BENGALURU: A barrage of acts, ranging from pop to electronica, has been witnessing a boost in the Bengaluru music scene. But an arena that has been taken over by diverse acts over the years, and still continues to enjoy widespread admiration is rock music. Bengaluru’s very own rock outfit, D’s Kitchen, a five-piece rock troop, is one of those who remain true to their genre.
Started in 2014, the band has a knack for producing exuberant sounds and crunchy guitar solos with a side of melody. Their five-man line-up features a bunch of 26-year-olds – Rohit Kamath, Vaibhav Kumar and Nipun Narayan – on vocals, guitar and bass, respectively, with Narsim Shenoy (24) on guitar and Madhusudhan Raman (25) on drums. With two albums to their name, their upcoming four-song EP, titled Rehab, portrays rock with a creative element. Rehab will be out soon, with music videos lined up for release over the coming weeks.
Earlier this month, the band had released music videos of the title track, Rehab and Believe, which showcased their journey. It all started for the group when Raman met Kumar in their college days. When the search for a vocalist began, Raman turned to his old schoolmate Kamath. After changes in line-up, guitar duties were shared by Shenoy, who was a known acquaintance, while bass was taken up by another old friend, Narayan. All of them except Kamath – an engineering graduate who is into music full time now –are pursuing other jobs as well. While Kumar, who dropped out of his engineering course, also spends time curating content, Shenoy and Raman are architects at private firms. Narayan is a passionate brewer.
When asked about how the name came about, Raman recalls, “When we first came together, our initial bass player would listen to a jazz track called D’s Living Room by Frank Gambale and he suggested the name D’s Kitchen out of the blue, which we agreed upon immediately.” Writing originals has always been a priority for the band, and playing covers is a rarity. Influenced by bands like Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Queens of the Stone Age, they found their neutral ground with rock. “All of us listen to different music that each of us might not necessarily like, but rock has been something we have always agreed upon without a doubt,” says Kumar.
The band strongly believes that the jam room is where all ideas come to life in a more structured manner. Writing music is a collective effort that comes along while jamming, and is further shaped into the piece they seek. “We create songs only when all of us are together in the jam room. Guitar riffs are brought together and a new song follows,” says Kamath.
Each track aims to tell a different story and the band has enjoyed positive reviews of their recent projects. “Putting out different content for the audience is always a plus as explore further. We, as a band, have always backed each other on our ideas,” says Narayan.The team is now gearing up to take their music on the road, with shows planned for the latter half of this month.
Brewing up ideas
The band strongly believes that the jam room is where all ideas come to life in a more structured manner. Writing music is a collective effort that comes along while jamming, and is further shaped into the piece they seek.