Blackstratblues is the music of Warren Mendonsa.
Warren Mendonsa is a familiar name in certain circles in India – he was after all the guitarist of Zero, arguably one of the most popular bands in the restricted audience that exists for Rock in India. But to the dismay of the band’s many ardent fans, Warren quit and went to New Zealand. He clarifies in an interview,
“My folks moved to New Zealand, and I didn’t wanna go because I was having too much fun here. But the deal was that I had to move there before 25 so I could qualify as a dependant child on my mom’s residency. So I had to stay there for 2 years to get permanent residency, got my thing, and before you knew it, 5 years passed, and I found a groove over there. But first I hated it, had no one to play with, was just making stuff in the garage… But then yeah, you tend to find your space.”
But this move turned out to be a blessing in disguise in some ways. Probably all that ‘making stuff in the garage’ really paid off and he wrote some excellent music. He finally made some friends and started going to a recording studio and over the last two years cut two albums which are absolute gems. I was introduced to them quite accidentally – Warren happened to visit Amabilis Insania to download The Great Indian Rock II and left a comment with his website address. I visited his website and was awe-struck by his music.
So I decided to feature his albums here. The first one, called Nights In Shining Karma, was released around 2007 and the second one, The New Album, last year. While the stress on the first album is on the guitar and is more of Urban Blues and Instrumental Rock, the second one is more wholesome with the emphasis on the music and betrays Warren’s many influences – Rock, Blues, Jazz and even some undertones of Indian Music. But all the tracks of both the albums are beautifully crafted and I have listened to them umpteen times without getting bored. This is one guy who will go far, or at least he should. Hats off!
Listen and download below. If you would like to support this artist please visit this page. No amount is too small. Pay anything you think the two albums are worth.
Blackstratblues – IncenseBlackstratblues – Soar The Sky
Blackstratblues – Blues For Gary
Blackstratblues – A Weekend With You (And Nothing Else To Do)
Blackstratblues – The Cat & The Fiddle
Blackstratblues – Nights In Shining Karma
Blackstratblues – The Happy Billi Song
Blackstratblues – Cowboys & Indians
Blackstratblues – Another Sun (feat. Johnny Barker)
Blackstratblues – Ode To A Rainy Day
To download the songs, right-click on the song name and select Save Target As (OR Save Link As). If you need more help, read the 
