Raman Iyer has been busy making music during the pandemic and by the look of it has a whole body of work to date. Iyer, the mandolin player who was a part of the five piece band until recently, has used the lockdown to pursue his musical work in a new direction.

‘Midnight Musings & The Mandolin’ is his Daily Instagram LIVE audio only podcast which evolved during the pandemic. Being a hunter of stories, the lockdown allowed him to dig deep into the corners of my mind, reach for those scribbled notes, books, references, and reflect upon them in tranquility.

To date Iyer has completed 200 episodes as of 24th October 2020. “I have been doing this every day since 7th April, not missing a single day and creating fresh pieces of music for every story. This album is my expression of the stories I have told- polished and evolved with the help of friends Shrikant Sreenivasan, Shruti Bhave, Gautam Deb, Dushyant Deorukhkar, Britto KC, Aditya Rajagopalan and Devashri Manohar. Mixed and Mastered by Johnston D’souza, The album has 5 tracks” states Iyer.  

In a telephonic conversation he shares details on the all the tracks on of the album ‘Midnight Musings & The Mandolin’, songs which he will be releasing one after the other. The first one, Warrior's Lullaby was released on 24^th October.

Warrior’s Lullaby is a mellow confluence between the mandolin and the acoustic, “It’s my mandolin contemplating the stories I tell from the Mahabharata. The war had more vanquished than victors. Did all those foot soldiers and animals die for their country? Or was it for some powerful people’s personal issues? Warrior’s Lullaby captures the moment a warrior falls , having struck by a fatal blow - Am I a hero? Or am I just a pawn, is what I ask” says Iyer.

His second track from the album Chanakya Trance and is a power packed trance number with strong Indian classical influences. In a way it’s his Mandolin paying a tribute to the stories he’s told on Chanakya and The Arthashastra. According to Iyer, Chanakya is seen as a master of deceit and strategy dark and ruthless, and a political game changer. This track explores a less spoken about, mystical spiritual side of Chanakya that's rooted right in the middle of materialistic, everyday contemporary battles. The lyrics go, “To The fool, God is in a stone, To the Sage, God is in the heart, But to the ones who know what is justice God is everywhere”

His third offering is Viraha that draws the feeling of longing, which is fast disappearing, because we quickly connect digitally with people we miss, or find new people to connect with and complete the experience. Viraha captures the short lived feeling, and the instant gratification that we seem to have gotten used to, through the mandolin and the nylon stringed guitar which explore a certain connection, and then switches rather quickly into a grander, wider, complete space. 

Being a student of Samskritam, Iyer regularly brings up stories from Sanskrit literature in his podcast. And the result is Samsarga. “There's a misconception among many that Sanskrit literature is all religious and philosophical, and through my stories, I bring tales of humans and their flaws, magic, and sharp insights that reflect a regular everyday life. Samsarga is a Shubhashita a verse that just talks in a practical sense. Samsarga, which means good company says, what we become depends on the company we keep. A classical vocal exploration of this ancient saying along with the violin & the mandolin served atop contemporary grooves, Samsarga explores a musical resonance of Good Company, Good Vibes”. Truly inspiring we’d say.

His final track on the album is a happy, rustic, old world village piece, called Storyteller an introspective piece on how he perceives himself as he brings you stories every night. He explains the simple song in straightforward statement. “A travelling bard, who stops by, sits under a banyan tree in a picturesque village, strums an instrument, and invites everyone to gather around and listen. Rustic soundscapes, Indian folk grooves and a melody that conveys the essence of folklore, Storyteller aims to transport you to your favourite Indian village, right through your headphones/speakers”. In these uncertain times, surely anyone would love to have an equation with this song, its calm and serene atmosphere is produces.

Do tune in to this soul stirring music which you will surely want to listen to again and again.

You can listen to Warrior’s Lullaby here:

https://songdew.com/albums/warriors-lullaby-1170