#FPSF Interview: Tyagaraja

Tyagaraja is a local, Houston musician with a beautiful, peaceful sound. He brings elements of Indian philosophy into his writing and Indian instruments into his band. He is a musician, a farmer and a believer in sustainable living. The times that I’ve been able to speak with him, I have felt his calmness and it somehow calmed me…even though I didn’t realize I wasn’t calm. Sadly, I missed his set at Summer Fest, but I did have the chance to ask him a few questions about his experience.

Lauren Ignited: You have such a unique presence, what inspires you to perform?

LI: What was your #FPSF experience like?
T: I would hope that any Houston musician would see FPSF as a good thing for Houston.  There are many amazing musicians in this city putting on equally amazing concerts, yet there is not a culture bread into the daily life of Houston that “Houston is a place for arts and music.”  FPSF, for me, is the eye of the storm that will spread into this city that will hopefully give the local artist the respect and audience they deserve.  Personally I felt wonderful performing during FPSF.  I could hear my voice lift into the air and touch down and bounce off a distant downtown street and again ricochet off the surrounding buildings, and our crowd seemed just as transported as me.LI: How did you prepare for the show?
T: Well because of my Theater background I have a very strict routine, but that continuously de-rails because I always have to talk to people and direct all the people that make up our show.  Mostly I like to be in silence or practicing my vocal warm ups.  I become very disengaged in conversation.  One might call it getting in the zone.

LI: Tell me more about the booth you had set up at FPSF. How long have you been selling collars and what’s the story there?
T: Haha, well my wife Gunjen Mittal is the repurposing Queen.  She loves to take ordinary household things and turn them into art or jewelry.  This year we tried out collar necklaces at our booth, a very new thing Gunjen started working on.  The booth itself is a representation of everything we do, whether it’s Yoga, Handmade Jewelry, Sustainable Living Practices or Music, there is so much we want to offer to the world around us, so we were there spreading awareness about that.

If you missed him at Free Press Summer Fest or you haven’t had a chance to hear him live yet, check out the video below to get a peek into the vibe that he brings with him on stage. And then, make sure you catch him the next time he plays live. You certainly won’t regret it.