When you put the two words close together – Hoodoo Gas – it’s no longer just reminiscent of voodoo, but more like the Kannada word for boys. At least that’s the light bulb moment we experience after hearing vocalist-guitarist Ananth Menon dissect the blues rock band’s name for us. The Bangalore band is a super-group of sorts – including Menon from Galeej Gurus, bluesman, harp and harmonica player Vasudev Prabhu (formerly of blues veterans Chronic Blues Circus), blues guitarist Arjun Chandran, bassist Snehal Pinto (who plays keyboards for Galeej Gurus) and drummer Deepak Raghu (from metal bands such as Bevar Sea, Dying Embrace, Shepherd and alt rock band Mad Orange Fireworks).Hoodoo Gas started gigging last year and are currently plotting an EP release in the next few months, according to Menon.
The story behind the band
Menon says, “Sometime in 2011 or ‘12, Dev (Prabhu) and I were talking about electrifying our little project (Menon and Prabhu are also part of two-piece acoustic blues band By2 Blues). The more we thought about it, the more exciting it seemed, and not just in a blues space alone. Before we knew it, it had a name.
You guys play music because
Menon says Hoodoo Gas is an attempt to branch out. Menon adds, “Galeej Gurus was great fun, and at some point, the sound sort of coalesced, and stayed there. It’s a great sound, and lord knows I've had a blast with it. The Chronic Blues Circus is similar, in that they’re in a certain comfortable space that is lovely. I was just trying my hand at other things, like with (blues/psychedelic rock band) Parachute XVI, flexing my music muscles, if you will.”
You’ll still remember the time when
Says Menon: “I played with Galeej for 13 years, and a fair many years with Chronic, and I am actually just relishing this feeling of beginning something again. There are endless possibilities.”
The toughest part about being a young band
“We just want to play man, and hopefully never get stuck in a rut, or, more importantly, learn to pull out of ruts together. I'm sure we can find places that'll take us, as long as we can keep making new music. New bands have it hard everywhere, there’s not much of a shortcut to experience,” says Menon.
The story behind the name
Menon says the name Hoodoo Gas was party inspired by voodoo.
The frontman adds, “Voodoo was actually one of the early drafts for the name. Dev and I were knocking names around, and we eventually landed on Hoodoo Gas. It’s nice that it means something like ‘boys’ in Kannada.”
Musicians that inspire you
Inspired by classic blues and blues rock, Menon says, “We started out thinking along the lines of the old harmonica guys and a straight blues direction, and I suppose it’s safe to say we're heading towards blues-rocky territory, but I can't be sure eventually what kind of sound we'll eventually arrive at.”
Compositions over covers
Says Menon, “I think every band should aim at being able to pull off a, say, three hour set of just their own music. After that, it's up to them how they handle gigs.
I come from the school that says 60 per cent own songs and 40 per cent covers, but I will only really be happy when we can do a full show of just our stuff.”
Follow Hoodoo Gas on >Facebook.com/HoodooGas
