A cheap, patched-up second-hand guitar and makeshift drumkit were all that Jay and Manoj had when they started the band Autumn Leaf with a few other musicians in the early 1990s in Thiruvananthapuram. The independent music scene was not exactly thriving, and support was not easy to come by.
Yet, they persevered, creating some original classic rock tracks at a time when playing covers of popular songs was the norm. Though the band continued performing for four years, they had to part ways as careers came calling.
Bitten by the rock bug, they were bound to come back to it, which happened decades later in 2014, with the formation of the band Lazie J, which has already performed at quite a few venues. Now, back in their native city, they are attempting to create something they had lacked – a platform for independent musicians.
