Art vs Science is a three-piece, electro-house, dance-punk band from Sydney, Australia formed in early 2008. The group consists of Jim Finn on vocals and keyboards, Dan McNamee (styled as Dan Mac) also on vocals, guitars and keyboards, and Dan Williams (styled as Dan W.) on drums and vocals.
Art vs Science's debut self-titled extended play, Art vs. Science, peaked at number 32 on the Australian Singles Chart and has since been accredited gold record status. The band undertook its first headline national tour in May 2009, which completely sold out. At the 2010 ARIA Music Awards the band received three nominations, 'Best Dance Release', 'Best Independent Release' and 'Best Video' for Magic Fountain.
Daniel McNamee is currenty in Nepal. WAVE caught up with Dan Mac to talk about the band's music and how it has changed over the years.
What brings you to Nepal?
I had never been to Nepal before and it's a place I wanted to visit for some time because of the Himalayas.
How are you enjoying your stay here so far? Places you have visited?
It's been a lot of fun meeting new people and hanging out in Kathmandu. I've visited most of the tourist destinations and they were quite spectacular. I was lucky to be in Bhaktapur during the Nepali New Year's day celebrations and it was really special seeing the community come out and put on a concert with a mix of traditional and modern Nepali songs and dance. I enjoyed the traditional stuff the most. Nepali dancing has a very unique way of storytelling.
Does the band have plans of touring Nepal or organising a concert?
Hopefully one day we can come and play here. We've got a short US tour in June and then we'll be working on new songs for quite some time after that. But if there are people who'd like to see us play in Nepal then we'd love to come.
What drives the band's music? What is it trying to achieve musically? Do you think the band has succeeded in its mission so far?
It's strange actually. I thought I knew what drives the band's music, but now I've realised that it's a different thing every time. Normally the thought patterns in my head seem to be what drives the band. But I think I may just have been imagining this. For a long time Art vs Science meant thinking about the world as portrayed by the media (art) vs the real world as we actually experience it (science). We wanted to get people to think outside of the media illusion. But when I look back at the songs we've created, a majority of them are excuses to have fun and party, which is what we're most well known for I think.
'Magic Fountain' is one of your biggest hits. Tell us about the story behind the song and the video.
The song tells a story about the mythical source of everything - of consciousness of thought and of the universe itself - still existing somewhere on Earth. And how many people have tried to find it, and some did find it and became enlightened, and while others went insane. The video follows a similar theme: an old man who has found the fountain uses it to serve his own selfish ends: to make himself younger through the cunning use of a speaker jacker playing loud beats. And young people follow him and start dancing.
We were just letting our imagination run wild and seeing what happens. That some people enjoy it is a blessing.
Your music videos are very unique and the band is always pushing the envelope when it comes to video making. What's your formula?Credit must go to our director Alex Roberts. He directed our first video, 'Parlez Vous Francais', which is still my all-time favourite.
I'm always fascinated by formulas in art - whether it's song structure, classical proportions in art because, like all scientific formulas they reflect something real.
Making music videos is a great opportunity to tell a compelling story set to the soundtrack of the song we're releasing. Sometimes it's more successful than other times.
The trio earlier played in a rock band called Roger Explosion. From those days to the sort of music to you guys play today, how did the transition happen? Also, why did you choose to focus on the electronic sounds?
In a word, the old band was pretty much finished, and I was tired of trying to make a living out of music. We started off in 2003 and in 2007 after not having really gone anywhere the bass player went away on a holiday and we told him, "Take as long as you want - we're not doing anything here." In the meanwhile, I started making electronic music on my computer and got very involved in it. We also saw Daft Punk live in December 2007 which was hugely inspirational. So Dan W and I, and soon Jim were mucking about playing our keyboards through guitar amplifiers.
One day a promoter called to book Roger Explosion. Obviously we couldn't do the show because the bass player was away but I said that I had a new act ready to go. We wrote a bunch of songs that week and played our first show and people liked it. I felt quite bad for Tom, our bass player (Jim's brother). But I figure that Art vs Science wouldn't have existed if he was still around. We would all be doing office jobs instead. He is now a doctor by the way.
What about the band's future plans?
We're currently taking some time off after a fairly hectic three years of touring and recording. Basically, we're giving ourselves time for new dreams to start playing out in our imagination. I'm visiting Mt Kailash soon for the Saga Dawa, Dan W is in Berlin, and Jim is in Sydney hanging out and having fun.
I'd love to do a new EP or album really soon. Hopefully we can start it around October.
Did you get a chance to attend any live shows in Nepal?
Yes I've seen quite a few live Nepali bands. Metal seems to be very popular here. I've also listened to an Albatross CD and they are pretty cool. The main thing I can say about Nepali bands is that the players in them are really good. There was one drummer, whose name I can't remember, who was playing in a band called Under Side and he's amazing. I saw him a few nights later at the Irish pub somewhere in Thamel and he was playing Metallica and Pantera covers. Phenomenal drummer!
I've noticed there are not many girls out and about at night time though. Perhaps that explains the popularity of metal. But I am really happy to see a bustling Nepali music scene.
The IDES of March
Organised by KtmRocks, the11th edition of Ides of March was one of the most anticipated event among fans of underground music. The diverse lineup of local bands along with the Bangladeshi group, Severe Dementia, did not disappoint and the crowd gathered at the Fun Park ground on 31 March was treated to a fusion of rock, metal and classical music.
11, a slam death metal band, was the first to perform. They played an impressive set of tight original and cover songs. Divine Influence, a groove metal band came on stage after 11.
Imperium followed soon afterwards, but they were delayed midway through their performance, because of load shedding.
White, a rock band whose music focuses on sex, drugs and rock and roll, was next in line. With nasty riffs, intense vocals and crazy stories White, completely hypnotised the fans.
Then Jindabaad came on stage. Although the art rock group was making a comeback after a yearlong break, they sounded spectacular in every beat.
Before the last two bands could take over, Umes Shrestha, the man responsible for the show thanked the audience and all the individuals who made the event possible.
With the sun setting, Severe Dementia finally took stage. They started their fierce musical assault with songs from their Epitaph of Plassey EP. As their blinding performance raged on, huge mosh pits emerged in the crowd. The band concluded ferociously with Howls of Murshidabad and was incredible to watch live. The Bangladeshi boys seemed happy to be playing in Nepal.
The most anticipated band Lakhey finally made its appearance at the very end. Wearing Lakhey masks, the band's set up comprised of Nepali/Newari classical instruments like dhyangro, dhime, khing, bhusyaa, flute together with bass and guitar. They began by placing a buffalo head on stage, which created an eerie environment. An ethnic metal band, Lakhey created sublime tunes mixing classical sounds with metal. Although the concept was great, technical glitches and unclear output meant that the audience had a hard time grasping their music.
The large crowd was enthralled by the fantastic show. Am now eagerly awaiting 2013's installment of the Ides of March!
 PRATIK KARKI |
Bipul in his own words
WAVE is always on the lookout for young, talented, Nepali YouTube stars. For this edition we want to introduce you to Bipul Pandey, ayoung singing sensation from US. For readers who have not checked out Bipul's video link on our facebook page yet, go to YouTube, listen to his covers and get lost in his soothing, magical voice.
My YouTube channel is called 'MrBipulpandey. My 15 videos have garnered 18,000 views so far. I'm currently majoring in Physics from University of Texas at Austin and have been living in the US since August 2010. But I miss my home dearly. I grew up in my mamaghar, where everyone knew how to sing. The cassette player never stopped humming, and my grandfather and my great grandmother would sing me to sleep every night. That's where I got my love for music. They have inspired me to sing.
I uploaded my first YouTube video two years ago. It was a sufi song, "Saaware", by Roop Kumar Rathod. It currently has about 5500 views. My most recent upload is 'Euta manche ko' by Swor Samraat Narayan Gopal and it has over 4,500 views.
Singing is something that helps me remain sane. I began singing seriously after I went through a breakup, and singing got me through it. I prefer singing my own compositions to covers, because I can experiment and explore without any restraints. However, interpreting a master's work in my way has its own significance. I listen to artists from different eras and regions of the world. I also feel a certain emotional attachment towards the singer when I cover older songs.
I play the guitar but I'd definitely like to learn the piano. I am very passionate about singing, but I want to be known as Professor Dr Bipul Pandey who also sings rather than singer Bipul Pandey.
Based on an online interview by Pratik Karki
