Fossils (band)
Encyclopedia
Fossils is a Bangla Rock
band formed in Kolkata
, West Bengal
, India
in 1998.
The group is considered one of the pioneering rock acts in Kolkata
's Bangla music scene.
The band is currently composed of Rupam Islam
(lead vocals, lyricist), Deep Ghosh (guitar, backing vocals), Allan Ao (guitar, backing vocals), Chandramouli Biswas (bass, backing vocals), and Tanmoy (drums, percussion).
Their music is flavoured by a blend of blues
, grunge
, hard rock
, alternative rock
, and psychedelia
, along with Rupam Islam's vocal renditions of his characteristic psychoanalytical lyrics.
They are noted for their social commentary and advocation of causes such as the welfare of HIV positive people
.
Like most other Bangla bands, Fossils performs in the Bengali language
.
The group started to call themselves "Fossils" after a suggestion by their guitarist Deep.
The name is inspired by a line from one of Rupam's lyrics:
"Khoro aamar fossil, onubhutir michhil protikriashil kono biplobe".
Initial audience reaction to the band's music was not encouraging. During their first few shows, they met with jeering and hostile objection to the rock style and techniques they employed.
Thus, the band name was meant to convey a sense of an "underground" movement that the members felt they had initiated and their belief that they would be fossilized into history under the pressure of social disapproval of their music, only to be excavated decades later by musicologists wishing to discover the roots of Bangla rock.
The band would experience a flurry of lineup changes until the end of 1999, by which time a sort of permanency was achieved with Rupam Islam (vocals), Chandra Biswas(bass), Allan Ao(guitar), Stephen (drums), Indrajit Dey (keyboards), and Parikhshit (manager) as the members.
In 2001, the guitarist Allan left the band for a corporate career. Former members Teno and Deep re-joined in Allan's stead.
A contract was landed with Asha Audio and by the end of the same year, recording for the band's first studio album began. The recording had to start without Allan, whose departure was so sudden there wasn't enough time to rework their tracks. Some of the guitar tracks for this album had to be lifted from the demo version.
The album was entitled Fossils and released in 2002.
It was not an instant success, but the music caught on once the FM radio stations started broadcasting the tracks. The album's popularity has increased with time.
Teno left the band in 2002 and was replaced by Partha Bose.
In 2003, the drummer Stephen underwent rehabilitation. Andre served as part-time drummer till Biswajit Das (Bubun) joined.
By this time, the band had created a niche audience and dedicated following among the youth.
It was then noted as the Bangla band album with the highest budget to date.
The album was partly sponsored by the Thums Up
brand.
The mastering engineer was Steve Fallone of Sterling Sound, New York.
The band witnessed a surge in popularity.
In 2005, the manager Parikshit was expelled from the band; Rupam and Deep jointly took over his work. As of 2010, management is handled by Rupam's wife Rupsha Dasgupta and Deep.
It was a theme album for the first Kolkata Police Friendship Cup Football Tournament
.
A special track, "Aeka Nauo", dedicated to HIV positive people
, was included in the album. It featured Usha Uthup
and was produced in collaboration with the Kolkata Sukriti Foundation.
A free VCD
distributed with the album contains the music video
for the track, which shows HIV positive people
with their faces uncovered interacting freely with Uthup and the band members.
The VCD also contained a chat session with band members.
Radio Mirchi
collaborated with the band to produce two "unplugged" versions of previously recorded tracks that were included in the album.
According to a survey conducted by Radio Mirchi
, Mission F was declared the best-selling album in Kolkata
for the year 2006.
On Earth Day
, the band covered Michael Jackson
's Earth Song
in Bengali exclusively for the news channel CNN IBN
.
In the second half of 2007, the band released a music video
album entitled Aupodartho.
The album was scheduled to be launched in Music World
, Park Street, Kolkata
. The crowd turnout was so unexpectedly huge that fans had to be turned out and the outlet's premises closed. The police had a tough time controlling the crowd. The release eventually happened on the same day, with Rupam Islam placing himself atop a stool outside the outlet and addressing the fans without a microphone.
During the Pujas of 2007, Rupam Islam's 1998 solo album was re-launched by Sa Re Ga Ma HMV.
On November 9th, Fossils played lived for the first time in Bangladesh
at the Dhaka Rock Fest 2007, the first ever international Bangla rock festival.
The end of 2008 saw Fossils begin the recording of their fifth studio album, which was released on 19 September 2009. It was titled Fossils 3 and developed as a concept album
. It endeavours to tell the story of a mysterious character known only as Shada Jama (White Shirt) through the interlinked audio tracks as well as a separate graphic account contained in the inlay cards. Mayookh Bhowmick on the distortion tabla, Indrajit Dey (Indra) on the keyboards, and a team from the Kolkata Music Academy Chamber Orchestra led by Abraham Mazumder were the guest contributors to the album. Fossils 3 would go on to win in the Best Non-Film Album category of the Anandalok Awards
2009.
2009 marked the band's tenth anniversary.
The band's official fan club, Fossils Force, was launched the same year, which started their operations through a blood donation camp on 1 May 2009. They continue to engage in activities for social welfare, such as contributing to the relief of people affected by the Cyclone Aila
and another blood donation camp in 2010.
Rupam on the Rocks, written by Rupam Islam
and published by Ananda Publishers
was launched at the Kolkata Book Fair 2009.
The same year saw Fossils touring the UK and Bangalore
.
2010 started with a change in the lineup. Bubun was replaced by Tanmoy on the drums.
In July 2010, the band played live at Nashville in the United States
.
Later in the year, Rupam Islam won a National Film Award (Silver Lotus or Rajat Kamal) in the Best Male Playback Singer
category from the Government of India
for his work in the film Mahanagar @ Kolkata.
June 2011, Allan rejoined the band in place of Partha.
September 2011, Fossils visited Dhaka, Bangladesh again for a concert.
Bangla rock
Bangla rock is a music genre in which the song is written in Bengali language. It was originated in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. The first known Bangla rock band was Moheener Ghoraguli and also India's first rock band...
band formed in Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
, West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
in 1998.
The group is considered one of the pioneering rock acts in Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
's Bangla music scene.
The band is currently composed of Rupam Islam
Rupam Islam
Rupam Islam is a playback singer, song writer, composer and the lead singer of the band Fossils. He is a recipient of National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer. He won the award in 2010, for his work in the film Mahanagar @ Kolkata...
(lead vocals, lyricist), Deep Ghosh (guitar, backing vocals), Allan Ao (guitar, backing vocals), Chandramouli Biswas (bass, backing vocals), and Tanmoy (drums, percussion).
Their music is flavoured by a blend of blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
, grunge
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
, hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
, alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
, and psychedelia
Psychedelic music
Psychedelic music covers a range of popular music styles and genres, which are inspired by or influenced by psychedelic culture and which attempt to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues-rock bands in the...
, along with Rupam Islam's vocal renditions of his characteristic psychoanalytical lyrics.
They are noted for their social commentary and advocation of causes such as the welfare of HIV positive people
HIV positive people
HIV-positive people are people who have the human immunodeficiency virus HIV, the agent of the currently incurable disease AIDS.Over the years of coping with the stigma and discrimination that accompany the diagnosis in most societies, a large number of support groups have been formed...
.
Like most other Bangla bands, Fossils performs in the Bengali language
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
.
Formation and early years: 1998 - 2000
The band was formed by Rupam Islam. Their first stage show was held on the 9th of January 1999 at Najrul Mancha for Gaan 99 organised by HMV. This show had Deep Ghosh on acoustic guitar, Sayantan Bumba on guitars, Tanmoy on bass, Rajiv on drums and Rupam. This line up was short lived and the very next show saw Chandra and Teno on guitars, Baji on drums, Bumpy on bass, Jatu on keyboards and Rupam.The group started to call themselves "Fossils" after a suggestion by their guitarist Deep.
The name is inspired by a line from one of Rupam's lyrics:
"Khoro aamar fossil, onubhutir michhil protikriashil kono biplobe".
Initial audience reaction to the band's music was not encouraging. During their first few shows, they met with jeering and hostile objection to the rock style and techniques they employed.
Thus, the band name was meant to convey a sense of an "underground" movement that the members felt they had initiated and their belief that they would be fossilized into history under the pressure of social disapproval of their music, only to be excavated decades later by musicologists wishing to discover the roots of Bangla rock.
The band would experience a flurry of lineup changes until the end of 1999, by which time a sort of permanency was achieved with Rupam Islam (vocals), Chandra Biswas(bass), Allan Ao(guitar), Stephen (drums), Indrajit Dey (keyboards), and Parikhshit (manager) as the members.
Fossils: 2000 - 2003
In 2000, the band recorded a demo version of their tracks. They faced rejection several times from different record houses.In 2001, the guitarist Allan left the band for a corporate career. Former members Teno and Deep re-joined in Allan's stead.
A contract was landed with Asha Audio and by the end of the same year, recording for the band's first studio album began. The recording had to start without Allan, whose departure was so sudden there wasn't enough time to rework their tracks. Some of the guitar tracks for this album had to be lifted from the demo version.
The album was entitled Fossils and released in 2002.
It was not an instant success, but the music caught on once the FM radio stations started broadcasting the tracks. The album's popularity has increased with time.
Teno left the band in 2002 and was replaced by Partha Bose.
In 2003, the drummer Stephen underwent rehabilitation. Andre served as part-time drummer till Biswajit Das (Bubun) joined.
By this time, the band had created a niche audience and dedicated following among the youth.
Fossils 2: 2004 - 2005
The band's second album, entitled Fossils 2, was released in 2004.It was then noted as the Bangla band album with the highest budget to date.
The album was partly sponsored by the Thums Up
Thums Up
Thums Up is a best-selling brand of cola in India, where its bold, red thumbs up logo is common. Introduced in 1977 to offset the expulsion of The Coca-Cola Company and other foreign companies from India, Thums Up, Limca, and Campa Cola gained nationwide acceptance...
brand.
The mastering engineer was Steve Fallone of Sterling Sound, New York.
The band witnessed a surge in popularity.
In 2005, the manager Parikshit was expelled from the band; Rupam and Deep jointly took over his work. As of 2010, management is handled by Rupam's wife Rupsha Dasgupta and Deep.
Mission F: 2006
The band's third studio album, entitled Mission F, was released in 2006.It was a theme album for the first Kolkata Police Friendship Cup Football Tournament
Kolkata Police Friendship Cup Football Tournament
Kolkata Police Friendship Cup Football Tournament is a football tournament organised by Kolkata Police every year for the local clubs of Kolkata...
.
A special track, "Aeka Nauo", dedicated to HIV positive people
HIV positive people
HIV-positive people are people who have the human immunodeficiency virus HIV, the agent of the currently incurable disease AIDS.Over the years of coping with the stigma and discrimination that accompany the diagnosis in most societies, a large number of support groups have been formed...
, was included in the album. It featured Usha Uthup
Usha Uthup
Usha Uthup is a popular Indian pop, jazz and playback singer. She is well known for popular hits in the late 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.She started her Bollywood playback career, when she sang an English verse in hit song, "Dum maro dum"" in Hare Rama Hare Krishna, and went on work with music...
and was produced in collaboration with the Kolkata Sukriti Foundation.
A free VCD
VCD
VCD is a three-letter abbreviation with multiple meanings, as described below:* VCD Athletic, semi-professional football team* Video CD* Voice command device* Value change dump * Vocal cord dysfunction* Visual Communication and Design...
distributed with the album contains the music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for the track, which shows HIV positive people
HIV positive people
HIV-positive people are people who have the human immunodeficiency virus HIV, the agent of the currently incurable disease AIDS.Over the years of coping with the stigma and discrimination that accompany the diagnosis in most societies, a large number of support groups have been formed...
with their faces uncovered interacting freely with Uthup and the band members.
The VCD also contained a chat session with band members.
Radio Mirchi
Radio Mirchi
Radio Mirchi is a nationwide network of private FM radio stations in India. It is owned by the Entertainment Network India Ltd , which is one of the subsidiaries of The Times Group....
collaborated with the band to produce two "unplugged" versions of previously recorded tracks that were included in the album.
According to a survey conducted by Radio Mirchi
Radio Mirchi
Radio Mirchi is a nationwide network of private FM radio stations in India. It is owned by the Entertainment Network India Ltd , which is one of the subsidiaries of The Times Group....
, Mission F was declared the best-selling album in Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
for the year 2006.
On Earth Day
Earth Day
Earth Day is a day that is intended to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's natural environment. The name and concept of Earth Day was allegedly pioneered by John McConnell in 1969 at a UNESCO Conference in San Francisco. The first Proclamation of Earth Day was by San Francisco, the...
, the band covered Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
's Earth Song
Earth Song
"Earth Song" is the third single from Michael Jackson's album HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I. It is the fifth song on the second disc of the album. It is a ballad that incorporates elements of blues, gospel and opera. Jackson had a long-standing history of releasing socially conscious...
in Bengali exclusively for the news channel CNN IBN
CNN IBN
Cable News Network-Indian Broadcasting Network is an English-language Indian television news channel. The network is a partnership between Global Broadcast News and Turner International in India . Rajdeep Sardesai is the Editor-in-Chief of the network...
.
Aupodartho: 2007
In the first half of 2007, Rupam Islam worked on a separate project named RnB with the bassist Bumpy.In the second half of 2007, the band released a music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
album entitled Aupodartho.
The album was scheduled to be launched in Music World
RPG Group
The RPG Group one of India's largest industrial conglomerate headquartered in Mumbai, India. It was founded by RP Goenka in 1979, and initially encompassed Phillips Carbon Black, Asian Cables, Agarpara Jute and Murphy India...
, Park Street, Kolkata
Park Street, Kolkata
Mother Teresa Sarani, formerly Park Street and still often called by that name, and originally Burial Ground Road, is a street in the city of Kolkata , India. The street runs through what was a deer park of Sir Elijah Impey, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in Calcutta from 1773 to 1789, hence...
. The crowd turnout was so unexpectedly huge that fans had to be turned out and the outlet's premises closed. The police had a tough time controlling the crowd. The release eventually happened on the same day, with Rupam Islam placing himself atop a stool outside the outlet and addressing the fans without a microphone.
During the Pujas of 2007, Rupam Islam's 1998 solo album was re-launched by Sa Re Ga Ma HMV.
On November 9th, Fossils played lived for the first time in Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
at the Dhaka Rock Fest 2007, the first ever international Bangla rock festival.
Fossils 3: 2008 - present
Fossils featured in the Rolling Stones India magazine in 2008.The end of 2008 saw Fossils begin the recording of their fifth studio album, which was released on 19 September 2009. It was titled Fossils 3 and developed as a concept album
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
. It endeavours to tell the story of a mysterious character known only as Shada Jama (White Shirt) through the interlinked audio tracks as well as a separate graphic account contained in the inlay cards. Mayookh Bhowmick on the distortion tabla, Indrajit Dey (Indra) on the keyboards, and a team from the Kolkata Music Academy Chamber Orchestra led by Abraham Mazumder were the guest contributors to the album. Fossils 3 would go on to win in the Best Non-Film Album category of the Anandalok Awards
Anandalok Awards
Anandalok Awards or Anandalok Puraskar ceremony is one of the most prominent film events given for Bengali Cinemas in India. The Anandalok, only film magazine in Bengali language, published from Ananda Publishers and Ananda Bazar Patrika presents this Award...
2009.
2009 marked the band's tenth anniversary.
The band's official fan club, Fossils Force, was launched the same year, which started their operations through a blood donation camp on 1 May 2009. They continue to engage in activities for social welfare, such as contributing to the relief of people affected by the Cyclone Aila
Cyclone Aila
Cyclone Aila was the second tropical cyclone of the 2009 North Indian Ocean cyclone season...
and another blood donation camp in 2010.
Rupam on the Rocks, written by Rupam Islam
Rupam Islam
Rupam Islam is a playback singer, song writer, composer and the lead singer of the band Fossils. He is a recipient of National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer. He won the award in 2010, for his work in the film Mahanagar @ Kolkata...
and published by Ananda Publishers
Ananda Publishers
Ananda Publishers is a large publishing group with headquarters in Kolkata. It publishes numerous Bengali books by many renowned authors. It has one of the largest stalls in the Kolkata Book Fair, and is often awarded a prize for its stall. Ananda Publishers is the division of ABP...
was launched at the Kolkata Book Fair 2009.
The same year saw Fossils touring the UK and Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
.
2010 started with a change in the lineup. Bubun was replaced by Tanmoy on the drums.
In July 2010, the band played live at Nashville in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Later in the year, Rupam Islam won a National Film Award (Silver Lotus or Rajat Kamal) in the Best Male Playback Singer
National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer
The following is a list of winners of the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer. The singer with the most awards in this category is K. J. Yesudas with seven wins, whereas S. P. Balasubrahmanyam won six times for 4 different languages; Hindi, Kannada, Tamil and Telugu.-Superlatives:...
category from the Government of India
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
for his work in the film Mahanagar @ Kolkata.
June 2011, Allan rejoined the band in place of Partha.
September 2011, Fossils visited Dhaka, Bangladesh again for a concert.
Discography
- Fossils (2002)
- Fossils 2 (2004)
- Mission F (2006)
- Aupodartho (2007)
- Fossils 3 (2009)
External links
- Rupam Islam's Official Site
- Interview with Rupam Islam on his playback singing in "Jannat"
- Rupam Islam: A profile
- Interview with Rupam Islam on Fossils
- The Telegraph reports on Fossils 3 pre-release buzz
- The Times of India reports on Bengali rock bands
- Rupam Islam and composer Debojyoti Mishra talk about the history of comic songs in Bengal
- The Telegraph reports on the impact of a new generation of singers on Bengali film music
See also
- Rupam IslamRupam IslamRupam Islam is a playback singer, song writer, composer and the lead singer of the band Fossils. He is a recipient of National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer. He won the award in 2010, for his work in the film Mahanagar @ Kolkata...
- Music of IndiaMusic of IndiaThe music of India includes multiple varieties of folk, popular, pop, classical music and R&B. India's classical music tradition, including Carnatic and Hindustani music, has a history spanning millennia and developed over several eras. It remains fundamental to the lives of Indians today as...
- Indian rockIndian rockIndian rock is a genre of popular music in India that incorporates elements of Indian music and mainstream rock and is often topically India-centric. While India is known for its northern and southern classical music, the Indian rock scene has produced numerous bands and artists...