Quest ft. Marty Friedman – Behind The Making

Arko Ganguly — Thu, 16 Feb 2017 21:08:08 +0000

Hello

Quest has been Antariksh’s biggest collaboration so far with the amazing Marty Friedman. The former Megadeth axeman, presently based in Japan, is a celebrated guitar hero among music listeners across the world. His presence in the song enriches and concludes the final picture being portrayed through it. But how did it all begin?

The Initial Thought

Quest started off with Varun trying to sort his feelings about a crowd of people having to wait to make way for a Politian to pass. Irritation crept up as every passing minute got him late for a scheduled rehearsal! The fact that someone presumed his time was more valuable than the others waiting in the crowd, bothered Varun to his wits. “The sense of superiority and power is such an illusion!”, he thought. “Cause our life is so fragile and tied to the mere number of breaths left to breathe!”

Ideating the song..

Now here is a good part of being a musician. Any recurring thought or emotion eventually turns an expressive melody or rhythm. Likewise, Varun had most of the verse and chorus playing in his head as he drove through the road block. Humming his way into the rehearsal, he was able to lay the foundation to the song with help from Shrikant, Josh and Dan. Cooking a pot full of Carnatic music, eastern melodic ideas, some insane prog metal riffs and introspective lyrics over jams with the band gave way to the present form of Quest.

Meeting Marty

The idea for a Marty’s solo came much later while Antariksh was in Shillong playing NH7 weekender. Their set was lined up on day 1, post which they stayed back to watch Marty play on the second day. Having grown up vibing to his incredible playing in Megadeth, it was surreal to watch Marty live in his element. After witnessing an incredible gig, the band was heading back to Delhi when Varun discovered Marty and his mates sitting a couple rows ahead in the same flight! It was then he began to contemplate the idea of featuring Marty on Quest. As the flight landed, Varun took a plunge at his thought at the conveyer belts.

Marty on board

He approached Marty without many expectations. The conversation turned out to be very cordial and Marty was happy to learn the band’s inclination and appreciation towards his work. But when the idea of a possible collaboration was presented, he politely declined and said he currently refrained from doing sessions. He asked Varun to keep in touch though and share his work.

Over time Varun exchanged a fair amount of messages sharing Antariksh’s existing work. A humble Marty took time to listen and get back with constructive feedback. Antariksh’s sound was impressive enough for him to find it “interesting and unique” coming from an Indian rock band. Capitalising on this, Varun sent the demo track for Quest requesting him, yet again, to consider playing a solo on it. Surprisingly, Marty agreed! The entire band was ecstatic and awed at Marty’s humility and the fact that he found the music worthy enough to host his solo.

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Hello Antariksh – An Indie Drummer’s Account

Arko Ganguly — Thu, 16 Feb 2017 21:08:01 +0000

Hey..

Hello folks, hope this finds you in fantastic health. This is a personal account of being introduced to and joining Antariksh as their drummer. Prior to officially meeting anyone from the band, I had heard of them from fellow indie rock musicians. “Yaar, unkey sath session bajaatey waqt mujhey proper notes banaaney padhtey hai (I need to make proper notes while playing sessions with them), they have some very progressive parts in their set!”. I can’t remember who I heard this from, but it definitely left a mark on me!

Meeting Varun

Much time passed after this incident and in 2018 I decided to move to Mumbai. Shrikant (guitarist @ Antariksh) and I, having been friends since school, wished to work on an original before I switched cities. We were meeting and jamming one fine evening at Green Box (our usual jam pad) when Varun walked in towards the end of our rehearsal. I was delighted to meet the main man behind the notable Indie rock act, but the conversation was short lived. And in a few days, I left for Mumbai.

The release of quest

All went well until dear COVID took the human world down to its knees! I was compelled to wind up, go back home and wait. It was during this period that I came across a story. Antariksh was heading towards a mighty collaboration and Varun posted a story asking people to guess who it might be. Two out of the four options were Marty and Petrucci! (read more about this collaboration here) I was absolutely stoked to read it and began to follow their release. Eventually as Quest was premiered, I fell for the song. The combination of diverse genres and time applications fascinated me. Marty’s solo shook my brains! And the fact that Shrikant nailed a melodious piece right after Marty’s blew my mind! What a feeling it must be to have your solo featured right next to the guy’s you worshipped as a child. Incredible achievement for him and the entire band.

Little discoveries

I discovered the other originals with time and was very happy to learn Antariksh was making such a difference in the Indian indie rock scene. Post Covid when I returned to Delhi, Shrikant asked me if I’d be willing to play with them. I knew it wouldn’t be easy to succeed Dan and Vaibhabh on the throne. Honestly, I sat myself down on the kit to practice for hours so I could justify the sound and play Dan’s incredible parts in every original. Dan, if you are reading this, take a bow! The jams and time spent on the kit did pay off and I am now here at the Antariksh work station typing down my time with them.

Being the part

Chatting with Varun regularly has been very enlightening as he walks me through the entrepreneurial side of making art. Their music is surely promising, but the finesse with which Varun handles all backend work at the Antariksh camp promises a fine future to the band.

I have lived as an artist for a decade now and believe a coherent set of people with the same goals can achieve the impossible. In plain words, Antariksh should be topping all charts and being named one among the greatest indie rock bands from India. Please don’t consider that to be my ego. It is a dream all musicians have while growing up. All I am hoping here is for that dream to turn true! In fact, you must become a part of our dream too! Listen to our music and crash our gigs! Love us, criticise us, help us grow! Help indie music in India grow! We will be more than pleased to have you walk with us.

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