Backup to centre stage | Bandwagon

Versatility is the key when you're a backup musician, so the members of Om Bajra all have plenty to bring to the table. The six-member group has been together since 2004, and after several gigs as a backup band, they finally performed live under the name Scrambling at 2004's Dee Catmandu.

"We thought Scrambling sounded like a heavy-metal band, so we renamed the group to fit our soft-rock sound," says rhythm guitarist Sunil. They've been performing as Om Bajra since 2005, and have been on a roll ever since. In 2005, they were among the top ten bands at the Voxpop Band Competition, from over 30 total participants. Still, they've continued to hone their skills—and pay the bills—as a backup group. Most recently, they played backup on the New Year's Eve Harmony Nepal event at BICC for ten artists including Sugam Pokharel, Preety Kaur, Puja Rai, Babu Bogati, Saroj Dutta, Kamal Man Singh, and Mohit Munal.

Their own project is going strong too—in December 2006 they released their self-titled debut album and a music video for Meetho aavash. The song is getting plenty of airplay on both radio and television, and the group says they're getting good feedback.

The members have a variety of music influences, ranging from Iron Maiden and Pantera to Nepathya, 1974AD, Robin and the New Revolution, and Pakistani and Hindi groups too. "The focus is always soft rock though," says bassist Raju. The group's vocalist Sanu is quick to compliment fellow band member Rajan, saying, "He can do drumbeats for any kind of song."It helps that Sandesh and Suraj, both on lead guitar, are also music arrangers, working for Music Walk and Om Mega respectively. "Jems [Pradhan] liked my tunes so much he offered me a job," says Suraj. Sandesh, the group's newest addition, is also a guitar teacher at Sadhana Kala Kendra, but they all manage to make time for the group. They want to establish Om Bajra as a folk-rock band in the tradition of Nepathya and 1974AD. "But we also want to perform as a backup band, because we love doing it," says Sunil. The group is dedicated to being known as a band, and are determined to stick together. Sanu explains, "We don't use our last names, because we want Om Bajra to be our identity."