Ever since its inception back in 2011, Spud in the Box, an Indian independent alt-rock band with a bestselling EP and a full length studio album in development, has come a long way. And though the band is still young, frontman Rohan Rajadhyaksha is excited about the prospect of a 24 hour music channel showcasing indie talent across the country. At the same, the no-nonsense singer also says that Pepsi MTV Indies cannot make excuses for not meeting expectations.
Speaking to Radioandmusic.com, Rohan Rajadhyaksha said, “We are very eager to see where the channel takes the scene. The thing is that a lot of people really enjoy independent music and there is an untapped large audience burgeoning under the main stream, since we have received a great response. It is great to have a 24 hr channel allowing the independent artists of the country to break into mainstream. Pepsi MTV Indies has a massive potential, and given its online promotion, can serve as a big platform to lesser known artistes!”
At the same time, the young artiste also said that the channel cannot make any excuses for not living up to expectations, given that big names like Pepsi and Viacom are attached to it.
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Sharing the band’s future plans, Rohan added that they will hit the studios in May and June with 20 songs already being rehearsed. According to Rohan, “Right now we are only performing to muster up funds and resources for our upcoming album.” In regards to how the band members balance time between exams and performing since almost half of their band consists of college students, Rohan said, “Whoever has college is bunking class to go and perform in Rajasthan, because for all of us, the band is our only priority! We try and postpone our gigs if possible, or else we do a sound check without a member. We are lucky to be able to perform more than 90 per cent of other independent music artists in the country.”
After having to change their drummer in early 2013, the band has finally been able to settle down and find a balance. Speaking about their 4-song EP which was released in 2013, Rohan added, “The previous EP was recorded in just 4 days. We barely knew what we were doing and were unaware about the nuances of studio recording. It was a major learning curve and we were yet to find our sound. Now that we are comfortable as a band, we should be better next time around.”
Spud in the Box has had very little time to breathe, given their college-work schedules and their continuous performances. With a manager like Utara Rajgopal, guitarist Warren Mendonsa’s wife, it sure seems to have its perks. “Having Utara as our manager has opened a lot of doors for us. It was she who approached us, and was a fan of our music. Having her around has really helped and during a good month, we get up to 8 gigs compared to the average 4 gigs a month.
The band will be performing with Blackstratblues at the Pepsi Indies launch gig at Mehboob studios today.
