Let the music play!

For those familiar with the music scene in Hyderabad, ‘The Three of Us & Her’ is definitely one of the most happening new bands in the city. After competing with 30 bands and winning ‘Spotlight’, a band hunt organised by a popular local cafe, the group went on to audition for The Stage, a hit Western music talent hunt show.

The four band members, Nitin Dominic D’Souza, Ronith Michael, Karen Renita Mario and Sunny Daniel, in their current line-up, entertain audiences every week with performances at various venues across the city.

About how it all started, Nitin says, “I always wanted to form a band, but I didn’t find the right people. Almost two years ago, Karen and I had to perform a gig as someone else couldn’t make it. We then called Obied Kariwow, a drummer. All of us were nervous, as it was our first gig. Nevertheless, with a little practise, we performed well. We later won ‘Spotlight’ and that’s how ‘The Three of Us’ began.

While Obied isn’t part of the band anymore, we have Ronith and Sunny — so we renamed it ‘The Three of Us & Her’.”

While Nitin is the group’s lead guitarist and backing vocalist, Karen, Sunny and Ronith are the lead vocalist, drummer and bassist respectively.

Talking about his musical journey, Ronith shares, “My association with music began early in life when I was six; I was passionate about it. And today, it has been 15 beautiful years of making melody. I soon started playing the bass guitar and fell in love with the instrument. I used to jam with my friend Mario Kabra, who was an incredible lead guitarist. Unfortunately, he passed away in a car accident.”

And recalling how he became associated with the current band, he says, “One day, I got a call from Nitin asking me if I could play the bass guitar for his band, and I got excited!”

Even so, Ronith adds, “It’s been a wonderful journey since then and I like the fact that all of us have different ideas and we put them together to get a better output. As we play multiple genres, I would love to continue playing for the band and make a serious career in the industry.”

Nitin, describing how he ventured into the musical world, says, “My sister used to take guitar classes when I was in Class IX. She gave up soon and left the guitar at home. I picked it up and never looked back. While I would like to make a full-time career in music, the scenario isn’t great currently. I would also like to take another job.”

Interestingly, apart from performing covers, the band is also planning to work on and release an experimental project. “The first song will be about my father, who is no more. And we have three more songs,” informs Nitin, adding, “I usually write the songs, and when I am stuck, I give it to Karen,” he smiles.

The band, which quite literally started from the bottom, is now associated with a managing company, who gets them gigs. As a result, they are able to perform three or more times a week. However, they say they were not so confident in the beginning and did face some embarrassing moments early on. “We know we can do it, we are not nervous. These days, if it’s a huge gig, I’m worried thinking what if my strings break! The band has got many compliments,” says Nitin.

Apart from auditioning for ‘The Stage’ once again and releasing new songs, the band wants to continue entertaining the masses with their gigs.