Another Kind of Green (AKOG) started out as a college band in 2016. But now the outfit is all grown up and working towards making their college dreams of being rock stars a reality. Comprising vocalist Shikha Chandrashekhar, drummer Sanket Chakraborty, bassist Vishal Varier, guitarist Chethan Kadoor and keyboardist Anand Murali, AKOG boasts a fresh punk-rock sound. This weekend as the band takes the stage in a new music venue in Koramangala, The Raft by Gel, we speak to the members more about their style and the new release, Light It Up. Shikha and Vishal tell us more:
How did AKOG come together?
Shikha: We all met each other in college in 2016. The band initially started as a typical college band - we’d jam along to songs we loved and perform at college fests, while really ensuring that we gave a fun, enjoyable performance for the crowd. At some point, we decided to dream that it wasn’t just gonna be about college fests for us anymore - we wanted to release our own music, perform at our own sold-out shows and tour the world. And that’s how AKOG started as a professional band.
Vishal: Yeah, it was a defining moment when we started realising that the dream we’d all had of being rock stars as teenagers was something we were actually doing now. And since then, it’s just been about working towards making that a reality.
How would you define your sound?
Vishal: Let's just say AKOG has always been trying to make fun, enjoyable music. Distorted guitars, drums, tight rock and punk grooves hold the whole act together. We've invented a name for our genre - fun rock -- it really sums things up well. We try to make sure we sound as fresh, modern, and relevant as possible without getting caught in a classic rock echo chamber. If we draw songwriting inspiration from a classic rock genre, we've probably included production ideas from the latest pop release into it
Who are some artistes you guys take inspiration from?
Shikha: So, since our sound is more of a vibe than a genre, our influences also spread out to a wide range of artistes. From ‘80s rock acts who really embodied the rock star life and sound - such as Bon Jovi, Scorpions, Def Leppard -- to more modern punk bands like All Time Low and Fall Out Boy, even to recent pop acts such as Dua Lipa and Charlie Puth. We have learned so many different things in terms of songwriting, production and composition from them.
Tell me more about your debut album. What are the themes?
Vishal: The album contains everything we stand for. In terms of sound, it tends to take after the title track, Plain Good Feeling. It is fresh, fun, bite-sized music that leaves you with exactly that - the most simple feeling of euphoria. And as far as themes go, the songs are very narrative driven, quite often you're thrust into the middle of somebody's story and shown a glimpse of their life, or you're witnessing a college love triangle play out, or you're listening to a music band talk about how it's been so far.
So what can we expect from the upcoming gig?
Shikha: Well, the upcoming gig is something we’ve been gearing up for for a while now. We’re launching a new venue in Koramangala, called The Raft by Gel. It has been curated and created by the owner of the jam room Gel, Gerard Besterwitch, with whom we’ve had a long journey from back when we had just started out as a college band in 2016. It’s an honour to be the first ones to perform at this venue and to officially declare it open for business.
Vishal: And well, considering it is such an occasion to celebrate, we’re going all out when it comes to the gig itself. We have a very loud and intense set planned, with lots of surprises .
Rs 449. August 6, 7 pm. At The Raft by Gel, Koramangala