Xperience Sessions With Motherjane
RJ Rohit caught up with Motherjane, one of the first rock bands in India from Kochi, Kerala. Founded in 1996, Motherjane transitioned from a college band to a professional international band loved all over India.
Motherjane’s music is best described as Ethnic Progressive Rock, blending sounds from India’s vast soundscapes. John Thomas (drums and percussion), Clyde Rosario (bass), Niranj Suresh (vocals) and Anubhav Langthasa (Guitars) are the four permanent members of Motherjane.
Motherjane is one of the few Indian rock bands whose music has been broadcast on American, Japanese and Mexican radio stations, with a cult following across India. Five tracks from the album, ‘Insane Biography,’ have received airtime on 14 US and 5 Mexican radio stations, resulting in a growing global fan network. Insane Biography, their 2002 album, is widely recognised as one of the most influential records in Indian rock to date. Maktub, the band’s second album, was released in 2008 and immediately captured the attention of the music industry.
The Asian Voice Independent Music Awards 2009 (AVIMA) in Malaysia, the world’s largest independent music awards, awarded Motherjane ‘Best International Rock Act.’ In 2009, the Rock Street Journal named Motherjane ‘The No. 1 Indian Band of the Decade.’ Motherjane was also named ‘Band of the Year’ and ‘Maktub’ was named ‘Album of the Year’ in 2009.
Motherjane’s ‘Maktub’ was named the No. 1 Indian album of 2008–09 by Rolling Stone magazine. The band’s drummer and founder, John Thomas, was named Best Drummer at the Jack Daniels Rock Awards (2009). They are the first Indian act to appear at MySpace Secret Shows, joining artists such as U2, Oasis, Slayer, Neil Diamond and others. They opened for Mr.Big in India and Jakarta. Motherjane has also opened for bands like Megadeth, Machine Head, Opeth, Ensiferum and many more.
‘Namaste’ topped the Apple Music Indie charts in 2018. Harman Pro, the world leader in professional sound equipment, named Motherjane as India’s first endorsee. Motherjane’s album “Insane biography” was named one of the Top 10 Indian Albums of All Time by Rock Street Journal.
Motherjane’s track ‘Soul corporations’ from Insane Biography was featured on an international compilation album, GekiTeki metal (M&Irecords 2004). Motherjane was the first among three Asian bands to be featured. The band has played professionally in over 600 events in front of nearly 1,000,000 people between 1996 and 2017.
RJ Rohit had a chat with Motherjane about their musical journey and so much more! Check it out below!
—Silviya.Y
