Interview with Guitar prodigy SRIDHAR – Transcend
Submitted by IRMP3 on July 2, 2009 – 4:05 PMNo Comment
Guitar prodigy Sridhar is just 21 yeard old ,he is an Indian in Singapore. Sridhar just released his debut album titled ‘Transcend’ , which has been well recived by the ‘Underground Scene’. The hit single ‘TRIPPIN” reached the #1 spot on reverbnation (Singapore) charts last week. We caught up with this humble boy nextdoor from Chennai for this exclusive interview. Let’s hear from him.
Hi Sridhar, Thanks for the interview, Tell us a little bit about you?
Sure man, anytime. I pretty much had a normal Indian kid childhood growing up in Chennai, working my books and all set to live the Indian ‘dream’ of study hard, work harder and come back home and drink chai. Oh, and to go to Amriikkaa – get Green card. Okay, ill stop here – you get the drift. All that changed when I got out of home, came to Singapore to study.
I majored in Bio-Engineering, which is something I really enjoyed. I graduated just last month, I’m going to be working a related full time job now, and ideally, Id like to take up music full time in 5-6 years time.
2.Transcend is making waves in Indian and Singaporean underground scene, tell us about the making of Transcend?
Being my own producer and engineer, I had complete creative control (not always a good thing) – but that strategy worked for me. The idea was always grand: symphonies, orchestras, layers, ambiences, textures, b5 licks over major chords – everything passed.
A lot of people ask me why I didn’t do any vocals on the album – to be honest, I never felt restricted by the instrumental aspect– and I enjoy the subtlety that the guitar offers as the leading instrument. In fact, hearing a well executed lick would do much more for me than hearing some dude in a husky voice singing about his erotic desires.
Why the title ‘transcend’? And what inspired you to come out with an album?
The title came about from something me and my good bud Sid used to talk a lot about during college – about ‘Transcending’ a behavior, a filthy act, a bad day, whatever it was that you just couldn’t get over. The word certainly appealed to me, and I thought it was a perfect representation of my music.
The album was an idea conceived last December when I decided to take out a few of the songs and convert it into something meaningful, a CD that could say ‘hey, I’m full of serious music and I’m going to ask for all your attention to really appreciate what you got in your hands’.
How has been the response to the Transcend? How can fans avail this album ? Do you have a website?
The response so far has pleasantly surprised me. People from Greece, Egypt and even Turkey have gotten copies of the album. It is very encouraging indeed, and has been a real fun ride. I think Trippin’ managed to secure the 1st spot on Singapore’s national charts for a couple days too. Sure, the website is up: www.sridharsmusic.com – the website has 2 tracks for free download and I believe those became the most favorite tracks. You can buy a copy of ‘Transcend’ here: http://cdbaby.com/cd/sridharmusic
The response at home in India however is expected to climb much slower– instrumental guitar isn’t exactly their favorite genre. But the lovely album by Warren Mendonsa has definitely shown that Indian people are willing to listen to this stuff, and hopefully ‘Transcend’ contributes its share too! The internet response on Indian forums has been encouraging too.
As an artist, nothing beats the satisfaction of watching your finished product doing rounds in people’s hands, folks loving your stuff, some people absolutely hating it, the awesome ones offering some constructive feedback, etc etc. As Russell peters would say, you can just say ‘Take it and go’ – hell yeah, that’s how good it feels when you’re done with an album.
Tell us about the first time you picked up the guitar.
Well as I mentioned earlier – I was hitting the books real hard man, especially during my high school. But, along the way – I got introduced to a lot of great bands through my sister, when I was pretty much just your standard Indian geeky kid trying to get into IITs and all that jazz. And that’s what really got me going musically. I started gravitating to heavier stuff, the 4 big thrash metal bands, a lot of nu-metal etc. All that inspired me to pick up the guitar, which Is what I did right after my schooling days – bought myself a cheap Givson (with a V) acoustic and that started it all.
That is what I brought with me when I came to study at NUS, Singapore exactly 4 years back, and a good amount of that year was spent with that Givson! With the wonders of google and youtube, it was incredibly easy to just learn on your own.
Could you give a brief intro to the Singaporean Underground scene, how different is the scene from the Chennai one?
The Singaporean scene is very, very different from India. There is certainly a lot more emphasis on the culture, and is much more varied. You’d find everyone from a jazz singer songwriter, to an emo band to a full on glam metal act (not without the spiked wrist bands, tattoos and the hairdos) playing the same show, on the same day. Organizers here do have a LOT more money to spend on equipment and other fancy stuff. You’d also find a lot of clannish behavior, and people aren’t generally open to new bands/artists that easily.
There are some awesome indie bands in Singapore though, and some of these guys are doing great even on the international arena. But again, the more niche guys – the metallers, the hard-rockers have a much harder time running a band in Singapore – music/bands that don’t sell easily aren’t treated too well in Singapore.
Back home in Chennai and in India, we have some great bands – and while my view may be biased, it is true to a certain extent that local bands back home get a lot more support and acceptance from the junta rather than in Singapore. The potential in India is mindboggingly insane. Bands like Machine head, Megadeth, Opeth certainly knew that when they dropped by to say hi.
May be too early to ask, but any future projects?
Knowing my unpredictable bouts of creativity, I could end up writing good 4-5 songs in a single day, and be idea-less for the next couple months. At least 20 songs could have possibly made it to ‘Transcend’ if it wasn’t extremely critical towards my songwriting process.
If I were you, I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for the next record. I wouldn’t give up hope either 
But one thing I can tell you is that it’s going to be heavy, layered, and intense. I’d definitely try to rope in a real drummer for sure.
But one thing I can tell you is that it’s going to be heavy, layered, and intense. I’d definitely try to rope in a real drummer for sure.Any one you’d like to thank for moral, financial or musical support?
I have been blessed with a family that has some of the coolest people I’ve ever met in my life – especially my mom. She’s been this incredible sounding board, and I wouldn’t be what I am without her. Transcend would not have happened without her, and my Uncle Krishnan who got the ball-rolling on the project, when he funded the first leg of the production.
That aside, a big thank you to my buds who have stuck with me during the hardest of my times – you all know who you are, and as cheesy as this may sound – this album goes out to you guys.
For Transcend – I can’t thank Ram (Bass) and Prasanna (Grand piano) enough for lending their services. They are awesome musicians and I have had the privilege of working with them. And of course, bloggers like WarDog really keep the scene alive, and albums like ‘Transcend’ wouldn’t be reaching enough ears without his unwavering commitment to the scene – restecp to him.
Also, a big thanks to my friend and manager Saranya, who apart from doing an amazing job of the website single handedly developed phenomenal marketing strategies and publicity ideas that proved to be incredibly powerful.
Oh, and I love my production and management team here and they are the awesomest d00dz in the world omgomgomgomg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
P.S – The last sentence is just collateral.
Your message to the fan ..
To the lovely fans – You guys make me fly. Keep the feedback and love coming, and also do join the mailing list on my website/reverbnation to stay in touch! You just have to download the 2 free tracks on the website and put in your e-mail ID, and ill keep you posted on what’s cooking at my end.
This one goes to my musician friends – love your music – be obsessed with it, fight for it, don’t take any shit, put your band on a pedestal, juice that passion – but don’t give up that day job. That’s the one that will really keep you going steady for years, and sail you through the fallacies of the ‘business’ of music.
IRMP3: Hi Sridhar, Thanks for the interview, Tell us a little bit about you?
SRIDHAR : Sure man, anytime. I pretty much had a normal Indian kid childhood growing up in Chennai,
working my books and all set to live the Indian ‘dream’ of study hard, work harder and come back home and drink chai. Oh, and to go to Amriikkaa – get Green card. Okay, ill stop here – you get the drift. All that changed when I got out of home, came to Singapore to study.
I majored in Bio-Engineering, which is something I really enjoyed. I graduated just last month, I’m going to be working a related full time job now, and ideally, Id like to take up music full time in 5-6 years time.
IRMP3: Transcend is making waves in Indian and Singaporean underground scene, tell us about the making of Transcend?
SRIDHAR :Being my own producer and engineer, I had complete creative control (not always a good thing) – but that strategy worked for me. The idea was always grand: symphonies, orchestras, layers, ambiences, textures, b5 licks over major chords – everything passed.
A lot of people ask me why I didn’t do any vocals on the album – to be honest, I never felt restricted by the instrumental aspect– and I enjoy the subtlety that the guitar offers as the leading instrument. In fact, hearing a well executed lick would do much more for me than hearing some dude in a husky voice singing about his erotic desires.
IRMP3: Why the title ‘transcend’? And what inspired you to come out with an album?
SRIDHAR :The title came about from something me and my good bud Sid used to talk a lot about during college – about ‘Transcending’ a behavior, a filthy act, a bad day, whatever it was that you just couldn’t get over. The word certainly appealed to me, and I thought it was a perfect representation of my music.
The album was an idea conceived last December when I decided to take out a few of the songs and convert it into something meaningful, a CD that could say ‘hey, I’m full of serious music and I’m going to ask for all your attention to really appreciate what you got in your hands’.
IRMP3: How has been the response to the Transcend? How can fans avail this album ? Do you have a website?
SRIDHAR :The response so far has pleasantly surprised me. People from Greece, Egypt and even Turkey have gotten copies of the album. It is very encouraging indeed, and has been a real fun ride. I think Trippin’ managed to secure the 1st spot on Singapore’s national charts for a couple days too. Sure, the website is up: www.sridharsmusic.com – the website has 2 tracks for free download and I believe those became the most favorite tracks. You can buy a copy of ‘Transcend’ here: http://cdbaby.com/cd/sridharmusic
The response at home in India however is expected to climb much slower– instrumental guitar isn’t exactly their favorite genre. But the lovely album by Warren Mendonsa has definitely shown that Indian people are willing to listen to this stuff, and hopefully ‘Transcend’ contributes its share too! The internet response on Indian forums has been encouraging too.
As an artist, nothing beats the satisfaction of watching your finished product doing rounds in people’s hands, folks loving your stuff, some people absolutely hating it, the awesome ones offering some constructive feedback, etc etc. As Russell peters would say, you can just say ‘Take it and go’ – hell yeah, that’s how good it feels when you’re done with an album. 
IRMP3: Tell us about the first time you picked up the guitar.
SRIDHAR :Well as I mentioned earlier – I was hitting the books real hard man, especially during my high school. But, along the way – I got introduced to a lot of great bands through my sister, when I was pretty much just your standard Indian geeky kid trying to get into IITs and all that jazz. And that’s what really got me going musically. I started gravitating to heavier stuff, the 4 big thrash metal bands, a lot of nu-metal etc. All that inspired me to pick up the guitar, which Is what I did right after my schooling days – bought myself a cheap Givson (with a V) acoustic and that started it all.
That is what I brought with me when I came to study at NUS, Singapore exactly 4 years back, and a good amount of that year was spent with that Givson! With the wonders of google and youtube, it was incredibly easy to just learn on your own.
IRMP3: Could you give a brief intro to the Singaporean Underground scene, how different is the scene from the Chennai one?
SRIDHAR :The Singaporean scene is very, very different from India. There is certainly a lot more emphasis on the culture, and is much more varied. You’d find everyone from a jazz singer songwriter, to an emo band to a full on glam metal act ,not without the spiked wrist bands, tattoos and the hairdos ,all playing at the same show, on the same day. Organizers here do have a LOT more money to spend on equipment and other fancy stuff. You’d also find a lot of clannish behavior, and people aren’t generally open to new bands/artists that easily.
There are some awesome indie bands in Singapore though, and some of these guys are doing great even on the international arena. But again, the more niche guys – the metallers, the hard-rockers have a much harder time running a band in Singapore – music/bands that don’t sell easily aren’t treated too well in Singapore.
Back home in Chennai and in India, we have some great bands – and while my view may be biased, it is true to a certain extent that local bands back home get a lot more support and acceptance from the junta rather than in Singapore. The potential in India is mindboggingly insane. Bands like Machine head, Megadeth, Opeth certainly knew that when they dropped by to say hi.
IRMP3: May be too early to ask, but any future projects?
SRIDHAR :Knowing my unpredictable bouts of creativity, I could end up writing good 4-5 songs in a single day, and be idea-less for the next couple months. At least 20 songs could have possibly made it to ‘Transcend’ if it wasn’t extremely critical towards my songwriting process.
If I were you, I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for the next record. I wouldn’t give up hope either But one thing I can tell you is that it’s going to be heavy, layered, and intense. I’d definitely try to rope in a real drummer for sure.
But one thing I can tell you is that it’s going to be heavy, layered, and intense. I’d definitely try to rope in a real drummer for sure.IRMP3: Any one you’d like to thank for moral, financial or musical support?
SRIDHAR :I have been blessed with a family that has some of the coolest people I’ve ever met in my life – especially my Mom. She’s been this incredible sounding board, and I wouldn’t be what I am without her. Transcend would not have happened without her, and my Uncle Krishnan who got the ball-rolling on the project, when he funded the first leg of the production.That aside, a big thank you to my buds who have stuck with me during the hardest of my times – you all know who you are, and as cheesy as this may sound – this album goes out to you guys.
For Transcend – I can’t thank Ram (Bass) and Prasanna (Grand piano) enough for lending their services. They are awesome musicians and I have had the privilege of working with them. And of course, bloggers like WarDog really keep the scene alive, and albums like ‘Transcend’ wouldn’t be reaching enough ears without his unwavering commitment to the scene – restecp to him.
Also, a big thanks to my friend and manager Saranya, who apart from doing an amazing job of the website single handedly developed phenomenal marketing strategies and publicity ideas that proved to be incredibly powerful.
Oh, and I love my production and management team here and they are the awesomest d00dz in the world omgomgomgomg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
P.S – The last sentence is just collateral.
IRMP3: Your message to the fans ..
SRIDHAR :To the lovely fans – You guys make me fly. Keep the feedback and love coming, and also do join the mailing list on my website/reverbnation to stay in touch! You just have to download the 2 free tracks on the website and put in your e-mail ID, and ill keep you posted on what’s cooking at my end.
This one goes to my musician friends – love your music – be obsessed with it, fight for it, don’t take any shit, put your band on a pedestal, juice that passion – but don’t give up that day job. That’s the one that will really keep you going steady for years, and sail you through the fallacies of the ‘business’ of music.
