The Importance of Being Heard – The real Lazie Indie Story

The Importance of Being Heard – The real Lazie Indie Story

By Jay (Founder – Lazie Indie Magazine, Lazie J, Lazie Bison)

Every now and then, I still come across a few Doubting Toms — people who question why someone like me, starting from the grassroots, would put time and energy into building something like Lazie Indie Magazine to help other independent musicians.  These days, they’ve mostly quieted down — maybe because LIM actually did something real. But I’m not here to defend myself. I’m here to share a true story — one that answers, in the most personal way, why being heard matters so much… and what can happen when someone, somewhere, decides to listen.

 1991 – Rocking in a Place That Didn't Want Rock

When we started The Autumnleaf back in 1991, we couldn’t have picked a tougher environment for original rock music. We were based in a region of India where music culture was very clear-cut:

 Carnatic music was for the elites — rich in tradition, rigid in structure, passed down for centuries.

 Film music — be it Bollywood, Tollywood, Mollywood, or other regional variants — was for everyone else. It was the mainstream.

If you wanted to be taken seriously as a musician, your two options were:

1. Become a classical maestro,

2. Or become a playback singer.

Rock? Original music? In English? Forget it.

There were only about 2–3 rock bands around, and even they mostly did flawless cover sets of Western hits. That was the scene.

So when I brought up the idea that we should focus on our own music, we all knew it sounded stupid from a career perspective. But my bandmates supported it anyway — not because it was smart, but because we loved our music more than anyone else’s.

And that’s where it all began.

A Stranger Named Samarth, and the Aquarian Leap

One night, we were performing at a party when a man named Samarth a tall handsome guy, who had flown in from London, heard us play. After the gig, he walked up to me and said something that changed our path:

“You guys should be on TV.” I laughed. “We don’t know anyone in TV.”

He grinned and said,

 “I don’t either… but I’m an Aquarian man — and I’ll talk them through it.”

True to his word, he somehow talked his way into Asianet — which at the time was the only private entertainment channel in our region — and got us a meeting with a producer.

That meeting eventually led to one episode about The Autumnleaf… which led to five more. We performed unplugged sets, gave interviews, and — most importantly — played our own songs to a broader audience for the first time ever.

All because one stranger believed and decided to help.

 2009 – The Reunion that surprised us

After a long break between 1997 and 2009, The Autumnleaf regrouped for a reunion gig. We booked a modest 300-capacity hall, worried that after 12 years off the radar, nobody would show up.

We were dead wrong.  The hall was packed, and there were people in the lobby too stayed to listen. That night blew our minds.

We went back after show and said:  “We have to record our songs — people clearly still care.”

I started to contact labels nobody was interested because of our obvious problems English songs, Rock music and Independent band. One label owner (a small label) finally said,  “If you give me a good demo tape, I’ll produce and market the album and see response.” The guy seemed to be both excited but a bit scared too. Nevertheless that was all I needed to hear. I got excited and told the band:

“Let’s do it. Let’s make the demo. I think we’ve got something here.”

Recording wasn’t easy — no home studios then. It meant renting time, tracking, mixing, and mastering — every minute cost money. We debated it, but agreed to split the cost and move ahead.

We recorded 10 songs and titled the album Nowhere to Hide.

And told friends :  “Our album is coming soon!”.  And then shortly after that before I could send the demo … the label shut down. I was left with a beautifully made CD and nowhere to go.

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 Why upload free? Vs.  What’s the Point If No One Hears It?

Still unwilling to shelf the dream, I turned to the internet and uploaded a few songs to music communities where thousands of artists hung out — hoping, maybe, someone would hear them.

My bandmates asked the obvious question:

“Why upload them for free? What’s the point of giving the songs away?”

My answer was simple — and honest:

 “What’s the use of recording them if no one ever hears them? Let’s at least make them reach a few ears. Maybe there are listeners somewhere who will care, even if people here don’t.”

They agreed, not because it made sense financially, but because there was nothing much to do otherwise and the logic of making people listen made better sense that no one listens.

However, after weeks of putting the songs out on three different communities with no feedback at all, I got dejected.

I removed all the songs.

And then, as an afterthought, I uploaded one song back to a site called Mixposure.

Fifteen minutes later, a comment appeared from someone named Margot Du Bois: it read :

 “Here I am sitting in my armchair, having a cup of coffee in the morning, listening to your song. This is really good! I’m recommending you to my friend Mike who runs a weekend radio show here. Cheers – Margot!!!”

She was in Switzerland.

Soon after, I received a message from Mike Kolgraph (aka Mike K):

“Loved the song " Boogie Woogie Mama. We’re going to play it this Saturday night. But it’s not downloadable!”

I fixed that immediately. That Saturday, for the first time ever, our music played on international radio. Then came Kephas, (who sadly isn't with us now) a popular musician and RJ in that online community. He hosted a show called Thursday Night with Kephas, and later with Nexus Radio. He loved our work, played it often, and we even collaborated on a song later.  I used to work my day job in the morning and log into the community getting actively supporting and promoting our songs as well as others music. It helped my esteem as a musician a lot!!!

This took us to many other communities and took us as far as we can go !!!

Margot, Mike, Kephas and my fellow musicians at Mixposure— people I’d never met — helped us be heard.

They didn’t have to. But they did.  

Lazie J, Lazie Bison, and the Spirit That Became Lazie Indie Magazine.

It was that exact spirit — the thrill of being heard, the strength in artistic community — that led me to form my next bands: Lazie J and Lazie Bison. And eventually, it inspired Lazie Indie Magazine. in fact the first edition had artists from friends and my cover artist became my proof reader even since.

Lazie Indie Magazine happened not because I had some media strategy (in fact I did not even know how to design a poster forget a magazine). But because I knew what it meant to be an artist with no platform especially during the Covid -19 days when it was so easy to decide to quit music and many did unless someone reassured them that it is worthwhile being a musician and share their stories and music and I also realized how one act of support could change everything.

Today, Lazie Indie Magazine is a global indie music platform, run by musicians for musicians. Our columnists are not paid influencers or content marketers — they’re real artists who’ve chosen to give back, rather than just chase their own spotlight.  This includes me too.

I am proud to say that I’ve managed to bring together fabulous, successful musicians and industry members who’ve decided to spend time helping others, not because they must — but because they believe in this mission.

Through LIM, we’ve gone on to create:

The John Anthony Guitar Contest to support upcoming guitarists in India

The International Indie Music Festival (IIMF) — in collaboration with the Government Tourism Department subsidiary bringing artists from 20+ countries to perform and give them access to Indian audiences.

Through Lazie Indie Magazine:  Artist features, interviews, global exposure and above all — real connections between real musicians. And it all began with someone simply hearing us out.

One last point to the naysayers- Choice is yours!!!

If you're still not convinced — well, you can choose to remain a selfish jerk who counts the value of every action in ROI and likes…

Or like me drop your ego, reach out to someone who needs support, and see how it transforms your life too.  I chose this because I know how it feels to be heard me and my friends at Lazie Indie Magazine, we’re not turning back.

Cheers,

Jay Pillai

Founder – Lazie Indie Magazine | Lazie J | Lazie Bison

Musician. Believer.