With influences like Tool and Nirvana, how do you manage to create something unique?
well we don't try to sound similar to nirvana or tool per say, but we are inspired by them to go out and create good music, and inspired to pick up our instruments and play. The unique part of our sound comes from our cultural backgrounds. -munir
We try to always start "from scratch" when we write; Usually a random group of notes that you just hear or play and go: "Hold up...that sounds kinda interesting, let's see where it goes/make it a song." When we say "We're influenced by so and so," I'd like to say that we've tried to implement what we've learned from the bands mentioned...In this case I'd have to say it's honesty from Nirvana, and musical ability from Tool. If something ends up sounding too similar or like we're copying something, we just throw it away. -fahim
What are your thoughts concerning your debut on Leno?
Well it was just a clip of me doing this stupid lil dance, but it was funny, and I did get to mention the band's name. Any publicity is good publicity, no? -fahim
What is your approach to writing music?
Well songs come out of nowhere for me. Sometimes it's really easy and in like five minutes I'll have lyrics and the major riffs down, and the rest of the guyz will come up with parts and the song will be done. Then there are the ones that we'll piece together bit by bit, and that'll take a little bit longer. Half the time, the songs write themselves..hehe. Overall, I found that it's best to not push or try too hard to write/make something work because in the end it'll sound exactly like that: trying too hard. Another fun fact: Half of us love to write technical, really progessive-like music, and the other half loves poppish (but not too poppish), straight-forward music...I guess the music ends up being a little bit of both, which is exactly how we'd like it. -fahim
What sets you apart from other similar groups?
I'd say the ethnic makeup of our band first off, I don't see too many bengali and russian bands running around. Secondly, I dont know, hahaha, you tell me what you think...-fahim
Your live show is supposedly something worth seeing. Why?
The main reason, is we are up there to have fun. And having fun means anything goes. There are no rehearsed actions we plan ahead. Its all spontaneous. The crowd moves harder, and we feed off of that. Fahim may fall on the ground and roll around so Ilya might have to finish the verse or what not. -munir
I'd say we try to just put on the best damn show we can. If the audience isn't having fun, we're not having fun, so we try to get people involved. Every show is a learning process for me, and I just try to let go, have fun, and soak in the energy from the crowd. We dont really use stage props or stuff like that, (maybe we should..hehe..who knows?) it's usually just us, the crowd, and the music...ends up being pretty fun stuff. -fahim
Where are you going, musically?
To pluto, or maybe the beach, right now I have to go to the bathroom....J/K We're all getting to be better musicians...God, we've listened to recordings of when we first started the band (we barely started playing our instruments at the time) and WOWZ, some of the stuff is just amazingly retarded. We all are learning how to play better, and that in turn is helping when we write.
Our first album "A Thin Line" is great because it shows all of our ideas and where we started from and all the different things we tried. Musically I think we are heading to pluto like fahim said. -munir
What inspires you?
Just plain old honesty...And good people...and the fans...-fahim
what inspires me? hmmm...moving foward...-munir