By Aniruddh ‘Andrew’ Bansal
Bangalore-based sludge metal quartet Shepherd caught my attention straightaway when I saw them open for Bevar Sea at the Mighty Riff gig early last year in Bangalore, and even though I haven’t been able to catch any of their following gigs due to scheduling constraints and distances, I certainly knew what they were up to. Now, they are getting ready to perform at this year’s Trendslaughter Fest in Bangalore, alongside Blood Division from Singapore and fellow Indians Dying Embrace, Witchgoat, Necrodeity and Solar Deity. Read the conversation below as I discuss this gig with the guys in Shepherd, amongst other things. Check them out on facebook, and also visit Trendslaughter Fest’s facebook landing page to book your tickets and get all the information you need about the festival.
First off, I wanted to ask you about the change in lineup. I believe Muneeb was leaving town and that’s why you had to get a new bass player. How did you decide on Abhishek Michael joining as your new bassist?
Hey Andrew, thanks for having us here again. That’s right, Muneeb got a job offer that he couldn’t refuse in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and so we were undecided on whether to go bass-less again or get Michael onboard. We’ve all known Michael for a long time and he’s pretty much the only guy we could think of who could, not just play the parts right, but get the vibe of the music. So we asked him and he said yes.
Have you worked on any new material since he joined? How different is the process with him in the band?
Yep, we wrote a new one on Christmas Day 2012. I’m digging the shit out of it. We don’t really have a process. Sometimes there are bits and pieces from open jams, sometimes one of us brings in complete songs from start to finish, but for the most part Namit brings in the riffs with vague structural ideas and then everyone else help re-arrange it till it sounds like a song. That’s how we did the new one.
How are your preparations going for Trendslaughter Fest? Looks like yet another great lineup that you’re going to be part of!
We start rehearsals next week at DYVe. It’s a gig like any other and we always give it everything we’ve got. So nothing different there. But kudos to Sandy, Vik and everyone else at TSF crew for putting this gig together and keeping the rock n roll flame alive. Killer lineup!
You’ll be opening for blackened D-beat band Blood Division at this gig. That must be interesting for you as it’s something different from the kind of shows you’ve been playing lately, right?
Only when we play with our doom brudders in Bevar Sea do we ever feel like we’re all part of a subculture and there’s musical understanding in the audience. Other times it’s just getting on stage and doing what you like to do, to the best of your abilities and getting shitfaced while you do it.
Talking of recent shows, you did the Pink Floyd tribute gig in Bangalore last August. In terms of the musical style, that’s not exactly the kind of thing I was expecting a band like Shepherd to do, to be honest. What was the reason for playing that show?
Hey, we like Pink Floyd. A lot of the bands we like are inspired by Pink Floyd. The plan was to put together musicians who liked the idea of a Pink Floyd tribute show without anyone mentioning ‘High Hopes’, ‘Coming Back to Life’ or a keyboardist. It was heavy, you missed a good gig, bro.
You have Deepak Raghu as your drummer, who’s in several other bands, and now you have Abhishek Michael on bass, who’s also in Inner Sanctum. Will this always make it hard for you to play Shepherd gigs on a regular basis?
If more gigs were happening more frequently then it might get tricky, but everyone wants more gigs, so we’ll see how it goes.
The last time I spoke to you, you had played only four Shepherd shows in total. Have these recent shows helped in your development as a live band?
We don’t consider ourselves a visually exciting live band. Some people want their money’s worth in entertainment, you can’t blame them. But we get immersed in the music and we don’t PUT ON a fucking show. Our vision is to spread the message of doom with iron riffs and steel. And we keep getting better with every gig, and that’s what it’s all about.
That reminds me, didn’t you lose your gear bag after that Floyd tribute show? That must have quite a setback for you, I’m sure. Did you ever find it?
That was a fucking nightmare. But we later found out that Goat Krvsher (Witchgoat) had the gear. He’d had taken Namit’s gearbag after the gig, thinking it was his, put it in his cab headed home, left it there and later got it dropped off at home thanks to a diligent cabbie. Sorted it out over whiskey and Deep Purple on vinyl the next day.
You’ve released a cover of Melvin’s “Night Goat” in the past. Have you jammed on any other covers lately?
It dawned on us at our last rehearsal that all of us knew how to play a lot of Mastodon songs and we jammed on a few. Good fun, but I don’t think we’ll ever do it justice with one guitar, though. No covers for now.
Besides the music, you’ve got some kickass t-shirt designs. How well are the t-shirts selling? Are you at least able to support the band’s recording/jamming expenses from the shirt sales?
Yeah, that’s the plan. We know we have a very niche audience who share a particular aesthetic sense with us, and our merchandise, be it t-shirts or CDs, are designed with those people in mind, in terms of numbers and ultimately product itself.
I’ve noticed that you record the audio at pretty much all of your gigs and put up a few of the recordings on YouTube. So while you’re playing, does it cross your mind that you’re recording, or are you so used to it by now that it doesn’t even bother you?
It’s not a bother at all. It’s really useful to be able to go back and listen to what you did. Helps you figure out what works and what doesn’t from a band’s standpoint as well as the individual player. And if the recordings are decent-ish, we put them up online for download/stream, warts and all.
Interviews with the rest of the Trendslaughter Fest lineup:
Blood Division | Dying Embrace | Necrodeity | Solar Deity | Witchgoat