While Alex is out on the road with Testament on the Bay Strikes Back Tour, we thought we’d take you on a journey back to the early days of Moods & Modes. This week, we’re featuring Episode 2: Carnatic Crash Course with guest Guitar Prasanna.

In episode 2, Alex welcomes musician Prasanna, a pioneer in performing Carnatic music on the guitar. In conversation with Alex, Prasanna breaks down his unique style and the musical inspirations behind it, which include Blackmore, Coltrane, and Steely Dan, to name a few. Because he’s also an educator, Prasanna demonstrates some of the techniques he uses and explains the musical vocabulary behind the music he performs. This episode was recorded in person and you’ll hear Prasanna and Alex play some music throughout the episode.

A pioneer in performing Carnatic music on the guitar—as well as skilled in playing and composing in genres such as jazz, progressive rock, and world fusion music—Prasanna graduated magna cum laude from Berklee in 1999. An entrepreneurial visionary in the business of creative music and education, Prasanna was voted among the top 50 creative Indians by Open Magazine. Prasanna, who holds a degree in engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, worked as a software engineer before coming to Berklee to pursue music.

Stay tuned for upcoming Best Of episodes, including a tribute to Peter Green (of Fleetwood Mac) Part 1 (5/24) and Part 2 (5/31).

Moods & Modes is presented by Osiris Media. Hosted and Produced by Alex Skolnick. Osiris Production by Kirsten Cluthe and Brad Stratton. Editing and mixing by Matt Dwyer. Music by Alex Skolnick. Artwork by Mark Dowd.

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