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Parvaaz: Of Cocktails and Dreams

Parvaaz Creates A Cocktail To Crowdfund New Album

By Amaan Khan

Bangalore-based rock band Parvaaz’s vocalist Khalid Ahamed speaks to soundplunge_test about the ingenious idea of using a cocktail to help generate funds for their upcoming crowd-funded LP.

A few days back, The Independent carried a piece on the concept of ‘Secret Gigs’ in London. ‘Secret’ because they weren’t commercially publicized. More often than not, these gigs were abetted by record labels. Abetted, because labels used this idea to create buzz for musicians through notoriety; where only a few journalists and astute fans were invited. For instance, in 1969 The Beatles performed one of their allegedly final shows on the roof of one of London’s buildings. The outcome, police shut them down for noise disturbance and traffic issues. The piece mentions the nature of publicity-hungry stunts pulled off by bands as, “These gigs aren’t supposed to create a ‘ripple of excitement’. Labels want mayhem; roads shut; possibly some arrests.”

At a time where breaking the law is being used as an excuse to promote an international band, innocuous and dedicated Bangalore-based Parvaaz is using intelligent marketing instead of guerrilla tactics. After releasing its five-track debut EP Behosh in 2012, they began a crowd-funding campaign on Wishberry to raise funds for their upcoming LP, (tentatively called Baraan, meaning rain in Urdu) that’s set to release in April 2014. Most interestingly, they tied up with one of Bangalore’s gigging lounges CounterCulture a couple of months ago and created a special cocktail called “Ziyankar” (Rs. 400), part of whose proceeds go to the campaign. Khalid Ahamed says, “CounterCulture just wanted to help us through that (the cocktail), so we (CounterCulture and Parvaaz) came up with an idea of having a cocktail named after one of our songs. Around 50 per cent of it (total collection) will go to the campaign.”

The cocktail “Ziyankar”

The cocktail, which has been received very well by fans and others, is named after one of their songs “Ziyankar” that has been recorded with Bangalore-based American saxophonist Seth Molloy at the Nathaniel Production House. “Even if they (crowds) don’t know anything about the band or our music, the name might sound cool and they may want to buy it.” Already having collected close to 1.35 lakhs, Parvaaz has completed the recording and is currently mixing and mastering the LP.

Parvaaz, whose music is considerably inspired by legends like Led Zepplin and Pink Floyd, was formed in early 2010 by Khalid Ahamed on vocals, Kashif Iqbal on guitars and vocals, Fidel D’souza on bass, and Sachin Banandur on drums. Often being confused for a Sufi act, the band uses elements of blues and psychedelia with Urdu and Kashmiri lyrics. All in all, kudos to the idea of “Ziyankar”.

The campaign ends on March 31. To contribute, click here. To buy the EP Behosh, click here. For regular updates on Parvaaz, click here. To read our interview with singer-songwriter Vasuda Sharma and her crowdfunding efforts for her album Attuned Spirits, click here.

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