This evening, five bands will compete in a bid to win a free trip and a recording session at Converse’s acclaimed Rubber Tracks Studios in Brooklyn, New York. Tonight’s performances will be the finale of the second edition of Converse’s Road To Rubber Tracks band competition. After a successful first edition, this time, 350 Indian bands signed up for the regional rounds of the competition in the hope of beating their rivals, winning over voters and making it to a round of finals in Mumbai. The gig will end with headlining performances by The F16s and Shaa’ir + Func.
It’s disconcerting that Indian bands still have to compete for attention and viability via brand-run contests rather than being afforded the ready infrastructure that should support live music acts. Yet, many bands cannot wait in anticipation to participate in this contest for what’s up for grabs at the podium.
Abhinav Krishnaswamy of Chennai’s The F16s, winners of the last Converse Rubber Tracks competition in 2014, says the win resulted in a trip that checked many boxes. “We recorded as many songs as we could, together, in three days. That was a huge experience for us as we’d never recorded together in the same room. There aren’t places in Chennai and around with the facilities to record a whole band together.” The lack of band-ready studio space, normally the nucleus of recording studios in the West, means that most bands in India usually record one-by-one into a laptop setup. The band was mentored by New York-producer and engineer Aaron Bastinelli, who helped them open up to aspects of their music they hadn’t realised were possible at the time. It’s this all-encompassing, cohesive, and involved recording and producing process that’s absent in India. This is the reason why up-and-coming bands jump at the opportunity to compete at Rubber Tracks.
“It’s a huge opportunity for us, or any band, to go to New York,” says Gaurav Tophakhane of the Pune band, Skylight Vision. When the band started out they had decided to completely forego competitions and stick to recording and releasing music, getting gigs, and playing. After watching The F16s win in 2014 and after bagging a slot at the NH7 Weekender in 2015, they decided to enter for the most obvious reason: exposure. With the crowd and the judges having voted in their favour at Pune’s regional rounds, they are now fighting to the finish tonight.
‘Not all about winning’
Guwahati rock band Dossers Urge recognises that a competition like this one isn’t all about winning. David Kom, 27, the eldest among the three Kom brothers who make up the band, says: “We’ve been following Rubber Tracks for a year and some of the artistes we’re going to be sharing the stage with in Mumbai are among the best in the country.” “We feel just getting to the finale is great because of the value of meeting new people and getting our music heard.”
Home favourite
Riding a wave of recent success is Mumbai’s Unohu, the band won the Bandcubator band competition held two weeks ago at High Spirits Cafe in Pune. “As individuals, none of us are competitive, and for the longest time we despised competitions,” says Unohu singer Sarthak Karkake. “However, we've all felt the lack of money pinch us while trying to stay as independent as possible.” Unohu will enjoy the benefit of playing on home territory. Asked if competitive spirit would be relegated to the back burner, Karkare says, “I think what finally matters is how you perform on that particular day, regardless of which city you belong to or what sort of a fan following a band has. We intend to have a great time.”
Among the competitors is Bangalore ambient rock band, Space Is All We Have, who has had some excellent showings in the past. “We’ve been doing many competitions for the past year,” says lead guitarist Krishna M Sujith. “When something as rewarding as Rubber Tracks happens, it’s only natural that Space is All We Have is present. This is going to be fun.” Finally, there’s experimental duo Komorebi, who are coming off a well-received show at the The Lost Party in Lonavla. One half of the band, Tarana Marwah, says, “I’m not really much of a competition freak, but it felt good to get through the regional round. More than anything, I’m looking forward to playing with some stellar acts tomorrow. Winning would mean Komorebi’s first international venture. How awesome is that?”
The Road To Converse Rubber Tracks finale takes place at Blue Frog at 7pm today. RSVP at insider.in for free entry
The author is a freelance music writer
