For our foray into covering the fledgling Indian Rock scene, we got IndianRocket to interview one of the best acts on the circuit today. Presenting a tête - à – tête (Yes, we use French words. We are so cool!) with Ameeth Thomas of Junkyard groove. The ‘alternative drunk rock’ band’s latest album 11:11 became available for free download on June 13th. Read on!
When did Junkyard Groove start?
JYG started in the year 2005. I think May and we played our first gig in June, a competition which we lost because we abused too much. We got a consolation prize of 2nd place. We normally keep JYG's birthday on the same day as Craig’s, which is on June 20th.
How did you guys come up with the name?
Siddharth and me came up with the name even before Craig and ex- drummer Jerry joined. We were walking around his house thinking of a name. I was hell bent on Junkyard Tribe and suddenly Sid said groove. It just sounded good. Therefore Junkyard Groove :)
What was the original inspiration for starting JYG?
I had stopped playing music for a year and a half, and so had Craig. I was seeing bands that were not all that great getting hyped (ex- band mates). That’s when I decided fuck this, I need to get back into the scene and form a band that I will love playing with, and a band of friends that just love music with their lives. That’s when I reached out to Sid, Craig and Jerry. Unfortunately, Jerry left the band. This made the bond between Sid, Craig and me even stronger because we realized we couldn’t take things for granted. (At least, this is what I think!)
Why did JYG decide to keep “Nicer in a minute” for free download?
We were signed to a label ‘Creative Kingdom’ who kind of fucked us over and we were deciding what to do as a band. At this time, we decided to give the people who love us and have been waiting 2 yrs for an album a little gratification. Hence, the free E.P. Our fans come first :)
Tell us something about your debut album “11:11”
The album 11:11 and E.P have been a strange journey because some of the songs were written by me a very long time ago as in the basic skeleton of songs like Say Goodbye, Please don't wake me up, Folk you, Save me and Feel like a knife. As we got older as a band there were others, which the whole band wrote together, which include Rock and Roll, Its ok, Hold, Been so long, Twinkle, Thank you, Imagine and Let you go.
Here is what each song means to me :)
Imagine: This is a about a person in my life who lived in a messed up world but never showed it. Only when I really got to know her, I found out unbelievable things about her life. People always look at you from the outside and think they know it all.
Rock and Roll: The lyrics explain themself :). It’s just about the love for music and the party.
Been so long: The music was kind of finished, but not the lyrics. I finished the song only when we went to Dubai. It questions where home is, because we are wanderers searching for a place where we feel wanted. This is true for all people.
Folk You: This is basically a stupid fun love song, which I think will fit perfectly in a Bollywood or Kollywood movie. LOL! The chorus was inspired by a Malayalam fisherman's song :)
Its ok: Lyrically, The song is about two people who wanted different things from each other. Musically, I love playing the song live because its a crowd fav.
Twinkle: This is another stupid love song basically when you’re in love and drunk at the same time. Sid and me wrote it when we were drunk one night and in love (not with each other please note)
Let you go: I think this song took the longest time to write musically. Lyrically, when I wrote the song, it really did not apply in my life at time. But it took a whole new meaning when a person I was in love with left me. Every time I sing that song, I think of her.
Thank you: This song is about being thankful for the things you have.
Feel Like a knife: Its an upbeat song about high sprits (not alcohol, although we love it… LOL!! )
Hold: This is a song we always end our set with. It’s about keeping things that are close to you safe, as in relationships in our lives.
How does the song writing process go about?
It all begins with a fight. We have to go through 6 songs we don't like till we get one we all like. There is no fixed pattern to the way we write.
By the way, the album is up for free download: http://www.gimmesound.com/JunkyardGroove/
Every time you download we get paid!!
Tell us a few of the funniest JYG moments ever?
Here are some:
Craig was on his bike with his wife and this guy kept staring at him on the road (Craig kind of got freaked). After a little more stalking, the guy slowed down next to him and said “I’m listening to you on my IPod”.
The other day Sid had gone had gone kite flying with his friends to the beach and met this bunch of school kids. They asked him what he does and he said he plays for JYG. They began laughing and said “Yeah right and I am Tom Cruise”.
As usual when my weekend comes, I need my drink (Whiskey) and the wine shops had closed. There is this after hour bootleg shop that I know, so went there to pick up my stock for the night. Suddenly this guy comes out of the dark and asks me “Can I take a picture with you?” I was kind of zapped and asked him “you know me from?” He said “you don’t know me but I’m a fan and know JYG”
This one is a bit of an old story. The band had just started out. I think we were a year old and we had just headlined NLS and were on a high. The next day we went out to eat lunch and 2 guys saw us with our guitars and asked us which band we play for? So we said JYG. Then the guy pulled out his phone and he had all our demos on his phone. They then went on to offer us weed and booze. LOL!!
It always zaps me how much reach music actually has. The songs we write are very personal and make us happy. But once we put it out there for people to listen, you realize you are not alone.
What are your views about online distribution of music?
I think it’s great that music is becoming free. That is why we realized we need to do things differently so we decided to experiment with our distribution method and joined http://www.gimmesound.com where the artists gets paid for every download. The money is shared by the site with the artists 50/50 from advertising revenue. Our CDs are still on sale because our hardcore fans like the physical CD. We do door to door cash on delivery: http://junkyardgroove.net.
Where was the best gig you guys played?
IIT Chennai and Desert Rock festival Dubai
What would you guys like to tell your fans?
Thank you so much for the support because without you, we are nothing. You guys come first. Please do download our music free. We get paid for every download. Spread the love!!
*A special thanks to Ameeth Thomas & Junkyard Groove for doing this Online Interview on such short notice. Thank you Junkyard groove for the music !!
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Reply #2 on : Sun June 21, 2009, 23:30:55