In today’s A-Z challenge, we asked Rainburn to take on the 26 questions! See what Vats Iyengar said about the band!
A song that made you want to make music?
Has to be ‘Pull Me Under’ by Dream Theater. In the pre-internet days in India, and with no MTV, music released in the west often came here much later and then it was usually only the popular stuff.
Rock and metal were rare. So, I only heard this song many years after its release and I was immediately entranced.
Up to that point, I’d heard all the ‘regular’ bands like Metallica and Pantera, but this was something different. It had the chugging guitars that I liked, but there were complex chords, unusual twists, keyboard textures, much of which my teenage ears couldn’t fully grasp, but I was drawn by the sense of grandeur.
Best rider you’ve had?
All-you-can-drink. Seen it at a few different places, but High Spirits in Pune comes to mind because it was an afternoon show, so we had the rest of the day to basically get plastered. We don’t drink before going onstage.
Craziest moment you’ve had in the band?
Our drummer went missing after getting pissed drunk; turns out he was sleeping in the washroom for two hours.
Deepest lyric one of your songs features?
“Takes four legs to carry, not two
The only warmth my darkness lets through”
— ‘Woofs, Purrs and Moos’ (from our second album, ‘Vignettes’).
It sums up my disillusionment with our species and love for animals. And I like the George Orwell reference in there.
Easiest song you wrote?
You wouldn’t think so if you listened to it, but ‘School of Atlantis’ from our first album ‘Insignify’. The entire song came to me very quickly in one sitting.
Favourite song in your set?
The energy from the audience on ‘Suicide Note’ (from ‘Insignify’) is always great. It’s basically our ‘Pull Me Under’ — greatest hit.
Guest you’d most like to feature on your record?
Maybe Fiona Apple, but I’d probably not consider myself worthy of being on the record at all. Just sit back and watch her do her thing.
Hardest thing about being in a band?
Having to do non-musical things, such as posting content on social media; getting a good night’s sleep on tour.
Interesting fact about one of your members?
Saakallya (guitarist) is so tall, his head hit the PA speaker high above the stage at a venue in Chennai.
Jokes you have in the band?
There are some recurring, uh, politically incorrect themes in there.
But also, a lot of jokes about all the less-than-savoury things and people you deal with in the music business. It’s the only way to stay sane and not want to burn everything down.
Key to writing a song?
D minor? Sorry for the dad-musician joke!
Actually, a lot of songs from our upcoming record ‘thirty-seven’ are in that key, come to think of it. But the real answer would be emotional honesty, I guess.
Longest distance you’ve travelled to play a show?
Left home (Bangalore) at 3 AM — flight followed by a loooong cab ride, reached the hotel in Gangtok (2,600 km away) at 5:30 PM for a two-hour set, with soundcheck at 6 PM.
Most inspiring musician you’ve experienced?
I went to Ravi Shankar’s house and briefly met the great man. There were pictures of The Beatles in the gallery from way, way back.
Quite an experience for a teenager!
New band you’d recommend?
Maneating Orchid. They’re from our hometown and they’re very unique-sounding.
Opening for this band would be ideal?
BEAT.
Sharing a stage with Adrian Belew, Danny Carey or Terry Bozzio, Tony Levin and Steve Vai, playing all these great King Crimson songs would be beautiful.
Actually, even just watching them would be great.
Place you’d most like to tour?
We’d love to play in the UK. We’ve had lots of good press there over the years and it’s something I really want to do at least once in my life.
Quote you’d like to pass on to our readers?
At the risk of sounding slightly pretentious:
“If the fool would persist in his folly he would become wise” — William Blake.
I think it sums up my musical endeavours in that I don’t think I was very good at making or playing music for a long time, but I just kept at it because I loved it so much.
I suppose the message I’m trying to pass on to your readers is: do what you love and don’t worry too much about how good you are or who’s better than you, especially in the arts, which are primarily about communication, not competition.
Reason for the title of your recent/forthcoming release?
The album is titled ‘thirty-seven’ and it’s about a near-death experience where I spent 37 minutes treading water miles away from the shore and trying not to drown.
And so, the total length of the album is exactly 37 minutes.
Plus, it’s a nice prime number and I’m reliably informed that it also happens to be the most common answer when people are asked to pick a number between 1 and 100.
In case the Orwell and Blake references didn’t make it clear, I’m a nerd.
See us live at?
Most cities in India this winter, and hopefully in the UK soon after. Make it happen, Alt Corner readers!
The old days of music were better than the current, do you agree?
Somewhat agree.
They were better in some ways in that people had more time to digest elaborate music and you could make a living out of making highly conceptual music.
When you think back to the 1970s and albums like ‘Fragile’, ‘Houses of the Holy’ and ‘Songs in the Key of Life’ all went multi-platinum, it boggles the mind.
But recording and gear are far more accessible now, it’s far easier to be an independent band thanks to the internet — although that’s led to a different problem, namely saturation.
So, it’s better in some ways now.
Unusual merchandise?
Nothing really out-there. We’ve had Rainburn journals and wall art in the past, other than the usual T-shirts, crop tops and mugs.
But the first thing that came to mind when I saw this question was seeing an ad for Manowar condoms.
Variations you’d like to do on any of your songs?
We did some pretty radical variations on an EP titled ‘Resignify’.
I’d love to do a full acoustic album someday and pick our heaviest and most effects-laden songs, and find a way to make them work in an unplugged setting.
What do your fans mean to you?
One line from a fan via a comment or a direct message sometimes keeps me going strong for days in the face of overwhelming odds.
X-rays or any treatments needed for band-related injuries?
Not band-related, but Neilroy, our drummer, injured his leg in an accident earlier this year.
Fortunately, he’d finished recording all his drum parts by then, but it still delayed the album since he was the mix engineer for it and was, obviously, quite traumatised for a while.
I’ve had a couple of electric shocks on stage but nothing major. I stopped playing barefoot after that.
You’re late for a show, whose fault is it?
Our drummer Neilroy’s.
And this answer is from him!
Zoo animal that best describes the personality of your band?
For the record, I hate the necessity of zoos. Wild animals belong in the wild, but there’s not enough of the wild left for them and it continues to shrink because of us.
But if I were to answer, I’d say a leopard — complex and mysterious, but also often known to be silly and fun.
It’s my favourite big cat.