The band that has people 'BAZODI'

The dictionary of Trini dialect defines the word Bazodee (or Bazodi) as a state of confusion, or being stunned or dazed. It can also mean head over heels in love or as some like to say “Totoolbay.” For local rock band Bazodi, winner of this year’s Anchorage Pop/Rock Awards, all one can say is “if the cap fits — or in this case name — wear it.” Never has one band been so aptly titled, since bazodee is exactly the word to describe the fans of this Central-based band during one of their high energy performances. The five member band made up of Joshua Manickchand, bass guitar; Jude Nidhan, lead vocals/rhythm guitar; Rhion Karim, lead guitar; Sean Rampersad, keyboards/backing vocals and Anson Benette, drums/background vocals, officially entered the local rock scene three years ago. However, the members, who range in age from 21 to 29, are in no way novices when it comes to music.

The band was formed by Manickchand and Karim, who were long-time friends. They later recruited Benette (who strangely enough had made a name for himself playing bass guitar for Rumours — another local band) as their drummer. Rampersad and Nidhan came on the scene shortly after and Bazodi was born. At this year’s Pop/Rock Awards Bazodi reigned supreme, beating out fellow bands, Five Piece and Bullets (formerly Blackrose), to walk away with the first prize of $6,000 in cash, a Yamaha guitar amp valued at $4,300 and a ten-song recording deal with 200 CDs to be duplicated and labeled with the band’s original music at a value of $7,000. Many were surprised when the results were announced, including the members of Bazodi themselves, since Five Piece was clearly a favourite, copping the top spot at the preliminary and semi-final rounds. Bazodi was the second place band for these two rounds. “We thought it was going to be really close with Five Piece,” Manickchand stated. And close it was, since only a point difference of .44 separated the two bands. Five Piece scored 71.27 points to take second place, while Bullets walked away with 70.26 points and third place.

“The first two rounds told us that we didn’t put out as much effort,” Manickchand said, “and we waited until the finals to bring out what we had.”
During what can only be called a high energy-set, Bazodi managed to wow the judges with their renditions of popular tracks like “Crash” by the Dave Matthews Band, “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin, Collective Soul’s “Shine,” and the ever popular “Enter Sandman,” by Metallica.  And in true Bazodi style, they also performed a reggae/dance-hall medley of songs by Sizzla, Junior Kelly and Barrington Levy. Dispelling talk that they are merely a pop/rock cover band, Manickchand asserted that they are in fact a cross-over band, with a finger in every pie so to speak. “We grew up listening to all kinds of music which we incorporate into our performances. Rock, pop, metal, reggae and soca, we play all types of music,” he said. “A good musician should be able to handle any kind of music. This ability is the mark of a good band.”

The band listed its main influences as Metallica, the Dave Matthews Band, Led Zeppelin, Incubus and the Red Hott Chilli Peppers. Local talent was not to be left out, as they also added Orange Sky and Xtatic to the already lengthy list. “We admire Xtatic for its performance ability,” Manickchand noted, “which we find is something severely lacking in local bands today.” This is the second year that the band made it to the final round of the Anchorage Pop/Rock Awards, having placed third last year. However, they still managed to walk away with  individual prizes for best vocalist, best drummer, best guitarist and best keyboardist. While they admit that they are pleased with their success, life does not begin and end at the Pop/Rock Awards for Bazodi. “Pop Rock is not proving anything to us,” Manickchand noted. “What makes the difference with us is the constant performing which helps us improve our performance.”

“Of course we are all really happy, but it’s not going to change us in any way. We’re still going to play gigs and go back to the studio to focus on recording our CD.” The band has already booked its hours in the studio to complete the recording of its 16-track album. They have also planned gigs in Tobago and are looking at taking their repertoire to other islands. “I am not satisfied with being a ‘local celebrity’,” Manickchand stated. “It’s dumb to see some guys get stuck up just because they are in a band.” “When it comes to bands,” he went on, “you can either be bedroom good, or stage good. Some bands disappear just after Pop/Rock without knowing that you can’t just start off good. You have to crawl before you can walk.
“We have never needed judges to tell us we are good,” he continued. “We have no problem with the competition, but for us it is more of a chance to entertain and to be seen. “It is all about the crowd in the end. Personally I won’t be happy until everyone knows us.”