GUITAR PLAYER WEEK: R. VENKATRAMAN (BHAYANAK MAUT)

R. Venkatraman, better known as 'Venky baba' is one of two powerful guitar players of Mumbai metal band Bhayanak Maut. Besides leading the life of a media professional, Venky's sole band has gone places and won a name for Indian metal music.

Here is an interview with the man himself. Baba se aashirvaad lena!

METAL BHARAT
Photo credits: Roycin D'souza

Full name and age.
R.Venkatraman, Age 30. Aka, all the variations of baba.


What is your favourite dish/cuisine?
Japanese. Japanese. Malvani. South Indian. Japanese.


Kindly tell us about all your precious gear! (guitars, processors, software)
ESP SC 607B(Mulder), ESP AW7(Scully). Suprisingly, both signature series guitars. The SC607B is a tank and the AW7 is a screamer! A big shoutout to Furtados for the guitars.

I use the Axe-Fx 2 for my entire guitar processing needs. A Line 6 HD500 to control the Axe-Fx onstage. Audio Technica Wireless Unit. On the computer, it’s mainly Reason 7.1 for sounds and Presonus Studio One to record.


How long have you been playing guitar?
Close to 13 years now.


What got you into playing guitar?
Failing singing.


Have you learned to read music as well, or do you just play by ear?
Not at all. It was just about developing my ear. I play mostly by feel – basically, I don’t know what I am doing.


Electric vs. acoustic. What do you prefer?
Electric, although it’s been a while since I picked up an acoustic and would like to revisit. In fact, when I started writing, it all used to originate on the acoustic.

Photo credits: Roycin D'souza

What thought goes into riff construction/is there any particular pattern you follow to make riffs? 
All it takes is a feeling and a riff pattern follows, usually played to a basic drum part on 'Reason'. Then the song writes itself. Although, it’s very frustrating when it does not. But nothing you cannot solve with some noodling or with help from your band mates.


What music projects are you currently a part of? 
Bhayanak Maut only


Do you have a day job? What is it that you do? 
I work for TBWA\INDIA as a Creative Director.


Your favourite musicians (Indian)

Guitar: Prashant Shah. Dhruv Ghanekar.
Bass: Rushad Mistry, Krishna Zhaveri
Drums: Jai Row Kavi, Lindsay D’mello.
Vocals: Siddarth Basrur.


Some of your favourite musicians (international)

Guitar: Adam Jones, Stephen Carpenter, Tom Morello, Joe Haley, Adam D, Peter Wichers, Ben Sharp. Recently discovered John Scofield and he is revelatory.
Bass: Marcus Miller, Flea.
Drums: Danny Carrey, Brann Dailor, Dirk Ververurennfhheldeben (Dirk Verbeuren), Gene Hoglan,
Vocals: Maynard James Keenan, Jesse Leech, Greg Puciato, Chino Moreno, Ben Howard
Any other instrument: Does Meshuggah qualify as an instrument?


Can we expect a release from your band(s) any time soon?
Yes. The third Bhayanak Maut full-length album will release this year. You’ll see six of the proudest musicians when it comes out.


Whom do you look up to, as a musician and a band? 
Work ethic-wise, it has to be Tool. They really don’t give a rat’s ass about anything except the music. And their sense of humor makes their approach very unique towards their music and everything that surrounds it – the art, the videos, the live shows, all give me something to look up to.


A message to all your fans (hello ladies!)
Don’t take school seriously. It will take you a lifetime to unlearn that nonsense.

Be nice because we are all in this together.

Visit Bhayanak Maut on Facebook and Reverbnation.

Bhayanak Maut
Photo credits: Satya Naren

Thanks for being a wonderful audience. Stay tuned for many more posts on a variety of things 'Indian metal' can cover. Cheers! \m/

GUITAR PLAYER WEEK: SIDHARTH KADADI (ZYGNEMA)

I've known Zygnema since I began attending gigs. My first metal gig was at Musician's Mall and these guys were playing. From then on, I knew there was something so powerful and insane about them. I've known Kadads from then too, and besides being a skilled guitar player, he's an awesome person. You better be there for Control Alt Delete: Metal or you'll miss out on some major groove riffage! An interview with none other than Zygnema's Sidharth Kadadi.

wala wala lai

Full name and age.
Sidharth Sudhir Kadadi. I am not that old. I will be turning 29 soon. (psssst! guitar picks, strings, accessories are welcome as birthday gifts)


What is your favourite dish/cuisine?
Indian, of course. Favourite dish has to be PAANI PURI. No wait, Pav bhaji. Both share the same place I guess. Hot Gulab Jamun with Vanila ice cream deserves a special mention and a place in the hall of fame.


Kindly tell us about all your precious gear! (guitars, processors, software)
Dean Dime shadow ML with DiMarzio D activators on the bridge.
Ibanez RG2EX1 with Seymour Duncan Invaders on the bridge.
Pod X3 bean, Dunlop GCB-95 wah wah, Digitech Whammy DT
Use Line6 UX1 as my audio Interface, Cubase for recording. Got shit loads of VST plugins for guitars, bass and drums.


How long have you been playing guitar?
Started when I was 18. I've been playing for 10 years.


What got you into playing guitar?
I genuinely can't remember, but a friend of mine was learning guitar and I loved the sound of an acoustic guitar. So I started off learning a few basic chords and scales from him and then enrolled for proper guitar lessons.


Have you learned to read music as well, or do you just play by ear?
I graduated from Musicians Institute in 2008 and also appeared for Trinity Grade 8. So it is mandatory to know more than basic music reading to get into any music school or to give any exams affiliated with international institutions. My teachers always taught me music theory and application. They also insisted on reading rhythms regularly if not melodies/pieces. Small ideas help A LOT and I still find time to practice sight reading. I am not GREAT at reading, but I can manage.
I do use my ear too but when you know your basic harmonizing theory, it becomes a lot easier to transcribe or to write your own stuff.


Electric vs. acoustic. What do you prefer?
Sigh! Tough call. It's guitar in the end. Love them all. But yes, acoustic guitar sounds beautiful.
I've been spending most of my time with my classical and acoustic guitar.

What thought goes into riff construction/is there any particular pattern you follow to make riffs?
Zilch. It just flows. I don't follow a particular pattern as such. But it's very important to understand the sound of that particular riff or a song. You can't just push in any chords anywhere you feel like just because it's metal music. You have to understand the voicing and tonality of a song. I also emphasize a lot on groovy riffs. Brain-drilling riffs are not my style.

What music projects are you currently a part of, besides ?
I have been trying to work on my Rock trio project for a while now, along with Aditya Kadam and Pratik Kulgod. Very mid 80s instrumental prog rock vibe like Racer X, Paul Gilbert, Vinnie Moore, Van Halen, etc,. We have two tracks and a lot more ideas flowing. We're also hoping to put out an EP this year once I am done with Zygnema's album.
The other one is purely a studio project along with Reuben from Undying Inc. We keep writing and exchanging ideas. We too have two solid tracks and they require a bit of polishing. We have no clue who will track vocals and drums on it. For now I program drums and record stuff at home and mail it to Reuben. A lot of ideas are exchanged and we restructure the parts. I'm hoping for a proper band rehearsal before we finalize and put our material out. I honestly don't know WHEN this will release, but it will happen.


Do you have a day job? What is it that you do?
I have been working with BAJAAO since 2008 as a Guitar product specialist. I also teach guitars, so yep!

Two jobs to pay the bills and to survive as a musician in this third world country.

Your favorite musicians (Indian)

Guitar: Prashant Shah
Bass: Reuben Bhattacharya
Drums: Nishant Hagjer, Mayank, Rahul, Viru etc.
Vocals: Sunneith Revankar, Bruce Mckoy


Your favourite musicians (international)

Guitar: DIMEBAG DARREL. Mattias IA Eklundh, Vogg, Paul Gilbert, Van Halen, Vinnie Moore,
Jason Becker, Marty Friedman, Guthrie Govan, Alex Skolnick, James Hetfield.
Bass: Rex Brown, Stu Ham, Steve Harris, Dick Lovgren, Les Claypool, Alex Webster, Chris Beatie, Michael Anthony
Drums: Vinnie Paul, Tomas Haake, Dave Lombardo, Vitek, Sean Reinert, Gene Hoglan, Bjorn Fryklund, Morgan Agren
Vocals: Phil Anselmo, James Hetfield, Max Cavalera, Jamey Jasta, Jens Kidman, Chuck Schuldiner, Chuck Billy, Tom Araya, Corey Taylor, Sammy Hagar, Glen Benton, Robb Flynn


Can we expect a release from your band(s) any time soon?
Zygnema's 2nd album and ROKKK trio EP hopefully by December 2014.


Whom do you look up to, as a musician and a band?
There are too many musicians and bands that inspire me. It doesn't matter if the band is established or still struggling, they all have great qualities which we learn from. I really really love, respect and look up to Mattias Eklundh simply because he is a living legend and he has no clue how crazy he is. But more importantly, he is a great and humble human being, an ideal Guru and a crazy Swedish viking with zero tolerance towards seriousness. The happiest guitar player on this planet.


A message to all your fans (hello ladies!)
Hey I am no Val Venis. The towel move thing is a little cheesy though. Skip that bit, but yes HELLO LADIES. Howdy doody!
A message to all my browskis and homies. Believe in what you do and never give up.

Catch Zygnema on Facebook or Reverbnation

Zygnema

GUITAR PLAYER WEEK: NISHITH HEGDE (ALBATROSS, REPTILIAN DEATH, DEMONIC RESURRECTION)

Nishith Hegde is the guitar player for Reptilian Death (yes, under that cloak there's a human), horror metal band Albatross and recently Demonic Resurrection. I remember this guy from back when he had a band called 'Kohram', playing around at college competitions, after which he was discovered for his immense talent.

Friendly as he is, this guitar prodigy hasn't been at it for more than four years, but he can still play practically anything you ask him to. Like, this dude will go all, 'Betcha can't play this' and all, like in this video:


He also looks South American sometimes. Nonetheless, he's young and he's doing some insane things with his instrument. Lets get to know this guy a little more.

Full name and age.
Nishith Hegde, 19


What is your favourite dish/cuisine?
Korri Rutti. Which means Chicken Curry with Rice Wafers.


Kindly tell us about all your precious gear! (guitars, processors, etc.,.)
I own an ESP GUS 200 as well as an Alex Wade signature model, the AW 7
Processor: Line 6 Pod X3 live


How long have you been playing guitar?
3 and half years now


What got you into playing guitar?
Well, my dad bought me a guitar on my birthday and I never thought I would ever play or do this professionally, but I did not realize, I loved it sooo much that I just couldn't put it down since.


Have you learned to read music as well, or do you just play by ear?
No, I haven’t learnt to read music. I just play by ear.


Electric vs. acoustic. What do you prefer?
Acoustic.


What thought goes into riff construction/is there any particular pattern you follow to make riffs?
Well, you know you’ve composed a good riff if you remember it or if it gets stuck in your head. I normally don’t really care about what people think of what I have written. If I like it, it stays.

What music projects are you currently a part of?
I play for Albatross, Demonic Resurrection and Reptilian Death.


Do you have a day job? What is it that you do? 
Yes I do. I work at Furtados Music as a Sales executive.


Your favourite musicians (Indian)

Guitar: Dhruv Ghanekar
Bass: Ashwin Shriyan
Drums: Viru, Gino Banks
Vocals: Biprorshee Das, Sunny, Vinay (BM)


Your favourite musicians (international)

Guitar: Andy James, Jeff Loomis, Marty Freidman
Bass: Evan Brewer
Drums: Alex Rudinger
Vocals: Warrel Dane


Can we expect a release from your band(s) any time soon?
Yes you can. We (Albatross) have been working on our new record “ Fear from the Skies” and hope to release it some time soon this year.
And of course, Demonic Resurrection will be releasing album titled 'The Demon King' as well.


Whom do you look up to, as a musician and a band? 
Sahil Makhija. Well, I first saw him at Palm Expo 2012, and I always wondered what it would be like to know this guy. To me he was someone who had done loads for the metal scene in India and of course was a great inspiration.


A message to all your fans (hello ladies!)
Thanks first and foremost! It would not have been possible without you guys. I really appreciate the support you’ve shown over the past few years and I hope you will continue to do so. Cheers and Stay heavy!

Go visit Reptilian Death on Facebook or Soundcloud
Albatross on Facebook or Soundcloud
Demonic Resurrection on Facebook and Soundcloud


Hit like to Metalsphere or subscribe to the blog here or to ME on Facebook for frequent updates.

More guitar players coming your way. \m/

GUITAR PLAYER WEEK: ADHIRAJ SINGH (NOISEWARE)

This trollface is guitar player of Pune progressive band Noiseware, Mr. Adhiraj Singh. I've been seeing Noiseware for a few years now and I'm proud to say I grew up with this generation of evolving musicians. Also producer and all those/this/that titles at Refractor studios (Refractor being the name of his solo project as well) Adhiraj is a good guitar player/composer/videographer and all that.

I love this interview for the honest and detailed answers. He's a kind and interesting musician.

Noiseware will be playing alongside other metal giants at the Metal Ctrl Alt Del, so make sure to catch them if you are in Bombay.

Full name and age. :) 
Adhiraj Singh, 23


What is your favourite dish/cuisine?
I’ll go with cuisine and for me, nothing like some well made spicy North Indian food!


Kindly tell us about all your precious gear! (guitars, processors, software)
I’ll go in part –

Guitar: Schecter C8 Hellraiser. I still have my old B.C Rich 6 String Warlock lying around, but I haven’t taken it out in forever and it probably has fungus growing on the fretboard, haha.

Processors: Fractal Audio Axe-Fx II & Line 6 Pod XT Live. I primarily use the Axe-Fx both in studio as well as live, but me switching to the Pod XT live when carrying the Axe-Fx doesn’t make logistical sense. Eitherway, I also use the XTL as a MIDI controller for the Axe-Fx, so it’s a keeper.

Software/Others: This could be a fairly long-boring list, since I have a studio setup, so I’ll mention some main stuff I use – Cubase, sE Munro Eggs, stuff from Shure, RME, Behringer, Beyerdynamic, AKG.


How long have you been playing guitar?
I started tinkering with it when I was about 14, so that’s collectively about 9-10 years. However, I started playing a little more seriously only when I was about 17-18 or so.


What got you into playing guitar?
That’s a tough one. I was always enamored by any musical instrument for as long as I remember. I started with some silly Casio mini keyboard when I was really young. Then, I had a short stint with the flute when I was a little older. Then it was drums, which started with pencils on the school desks and ended at playing a single show in school, haha. My parents refused to get me a kit, because they thought it was too big and it would make a ton of noise(they were right, weren’t they?), so guitar it was!


Have you learned to read music as well, or do you just play by ear?
Nah, all by ear it is. When I started learning guitar, I went to classes for about a month and there was a lotta theory being taught, but I just wanted to play; so I quit and just learnt on my own. I think both approaches are great and people should go wherever they are most comfortable.


Electric vs. acoustic. What do you prefer?
Both in absolute equality. I think I spend pretty much equal time with both instruments. Just the context changes.

What thought goes into riff construction/is there any particular pattern you follow to make riffs? 
None at all. I think a lot of my ideas(for Noiseware), start with drums unfortunately(since I’m a failed drummer). I’ll mostly be trying to write some grooves I like. The other times, it’ll start with something super basic as a chord shape or a sound that I like and build from there. Since I don’t know theory, I keep trying out new/random shapes on the guitar, or some interesting sounds on the computer and try to replicate stuff in my head. But it’s always something very basic which kicks it off.


What music projects are you currently a part of, besides Noiseware?
All the projects I’ve produced! Haha kidding. I’m involved as a bass player for Lotus, co-write some of Anand Bhaskar’s music, write stuff which is commercially inclined(jingles/sound design etc) and when I’m bored, I make random solo music under Refractor.


Do you have a day job? What is it that you do? 
I have a company called Refractor and we are sort of a small production house. We produce audio as well as visual content for all kinds of mediums(you name it!). I guess if you had to put a title to what I do, it’d be Audio Engineer/Producer/Videographer. We also do some small other things here and there as well..whatever sparks any active interest.


Your favourite musicians (Indian)
This entire section will be off the top of my head.
Guitar: Pra & Akshay, Keshav Dhar, Devesh & Arman, Biz, Nikhil Singh, Dhruv Vishvanath

Bass: Reuben Bhattacharya, Krishna Jhaveri, Rushad Mistry, Mohini Dey

Drums: Nishant Hagjer, Gautam, Rahul Hariharan, Gino Banks, Mayank, Jai Row Kavi

Vocals: Shashank, Vishwesh, Siddharth Basrur, Sunny

Any other instrument: My broducer bros – Anupam, Keshav, Kuber, Nikhil. That apart, Dualist Inquiry, Ox7gen.


Your favourite musicians (international)

Guitar: Wes Borland, Tom DeLonge, Andy Mckee, Jon Gomm, Cloudkicker (Ben Sharp), Misha Mansoor, John Butler, Tosin Abasi, Drew Goddard, Ben Weinman

Bass: Jon Stockman, Nolly(prolly for his guitar skills as well!), Mark Hoppus, Amos Williams

Drums: Steve Judd, Thomas Haake, Matt Halpern, Travis Barker, Jay Postones, John Otto

Vocals: Ian Kenny, Phil Bozeman, Spencer Sotelo, Corey Taylor, Myles Kennedy

Any other instrument: This would be a long list haha! Lotta engineers/producers/Film Composers –
Tycho, Seven Lions, The Album Leaf/Jimmy LaValle, Telefon Tel Aviv, Mychael Danna, Ramin Djawadi, Hans Zimmer, James Newton Howard, BT, Nolly, Mark Lewis, Andy Sneap, Chris Lord Alge, Rick Rubin, Ross Robinson, Forrester Savell, Taylor Larson, David Bendeth……..okay I’m gonna stop. This list list will never end hahaha!


Can we expect a release from your band(s) any time soon?
I prefer to avoid awkward questions like these. Haha! On serious note, this year. Yes. I know we’ve been saying that every year. This year.


Whom do you look up to, as a musician and a band? 
I guess I’ll speak for myself. All the people I mentioned above! I’m inspired a lot by lot of people related to film making as well, who are truly inspiring in every sense – Roger Deakins, Wally Pfister, Salomon Lighthelm, Chris Nolan, Tarantino, Guy Ritchie, Vince Gilligan, Charly friedrichs.


A message to all your fans (hello ladies!)
The album is happening. I promise. Thank you for sticking by!

Ladies? Hi Pratika. Kashi ahes Manasi Tai(Am I saying it right?). Okay bye.

Photo credits: Vijay Kate

Visit Noiseware on Facebook and Soundcloud

Visit the Refractor Studios page. 

If you haven't checked this out yet, please do. Fucking insane!