Friday, March 13, 2009
Friday, February 13, 2009
List of Janya Raagas
Amazing list of Janya ragas (based on Melakartha ragas). This serves as a good reference for those who are learning Carnatic music.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Janya_Ragas
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Monday, February 9, 2009
Mamma Mia! & ABBA
I have been listening to my Abba Gold collection these days. Felt so nostalgic of their hook-laden pop tunes after watching ‘Mamma Mia’ over the weekend.
The movie is average at best to a bore. Meryl Streep was awesome…I loved her as always. Was pleasantly surprised to see her dance moves.
Movie is theatrical but didn’t succeed in keeping the interest going. I absolutely loved the songs and took a 2 hr vicarious vacation in the picture perfect Greek island (which is highlighted too well with the overused color filters in the camera). And the best part, my 3 yr old didn’t disturb as us she was too engrossed herself in the music & dance.
My favorites: Dancing Queen, Money Money Money, Voulez-Vous!
I love the combination of melody & disco in their music.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Audio Blog
Guys,
I have finally started the audio blog I had been trying to talk the band members into...;). This is the link to my blog:
http://swararaagam.blogspot.com.
Please do pay a visit and leave your valuable feedback. I hope to see others also start their online blogs soon. Vamsi, when are you uploading nuvvena for everyone to hear?..
I have finally started the audio blog I had been trying to talk the band members into...;). This is the link to my blog:
http://swararaagam.blogspot.com.
Please do pay a visit and leave your valuable feedback. I hope to see others also start their online blogs soon. Vamsi, when are you uploading nuvvena for everyone to hear?..
Friday, August 15, 2008
Sirivennela Seetharama Shastry in Aavakai’s Sirijallu – A LIVE lyrical/musical extravaganza
Saturday, August 9th 2008, Hayward, CA
It was another calm evening with the Sun giving way to the bright white moon waking up from its day’s slumber. It was a familiar sight of people gathering and walking into an auditorium to witness a cultural program in the Silicon Valley. But what set Sirijallu apart was realized by everyone in just a few minutes, soon after the curtains rose at 6:00 PM on Saturday, August 9 2008.
Audience was welcomed to a near perfect rendering of ’Vidhaata Talapuna’ from the movie “Sirivennela”. Before people could settle for the next song, there was a pleasant surprise on the stage. It was not a dream. It was for real. A hero for 70 million Telugu people, his lyrics mesmerize the young and the old alike. A thinker, philosopher and a social reformer, he is more than a mere movie lyricist. He is none other than Sri Sirivennela Seetharama Sastry. He seldom adorns any regular stage or awards functions. But he chose the platform created by “Aavakai” that day.
When “Aavakai”, a live music band formed by young minds in the Silicon Valley, approached Sirivennela for a live show in the USA, it didn’t take long for him to accept wherein he turned down many such invitations in the past from organizations across the globe. It was Aavakai’s seed of thought about doing a show on Sirivennela’s songs and highlighting the message in his lyrics that struck a chord with him. He strongly believed that if one can make the youth think right, it will trigger a positive change in the society.
True to his reputation, Sirivennela set the stage on fire, while “Aavakai” tried to match by bringing out the true message in his songs with near perfect musical delivery. The band selected 15 of his gems based on a variety of moods. Tiny tots Poojitha, Anusha, Eshika and Archit endeared the audience with ‘Adagalani undi oka doubt ni’ from Little Soldiers, which innocently describes the contrasting simplicity and depth in a child’s question. Ovation came as no-surprise 
when ‘Kansas’Raja and Dr. Swathi rendered the Nandi-award winning song, ‘Andela Ravamidi’, that was accompanied by a classical dance performance conveying the joy of a dancer as she lets her soul soar. While the audience grew nostalgic as they were taken down the memory lane to their college days with Botany paatham, singers Narayana & Vamsi struck a chord with them as they sang youthful, inspirational and energetic songs like ‘Chalo re Chalo’ from Jalsa and ‘Enthavaraku endukoraku’ from Gamyam.
Melodious renditions of Sirivennela’s recent hits like ‘Evaraina choosuntara’ from Anukokunda oka roju and ‘Nuvvostanante nenoddontana’ from Varsham, by singers Bharathi and Padmini wooed the young and the old alike. Rendition of ‘Bhadram be careful’ by singer & founder, Surya, brought a fond chuckle to both the married and yet-to-be-married men. The band performed many other hits of Sirivennela including a medley of his lyrical chartbusters like ‘Tooneega Toonega’, ‘Anaganaga akasam undi’, ‘Kotta ga rekkolochena’, ‘Chandrullo unde kundelu’ amongst other songs. The full-throated rendition of the singers was matched with impeccable orchestration by Surya Vakkalanka, Kishmu, Narayana on the keyboards, Krishna on the bass guitar, Hymanand & Krishna on the tabla,Arun & Mohan on the drums/pads, and Ashwin on the flute.
The band brought out the immaculate synergy between Sirivennela’s passionate speeches and his melodious songs.
Contrary to the expectation of the ordinary audience, Sirivennela didn’t talk about movies or movie songs on that day, rather, he spoke about the larger message behind them – the message that every individual in the society needs to give a serious thought to and embrace with unconditional acceptance. His lyrics are not mere words to tunes; they are sheer magic laced with profound message. That’s why they never slip into oblivion. They are timeless. The audience got to see the thinker behind him, the passion and conviction he has, and the philosophy he conveys.
“Aavakai” beaconed a new ear in presenting music shows with a purpose. Each song delivered by them, touched the core of everyone in the theatre that evening. In Sirivennela’s own words, “Aavakai” band truly represented all the efforts it takes to prepare “Aavakai” pickle for the final taste that everyone yearns for. Aavakai truly served a long-lasting treat for about 800 people that day. Time slipped into oblivion and people wanted more of Sirivennela and Aavakai band. But as all good things have to end, so did the 5 hour long show. It’s just the beginning and many more are yet to come from “Aavakai”.
It sure appeared like the Sun finally rose from the West this time.
Sirijallu event was organized by Susmitha Vakkalanka and Siddhartha Nookala, with support from many other committed volunteers. Dance performances were choreographed by Fusion Beats (Manasa Rao), Gowri Yadlapati, Preeti Kotha and others. For photos and videos of the event, visit www.aavakai.com.
The event was made possible by support from Platinum sponsors - Aditya Construction Company India Pvt. Ltd. (www.adityacc.com) and Athidhi Indian Cuisine (www.athidiusa.com), Gold sponsors - Kumar Talluri (408 888 8959), www.VoiceInvite.com and Dental Solutions (408 531 9501)
- Shantivardhan Ayyagari
It was another calm evening with the Sun giving way to the bright white moon waking up from its day’s slumber. It was a familiar sight of people gathering and walking into an auditorium to witness a cultural program in the Silicon Valley. But what set Sirijallu apart was realized by everyone in just a few minutes, soon after the curtains rose at 6:00 PM on Saturday, August 9 2008.
Audience was welcomed to a near perfect rendering of ’Vidhaata Talapuna’ from the movie “Sirivennela”. Before people could settle for the next song, there was a pleasant surprise on the stage. It was not a dream. It was for real. A hero for 70 million Telugu people, his lyrics mesmerize the young and the old alike. A thinker, philosopher and a social reformer, he is more than a mere movie lyricist. He is none other than Sri Sirivennela Seetharama Sastry. He seldom adorns any regular stage or awards functions. But he chose the platform created by “Aavakai” that day.When “Aavakai”, a live music band formed by young minds in the Silicon Valley, approached Sirivennela for a live show in the USA, it didn’t take long for him to accept wherein he turned down many such invitations in the past from organizations across the globe. It was Aavakai’s seed of thought about doing a show on Sirivennela’s songs and highlighting the message in his lyrics that struck a chord with him. He strongly believed that if one can make the youth think right, it will trigger a positive change in the society.
True to his reputation, Sirivennela set the stage on fire, while “Aavakai” tried to match by bringing out the true message in his songs with near perfect musical delivery. The band selected 15 of his gems based on a variety of moods. Tiny tots Poojitha, Anusha, Eshika and Archit endeared the audience with ‘Adagalani undi oka doubt ni’ from Little Soldiers, which innocently describes the contrasting simplicity and depth in a child’s question. Ovation came as no-surprise 
when ‘Kansas’Raja and Dr. Swathi rendered the Nandi-award winning song, ‘Andela Ravamidi’, that was accompanied by a classical dance performance conveying the joy of a dancer as she lets her soul soar. While the audience grew nostalgic as they were taken down the memory lane to their college days with Botany paatham, singers Narayana & Vamsi struck a chord with them as they sang youthful, inspirational and energetic songs like ‘Chalo re Chalo’ from Jalsa and ‘Enthavaraku endukoraku’ from Gamyam.
Melodious renditions of Sirivennela’s recent hits like ‘Evaraina choosuntara’ from Anukokunda oka roju and ‘Nuvvostanante nenoddontana’ from Varsham, by singers Bharathi and Padmini wooed the young and the old alike. Rendition of ‘Bhadram be careful’ by singer & founder, Surya, brought a fond chuckle to both the married and yet-to-be-married men. The band performed many other hits of Sirivennela including a medley of his lyrical chartbusters like ‘Tooneega Toonega’, ‘Anaganaga akasam undi’, ‘Kotta ga rekkolochena’, ‘Chandrullo unde kundelu’ amongst other songs. The full-throated rendition of the singers was matched with impeccable orchestration by Surya Vakkalanka, Kishmu, Narayana on the keyboards, Krishna on the bass guitar, Hymanand & Krishna on the tabla,Arun & Mohan on the drums/pads, and Ashwin on the flute.The band brought out the immaculate synergy between Sirivennela’s passionate speeches and his melodious songs.
Contrary to the expectation of the ordinary audience, Sirivennela didn’t talk about movies or movie songs on that day, rather, he spoke about the larger message behind them – the message that every individual in the society needs to give a serious thought to and embrace with unconditional acceptance. His lyrics are not mere words to tunes; they are sheer magic laced with profound message. That’s why they never slip into oblivion. They are timeless. The audience got to see the thinker behind him, the passion and conviction he has, and the philosophy he conveys.
“Aavakai” beaconed a new ear in presenting music shows with a purpose. Each song delivered by them, touched the core of everyone in the theatre that evening. In Sirivennela’s own words, “Aavakai” band truly represented all the efforts it takes to prepare “Aavakai” pickle for the final taste that everyone yearns for. Aavakai truly served a long-lasting treat for about 800 people that day. Time slipped into oblivion and people wanted more of Sirivennela and Aavakai band. But as all good things have to end, so did the 5 hour long show. It’s just the beginning and many more are yet to come from “Aavakai”.It sure appeared like the Sun finally rose from the West this time.
Sirijallu event was organized by Susmitha Vakkalanka and Siddhartha Nookala, with support from many other committed volunteers. Dance performances were choreographed by Fusion Beats (Manasa Rao), Gowri Yadlapati, Preeti Kotha and others. For photos and videos of the event, visit www.aavakai.com.The event was made possible by support from Platinum sponsors - Aditya Construction Company India Pvt. Ltd. (www.adityacc.com) and Athidhi Indian Cuisine (www.athidiusa.com), Gold sponsors - Kumar Talluri (408 888 8959), www.VoiceInvite.com and Dental Solutions (408 531 9501)
- Shantivardhan Ayyagari
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Vandemataram from Kaalapani
Maestro Ilaiyaraja's rendition of Vandemataram from the movie 'Kaalapani'. I played this on Sitar using Pro Tools XPand! tool
You can find the original tune at this link.
Kaalapaani - Vandemataram
Look for the last song "Vandemataram" in the above link
You can find the original tune at this link.
Kaalapaani - Vandemataram
Look for the last song "Vandemataram" in the above link
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Sirijallu - A musical evening with Sri Sirivennela Sitarama Sastry LIVE in concert with Aavakai Music
presents
After the success of their rocking new year party Sandadi 2008, Aavakai is coming back this summer with a unique musical/lyrical concert this summer. Aditya Constructions and Bay Area's Athidhi Indian Cuisine presents Aavakai's ‘Sirijallu’ - Sri Sirivennela Seetharama Shastry, LIVE in San Jose this summer. Cherish some of the finest all-time melodies and chart-busters from the pens of the multiple Nandi award winning lyricist, writer and philosopher. Be there to witness the creator sing some of his gems in his own voice - live!Venue: Chabot College Performing Arts Center, Hayward, CA
Date: August 9th 2008, Saturday - 6PM onwards
For more details, visit http://www.aavakai.com/.
For sponsorships/advertising/volunteering opportunities, contact:
Susmitha Vakkalanka: 408 242 9726
Siddhartha Nookala: 408 718 4763
or visit www.aavakai.com
Gold sponsors
About Aavakai
Aavakai was formed in 2007 by Surya Vakkalanka, who has made his mark as a keyboardist/composer in the SF bay area from the last 8 years.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
... Mani Sharma's Concert
We went to the Manisharma concert this weekend. Probably my first live professional telugu concert...(I think). At first I was disappointed that Hemachandra couldn't make it (some visa issue I was told). Mallikarjuna was a pleasant surprise. His rendition of "Jadi vaana jaadalo eevela" in Ghallu Ghallu from Indra was simply superb. As soon as he started singing those lines, I knew he was the original playback singer. At the end of the song, he started dancing like Chiru and he looked totally cool. I really admired him for the ease with which he rendered all the songs of different range. He was the best singer on stage that day. Vijayalakshmi sang "Dole Dole Dil zara zara" from Pokiri and "Chamka chamka" from Chirutha among others. Her voice carries that style of songs well. Malavika was very good in "Morning Raga". Very sweet voice.
The whole ochestration came out very well for a small team of 5 players. The keyboardist was just a one man army on lead instrumentation handling all the lead and bass pieces alone. I think Manisharma's drummers are a big factor in his music - they were simply awesome reproducing both ethnic & western beats live. And were enjoying themselves playing on stage. I admire musicians who feel what they are playing. That tells something abt the artist. The hall mix no doubt sounded flawless - as none other than Mani Sharma's own sound engineer was at the console. Reverse gear Guruswami was very enjoyable in the breaks - especially the songs that he sang in reverse.
I was really glad to learn that Manisharma's favorite music director is Ilayaraja. We had the chance to meet him backstage and when we mentioned about Aavakai , he promptly said - "You should have told me this earlier, we could have made used of your team as well on stage".
And btw, when I said 'Aavakai' he remarked 'bhale khaaramgaa undi andi peru.' Go Aavakai! :) Lets hope we will see Aavakai & Manisharma together next time.
-Surya
The whole ochestration came out very well for a small team of 5 players. The keyboardist was just a one man army on lead instrumentation handling all the lead and bass pieces alone. I think Manisharma's drummers are a big factor in his music - they were simply awesome reproducing both ethnic & western beats live. And were enjoying themselves playing on stage. I admire musicians who feel what they are playing. That tells something abt the artist. The hall mix no doubt sounded flawless - as none other than Mani Sharma's own sound engineer was at the console. Reverse gear Guruswami was very enjoyable in the breaks - especially the songs that he sang in reverse.
I was really glad to learn that Manisharma's favorite music director is Ilayaraja. We had the chance to meet him backstage and when we mentioned about Aavakai , he promptly said - "You should have told me this earlier, we could have made used of your team as well on stage".
And btw, when I said 'Aavakai' he remarked 'bhale khaaramgaa undi andi peru.' Go Aavakai! :) Lets hope we will see Aavakai & Manisharma together next time.
-Surya
Saturday, March 15, 2008
..off to Europe for a bit
Finally the long grey winter is over (my MBA)
And Spring is in the air...the
Melting snow of Swiss Alps,
Warm waters of Venetian lagoons,
Festive lights of Eiffel tower,
Ringing bells of Pisa and even
The Almighty Lord in Vatican
.....all seem to be beckoning me :)
Phew, suddenly the whole world looks new & afresh & I feel like I have to explore the world.
Surya & I are off to Europe for abt 3 weeks and when we come back we will talk about new avenues for Aavakai.
-adieu, ciao, auf wiedersehen!
And Spring is in the air...the
Melting snow of Swiss Alps,
Warm waters of Venetian lagoons,
Festive lights of Eiffel tower,
Ringing bells of Pisa and even
The Almighty Lord in Vatican
.....all seem to be beckoning me :)
Phew, suddenly the whole world looks new & afresh & I feel like I have to explore the world.
Surya & I are off to Europe for abt 3 weeks and when we come back we will talk about new avenues for Aavakai.
-adieu, ciao, auf wiedersehen!
Sunday, March 2, 2008
..latest happenings
I know we have been quiet for a while but there has been a lot of buzz about Aavakai. I was pleasantly surprised at a recent party when someone mentioned that they heard about our group for the first time when they went to visit Australia॥yeah you read it right. They heard abt us in Australia! :)
What else?...We recently got two invitations to perform out-of-town -> Sacramento and Los Angeles, but unfortunately had to turn down the offers as most of us are not available during the dates they wanted, including Surya & I :( There are some shows in the pipeline for the loooong run, so keep visiting।
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