A bunch of metalheads, all prolific in their respective instruments, got together in 2006 to form a Nepali ‘folk-metal’ band. They wanted to mix their favorite genre, metal, with ethnic musical instruments. But finding musicians to play those instruments to the rhythm and tempo of metal music was almost impossible. Thus they learned to play the instruments themselves.
As their skills in the folk instruments grew, the band decided they would continue composing music with only ethnic instruments. Thus started the evolution of Night—a new-age Nepali folk band. Today, Night is a oneof- a-kind musical ensemble of young, determined and talented musicians who have set out to redefine Nepal’s folk genre and recover lost and endangered tunes of its farflung corners. An example of mature artistry and profound understanding of music, Night’s compositions are manifestation of the unexplored or understated contemplations of the unheard communities in the country, all captured as they are, and served organically to the aural satisfaction of its listeners.
Night’s debut album “Ani Ukali Sangai Orali” (2014) gave us absolute tearjerkers like “Kathor” and “Sunko Jutta” while “Jhalka Raya Buka” (2017) introduced the audience to the authentic sounds of deuda from far-western Nepal. The band’s subaltern folk music challenges the very roots of heavily-synthesized commercial Nepali folk, with the madal and sarangi dominating the plasticized music (read : lok-dohoris).
‘We have been in this for over a decade because of the immense satisfaction we get and the freedom we have in creating our music’
Jason Kunwar, Night
The success of Night and their global acceptance show there is more to Nepali folk music than lamentations of one’s failed life, mistimed political jibes, and running away with other people’s children. Night’s music come not just from superficial absorption of a single regional or communal music, but from deep research and extensive travel to some of the remotest parts of the country, in search of local dialects and melodies that are being lost.
“If you evaluate our success in terms of album sales, we’re not doing so well. Night is definitely not a profitable band,” says Jason Kunwar, a founding member who writes most of its lyrics, composes music, sings, and is also a multi-instrumentalist playing ethnic instruments like the sarangi, piwachha, Nepali banjo, tungna, nyakhin and bamboo flute. “But we have been doing this project for more than a decade because of the immense satisfaction we get from it and because of the freedom we have in creating our music.” Like any other band in the country, Night has seen its share of differences among its members resulting in some line-up changes. But Jason along with another founding member Niraj Shakya (backing vocals and tungna) have been the anchors of the ensemble which has seen up to 14 members sharing the stage together.
The current line-up has, besides Jason and Niraj, Sudhir Acharya in the rhythm section playing the nagara, dhime, nyakhin, madal and doing backing vocals; Sugama Gautam on vocals; and Shiva Kumar Khatri playing paluwa ( just leaves) and vocals. The Schima leaves Khatri plays, called chilaune in Nepali, have traditionally been used as musical instruments. This art is on the verge of extinction, band members inform.
The musicians from Night are all involved in various other projects for their livelihood. Night is just an outlet for them to create music that differs from commercial norms. “We’re together because we play for pleasure,” says Niraj. “We love the feedback our audience gives us and we have been blessed with positive responses so far.” Night has performed at prestigious world music festivals like Shambala Music Festival in the UK, Sommarscen Malmö festival in Sweden, and Womex festival in Germany.
The band has also traveled to other European and Asian countries including the exotic Uzbekistan with their music and are all set to tour Italy, Spain, Germany, France and Macau with their new album “Ramite-The Music, Volume 1”. The album, launched on April 13 this year, is inspired by Jason’s upcoming novel ‘Ramite-Daam’ translated as “The Spectator: Scar”, and finds Night at its peak of artistic confluence with the rhyme and rhythm of the Nepali folk music. “Our songs have in the past been about communities, places and natural disasters. But this album is based on a fictional alternate world and the struggles its people have to go through,” says Jason. Night has released some new songs from the album on Youtube. The physical copies are on sale at Ekta Books, while the digital copies can be found on the band’s iTunes and Spotify pages.
