KOLKATA, INDIA — Diptanshu Roy, AKA "Dolinman" as he's known on social media, internet music forums and much of the acoustic music community, one of the leading proponents of acoustic mandolin in India, has announced a January 23 release of his new single entitled "Firefly Waltz."
About the recording Dolinman told us, "This song represents my debut as a singer/songwriter. It was written during a trip to Shantiniketan with my wife Karie. It's a place we would visit almost every month during that point in our lives. As I recall, this particular trip was during the monsoon months which is absolutely lush and beautiful in the Bolpur region. The rain makes the mercury drop quite a bit and makes the intense summer feel quite subdued. The fragrant blooms and petrichor fills the air.
"That night as we stepped out on our usual walk, we sensed immediately that something was different — the night was like a dark blanket that had covered everything, scary yet beautiful, drowning everything in sight. The frogs and the jhijhi pokas (field crickets), providing comfortable companionship. As we arrived by the water bodies, seemingly out of nowhere, thousands of fireflies lit up the space like little light bulbs.
"Upon returning, I recorded the melody in a little notebook I always keep in my mandolin case; the song resided in that notebook for several years, unsung and unplayed. At some point I then added words to it in an attempt to recapture the magic of that night. In the last few years, the pandemic completely upended our lives and our almost routine trips to Shantiniketan has now become a distant dream. It took me longer than ever to put together this song, which will now always remind me of our weekend trips and that beautiful night we were lucky to have witnessed."
The Musicians
- Diptanshu Roy - Vocals/Mandolin/Guitar
- Aniousha Peicaud - Trompette/Vocals
Listen
Additional Information
Message