Eight Octaves: Jeepers Creepers was formed in 2011. In just over a year you have managed to create a distinct sound and a dedicated fan base. How does it feel?
Andy: It really feels fantastic. Every time we are up on stage and people don’t really know who we are,but at the end of the gig they appreciate us,especially when we meet people in the parking lot while a post gig smoke,and they want to know about us or our next gig; it feels great,and its great to know that there are so many people who support good music regardless.In a way its the biggest prize or remuneration that we can ask for, for all the hours that we spend cooped in the rehersal studios or the hours where we stay awake through the night and compose music together.
Eight Octaves:I’ve heard you EP – Odds and Favours; one thing that struck me throughout, which I have constantly mentioned in the review; is the songs are really unique. I was really having a hard time trying to put them in a specific genre. How did you develop the sound?
Rishi: It has been a long process.We just didn’t discover it one fine morning.We had certain songs made earlier,had them recorded but didn’t release it because we were not happy with what we had created.Both Andy and I came up with several ideas and were bent on creating a flavour that could be related but was “not heard before”. After much ado and constructive arguments between us we finally discovered a distinct novelty in flavour which we banked upon as our signature.
Eight Octaves: Tell us something about the song writing process. How does it go? Is it sort of a group discussion, or is it like – someone composing some stuff and then others contribute to it?
Sourav: For us,group discussion is very important initially to make each one of us realise how we want to approach a particular song in terms of lyrics,mood and ambience and its neccessary for every one to be on the same page so we dont run amuck amidst wild ideas.This helps a lot in finding the right direction. Again,we sometimes follow the conventional method of writing based on a guitar riff or a vocal melody and then everyone jamming upon it.
Eight Octaves:What are your individual musical preferences? Do all of you have the same liking and disliking in terms of music?
Andy: Not really, we had our own set of influences before we met.Like I have been more into Grunge/Post punk and Emo Rock,..a lot of american music. Rishi was a bit of more into modern alternative with sounds of Athlete,Death Cab for Cutie,Killers and all. We also shared certain common interests like The Beatles,Oasis,Coldplay and a few other.
Eight Octaves: Your biggest influences would be?
Rishi: Biggest influences would definitely be Arctic Monkeys,The Killers,Franz Ferdinand,The Beatles,Blur to name a few.
Eight Octaves:Your individual musical qualifications? After hearing your EP one can easily make out that none of you are rookies, you all know what you are doing, so how long have you been learning music, before starting the band?
Andy: Thank you for the compliments but to be honest,except for Rishi,the three of us are mostly self-taught. Rishi learned classical piano since he was 13 and completed upto grade 5.He picked up the guitar 3 years back and again a self-taught guitarist;he is young but really gifted.I picked up playing the guitar about 2 years back though I have been performing since high school.
Eight Octaves:What are your opinions on the current Indie scene in India? Do you have a hard time getting gigs and promoting your materials?
Andy: Without a doubt the scene has become way more lively with events and festivals through out the year than ten years before. A lot of initiative is already being taken to let the independent musicians have their chance to be heard.It is definitely improving slowly.We need more serious investments and involvements to make the scene a real industry. We need more artist management organizations and record labels to show interest.
Rishi: Being from Calcutta,we find it tough enough to hit the audience because of the lack of exposure and also due to lack of venues when compared to other metropolitan cities like Delhi,Mumbai or Bangalore.And also the “Big Daddies and the Politics” makes it harder for the young artists to make themselves visible.
Eight Octaves: If there is that one band you would love to play with, who would it be? Indian or International, doesn’t matter
Rishi : Umm….definitely it would be Arctic Monkeys internationally.But we would also love to share the stage someday with our hometown favourites “The Supersonics” who are back after a long time.
Eight Octaves: Any chance of an album coming from you in the near future?
Andy: Yes.There are plans for it.But perhaps we will be releasing a couple of more EPs before that.
Eight Octaves: Okay, this is the last one. Where do you see yourself as a band in the next 5 years?Andy : Performing at the Glastonbury or the Reading Festival.Also we would be quite happy to play in our own country at ‘sold out’ venues by that time. In 5 years that just might be possible,who knows??
