MUMBAI: Sreekant’s Surfira, a band launched by Kailash Kher, is all set to perform at the upcoming NCPA Band Baja event, to be held in Mumbai today. The band comprises of a bunch of individuals that are known to present both popular as well as traditional songs with a touch of contemporary. While Sreekant Krishnamurthy is a classically trained vocalist of the band, Manuj Dubey is on tabla and percussion, Ajinkya Jadhav takes care of bass. The other members include Rashmin Parekh, who is on the keyboard, Suryakant Sharma for drums and Cajon, Shakyamuni Pawar is the lead guitarist and Vikram Vishwakarma plays acoustic guitar, Mandolin and Saz for the band.

In an exclusive interview with Radioandmusic, lead vocalist Sreekanth talks about their upcoming performance, experimentations, future projects and mentor Kailash Kher.

Excerpts.

Tell us about the upcoming performance of your band and NCPA’s Band Baja? 

NCPA is a prestigious venue for any artist and we are really excited about the debut performance of our band there, though I had individually performed earlier. Band Baja is a very unique initiative to promote young collaborations. Since, India is a treasure trove of great music and talented musicians, the more they get such platforms, the more such music will prosper and latch on to audiences.

How has Kailash Kher contributed to your journey so far?

Work ethic is one trait that we strive to emulate from Kailash Ji. He always encourages us to be ourselves and be true to our music and work hard. We get to learn something new, every single time we interact with him both on music and life experiences. Also, while working with one of the biggest icons of Indian independent music, learning is a constant process.

How has the band evolved in past one year?

Since our launch, we had many beautiful learning experiences. We not only travelled extensively but have also performed at various prestigious venues and music festivals like the Hornbill Festival in Nagaland, Etah Mahotsav in Uttar Pradesh and the Karavali Utsava in Karnataka. As far as the team is concerned, the core team always remains constant, but we do keep experimenting and making changes based on the song and client requirement.

Can you tell us about the traditional forms you have worked on so far and the ones you are looking forward to exploring?

We started off as a band performing on Ghazals and Sufi with a contemporary touch. Thereafter, we also performed on selected Bollywood tracks as a part of our set. Being trained in Indian classical music from Padma Shri Ustad Niyaz Ahmed Khan Sahab, it was quite natural for the band to explore the elements of classical music, treated with western instrumentation. Apart from vocals, we also like to explore and use instruments like Saz, a middle-eastern instrument that gives a unique feel to our compositions. Our aim is to keep exploring and pushing our musical horizons with every performance.

India has a vast reservoir of traditional music. What is your thought on it fading?

India is truly rich in its cultural and musical heritage. There are many forms of music, including folk that has had not been handed down to generations and thus need a revival. As artists, we not only find joy but also consider it our responsibility to, both, find as well as spread awareness about these rich forms of music amongst listeners.

Are you releasing any new independent creations?

As a band, we are always working on making new music and incorporating elements of folk and classical to make our tracks sound interesting to listeners. Apart from certain government events and music festivals, we are also looking to expand our reach into the corporate environment and do more events in the coming season. We are also working on individual tracks, which we will be releasing very soon. We also urge readers to subscribe to our social media handles so that they are updated with our work.