What inspired you to form a band that is into a very niche type of music?
The love for hip hop and rock pretty much got us together…these genres were big influences on each of us as kids. All members of Chabuk bring in their own element of the kind of music they grew up on or listen to.
What we believe makes this interesting and a lot more fun is the added element of Hindi rhythm and poetry.
In a country where there are multiple bands emerging, how do you get better with your sound to ensure you don’t lose your audience?
We came together in mid 2017. So we are fairly new to the scene as ‘Chabuk’. As a band, while we aim to have a unique signature sound, it is still evolving. But we intend not to lose our audience by connecting through lyrics and subject matters that are relevant.
What medium do you see best as a way to promote your music in this digital age?
We are of the view that while pushing music digitally through various platforms is an easy way to get the word around, nothing beats the power of a good live show.
What challenges did you face when you first started and now?
There was frustration to get things going (which led to line up changes as well) and balancing a day job and the band. But the decision to just ‘go for it’ has pretty much got the ball rolling.
Where do you think the Indie scene in India is heading?
There are a lot more DIY scenes happening nowadays. Our ‘Shahenshah’ music video was one such effort as well.
The same is the case with many gigs/ festivals. Given the many platforms available for musicians, and the fact that it’s being accepted…things are only looking good from hereon.
Tell us a bit about your process of songwriting?
For Chabuk, it usually starts with the lyrics, vocal melodies and delivery of the same…around which the music bits are put in place. ‘Rhythm and poetry’ is the focal point.
How has Shahenshah been received by the audience? Did you expect this or much more or less?
To be honest, we were fairly confident of the track being recognized. Before the song was put out, we played a couple of gigs, where people gave us very positive feedback.
Having said that, the response has been great so far. We infact played a gig last week where we had the audience singing and yelling out the lyrics to the two tracks we have released so far (‘Shahenshah’ and ‘Mummy Give Paratha’ on Soundcloud – https://soundcloud.com/user-832097909). That was pretty awesome!
Upcoming projects
We are looking to hit the studio, get some more tracks down, and hopefully release an EP soon, while at the same time, go out & play some shows and spread the word. A new music video is in the works as well.
This interview was featured in our September issue: https://bit.ly/2QxyNo0
