#nepalipopmusic

[sujantim]

John Rai And The Locals.

I have probably seen multiple live shows in person. After a long time, I felt like I had never heard or seen this kind of magical performance for a long time. It was the live show of the band "The John Rai and The Locals." The lead vocalist was John Rai, and there was Steve Rai for electric guitar, the bass guitar by Manu Rai, drums from Jasper Rai, and beautiful flute and acoustic guitar from Sudarshan Thapa. The show was electrifying and full of emotion and craziness. Everyone was enjoying the show and was full of energy.

John Rai and The Locals are known as the Nepali Pop Rock band for their electrified live performances. This band became very popular in Nepal recently, with some of the raw vocals and an original pre-recorded version by John Rai. The band was initially formed with classmates and neighborhood friends. Backstory: They were a small local band who used to jam and play some during the twenties. After some, The lead vocalist moved abroad for his undergraduate studies. After being abroad, he was not satisfied with anything, neither his studies, work, or the culture. The lead vocalist left the country without completing his studies. He formed a band with his friend Manu and his friend's brother Steve, and they formed the band with the other members and started releasing songs. They were not so popular at that, and they used to perform in the local bars and restaurants. Slowly, some of the raw version songs of the band started getting popular. The raw version of the "Hawa jastai malai" song was a massive success. They started doing live performances. In the larger mass, they were known for being the best performers and new faces in the Nepali music industry.

The live from March 8, 2024, in Pokhara still reminds me of those moments. That wasn't any tour show or grant show. It was a typical show with 1500 people. Whenever there is a live show in my hometown, I usually go to watch the live show. The biggest advantage of watching shows in my hometown was that I didn’t usually need to buy the ticket because I used to have a connection with people who were event organizers, or I would find a way to enter the venue through bouncers because somehow I or my friends would know the bouncers. Or We find an other way to enter to see the show. The show was organized by the  NYC Ratnachowk Club on the day of Shivarattri. Shivarattri is a tradition of a Hindu people who follow the god Shiva. On this occasion, people smoke marijuana and stay all night doing bonfires and enjoying. It is the only day in a year when marijuana is legal. Usually, nonsmokers also try, and most people are high on marijuana this day. I was enjoying my day in the Shivaratri at the bonfire, and I got a call from my friend to go to the show  1 hour before the show. We didn’t have a ticket for the show, and it was already too late to call someone who had access because none of them answered the call because they were busy. The show was at the junction of a road surrounded by a big border from two sides of the road (entry and exit point) and between the two sides of the house. Luckily. One of my friend's houses was there where we could enter the house through the back door, and we could directly enter the event through the front door. We were successfully able to access the show. I know this sounds crazy. This was a new experience for me. 

I saw them for the first time. There was also a massive crowd of people watching the performance. The whole road intersection was blocked for the concert. Most of the people could see the show from the balcony of their house. There were a lot of people in the window of the house.  The show starts with the beautiful electric guitar and bass guitar drums. The vocalist entered the stage, and the whole audience started cheering. The scenes started to be crazy. The show started with the all-time favorite song, "Hawa jastai malai." This song reminds me of inner freedom and flying like air. The other song, "K Garu," an unreleased version, starts with a beautiful melody and flute. In the middle of the show, the light went off. But the audience didn't stop for a moment and instead continued singing with their phone torchlight on. Most of the audience was crazy high that night due to the chemicals, so they didn’t need a big speaker and electricity because most of the people knew the song's lyrics and had a mobile torchlight. After some time, the electricity comes, and the show continues show with Songs: Nihit , K Garu, Vanana Matra, Farkhana hola, Samaya , Sadhana and ends after midnight.

That's why they have one of the greatest audiences and one of the greatest live shows I have seen, and it is the craziest night. Definitely, A Night to be remembered!