Ameeth’s got his groove on

If Chennai-based alternative rock band Junkyard Groove had to be defined in two words, those words would be — Ameeth Thomas. The band’s frontman since its inception in 2005, Ameeth has been the heart and soul of the band, as well as its only constant member.

Junkyard Groove is known for its high energy, crowd pumping live performances over the past 10 years, probably even more so than for their uplifting classic rock-esque tunes, and Ameeth believes that is what drives him and the band to go on. “The show must go on” is his motto, and with the band celebrating its 10th year in existence, they’ve been touring the country to celebrate that very fact. “I don’t know anything else! I love doing what I do and I want to be around for at least another 10 years, if not till I die,” Ameeth says. “It doesn’t feel like 10 years — honestly, I still feel like we’re a new band.”

After a competition-winning first performance at a battle of the bands in Chennai on June 18, 2005, the band went on to take stage at some of the best music festivals in the country, as well as playing at the Dubai Desert Rock Fest in 2007. But for Ameeth, the best show he’s ever played was one closer to home. “Something I always wanted to do was play IIT Chennai,” he says, “I watched my brother’s band (Arjun Thomas, Molotov Cocktail) and all these other big bands playing there and making it big after that, so it was like a rite of passage for me. Even as kids we’d go to watch the other bands play, and I always wanted to do that. It’s like, if you play that stage, you’re set.”

The band’s constantly changing line up has meant that Junkyard Groove has also evolved into something of a one-man show, with Ameeth having to take charge. “No one person in the band is the most important — maybe I am a little important, but somebody has to hold the boat together,” he says with a laugh. “At JYG, people can come and go, but the main reason we play is because we like having fun and creating something new. I just need people to come in and I’ll psych them up to do their best. I can’t ask for more than that. Everyone who has ever played for the band has always pushed themselves to the limit. When you don’t expect anything, you get the best.”

And pushing themselves to the limit has defined their performances just about every time. The band’s live act is every music fan’s dream gig. Sharing an incident at a gig where their drum kit started having trouble, Ameeth says, “I don’t like bands that stop shows saying they have a technical problem. So I pulled out my plug, went into the crowd and started singing there and everybody joined in. At the end of it, I’m putting on a show, I can’t keep them waiting.”
With three new EPs and even a short documentary about the band lined up for release this August, JYG certainly isn’t showing any signs of ageing, sans a few white hairs here and there. And Ameeth’s sign off at the end of our interview with him sums up their attitude for the coming years: “Just know that JYG is not dead, it still lives. To my fans — I love you, and thank you!”