How a Malayali ‘chenda’ ensemble performed with Hanumankind at Coachella-OxBig News Network

For siblings Jeffrey Kochuveettil and Jonathan Kochuveettil, born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, a chenda (traditional Kerala percussion instrument) brought to the US by their grandfather Thomas Vattakatt during one of his visits in the ‘90s was not a mere novelty item but a relic of their roots in Thodupuzha, Kerala. The instrument slowly evolved into a celebration of self for the two, while growing up in the US.

Nine years later, the duo, with their band, Kochuveettil Beats, performed chendamelam, as drummers played the traditional stretched membrane instrument in a synchronised fashion, at one of the biggest music festivals in the world, Coachella. They performed alongside renowned rapper and a fellow Malayali, Hanumankind, showcasing Kerala on a global stage. The rapper performed his two latest hits ‘Big Dawgs’ and the more recent ‘Run It Up’ at the festival which took place in California in April.

Performing at Coachella

“We have been following Hanumankind for a long time, and are big fans of his work. When we saw his name in the line-up in November 2024, we were awestruck and immediately reached out to him and his team, wanting to collaborate with him, especially with it being his debut concert in the US,” says Jeffrey, who trained in the instrument for years with his brother during their vacations in Kerala. “After he agreed, the band practiced for months and in the blink of an eye, we were performing at Coachella,” he adds.

Kochuveettil Beats with Hanumankind
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“We opened for him with our chenda beats; many artistes would never let us do such a thing. He wanted to debut Kerala on that stage, and allowed us to join him,” says Jeffrey, who now heads the collective with almost 40 members, spread across the US, and performed alongside eight bandmates — Jonathan, Kiran Asokan, Manu Sunny, Praneeth Madoori, Robin Thomas, Jerry Koshy, Job Goldhill, and Karthik Thipplikat.

The rise

The siblings grew up watching their father, Kunjachan Kochuveettil, play the chenda with his friends in Chicago. Jeffrey believes that chenda music was heard within the American Malayali church communities during pallipperunnal (church festivals) and similar events until 2016. “Slowly, people in my circle were getting married, and they all wanted the same music at their weddings. People also wanted us at events and stage shows.”

Jonathan Kochuveettil and Jeffrey Kochuveettil from Kochuveettil Beats
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Eventually, the group travelled across the States with their music, blending the beats of chenda with music. “This was unseen in the American Malayali wedding space,” Jeffrey says. The group remixed and created cover songs of other South Indian songs, hip-hop tracks and reggaeton tracks (a popular music genre from Puerto Rico) among others.

The collective gradually added other instruments such as saxophone and violin. Since most of the artistes have a background in percussion, they also perform with dhols, especially for wedding processions.  

Later on, the people from North India living in the US started developing an interest in chenda, thus inviting the band to perform at weddings owing to their unique blend of sounds, says Jeffrey.

The members of the collective include those with roots in different parts of India and musicians from the US. “One of our original members, Bryan Hughey, is affectionately called Bryan ‘Hughthenparambil’ (changing the name to make it sound more Malayali). We treat him like a Malayali, and he enjoys our culture,” says Jeffrey.

Kochuveettil Beats team photo
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“Much like our band name Kochuveettil (small house), our operations are small, but we have a big family,” Jeffrey adds.

In June 2023, the band performed at Times Square in New York at a programme organised during Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s visit to the country. They have also shared the stage with artistes such as MG Sreekumar, Jassie Gift, and Stephen Devassy among others.

The collective is currently preparing for a busy wedding season and aspires to do more shows this year. They are also looking forward to collaborate with other artistes and hope to do more remixes.

Adds Jeffrey, “It is always about connecting with our own culture. We were not born and raised in Kerala, but it is our vision, and we proudly showcase Malayali culture to the best of our abilities in everything we do.”