Formed in 2018 at the A.R. Rahman-backed K.M. Music Conservatory, the band have released three songs. The Chennai based alternative/indie-pop band P.A. System have already hit up important stages such as the Covelong Point Surf and Music festival, the Global Isai Fest and Phoenix Market City in a short span of time. The pop/rock band have carved a niche for themselves and have done good progress uptil now.
Well, in an interview with Radioandmusic.com, the band gave a wider picture about themselves to us.
Check the interview below.
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Could you please tell us more about yourselves as a band?
We are an alternative pop/rock band and we’ve been writing and performing our originals for over a year now. Our sound is formed largely by Pratyush’s meticulously crafted song lyrics which form the backbone of the band and the rest of the band members chime in to add a plethora of soundscapes that serve to enhance it. We love to perform live and we’ve played at major venues in Chennai, musical festivals such as the Global Isai Fest, The annual Covelong Festival as the opening act on the Surf Turf stage and have also been a part of the Indie earth-sync exchange. We were also runners up of the widely known annual Battle of the Bands – The Forum Rock On 2020!. The production of our EP echoes our love for performing as we’ve tried to recreate the atmosphere, emotions and the vibe that comes into play when we perform live.
When was PA system formed? The idea behind forming a band?
PA System was founded in 2018 by (Vocalist and Songwriter) Pratyush Shankar and (Music Producer/Keyboardist) Ashwin Iyer. The rest of the band came in soon within the next year and it was a perfect closure as it brought in an amalgamation of influences, arrangement, production and composition ideas from (Guitarist and Music Producer) Hrday Sunil, (Bassist) Prashanth Venkat and (Drummer) Arvind Krishnan. We all attended the KM Music Conservatory where we met each other and we connected through our shared musical tastes and mutual appreciation of some of our influences; The Beatles, John Mayer, Oasis, Coldplay etc.
Your bond with each other. Please elaborate.
We have very strong bond and understanding with each other that has been essential to the process of crafting our songs. The best example of this is when the pandemic brought everything to a standstill, we decided not to let the miles between us stop the music so we finished recording and producing the EP all while being located in different cities across the country. In a live performance we strive to operate as a single unit and value every member’s contribution to our sound.
Could you tell us more about your new EP – On days like this? What message does it convey?
“On Days Like This” is our 3 track debut EP and its extremely special to us. As it’s title states, we have tried to capture snapshots of the feelings we all have to come to terms with at certain points in our life. Save Me and She, are songs that talk about getting out of a place where you don’t fit in, because of how toxic the environment is. Fair Weathered is a song that talks about the people who stay with you when it suits them best, but later, you realise that these are the people you miss the most when they leave. Everyone has difficult days and we hope this EP would serve to act as a source of comfort and ease the burden on it’s listeners when they need it the most.
Could you throw light on the music scene back in Chennai. Your observations so far?
Chennai has a very diverse music scene, with it’s rich heritage of Carnatic music, the film music scene and the independent music industry all operating side by side. There are several important venues that cater to promoting independent music here like Unwind Centre which has been the starting point for many of Chennai’s successful home grown acts and also one of the first venues that we performed at. KM has also helped develop the independent music scene in Chennai by partnering up with different venues in the city to host concerts. Although the independent music scene in Chennai is still in its nascent form, we believe the years to come have many things in store for bands like us as there seems to be a growing appreciation for our music.
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Upcoming projects?
Following the successful release of the EP, we are now working on and looking forward to releasing a complete album during the first half of 2021.
