They sprung into the music circuit last year and in the short span of time, have become a band of reckoning. No big surprise considering that all the band members were erstwhile members of the largely popular Junkyard Groove. But The Captains of Hook are no more just a breakaway band; they have arrived.
In the city to perform at Hard Rock Cafe, vocalist/guitarist Siddharth Srinivasan gets talking about his tryst with the Hook.
“We started off in August last year. I had come back from the UK after pursuing Masters in music management. I wanted to continue with music and that’s when Craig (Maxworth) and I got together. Once we started, we roped in Hudstin (Fernandez) too and we were good to go,” begins Siddharth. With him providing vocals to Craig’s bass and Hudstin’s drumming, the trio are a perfect hand-to glove fit. “Since we all played together before, we got along just fine and had a lot of material from our previous jam sessions. As we kept playing, we began focusing on music festivals and shows and so on, expanding to a larger circuit and avoiding smaller places. We have so far headlined two music festivals, including Escape, and of course Hard Rock Cafe.”
Despite the fact that all three of the band members came from the same band, The Captains of Hook have created a sound unique to them, not borrowed or reminiscent of their previous outfit.
“It was natural for a lot of people to expect us to sound similar to Junkyard, and when we started the Hook, we did have to face a lot of criticism. But we dealt with it graciously and evolved our own personal taste. We have a strong British pop-American rock influence that comes from bands like Arctic Monkeys, The Strokes, Crash and the likes. The Brit influence comes from Craig while I’m more American rock. Hudstin on the other hand is more into progressive rock.”
So far the band have put up videos of their live demos and jam sessions on Youtube. But the 26-year old says there’s more where that came from. “We actually have an album’s worth of music ready. But the live demos were all we could afford. We’re hoping that we’ll be able to get things going soon. We’re also in this transitional state and we’re tinkering with our music. But I think we’ll be able to musically articulate better in a few months. There is a lot changing. In a way, I believe we’ve hit saturation, like a writer’s block.”
So does he see them becoming Youtube sensations anytime soon?
“From my experience, I think Indian musicians playing something closer to home, like classical or tribal, will probably be better received. Look at 'Kolaveri Di'. Indians playing western music isn’t exactly a novelty. Even when I was in the UK, people would ask to listen to something that’s quintessentially Indian.”
Ultimately, he points out, it’s the perspective. “As a musician, you need to know how to market yourself. There is a method to the madness. And with the independent music market opening up in India, we have a long way to go to before it becomes a financially viable option.”
The Captains of Hook will be performing tonight at Hard Rock Cafe from 9 pm onwards.