Mae Thomas’s voice reveals just a hint of mischief as she presses Amit Kilam, drummer of the pioneering fusion-rock band, Indian Ocean, about the time (in the 90s) when he used to play for both Euphoria and Indian Ocean. “How did you pick — when that ultimatum came your way in the form of a college fest — whom to play for?” Kilam, playful yet matter-of-fact, informs her that Euphoria always knew that they would be the “number two priority”. He ends with, “Boys played well,” an oft-invoked line at the cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin’s expense. The entire band breaks into laughter.
Such easy banter is a hallmark of Thomas’s cleverly-named podcast, Maed in India .
The show is produced by Indux Vox Media, and airs on the streaming-music website, Saavn, as part of its Originals programme. The show seeks to discover and showcase independent musicians through a talk show format, a relative novelty in India.
Guests range from stalwarts such as Indian Ocean, Karsh Kale and Warren Mendonsa, to rising stars such as Prateek Kuhad and Kabir Cafe, to undiscovered gems like The Family Cheese. In addition to offering a deeply personal window into their lives, musicians also perform live on the show. Sometimes — and Thomas can barely conceal a wide grin as she says this — musicians agree to unveil works-in-progress, as well as unreleased tracks.
A hundred episodes in, Thomas is now a veteran podcaster, having honed her talents over the past two years, releasing a new episode like clockwork every week. Each episode is about an hour long; some are longer. For instance, her two-part interview with Arjun S Ravi, co-founder of NH7, India’s largest platform for alternative music, is more than two hours long.
Thomas explains that this happens because of the wealth of material her guests have to share. Ravi’s playlist on her show, for instance, is a tour de force because of his experience working with, and writing on, a tremendous range of musicians. Moreover, she can afford to have long episodes primarily because of the audience she caters to: the niche group of music enthusiasts who welcome a look into the lives of musicians, and a taste of their unreleased music.
The show is, essentially, a casual interview interspersed with live acoustic performances. It can throw up surprises, such as Karsh Kale revealing how he had to play the tabla to prove his profession, and prevent detention at Dubai Airport, where lint (or powder) for his tabla got him into trouble with the authorities. The artists, initially, were selected by Thomas; now, she has a producer who often suggests acts for the show.
Thomas’ accent is hard to place: she has lived in India, Wales, and the Middle East, but speaks with an American twang decidedly at odds with the title of the show, and might throw off the unprepared listener. But the earnestness in her voice lends a warm cadence to the show.
In addition to bringing her formidable charm to the show, Maed in India benefits from Thomas’ research and attention to detail. “I remember how Euphoria were surprised when I brought up an old incident — a fight at the airport. I had actually dug up a short history of the band that Dr Palash Sen [the frontman], had written.”
The obvious question one might ask Thomas is whether she might not benefit more from radio. Turns out, she took to podcasting after finding herself disillusioned and creatively stifled on radio. “There’s a lot of politics. There might be good intentions, but they rarely get off the ground because you have to bring so many people on board. Podcasts offer complete control. I can do whatever I want, on my own terms, ” she says.
Although Thomas’s podcast might not have the same kind of avid audience as her idol John Peel (the legendary radio presenter at BBC Radio One) her efforts are paying off. Her audience is growing by 15 to 20% each month, with each new episode now getting more than 10,000 listeners. Moreover, according to back-end analytics, the average drop-off time for an episode is gradually increasing as well.
While the show’s prospects are bright, a couple of challenges remain. First, scheduling conflicts can often scupper the best-laid plans. Thomas says she’s been trying to get Zero, one of the earliest rock bands in India, on her show for ages. Ironically, the musicians are often just as keen to be featured, but it can be difficult to have all band-members at the same place to perform on her show.
Moreover, Thomas admits that her reliance on English, coupled with her lack of fluency in Hindi, has hindered her interactions with artists performing in regional languages. It has also limited the range of acts that have been featured. “I feel terrible about it, and I would love to change it, but it’s a real challenge. At the moment, I think we’ve discovered maybe 20-30% of the music that’s out there to be discovered in India,” she says.