Saturday, June 25 was a big day for six men based out of the city as they lit up the stages with their debut as a band at Opus Out of The Box. Earlier, these same men were music jammers at Cubbon Park, enthralling joggers, only to attract an avid fan base. That very tree that they sat under influenced their name, Folk Tree and their music - all rustic charm. “We still go to the park on Sundays, though the visits have decreased due to band rehearsals and shows,” says the band’s lead vocalist, Diwas Gahatraj. Crooning earthy and folksy numbers, band members – Abhishek Kumar on the guitars, cajon percussionist Sanil Shankar, rhythm guitarist Rahul Sanadhya, Siddarth Bhardwaj on the flute and Arjun Handa on the bass guitar have each brought their own influences. “We mostly like to play folk fusion adding a generous amount of rock beats. Frankly, unlike many popular bands, we don’t want to genre box our music,” say the boys as they stick to what they call ‘freestyle music’.
Even as they plan to launch their new EP with six songs, in the next few months, with shows lined up across the country, it’s interesting to note how each member brings their own influences, even as they fire it up as a band. While Abhishek, who hails from Ranchi brings in jazz and blues thanks to his early acquaintance with the Anglo Indian community, Siddharth and Rahul introduce the folk form of Uttar Pradesh. Diwas’ education in Shantiniketan inspires his baul, bhaitali, Rabindra sangeet and Nepali folk, while Sanil is backed by his influence of everything from Indian Film music to Latin and alternative rock. Metal head Arjun, the band believes, adds a great depth to their songs with his bass lines and improvisations. “It has just been a year that we have known each other. But so far it has been a great musical journey,” they tell us, beaming of their acquaintance. Their day jobs are just as varied boasting of senior managerial positions, MBAs with multinational firms, professions as writers and at IT firms.
From playing under an ancient rain tree to jamming on stages, they’ve come a long way and they believe it’s only because they make music that you can connect to. “After a hard day’s work, when you are driving back home through the city’s maddening traffic, our sound is something you would like to tune into. It’s also one to tap your feet and dance to, if you want,” they conclude.
