When Anish says his last name, some people raise a brow or two in recognition. “Baben? Isn’t there a drummer in White Mug by that name?” Anish replies, “Former member of White Mug. Yes, that's my brother Anoop Baben.” And because Anoop’s drum set was lying around in the house, Anish picked those up too till he realised his talents lay elsewhere. To be specific, in singing. And just like that, or perhaps there’s more to it than that, Anish turned a vocalist. He is not yet a full-time singer, but music is always on his mind. And even as he has a day job working in Technopark, Anish moonlights as a musician in the evenings and during the weekends. That’s exactly what he will do this Sunday, at the Vyloppilly Samskrithi Bhavan with his band mate Prayag Peethambaran, as part of Music Day celebrations organised by Alliance Francaise de Trivandrum.
“After I finished my MBA from Christ University, I was placed in my hometown in Thiruvananthapuram. A year later, Prayag joined the company and I realised we have similar interests in music. I was in the HR team, and I asked Prayag if he likes western music and he said yes,” Anish says. Prayag liked rock music more, while Anish was open to all kinds of music including that of Justin Bieber — a preference that his brother is not at all happy about. Anish also has a band with Anoop called Wrong Side Up in Bengaluru. In Thiruvananthapuram, Anish became the vocalist, and Prayag, the guitarist, of a band they formed together called Mix Tape. “We do covers of different genres of music that will include Metallica songs and Mohit Chauhan songs. Yes I sing a bit of Hindi too. We just want songs that will suit every kind of audience.” Sunday's will be their second stage in Thiruvananthapuram after Café Unplugged. The Music Day celebrations — Fête de la Musique - will begin at 3 pm on Sunday, hosting instrumental and vocal music with karaoke.
Today is the last date to register for bands and musicians who wish to perform.
