Interview – RUDRA

April 14, 2010 | Posted in: News

Remy Fan (RF): Gents, thank you very much for taking time out for this interview. I would like you to introduce yourselves.

Kathir (K): Hi, I am Kathir the bassist and vocalist of Rudra.

Vinod (V): Hi, I am Vinod the guitar player of Rudra.

RF: I would like to start off the interview with a simple question. What are your personal influences for your music? Let’s start with you Vinod.

V: The main thing about guitar playing for me is it’s all about the “solos”. Some of my heros would definitely be Kirk Hammett (from Metallica) and Marty Friedman (from Megadeth). I started out naturally with Metallica.

K: For me it was Metallica as my last influence, or rather the band that least influenced me. In fact, I dislike the band very much. *laughs

K: My influences include Slayer, Death, early Sepultura and early Kreator. As far as my bass playing goes, I really have to take my hat off to Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue. I know it sounds pretty strange, from the fact that I am playing in a Death Metal band but Nikki Sixx is the first reason why I picked up the Bass.

R: No Way! *Laughs

K: The second personality that has influenced and inspired me greatly would most definitely be Tom Araya of Slayer. Finally, Steve DiGiorgio from Sadus. Until today, I respect that man as the best metal bass player in the scene. Finally, the great John Paul Jones (from Led Zeppelin).

R: I’m sure this is not a coincidence, but Vinod, I see that you are wearing a Led Zeppelin T-shirt today. Can I safely confirm that you are a ‘Zep Boy” as well?

V: Most definitely. *smiles * I got all their albums.

R: How did the 2 of you meet? I understand that Vinod is a new addition to the band.

V: I’ve been a fan of Rudra for a while and I met Kathir when I was playing in an old band of mine called Narashima. The band was doing a recording for a 2 track demo sometime in 2001. Through word of mouth, Kathir heard about the recording and he turned up and watch the session. To be honest, I was quite afraid when I met Kathir for the first time.

R: Afraid?

V: Cos’ he (Kathir) looks really aggressive and fierce on stage with the bass on and gave me that “impression”. But after chatting with him, Kathir turned out to be a very down-to-earth person and real cool guy all round.

K: I was quite impressed and really liked Vinod’s (guitar) playing during the recording session. He came as a lightning replacement for Selvam (ex-guitar player of Rudra).

R: So now, we know that Vinod is a replacement for Selvam. Please tell us a little bit more about Kannan’s (ex-guitar player of Rudra) replacement – Devan.

K: I got to know Devan before I knew Vinod through a mutual acquaintance and am also impressed by Devan’s approach to song writing. When Kannan told us that he had to leave the band for his family and career commitment in Perth, Australia… Devan was the perfect match for this missing link.

R: How big was the impact to Rudra when Kannan decided to leave?

K: The impact was enormous. Kannan has been in the band for a long time and the band had plans and dreams in the long run. Those plans and dreams have almost been completely destroyed by his departure.

R: The impact was THAT huge?

K: To be honest, I was very disappointed by Kannan’s decision. We never knew of his intention before he made that choice and it has certainly made the band go through a very difficult period. Imagine finding a replacement for someone who was in the band for so many years! We had to find a replacement, and fast. Devan came in as the perfect fit for the missing puzzle. Nonetheless, we sincerely wish Kannan well in all his future endeavors.

R: Kannan is my closest contact in Rudra back when he was a member and we still remain friends. I am sure it was a difficult choice for him to make as well.

K: Speaking of friends, I think it is very important to know a person as a friend before I can decide if he fits into the band (or not). The good thing is that 3 of the current Rudra band members live in the same neighbourhood (Woodlands – northern part of Singapore) and we would hang out for drinks and meals as friends even before they (Devan and Vinod) became part of Rudra.

R: Sounds like the fourof you are going to be sticking around for a while. Now we know the reason on Kannan’s departure, what about Selvam’s?

K: Unlike Kannan, Selvam’s depature was not his choice but the band’s. We gave him the boot.

R: That’s harsh! What he did he do to deserve this?

K: We have not openly shared this but I think it’s high time that the community should know about this. We have had issues with Selvam’s commitment to the band and it has been an ongoing issue for the last 2 years before we finally made the decision. The band has had to put up with his issues and we are tired of dealing with it time and time again. His attitude has severely compromised the band.

Being in a band is like being in a family where you have the same vision and commitment. No members should let the rest feel that there is there is a difference in goals and vision for the band.

R: I totally agree. That is one of the most unfortunate explanations in the short-lived lifespans of some really good bands.

K: Dave Mustaine (from Megadeth) once said that “playing in a band is the next closest thing that four guys can have, without having sex”.

R: * Laughs*

K: It’s a beautiful quote and fully agree that he is right. When you are in the studio and you make time for the band – it’s “four guys with a common vision and goal”.

If even one of us no longer shared the communal vision and goal – the band would no longer be the same band it once was.

This is how I would describe the case of Selvam. It was a difficult period for Rudra – he was in the band for almost a decade. It was a big impact on us, the ground was very shaky and we needed to find a replacement that we knew personally knew as a friend, and fortunately Vinod came into the picture. He is now a permanent member of Rudra.

R: One last question pertaining to Selvam before we move on, what triggered this decision in making him leave? Who broke the news to him and how did he react to it?

K: I was the one who broke the news to him and he was so disappointed that he isn’t even on talking terms with us now. We were scheduled for a photo shoot, early one Sunday morning in a forested area of Singapore. The timing was very crucial, as we needed to capture the moment of the sunrise. All of us were there at the scheduled time and the next thing we knew – Selvam didn’t turn up. The worse part is that we could not even reach him on the phone all morning.

V: On that early Sunday morning, Shiva (drummer of Rudra) had just touched down after his long flight from India . He made it on time. I am sure you can imagine how tired he was.

R: So even Shiva was on time, in spite of his early touch down, you must have been very disappointed and upset with Selvam?

K: of course! When we found out that the reason for his absence was due to the fact that he had overslept after a night of partying – we told ourselves “enough is enough”. We made a choice there and then. He had to leave.

R: So that’s it?

K: Yes. I am not saying who’s right or wrong. What I am saying is that “we have different priorities and there’s no point carrying on if there isn’t a shared vision”.

R: Did Rudra get to do the “Sunrise” photo shoot eventually?

K: Yes, Vinod quickly agreed to join the band and got the photo shoot done in the next few days.

R: Vinod, the lightning replacement indeed!

K+V: * Laughs*

R: Thank you for taking part in Trippy Factory’s Black Revelation 2010. Please share your thoughts about Trippy Factory and what your first impressions are of the team?

K: We have heard of yourself and Trippy Factory a long time ago, even before you had to leave for your studies in Australia in 2001.

Albeit our limited interaction, we were very impressed with what Trippy Factory had done, especially for Impiety’s Kaos Kommand 696 album launch in 2002. We are very pleased to be invited to take part in Trippy Factory’s production as we feel that we are working with an organizer with the reputation, the passion, the skills and the professionalism that is required.

R: Thank you very much. I hope I can live up to it. Vinod, your thoughts please?

V: I was impressed with the shows that Trippy Factory has organized. Your gigs always have a good turnout, and the bands chosen to play are always interesting and intense.

I have also always wanted to take part in Trippy Factory’s productions. Like Kathir, I am excited and am looking forward to next week’s gig.

R: Thank you both for your compliments. Once again, I really hope I can live up to it and deliver a great show on the 17th of April.

However, I must give you two (and the readers of this interview) a heads up: April 2010 is a very unfortunate month for metal gig organizers, as there are too many shows happening in the same month. Misery Index played last night (9th of April), Lamb of God (15th of April) and Defiled is returning to Singapore on the 30th of April.

As such, I suspect that the turnout will be compromised. But no looking back, the show will go on. This is our commitment to all participating bands for Black Revelation.

K: That’s good. As usual, you can be assured that Rudra will give it’s best for the show. When we are on stage, we are on fire.

R: “When we are on stage, we are on fire!” I like that quote very much! How long have the two of you been doing this (playing metal music)?

K: Nineteen years for me.

V: Twelve years.

R: Altogether thirty years worth of experience and strong passion for metal music! What are the things that kept the two of you going?

K: Firstly it’s of course the passion and love for metal music. Let me rephrase that – It’s the love of Rock music, as Metal is a subset of Rock.

I must say that we are very fortunate to be living in a country like Singapore. It’s unlike Malaysia or Indonesia or any other country where metal music is being banned.

Trippy Factory considers itself very fortunate to be based in a country such as Singapore, where we are still able to organize Metal shows without facing the obstacles our fellow organizers in neighbouring countries must contend with.

R: This is one of the most positive outlooks and comments I have heard in years!

K: It’s truly a blessing for us that we are allowed to play Metal in Singapore. Next, we are one of the first few pioneering bands in the Metal community that plays originals. Back in the early 90’s, participating bands whom we have shared stage with would only play popular cover songs.

This has helped Rudra formed its self-identity: “We want to be ourselves and no one else”. We do not want to imitate bands that we admire. All the bands I have quoted as my inspirations are what Rudra DO NOT sound like.

While I must stress the importance in having a role model or a band to idolize, it’s even more important to identify and recognize your OWN brand of music.

In a positive sense, we are very proud of this fact! We’ve always been very committed to playing only originals.

R: The readers of this interview will never see the passion in your tone and expression while you are sharing these thoughts! I must give you my salute for that.

K: Thanks.

R: Now moving on to Vinod, what’s your reason for doing this?

V: I am proud that I am playing in a reputable band and we are going through an intensive recording session now.

When people purchase your album, they talk about it, they write you emails and creating some kind of buzz around it. I won’t want to disappoint my friends and fans, especially when they leave me with comments like “Good job” and “ Can’t wait to see your band perform live…”

R: So it’s this positive energy which you receive from people that keeps you going?

V: Yes, that’s right.

K: We are one of the very few bands that can proudly say “we have 5 albums under our belt”.

R: I also understand that you are recording your 6th album at this moment. Please tell us more.

K: Things are going smoothly, we have recorded all the drum tracks. We are tracking the guitars progressively. We will commence the bass track this coming Sunday and we are targeting for all recording to be completed by the end of this month actually.

R: Congrats on the smooth progress! Will you be sending the recording for mastering?

K: Yes, of course! We will be sending our tracks to Alan Douches. He’s the man behind Nile, Sepultura, and Kataklysm, amongst other metal heavy weights. We are very happy with his work in our last album – Brahmavidya: Transcendental I.

R: I am definitely looking forward to your new recordings. Now moving on to the next topic. What are your views on all the “back-stabbing” and political bull shit in the Singapore Metal Community?

K: Look, it has always been there and it will ALWAYS be there.

R: So what are you worst experiences so far?

K: One of the worst things that we seen is “closet racism” in the Singapore scene. It all boils down to the definition of being an artiste.

Being an artiste to me goes beyond race, religion and nationality boundaries. We as artistes should contribute positively in our craft and in whatever we are passionate about.

When I hear good band, I am not interested in which religion they subscribe to, I am not interested which country they are from and I am certainly not interested if they are black, white or yellow. As long as it’s good music; that’s all I want.

R: So if you can share with us a little bit more on this experience, is there an incident that you could illustrate to us?

K: There was once we tried to participate in the gig but were rejected. Simply because the organizers were Christians! When I do not subscribe to your religion, it does not mean that I am against it. These invisible boundaries kill and hinder all creative activity. We have to transcend these boundaries in order to recreate ourselves and contribute to the scene positively!

If you were to ask your friends who enjoy music, I guarantee you that 95% of their CD collection comprises of music made by white guys. If you are not racist, I am sure that your collections would definitely have more variety than that.

R: That’s an interesting point of view and I must say that this is the first time I am hearing comments from this angle.

K: People tend to stereotype Rudra as a “band made up of all Indians”, but they have forgotten the fact that Rudra’s first guitar player was Alvin and he is Chinese! I handpicked that guy as part of Rudra because we have two basic things in common: The passion of metal music and we are deeply influenced by philosophy.

Philosophy, being one of the most important elements of Rudra’s music, has “forced” us to confine our selection in terms of choosing band members.

That’s the reason why this cannot be a “legitimate charge” against us, although the current members are made up of 4 Indian guys you cannot say that we are racist! The 4 of us share the same value and visions and it will remain that way in the future.

R: Thanks for your thoughts, Kathir. Vinod, you must be honored to fill such an important role. I am sure you have the same wavelength and vision. That must be the reason for you both to be part of the band.

V: Thanks.

R: Now can you describe Rudra is five words for me?

K: Exotic

V: Unique

K: Aggressive.

V: Appealing.

K: LOUD!!!

R: *laughs Thanks for that. Now once again, thank you very much for taking part in Black Revelation proudly brought to you by Trippy Factory. Any last words you would like to share with your fans and friends before we end?

V: I am looking forward to the show and making new friends who support metal music.

R: Thanks for that Vinod. Any last words from you, Kathir?

K: I must say that the Rudra’s performance value has changed significantly with the inclusion of Devan and Vinod as new members of Rudra. It has certainly helped to improve the showmanship and musicality for the band and it will be very interesting to see the four of us on stage. I assure you that Rudra’s performance in Black Revelation will be one of the best you will ever see.

R: Thanks again for your time and see you at Black Revelation 2010!