Instep: Why did you take five years to release your second album? Why such a long delay?
 Junaid Khan: Well, for Call, album production is not just about the thought that an artist has to release one album every two years. We put in words and notes to a melody when it comes to our minds naturally. Though, we compiled the 12 tracks in Dhoom a couple of years ago, we couldn’t find the right time to release it as the country was going through a real off phase. Though, it’s still not out of it as yet but still we couldn’t hold its release since our fans are craving for our latest work. We have worked on our weaknesses and this album will tell us if we are still able to please our fans or not.
Xulfi: There were various reasons for the delay. When one starts thinking of songs, one wants to assure that one’s work comes out very strongly expression wise. And we are glad the way it has turned out. A lot of hard work has been put in to create a rock sound that will make an impact. And, to create that sound, it took a long time. There is no point in releasing an album unless one knows that the new piece of art will be different from the first one and an improvement as well.
Another reason for the delay has been the times we are living in. One doesn’t want to release hard work of 5 years if people do not get to listen to it, or if people are not interested. With the interest of the audience shifting from music, films etc to political entertainment and melodrama, plus the changing definition of entertainment, the audience is not really turning up for shows and that is creating a problem for us artists. But anyways, we are trying and hoping that things might get better for not just the artists and the entertainment industry, but for the country in general, so that everyone can start living without fear. But while saying that, we have been doing shows every week nowadays which is a good sign and that shows we can hope that things do get better!
Instep: You’ve released a few singles off the album. What’s the rest of the album like?
Xulfi: The album has quite a lot of directions actually. It actually shows our diversity in different genres of music. And very importantly, it is not intentional that the diversity is coming out. It is just how we, as a band, have evolved. It is important for a musician to keep discovering and exploring so that the experience of music creation never gets stale! In fact, the audience likes it better then as well, when there is variation being presented!
Junaid: As an artist we should diversify and explore our skills which we did when we experimented with other genres with the songs released already but rest of the compilation is what is our core and that is rock. Songs like ‘Shayad’, ‘Jilawatan’ pleased our hard core fans back in 2006 and let me assure u that after they get to listen to the rest of the compilation they won’t be disappointed.
Instep: Are you switching towards the pop-rock genre?
Xulfi: Not at all. Pop rock is just a genre that we have explored during the album. But while saying that, our heavier songs are louder than before as well. Hence, rather than a switch, it’s just a musical journey that we have undertaken to explore more.
Junaid: We won’t say switching but as I mentioned earlier, diversification and experimentation with our skills is what we thought of doing but still we won’t forget what we do best and that is rock. Pop rock is just a part of it.
Instep: What real changes have you made to the new album compared to Jilawatan?
Xulfi: Live drums, meatier and more impactful guitar sound, live violins and cello and a lot more! Actually, when I started producing the album, my aim was to create a sound that is a step ahead of what I have done before, and a sound which even when compared with the western rock bands stands out! It required a lot of focus on detail. If I say we even tuned the snare drum with respect to the scale the song is in, people will be surprised, and probably will laugh too. But that’s one aspect we really made sure we could nail as it creates a more harmonic, bigger sound. We recorded the drums at Farhad’s studio (Overload) and he will vouch for the countless hours we spent on drum tuning before the final drum recording! Even the guitars were recorded through a monster of an amp, a Crate 4x12 to get the sound that can bring the building down.
Junaid: Other than the pointers mentioned earlier, this time the difference will be felt in terms of production. The drums recorded are totally live and played by the leading drummers of our country namely, Farhan humayun, Fahad Khan and Kenny. Bass has been played by Syed Farhan.
Instep: Did you think it was important to release some tracks over the years before coming out with the album? Did you have a strategy in mind?
Xulfi: No strategy really works in our musical scene, but interestingly, any strategy could work too. When an industry is still trying to create a name for it, then there aren’t any rules that one has to follow for a successful musical career. It is just sheer hard work and some insight into the audience’s mind that helps us bring out music that can make its mark. Otherwise, in our small musical scene, it is very difficult to create and follow a strategy and then expect it to click. We just kept on doing good work, and that’s what we intend to do in the future as well.
Junaid: As mentioned earlier, we didn’t follow any strategy of this sort. We released what came in our way. The only strategy that we followed was to hold the release till we found a better time for it. But, now the wait was too long and it was disturbing for both of us and our fans so we couldn’t hold on to it any further.
Instep: The music scene has been suffering for a while now; few shows, no musical activity. How difficult is it to survive as a band in such a scenario?
Junaid: For established artists, the road is still smooth but we feel bad for all the newcomers who are really talented but can’t really make a mark because of the downside the entertainment industry is facing because of the current political turmoil. This country is full of talented musicians and we shouldn’t be disheartened as there is light at the end of the tunnel. Soon musicians of this country as a whole will bring back those times when thousands of people used to show up at concerts.
Instep: How do you plan on promoting the album in Pakistan with things up in the air?
Junaid: Well our plan is simple. Perform for our fans. We are already on tour in Pakistan and schedules can be checked on our website www.thebandcall.com and on our Facebook fan pages. Also, we are have finalized a tour of US and Canada starting from April this year. So, we are really excited.
Instep: What about going to India? You’ve done a few projects…
Junaid: Currently we are only focusing on Dhoom and its release. We are occupied with touring mostly so rest has been parked till we find time |
