Musicians with groove

band talk

The strains of the band Junkyard Groove has gripped the independent Indian rock music since 2009, then with the release of 11:11, an album from which the songs It’s OK and Folk You popularly reached people through radio waves.

The musical journey for the band has been an upward tempo, their gigs a staple at reputed college fests and music festivals, including the recently-held Windsong music fest. Many shows have preluded international performances by Iron Maiden, Incubus, Prodigy and Robert Plant, to name a few.

Chennai-based Ameeth Thomas is the lead vocalist and guitarist and the constant of Junkyard Groove, a band he initiated in 2005 after his unbearable year of not playing music. Before that he had written songs for many college bands, sang in a choir and a capella. A natural choice for someone born in a family where “parents sing for one of the oldest choirs in India, and my brother, also a singer, introduced me to rock music.”

Ameeth considers Dave Mathews Band and Pearl Jam as the greatest bands to have inspired him, and listens to “any new tunes, and loves all music — classical to metal and even electronic. But, the Indian band that really blew me off my feet was Pentagram”.

A disbandment in 2011 welcomed Sajith Satya as the band’s new bassist and Shashank Vijay, their drummer, whom Ameeth met during a gig at EC 41, a night club in Chennai. It was also the year in which they released their EP (Extended Play), Nicer In A Minute, of which the track Say Goodbye became a hit. Guitarist Joshua Mark Raj later completed the band.

Then they released the EP Accidental Heroes in 2013. “The album is my first new step out of my old life. It’s a journey about my life, music, the band and people who come and go. It’s the reflection of the present. Music is an emotion for me. Every song was written at different times. This is not a theme album. It’s just storytelling, or like reading a book to a kid,” shared Ameeth, who has written, produced and engineered the songs. “I engage in arrangement and production, since the line-up changed. I come up with the basic structure with my guitar and show it to the guys.

Sajith comes up with his music and offers options. Shashank helps me with sounds and drumming production, which takes the most amount of time. I handled online promotion, too, but we have a manager now. So, that’s one thing off my hands,” Ameeth said.

Other than that, Sajith Satya vowed that “it’s always bit of drama, laughter and absolute chaos”, when their studio production goes on.

The band is reliant on social media to reach out to people and release their music. “It’s insane to see how it works wonders for your music. We upload everything we create as a band online. Our last album, Accidental Hero, was released online. We don’t believe in CDs. Nobody buys them anyway,” said Ameeth. One can expect a new EP release “early this year”. Fans can choose from the Junkyard Groove merchandise, including their t-shirts, badges and stickers.

However, their stage performances have always given them something to take back home, because it’s about connecting with their fans closely. Like “the time we played at the cultural fest of BITS Pilani, Goa. Just before we sang Say Goodbye, we requested for the lights on stage to be turned off and asked the 2,000-plus crowd to bring out their cellphones. It was beautiful to watch everyone sway their lit- up phones as we crooned. That moment was just awesome. If we don’t connect them with our music, what is the point of playing? In the end, it’s the love and support of our fans that keeps the band alive and kicking,” Ameeth asserted.

And those who wondered why the band took the name Junkyard Groove, “We believe we take things from everywhere and try to make something new. Everything comes from something, even a junkyard, and we love to have a groove.”