‘Full Girl Power Poetry’ with All Female Band The Vinyl Records
We speak to drummer Mithy Tatak ahead of our event on the indie music scene
TheCitizen.in is hosting a panel discussion on the independent music scene in India, on June 20th, 6 pm, at Oxford Bookstore, New Delhi. Mithy Tatak, the drummer of all female post punk / indie rock band The Vinyl Records is on the panel. We speak to Mithy about independent music and TVR’s journey thus far.
The Vinyl Records is an all-female post punk/indie rock band which officially came together in 2011. However, the genesis of band's idea dates back to 2010 when school friends Mithy(Drummer), Banu(Guitarist/Vocalist) and Minam(Bassist) met Getem Apang(ex-manager of the band) and played their first show at a music school in Delhi where they met Cheyyrian(Vocalist/Guitarist/Keyboardist).
The band has evolved from having experimented with garage and punk sounds to new wave and pop punk with the addition of synth.They started with doing music covers of bands like La Roux, The Donnas, Veruca Salt and CSS.
Being an all girl band, they have been inspired by the Riot grrl movement which is an international underground feminist punk movement that emerged in 1990s in Washington. ‘Riot grrl feminist movement has inspired us a lot! Few years back very less people were aware about the Riot grrl movement in India’, says Mithy Tatak(Drummer-TVR). ‘As a band we are inspired by a lot of all women bands like Bikini Kill, Chai, L7, St. Vincent. We also love Tame Impala, 1975, CSS and Ariana grande', she added.
Their music mirrors band's persona, with stirring lyrics challenging patriarchal norms and authority like those in a song of theirs called 'Single Authority' which goes like '...enough of your rules the tides have turned'. This song is also one of the most closest to the band,‘I think we love Single Authority from our last album. It’s a full girl power poetry!’, says Mithy.
Recently, the band members-Banu, Mithy and Cheyyrian came out with a new electronic project called ‘Mekkoh’ which has two released singles-‘Mekkuri’ and ‘Electric’ available on Spotify, Apple Music, Soundcloud and YouTube. 'All members of the band are currently in different cities. Cherry is juggling between US and India. I also work with a creative agency in Delhi and Banu is based out of Itanagar now', says Mithy describing the current status of band members.
The Vinyl Records, in their 8 year long journey, has faced several obstacles and seen the Indie music scene evolve in India. ‘We believe in making honest music which is true to our heart and soul. The hurdles which we faced initially were how to make money out of the career and other production related challenges. When we started, the indie music scene was not as big as it is today. There were fewer venues and even fewer studios to record’, Mithy told The Citizen.
‘We debuted 8 years back and so far, a lot has changed from the sound to live opportunities for artist.
There’s definitely more awareness and audience for indie music now. It’s good to see that the underground sounds of India are being recognized, now at a global level with more number of music festivals and brands recognising local talent. Making a permanent income source is still a challenge for many but it’s not impossible for those artists who are being consistent with their approach and evolving their sound with time. Many good bands come and go, artists are still figuring out their own battles and sounds’, says Mithy expressing her thoughts on the independent music scene in India.
Join us on June 20, 6 pm, at Oxford Bookstore, Connaught Place, New Delhi. Don’t forget to RSVP by filling out this form.