“The music industry needs a platform” – Shallum Xavier

“The music industry needs a platform” – Shallum Xavier

Fuzon have been AWOL from the music scene for some time. Barring the one-off shows, their presence has been minimal. Fuzon lead guitarist Shallum Xavier attributes this to the lack of activity within the industry.

“The music industry needs a platform where musicians can come together and perform. For over a year now, live concerts have been decreasing. The one-off shows continue to happen but nothing else. I’ve been trying to organise a few events. The idea is to involve as many musicians as possible. In the aftermath of Mumbai attacks, going to India for shows is not a possibility right now. And it is the same for so many artists. It was a massive platform so now we have to create space for music activity ourselves. Without live performances, musicians cannot evolve. It is important for the concert culture to come back.”

Meanwhile Shallum is also busy with his band Fuzon. They are planning a video from their album, Journey. “We’re deciding between two songs. Either it will be ‘Dholna’ or ‘Aatish O Aab’.”

Shallum’s solo album, that has been in the pipeline for a while now, is now wrapping up nicely. Gumby and Khalid Khan have taken on drums and bass guitar respectively.

“It’s not an instrumental album,” declared Shallum while speaking with Instep Today. “There are about 7 to 8 songs with vocals. A lot of new talent will come out on this album. People from all around the globe are involved on this album.”

Coming back to live shows, it is nice to see musicians taking charge of the situation. After Farhad Humayoun’s The System, Shallum is following suit. Here’s hoping Shallum’s initiative works out for the long haul.

Source: The News International – No. 1 English Newspaper from Pakistan – Saturday, December 30, 1899