It is a simple name. There is no big story behind the derivation of this name. We thought of this probably because general public and music lovers can easily relate to it.

Not really. We have been playing a lot in India as well as abroad. There are many concerts and performances lined up for Indian audience this year. The band is also trying to organise a show in Pakistan this year. We performed at the Qutb Festival in December 2005 in New Delhi and at the Siddhi Vinayak Festival in Mumbai in February 2006. And, recently we performed at the Dhanaulti Rock Festival.

We are currently six in number, namely myself, Anirban; Donny; Ashwin; Dara; Imran; and, Parveen. Imran and I are vocalists, Dara and Donny are at guitars, Ashwin plays drums and Parveen masters dhol/dholak. Saibal Basu, a guitarist, and I started the band with an aim to make some original music. We never particularly searched for a band member. We just floated the word about our band around and anyone who was interested was welcome. Most of us used to hang around together. We all were and are very good friends.

Yes, you are right. Many bands have broken like that. We also faced such crisis, but we have survived. The band underwent several line-up changes until 2002, when we were working with the guitarist Gautam Chima, DJ Jayant, the drummer Ashwani Verma and the bassist Neel. I am the oldest member of our band, and we all now share a strong bond. When we play or compose we do it as one team.

 

And, no, the thought of leaving the band never occurred to me or any other band member. This bond of trust and oneness is the reason for the success of our band.

The Indian rock music is completely different from the Western rock. We are not in anyway competing with the West. We do not play retro music. We do not try to ape the Western style of rock bands. We are diversifying and there is so much charm in Indian rock that we never try to be like The Beatles or Pink Floyd. Our band was declared the best Indian rock band in 2004. We have always tried to keep the Indian essence in our music, and we are not in any way trying to be a typical hard rock or metal. Our band blends the Indian classical music and rock with a taste of originality.

 

We are planning to record an album this year, but it will take about three months. We have planned to release it with a label and a complete video. We are hopeful that if this album is released with a label it will be helpful for the status of the band in India and abroad. I cannot tell you more about our albums or recordings, as this is the only thing planned now and it will take a lot of time.

 

There is a vast difference between Indian audience and the audience elsewhere. Audience in other countries are quite mature. By mature I mean they have more knowledge about music as they have travelled a lot and have listened to different kinds of music. The Indian audience know more about Indian classical music and try to find that in every sound. I think no Indian band wants to be like Western rock bands in nature. Every band in India has a distinguished feature and an Indian touch.

Initially, it was very difficult for us to arrange for musical instruments. We did not have any money. We used to play local Indian musical instruments. But, with the passage of time, things changed. The accessibility to the instruments from different countries increased and it became quiet easier. Many musical instrument shops were opened in India that sold instruments from Japan, Germany and France. And, with time came success and with success came money. Initially, we faced problems but that could not deter us from our path.

We are different in the kind of music we play. We do not ape anybody or any rock band. We are extremely Indian and not particularly heavy or metal. We try to concentrate on the Indian sounds and be original. If you have listened to our music, you will find it different from others. There is an Indian touch in our music.

Our band has two vocalists, Imran and me. Till now, I used to sing English songs and Imran sang in Hindi. But, in future we both are planning to sing in both languages. We sing in English in an Indian accent to bring an Indian feel. There are many artists who sing in American accent.

 

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