Making the scene | Bandwagon

SWORUP RANJIT

Jamming in school and college bands five years ago, Nuraz and Migesh Sthapit and Pragen Tuladhar never dreamt they'd have a serious music career.

Brothers Nuraz and Migesh, with their neighbour Pragen, weren't a 'band' but would jam at musical programs and school concerts. Nuraz on vocals and guitar, Migesh on drums and Pragen on bass, officially formed Impulse 21 in 2001.

The band started with gigs at Thamel hotspots such as Tantra and Rum Doodle. They also landed an eight-month performance contract with Radisson Hotel. Still, it hasn't all been smooth sailing, especially financially. "We haven't received any 'formal' training, and without support from family and friends we might have not made it this far," says Pragen. Even so, Impulse 21 has managed to collect an impressive resume of live gigs, which Nuraz says, "allowed us to become better musicians, and taught us a lot about facing the crowd, improving our stage presence and, most importantly, cemented our ambition of pursuing a musical career."

Prospects for Impulse 21 are promising, following the June release of their self-titled debut album. For a group that counts Metallica and Led Zeppelin among their biggest influences, "The idea of the album came to us after we noticed the pro-rock movement in the music industry," says Nuraz. "Recording an album was perhaps the best way to promote our music and judge our mass appeal." The album, released by Situ Digital, is an 'interactive CD'. It plays like a normal audio CD but also allows has band pictures, profiles, and other trivia viewable on a computer.

The band simultaneously released their first music video Birsun Bhanchu, directed by Asim Chitrakar, which has been receiving generous airplay. "The video was enjoyable to shoot but physically taxing. We had to stand in knee-deep water for every shot. We had numb feet by the end," said Nuraz. The guys are big music video fans. "We don't feel video diminishes the value of the song as some purists say," says Pragen, "Jimi Hendrix's music was so profound he didn't need video to show his virtuosity, but still, even in the 1960s, he produced videos."

The band is planning several tours and concerts and is aiming to release a new music video by the end of Tihar. Staying true to their live performance roots, they also played at the recent 'Classroom Rockers' contest as a guest band.

"Our second album will have faster paced tracks than our debut album. The musical trend is also moving towards a rock-ish sound so it is a good time for us," says Nuraz, but adds, "however, just following the trend doesn't mean everyone should focus on rock sounds. There have been more than a few instances of people adding guitar riffs and solos just for the sake of labelling their songs as 'rock'."

Impulse 21 is on verge of hitting the big time, and has advice for aspiring musicians. "All struggling rock bands should record an album. Many talented musicians are unnoticedm, mostly in bands that play at pubs. An album is a sure way of getting attention," says the band.