Gavin Pacheco gave up his job in an IT major to follow his passion and he hasn’t regretted it since
Why would you quit a job as a Human Resources manager in an Indian IT major to take up a career as a musician? “Well, if you are not being honest to either your job or your passion, you are short changing both,” Gavin Pacheco says. He quit his job a decade ago and has had no regrets since. Describing himself as a ‘freelance musician’, Gavin has played the bass guitar in several prominent independent bands in India including Faridkot, Desi Roots, The Limited Experience and Gone Fishing and has had a blast doing that. “Nothing beats the experience of playing music in front of a crowd and seeing the audience happy,” he says.
So how did he get into music? “People assume that just because I’m Goan I have a musical heritage, and yes, I do. My father played the saxophone. While my introduction to music was through Gospel music, but I’d say, like most kids my age, when I was a teenager I listened to rock music including Guns ‘N Roses, Metallica, Van Halen and the like.” Yet, many of the bands Gavin plays for, and where he often collaborates in the arranging of music as well as writing the songs, take a lot of inspiration from Indian music and sounds.
Bands such as Desi Roots where the lyrics are in Hindi help the music reach out to a wider audience and have given Gavin and his bands the opportunity to play at concerts and corporate shows across the length and breadth of the country. “My father would have loved it if I got into an IIT. Of course, that didn’t happen but I can proudly say that I have played at every IIT.”
College shows are the best in his opinion. “And when the audience is singing the chorus along with the band, it is an exhilarating feeling.” Sometimes things can take a surprising turn. “We got noticed by a major global clothing brand after one of our shows and they liked our music so much that they took us on as brand ambassadors. This was during demonetisation and things were tough for musicians, so that was really cool”, Pacheco continues.
Gavin’s father, Tony Pacheco never did carry on with the saxophone professionally and pursued a career as a very popular teacher at Delhi’s St.Columba's school, Gavin is now following in his father’s footsteps by becoming a teacher. But not a traditional school teacher rather Gavin became an entrepreneur by establishing ‘Your Academy of Music’ (YAM) in Gurugram Sector-50, where he teaches the guitar to the next generation of kids. “In fact, we get to learn a lot from these kids. Of course, we become aware of the current trends and sounds in music. And I teach the kids through the bands and artistes they listen to rather than shoving things down their throat, or things they may not like. And it is amazing getting to meet these kids every day.”
Unfortunately for many musicians, 2020 has been a major bump on road, rather a long and loud feedback noise on the amplifiers. There are few opportunities for live performances, the bread and butter for most musicians, not just in India but across the world. “Well, let’s hope the vaccine gets music back as well as live classes but teaching kids has helped me retain some sanity.”
And what about the Kia Sonet and the seven-speaker BOSE audio system in the car? “Well, first, the Intelligent Manual Transmission is a brilliant idea and the sound quality is just amazing for a car at this price. As a musician or anyone who loves listening to music, having a good audio system on a car is a very important thing and we all know the quality of BOSE audio and after hearing this, I would even consider purchasing a car like the Sonet.”
Little wonder then that the Kia Sonet is among the best cars launched in 2020. The year might have been a difficult one for many people but on India's roads we have a new champion. It comes loaded with amazing new technology and features that are not found even in cars three times the price forget the ones in its own segment.
