They are a line up of college guys, who have made some whacky music. Ghostnote is an experimental, alternative Rock band that's just five months old. But that hasn't stopped them from winning acclaim at a lot of college fests— they have about ten wins down their scroll with Vel's Naksahtra, LIBA's Chrysalis, MIT's Mitafest, CEG's Techofest, MCC's Deepwoods and SRM's Milan to name a few.
Consisting of Rameez Khan (Rak) on the vocals, Mohammed Sameer on lead guitar, Joshua Menon on bass guitar, George Vijay on keys/backing vocals and Jesshelle David on drums, they are set to make a big impression in the city's music scene.
What is the story behind the making of Ghostnote?
It was through mutual friendship that Ghostnote came about. George knew Jesshelle and he brought in Joshua. We were six in number when we started but that somehow did not click. While looking for a vocalist through FB we found Rameez. Now, we are a five piece band and this seems to work really well for us. After the new line up the way we sound has changed; we are getting better!
Ghostnote? What does that mean?
It actually means nothing. We had a gig to be at and the previous night we came up with this. We want to change but have established ourselves. The name doesn't really matter; it's all about the music.
With so many bands in Chennai and around the world, what makes Ghostnote unique?
Our bass lines are very different; Rameez's voice and the harmony that is clubbed in by George. Every song of ours has a different vibe to it, no similarities whatsoever. Our music is anything but being confined!
Can you tell us something about your songs?
We only perform about four to five songs now, most of which were created during the graveyard-shift, Jesshelle and Sameer used to write; now it's Rak.
Vagabond- as a band we are all Vagabonds! This song has a gospel twist to it and is called 'Soldier of God'.
Living it up - It is a short, groovy, trippy song.
Cruel Lover – ‘Oh, baby you think its funny?' This is about Joshua's ex-girlfriend. This one tops the chart, the most loved by our audience.
Staring at the Sun- This came out from utter randomness, while jamming.
Final Call – Inspired by Prince of Persia and while Rameez and Sameer were listen to some trippy songs this one came about.
One Life – Dedicated to one of our besties, who recently passed away. He was with us when we framed the song; this was his favourite, his ring tone.
P.S. Rohin Sheth we miss you!
What is your take on weed and alcohol, with most people assuming this to be the reason behind every band's energy on stage?
We are clean on stage and our energy revolves around how energetic the crowd is.
You guys have faced a few mishaps on stage, how do you handle them off stage?
Every show has a learning that we take home with us. Setting the sounds on stage has been a challenge and we're working on it. Though two of our shows have been the worst of the lot, we still have a hard laugh about them. WCC was where Sameer's guitar strings broke, he jumped off staged and went around asking for a guitar, the rest of us were having a good time on stage because it was so funny. Our Bass man, Josh has always wanted himself to be heard the most, this caused the buzz at Saarang, which was only audible on stage, though this seems like luck, it made hearing what we played difficult.
Which band would you consider as competition?
According to us, all bands have potential, so when we go for contests we don't really check on who is going to be there. Because at the end of the day it all depends on how good they are on stage. Winning never actually is our criteria; we consider these competitions as a platform where people can hear and enjoy us. The only thing we look forward to is coming off stage happy and satisfied.
What are the problems that bands face in general nowadays?
Money is one of the things; to fund our jamming sessions, conveyance and the like. Then, sound. People need to learn about this because bad sound results in bad music. And finally, the crowd. When we don't really have people listening to us, who would we perform for? Not always do we find large numbers who actually like the genre of Rock.
What are your jamming sessions like?
We all have so many different influences and this is a definite advantage. If you look into the plans at the start and what we have after we are done, you would say, ‘Where did that come from?'
Ghostnote's plans for the year...
We want to record our songs soon and put it online. We want more people to listen to us.
Check them out at:
www.facebook.com/GhostNote. Interactive
Band bytes
Each of you in a word …: George – Funniest; Sameer – Coolest; Jesshelle – Mischievous; Joshua – Chick magnet; Rameez – Surprise
After a win: Split the cash prize!
Influences: Mr. Big, Audio Slave, Chickenfoot, Alter Bridge, John Mayer and Dream Theatre.
Most favourite and worst show : MIT and LIBA – double victory on the same day.
WCC's Festeve – Electrics
Hangout: 24 hours Sambar Sadam Kadai, Al Najeeb.
Favourite song (own composition): Cruel Lover
Most used word (as a band): Killer!
Lucky charm : Public transport! We've won every time we've used it and Gerard (our self-claimed Band Manager)
Treasured compliment: Our mentor and sounds manager, Clifford Rozario, he speaks the language of perfection, even the smallest of errors on staged are recognised and they stand corrected, he never lets us get carried away.
Divya is a I Year MA Communication student at Madras Christian College.
