Bamboo Shoots. the alternative dance rock band based out of New York, recently performed in Delhi at Turquoise Cottage, organized by Hot Coffee Events. The five members - Avir Mitra (lead vocals and guitar), Karl Sukhia (Backup vocals and keyboards) Shiv Puri (Drums), Ahmed Mahmoud (Guitar) and Ankur Patel (Percussionist) speak with HT City about their music and the debut album.
What's this buzz about the dancerock genre? What makes it different and unique?
SHIV: Well, I think you can get down and dirty with our songs the way you would at a club.
Tell us something about your debut album.
SHIV: This is our first album with Epic Records. We're lucky to have worked with our producer, Jerry Harrison from the Talking Heads.
How did you guys come together?
AVIR: Karl and I met when we were little kids. I met Shiv at New York university and got to know he played drums.
ANKUR: I met you guys in '03 right? AVIR: Ankur, just sort of walked in to our practice, and was like, 'I play this', and we were like, 'Alright, cool'.
AVIR: And Ahmed joined the band about two years ago. We needed a guitarist and he knew our songs better than we did. We were like, 'You're in!' How different are the shows in India from the US? Which one's better? ANKUR: The shows here are not that different from the US. The only difference lies in the venue - which varies from big and fancy to more intimate... I can't say which one is better, but both countries are exciting in their own way.
Which indian musician you would want to work with?
SHIV: I'm a big fan of classical music... I would love to collaborate with Viku Vinayakram. He's such an incredible musician.
The craziest thing you guys have done?
SHIV: Well, I recently got married here in Delhi to my girlfriend. I don't think anyone in the band anticipated dancing with the hijras. I think some of us will have some explaining to do to our friends in America, when they see these photos (above).
Are you guys planning to enter the Bollywood music industry?
SHIV: It's an interesting time to be in the Bollywood industry, especially with the huge success of AR Rehman. Even before the Oscars, however, the pulse of a lot of new music coming out of Bollywood, like influences of hip hop, is something Bamboo Shoots can contribute towards.
What next?
SHIV: We're going to continue touring America when we get back and prepare for our album release. We'd love to come back to India but maybe in the fall or winter when the weather isn't so damn hot.
himadree.c@hindustantimes.com
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