It all started with 'The Magic Dice' back in the day 2004. Ishan, Bikram, Tanya and myself were the first Srishti band, and we did our first and last show at Graduation that year. Thrown out by Umesh uncle from 31, by GN while practicing at college, lets just say things didn't work out too well for us...
(photo credit: Bobin James)
I first met Rzhude at Sunaad, a Hindustani choral group I was a part of in the years 2002-03. I was a big fan of his band- Thermal and a Quarter, and their music till date has influenced me greatly. I was working on a stop-motion animation piece called Still Life, which wasn't going anywhere. I showed what I had to Rzhude, and he agreed to compose a soundtrack for the film. Ever since that day, Rzhude wishes he had never met me!
In a few months, Rahul Bharadwaj and Sankarshan Kini (Sanky) joined Sunaad, and we were part of the group that performed in Bombay, Bangalore and Ahmedabad.
Next year, graduation time, 'Rearviewmirror' (Ishan, Bikram, Krittika, Tanya and myself) was formed under the guidance of famed jazz guitarist Amit Heri. He was helped by Rzhude, Sanky and Rahul (this incestuous circle of musicians I tell you!) in this workshop that lasted 2 weeks. We learnt a whole lot of theory (which all went out as fast as it came in) and began to write and compose our own songs... We wrote Deep Ends, What Became Of, Boots and Mosquito during this period. Naked Walls was just an instrumental jam that followed Deep Ends. During the course, we'd get feedback and inputs from the 3 stooges, and an informal learning/jamming environment on the roof of the New Campus was born...
'Rearviewmirror' opened for Thermal and a Quarter at Zero G and we had quite a party on stage... Dont remember much of the show, but I've been told it was good. Tanya couldn't make it so Rahul played keys for us. We did a few covers (Glorybox, One Headlight, All Along the Watchtower) and then went on to the original material...
'Rearviewmirror' didn't last too long because of some reson I still havent understood. In a few months I got a call from Sanky and Rahul saying that they were looking for a bass player for their new band... Rzhude was to join in on the drums. Funny... to be in a band with the 3 people who helped form my earlier band. And strange, given our Sunaad connection earlier. The band never got down to ever fixing a name (from 'Scarab' to 'Curious Green'), we did some Dave Matthews, Sting and other cover stuff... part acoustic, part electric. Keeping up with these pros gave me a bit of a complex, but things worked out well in the end... We did a few shows here and there, but never really got a chance to get into the scene as Rahul left for the US to pursue an education in Music.
my first personal 'encounter' with Thermal and a Quarter was something of a story... THEY SAVED MY LIFE! I was on a bike trip (dont ask me why) from Bangalore-Mangalore-Goa, when I got a call from my little sis Niyu (fellow TAAQ fan) who was on-road with them in Kerala. Somehow she convinced me to get there, and I biked all the way down to Kerala, where I saw them play at the New Year gig. Then the long ride back... On the way back I had a accident (dont ask me how, I dont remember...) and Bruce, Rajeev, Nina, PG, James, Umesh, Battery, Leo and Rzhude... YOU GUYS!!! I OWE YOU BIG TIME!!!
(I'm still not wearing a helmet)
a long time passed, and a lot of informal music was happening amongst this circuit (ie. Sanky, Rzhude and all of us) Graduation happened again (this time for me), and it was time to say bye bye to Bangalore. And so the idea for this album happened. To record all this music that was being thought of and played, in a shoe-string budget, in a very short period of time. I went over to Rzhude's place and told him what I had in mind, and he basically took my trip real bad before saying yes...
The musicians who are on 'The Deep Ends' are people who I have both admired or played music with in some form or the other. Sanky is like my second brother. Ishan Das... well what can I say??? Lets just say that we have a lot in common! Bruce Lee Mani needs no introduction in the Indian rock scene... Why he agreed to play on this album remains a mystery to me till date! and Rzhude- mentor, friend and one man army!
The Deep Ends is a document of times spent between friends;
