And the rest is history…complete your story.
Witchouse was formed sometime in April 2012 when Arunava (vocalist) and Shounak (guitarist) got to meet in Chennai through a common friend. A few jam sessions together and the two produced a unique sound that was Influenced by the conflicting, yet fitting musical tastes of the duo. Neither of the two was serious about forming a band then, but eventually things changed. Koushik, a college friend of Shounak took up the bass to fill in the empty spot of the bass player and Arghya, the senior most amongst the four was roped in as the drummer.
All four of us were working in Chennai. There were a few confusions regarding the name of the band, but finally settled with “Witchouse”.
There is no particular reason why we are called Witchouse, but then a young guy’s life outside home can be as messy as a Witch’s house. So the name is a reflection of the lives of people like us. There is no connection to the dub step genre ‘Witchhouse’.
After 1st few gigs In October, Arghya had to leave the band due to time management issues and the local lad Ramkumar, a young engineering student, replaced him as the drummer. He fitted perfectly to the 4 piece rock n’ roll outfit and since then Witchouse has been going good and steady as a band.
What do you play?
Our original compositions have the touch and glamour of 70’s and 80’s rock n roll as well as the power and energy of contemporary metal and alternative rock. We try our best to blend these two, keeping in mind about the originality of the sound.
So any influences?
We are individually influenced by many musicians like Led Zeppelin, Dream Theater, The Beatles, Steely Dan, Tower of Power, Alterbridge, Jimi Hendrix, Cream, Mohiner Ghoraguli, Mozart, Beethoven, Arctic Monkeys, Nirvana, Foo Fighters, RHCP, Lamb of God, John Petrucci, Jet, Mutemath and many more
Tell us some of your achievements.
• One of the 16 semi-finalists in Chennai Band Hunt 3 organised by Chennai Live 104.8 FM.
• One of the 6 finalists in the IIM-B Cultural Unmaad (2013). The drummer, the vocalist and the band got a special mention from the judge, Mr Bruce Lee Mani, the eminent guitarist of TAAQ.
About your performances outside city :
• Performance in IIMB Cultural Fest Unmaad (2013) in Bangalore.
• Design Art Music Fest (DAM) 2013 organised by Inklink Collective Unschool in Pondicherry.
About some important performances :
•Design Art Music Fest (DAM) 2013 organised by Inklink Collective Unschool in Pondicherry alongside Grey Shack and Sean Roldan & Friends.
•IIMB Cultural Fest Unmaad (2013) in Bangalore.
•Unseen Underground 2012 New Year Bash Ragnarok 12 @ Geoffrey’s Pub, Chennai alongside Heretic, Dystopia and others.
•Indo- German Mela 2012, Chennai at YMCA Grounds, Chennai alongside Tails on Fire and Ghostnote.
•Live 101 @ Unwind Center, Chennai alongside Grey Shack, Shakey Rays and others.
What’s your USP?
Though Witchouse is known as a Modern Rock and Roll band, we don’t like to stick to any particular genre of music. So an old school rock fan would find his song along with a metalhead or an indie rock or pop fan. This “genre-busting” quality of the music of Witchouse is certainly something that we would like to emphasise. One more striking thing in the band is the chemistry between us and the fact that we are not just musicians playing in a band but good friends as well
Any individual achievement of any band member?
Arunava Chaki(Vocalist)- Best vocalist in inter corporate cultural RED, Former Mood indigo runner up, Eastern zone winner in Channel V Launchpad, Winner of Asian beats and other band competitions.
Ramkumar (Drummer)-Passed all the grades till 8 from Trinity College of London, Passed Grade 8 with distinction and got one of the top ranks in India.
Shounak Chakraborty (Guitarist)- Passed all the grades till grade 7 in Violin from Associated Board of Royal Schools of Music London, Passed Grade 7 with distinction, Runners up in Asian Beats.
Nicky Sharma is the Founder of Unseen Underground, an event management, artist promotion, booking and artist management venture
