Tails On Fire, an ‘Alternative Rock’ band is based from Chennai. The band came together in year 2011.Bubbling with high energy, Tails On Fire is a four piece rock outfit, with the music blend of styles ranging from Rock, Grunge, Funk, Alternative and Blues. The overall sound of the band is recognizable with catchy melodies, heavy grooves, smooth vocals, driving bass, tight drums and experimentation with new technologies. The band members are Karan Nair (the substandards) on vocals, Sriram TT (Skrat/blacklisted) on Guitar, Jitesh Dharmaraj (Afterburn/powder in the ashtray) on bass and Ritesh Dharmaraj(afterburn/nerverek) on drums. Amrutha Ananth from EIGHT OCTAVES interviews them.
Eight Octaves: How did you guys come upon the name “Tails On Fire”, and is there any significant correlation as to how the band formed?
Tails On Fire: Sriram and I (Jitesh) had been playing the Chennai circuit for years and along with my brother, we thought of forming a new band. Karan came along and expressed his interest in being part of it and that was pretty much it. The name doesn’t really have any significance; Sriram thought it up, and it stuck!
Eight Octaves: Tell us about your “style” of music.
Tails On Fire: After playing with different bands for so many years, Tails On Fire was an opportunity to get back to the basics. It’s simple, high-energy music, which is not necessarily confined to any one genre.
Eight Octaves: Can you recollect some of your fondest musical memories? Also tell us about your first concert experience.
Tails On Fire: It’s hard to pinpoint a specific memory. For a band like us, we thrive on live gigs, so every live show we’ve done is a memory in itself. Our first show was last year at the Unwind Center in August 2011. It seems so far away now!
Eight Octaves: What is your greatness weakness as a band?
Tails On Fire: Lack of time to practice. All of us have regular day jobs, so it gets hard to juggle the two at times. Of course, if we have gig, we somehow make the time needed.
Eight Octaves: Do you have a “favourite song” you have ever written as a band? If yes, then why?
Tails On Fire: Each of us has a different favourite, which is basically a reflection of our different personalities. But when we write songs, we write them together and each person gives his inputs. So in that respect, each song we write ends up being something we are proud of.
Eight Octaves: If you could re-record, or re-write any song of yours what would that song be?
Tails On Fire: We’re in the middle of our first recording, so it’s a work in progress right now. But even after a song is ready, we keep changing bits and pieces here and there whenever we feel like it, if we believe it improves the song.
Eight Octaves: What have you guys planned for the future? Also share a word of advice for all the music enthusiasts out there.
Tails On Fire: We’re looking at releasing a demo album soon. Otherwise, it’s about playing as many gigs as we can and promoting the idea of original music. Our advice for music enthusiasts would be, whether you’re a musician or a music enthusiast, keep an open mind, especially about original music. The mindset towards original music is changing, but it still has some way to go, and we all need to pull together for that to change.
