From Jazz and Reggae to teaching young children: The Three Seas on their Australian tour

'The Three Seas' is an international, multilingual band currently touring Australia. Member Deo Ashis Mothey, from Darjeeling, has also been actively working with kids in his region, where Nepali culture and language are close to extinction. The band say they firmly believe that music is more than entertainment, and can be used to make positive changes in the world.

The Three Seas band members Matt Keegan (L), Deo Ashis Mothey (Centre up), Gaurab Chatterjee (R) and Raju Das Baul (Centre down). Credit: Facebook/The Three Seas

Key Points

• The band was formed when an Australian musician reached India in search of new music and sounds around 14 years ago.
• Band members are helping to preserve almost extinct languages through teaching children alphabets.
• The band almost broke up due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

With its fusion of Australian Jazz and Rock Reggae with Himalayan and North Indian folk music, The Three Seas are currently on their third multicultural tour in Australia.

The uniqueness of this group lies in the intertwined playing of traditional musical instruments of Nepali, North Indian, Bangla and western heritage.

Alongside mesmerising their audiences with the modern-cum-spiritual tunes, the band has actively been involved in reviving indigenous languages in Nepal, amongst other social work.

Raju Das Baul (L) playing Khamak and Deo Ashis Mothey (R) playing Murchunga. Credit: Facebook/The Three Seas/Lens Bugs/Sanjit Nandi Photography

How Australian Jazz met Himalayan folk

In 2009, Australian composer and saxophonist, Matt Keegan, was visiting Shantiniketan, a town in India’s West Bengal.

He says his search for new music led him to meet Deo Ashis Mothey, Raju Das Baul and Gaurab Chatterjee.

The Three Sea's music is mainly a fusion of culture from West Bengal and Himalayan folk with contemporary sounds from Sydney and Kolkata. Credit: Facebook/The Three Seas/Brian P Stewart

Brought up in the tea gardens of Darjeeling, Deo Ashis Mothey says he had a colloquial musical upbringing. He sings in Nepali, Hindi and Bangla, and plays unique traditional instruments like the Murchunga, Dotara and Isaraj.

Raju Das Baul plays the Khamak. He comes from the nomadic Baul tribe, whose spiritual music and soaring vocals from West Bengal and Bangladesh have been passed down many generations.

Drummer, Gaurab Chatterjee, who also belongs to a musical family, brings a taste of Bengali rock to this soulful ensemble with drums and Dubki.

Led by Mr Keegan, the band has so far released three albums – Haveli, Fathers, Sons & Brothers, and Afterlife.

Third Australian tour

Post-pandemic, Mr Mothey says the current Australian tour in Melbourne, Tasmania, Sydney and Adelaide means a lot to the band.

“The audience here is very fun, they us give their time. Melbourne’s JazzLab reviewed our music as 'delicious',” he told SBS Nepali.

Audiences here switch off their phones during our performance and for this, we are very thankful.

Deo Ashis Mothey

Deo Ashis Mothey (L), Raju Das Baul (C) and Gaurab Chatterjee (R) from The Three Seas band at SBS Sydney studios on 28 March 2023. Credit: SBS Nepali/Krishna Pokhrel

Mr Das Baul says that he feels very proud to be able to share Baul music with an international audience.

“Baul music is very ancient and philosophical. We recently did a university workshop too and I feel very proud to see people wanting to understand and know about it. For that, I am very thankful to Keegan and the band,” he told SBS Nepali.

COVID-19 pandemic: The rain before the sunshine

With everyone stuck at home, and no musical shows for almost three years, The Three Seas say they almost reached a point of separating during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“But we did not give up,” Mr Mothey said.

I think it was very important for us - like rain and storms before a beautiful sunshine - and we have become stronger than ever.

Deo Ashis Mothey

With a critically acclaimed UK tour last year, the band’s shows are enjoyed mostly by Jazz lovers and also communities outside Nepali, Hindi, and Bangla speakers.

Music as a pathway to bring positive change

Mr Mothey, who is popularly known as a “one-man NGO”.

Founded in 2005, his not-for-profit organisation Warnamala Pariwar has actively been involved in preserving Nepali and other Indigenous languages in Darjeeling and areas of Nepal through the “Warnamala Project”.

“Warnamala” translates to "alphabet", and the project teaches Nepali alphabets to young children with the help of music, animation and now a recently launched mobile phone app.

Children are losing interest in learning their mother tongue. We have made animation series to teach alphabets, and launched a game in which children can scan and learn the letters.

Deo Ashis Mothey

“Behind this entire thought process, The Three Seas has been a huge support from the beginning," he said.

He says his next aim is to revive the almost extinct Indigenous languages like Rai, Limbu and Lepcha, in the hilly and mountainous regions of Nepal.

Likewise, Mr Mothey has been raising active awareness about pollution and climate change in his hometown and neighbouring areas.

Awaiting the release of the band's fourth album, his message for aspiring musicians is to remain authentic and persevere.

The Three Seas is currently touring Australia. You can find more details here.