1. How would you warm up a band? Give us tips.
Warming up is very important. The best way for the whole band to do so is to jam freely without any preconceived structure. Its great fun and helps everyone blow off some steam!
2. How would you usually choose repertoire for your ensemble?
For our setlist , we draw heavily from our influences. With six members in the band, you can imagine the huge spectrum of artistes and genres that comes into consideration. The other aspects include the instrumentation and arrangement which suit our personnel and style the best, and the crowd that we’ll be performing for.
3. Tell us about a favourite composition project you guys have done.
We have a soft spot for our original ’27’ We obviously LOVE all our songs, but the thing is Brandon Boyd( INCUBUS) shared 27 on his Facebook profile! He also mentioned that the song reminds him of the early incubus sound !Now this is HUGE news and coming from the man himself, we are just blessed!
4. What would a student-centered approach look like in the band rehearsal setting?
Actually, everyone in the band is a student at present. Being a student allows you to devote more time for rehearsals and more flexibility in doing so. With the right amount of dedication however, factors like these hardly matter in the larger scheme of things.
5. What rhythm and/or tonal syllable systems do you use in your compositions?
There is no such fixed system. We prefer to compose by jamming and things somehow fall into place. Working with a rigid structure in mind diminishes the musicality of a composition. When a certain part like say a structure for the verse, or chorus is done, we like to explore the different possibilities around it and experiment. Basically anything that sounds good is good!
6. What do you practice – exercises, new tunes, hard tunes, etc.?
Band practice usually consists of a couple of rounds of our originals and favorite covers and lots of free jamming. Individual practice routine is different for everyone obviously.
7. How do you handle mistakes during a performance?
Performing live does make one adept in handling mistakes! You just ignore the mistake and just carry on playing like it never happened. This is where experience counts! Minor mistakes are part of playing live and make the performance more memorable! Sometimes you play something by mistake and it sounds awesome, and then you make it a part of the song!
8. Were you influenced by old records & tapes? Which ones?
Oh yes! What we play is the amalgamation of all the music that we have heard and absorbed till now. The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, The Doors, King Crimson, The Grateful Dead, Parliament Funkadelic, Frank Zappa, Cream, Peter Green, The Yardbirds, and Nick Drake are the few that come to mind at the moment.
10. According to you, what amounts to a great ‘gig’ session?
For a gig to be labeled as ‘great’ , the sound onstage should be great so that we can properly hear ourselves, the payment should be fat an handsome( :p) and most importantly the crowd should be kickass. Really it all depends on the crowd, they make it all worth it.
