Bamboo Shoots – The Interview

1.Though most of us know about it but still tell us something about “Bamboo Shoots”

We are a four friends who like to play music together.  The music we make has taken us on many adventures all over the world.  Some really fun, some really horrible, but all really worthwhile.  Through all the crazy experiences, we’ve grown together.   And as we do, our music grows with us.

2.“4 brown skinned guys making it to the top in US” How does it feel to hear that statement?

I understand that it’s supposed to feel great.  But I’ve heard it so much at this point that I don’t feel anything.  I’m just into making music, writing songs, doing my thing.  I mean, yes we are brown.  I think it’s been interesting, from a cultural viewpoint, to look at our story and see how it fits into a larger picture of the diaspora and so on… Someday when I’m old, I’ll stop and think about it.  But for now, all that stuff just makes me feel too self-conscious.  I just get excited about good music, but I’m happy to let everyone else get excited about everything else.

3.When was the band was formed, and how difficult was it to put everything together for a professional music career?

The band was formed in 2004, which seems like a lifetime ago!  It was pretty tough to find the right group of people that took a long time.  Becoming a professional musician also means letting go of other professional careers, which we all did.  That might be the most difficult part, coming from where we were coming from.  We were expected to become doctors, lawyers, bankers.  Saying no to all that security can be nerve wracking for us, and even more so for our parents.

4.When did you guys finally decide to take it seriously?

I think it’s more about when other people finally decided to take us seriously.  I’ve been taking myself seriously since I was 5.  My mom recently reminded me that I wrote a song called “Black Car” about my toy car that was the best song ever as far as I was concerned.  But I’ve always been a big deal in my own head, I’m just thankful that a few media outlets are starting to agree.

5.When did you last perform in India and when do you plan to come here next? Any special memories?

We toured there in 2008.  There were so many special memories.  I mean, Shiv had just gotten married so that was special.  I got to bring all my Dad’s extended family out to see us in Kolkata and that was really fun.  They had never really been to a rock show before.  And then just taking the train between Mumbai and Delhi was amazing, eating the train food, and conversing with other passengers.  We played the opening night of Kyra in Bangalore, which was an honor.  In a nutshell, good times.  We would love to tour there again, it’s just a question of logistics and money.  When will we have time, and when can we get the sponsorship to bring us back over there.

6.The band’s journey has already been compared with the bollywood movie “Rock On”. Was the journey truly so dramatic? :D

I don’t think any of us have actually seen the movie, so I can’t say for sure.  But I can tell you our journey has been pretty fucking epic, no pun intended.

7.Winning the MTV contest, getting signed with Epic- You guys feeling lucky?

This probably sounds arrogant, but the results came because the work had been put in.  In a sense we are very lucky.  But luck is more about preparation, and constantly taking risks.  You have to be ready for luck to strike, and that’s why most people miss their lucky breaks.  We were ready to catch ours.  I know that sounds circular but it’s true.  So my philosophy is don’t get caught up in the results, but rather stay focused on the methods that got you there.

8.Tell us something about some of the epic moments.

Um, how graphic do you want to get?  You meet a lot of interesting people on the road… There’s just been so many surreal things.  Being on billboards, acting a fool on reality TV.  And having your mom watch.  But then there are more private epic moments, like holding your debut record in your hand.  Meeting amazing fans in a city you’ve never been to.  Getting to work with some really creative, inspiring people who give you wisdom.  Traveling around America in a van, realizing it’s a huge, amazing world that has so many little stories waiting to be heard.

9.What’s next? How do you guys plan to make it bigger?

Right now we are writing.  We’ve been on tour basically non-stop since October 2009 so we feel like now is a good time to step back and see where we are at musically.  I am feeling very antsy.  I just want to look forward right now and ignore the past.  As far as making it bigger, that’s not really a concern of mine.  I want to make it better.

10.Few words for the Indian audience?

You guys mean a lot to us.  We love you guys.