballs attentive. And it has been a tug of war since then."
Kenny, who is of Irish-Italian descent and was brought up in Mumbai, also emphasised that it was channels like V and MTV that gave independent musicians in India the initial push they needed to attract some of the spotlight monopolised by Bollywood. But he still doesn't feel there are enough avenues in the country to promote new bands.
"Just as music television was a sensation in the eighties in the US so also Indian media was abuzz when both Channel V and the iconic MTV caught the attention of the 90's Indian generation that was exploding with the liberalisation movement. Indian musicians realised they did not need to be a part of a Hindi film to have their music on the channels. Indian band Rock Machine who later became Indus Creed were one of the cornerstones of that movement. But the struggle has always been marketing and advertising for their product which was not part of a multi-crore Bollywood juggernaut. So to assume or infer that there are many avenues to promote independent music, there is a serious lack of investment."
'MOST BANDS GET PAID VERY LITTLE'
A musician himself, Kenny has been performing live since he was in college in Mumbai and said it was always a struggle to get noticed for original music.
"Back in the day the only avenue for a band to get noticed was via an annual event called 'Independence Rock' that would happen in Mumbai. The odd college gig was rare and not a constant as it is today. But even so, the bands that would get programmed were the ones that had the most 'commercial' appeal (i.e., the bands that could play the best cover versions of the time). So today, while there are a plethora of festivals that have a congregation of Indie bands on their lineups, the distinction of originality and good songwriting is still a distant dream."
Commenting on a recent article in Rolling Stone India titled 'The Crisis in Indian Rock', about the lack of new talent as electronica and other genres increase in popularity, he said, "I would say that the 'crisis' is not limited to Indian rock alone but also to the international scene. But coming back to Indian rock, if there is a 'crisis' then its cause is a lack of investment in the bands themselves. Most bands get paid very little. There aren't enough venues that support live acts. And as a result band members end up chasing 'Bollywood' gigs that pay more but cause loss of focus on the bands they started out with."
Kenny, who is currently part of "a merry bank of musicians from whom I chose whenever I need to hit the road", implied he is one of the people affected by the 'crisis'. "As far as regularity of performing is concerned, refer to the argument above," he said.
Speaking about his musical influences, Kenny cited Jim Morrison of The Doors, who he paid tribute to by putting together a band that performed in July 2008 at the Blue Frog in Mumbai.
"Jim Morrison never wanted to be what he became, he was a poet, always a poet and he was lucky enough to find three superb musicians who brought their own sonic magic to his verbal vision. And it was this amalgamation that magnificently mutated into what we today know as the Doors. They sounded nothing like anything at the time. Because of their unique songwriting and catchy arrangements, they cut though the clutter and gained popularity that made them immortal. So when I look back at bands like these and dissect them musically, I am always brought back to the fact of writing a good song, and that is what leads you as an artist into evergreen minds."
LUKE'S ADVICE FOR aspiring musicians:
Practice
Presentation
Practice
Performance
Practice
He maintained that he doesn't have any favourite genres. "I have constantly discovered music at various stages of my life, leading me to remain a nonconformist to any particular genre as a source of inspiration. It's like asking me which is your favourite ocean... or mountain... or river."
FILMS AND MORE
The versatile Kenny attracted a fair share of attention as an actor in his second film, Abhishek Kapoor's Rock on!! When asked to comment on his role in the sequel, he said, "Yes, there is talk of a song being shot early next year. But that's about it."
He admitted to being a film junkie and recently also returned to theatre.
"I am currently on stage in a production of William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice directed by Vikram Kapadia. For me it's a return to the theatre and Shakespeare after a long gap. And it's such magic. I am also developing an Indian zombie film trilogy, the first part of which released in 2013, called Rise of the Zombie. Two other projects are in scripting stages, one is a music film and the other is a Indo-Swedish road movie romantic comedy. I am a film junkie; I try and watch a film every day or night as time permits and I average about 250 films a year."
Looking back on his career as musican/actor/producer/VJ, could he recollect a particular memorable moment or situation?
"Well, I'm not really much of a rear view mirror kind of guy but I do retain cognisance of aspects of time gone by that shaped me as a free thinking individual. For further elaboration you'll have to wait till the book comes out."
It's the song that matters: Luke
MTV India's 'Next Big Thing' is bringing local bands and singers from across the Middle East on one platform. Starting November 7, for three consecutive Saturdays, twelve shortlisted bands will compete with each other at The Music Room at the Majestic Hotel in Bur Dubai. Four bands will be performing live every week and will be judged by Luke Kenny. The grand finale is set to take place on November 28, where Kenny will perform live for the audience followed by the announcement of the winners.
When asked what 'x-factor' a band/singer must have in order to stand out from others, Kenny said, "I am of the opinion that it's always the song that makes a band a force to reckon with. You may have the best musicians, the tightest act, but if you don't have songs that can connect with an audience then you've got lots to worry about."
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