When MTV first came to India it brought with it instant access to a vastly popular world of rock and its various sub-genres. Much before Splitsvilla and other such youth-centric shows trumped out the very essence of a music channel, MTV and Channel (V) led the nation’s youth to sounds so new, introducing them to the world of American alternative rockers Third Eye Blind. The band that was formed in the early 90s saw widespread success with songs like Semi-Charmed Life, Jumper, Deep Inside of You and Never Let You Go. Various lineup changes and four albums later, Third Eye Blind gears up for its maiden India tour.
Ahead of its first halt in Bengaluru, drummer Brad Hargreaves, who is deeply influenced by a lot of Indian classical music, is excited and trying hard not to raise his expectations too much. “I’ve listened to a lot of Indian classical music. I particularly like the works of tabla maestro Zakir Hussein. As regards to playing in India, it is my first visit. We had received a few offers over the last couple of years but were already booked elsewhere. Travelling to India has always been of interest to us and we are very excited to finally being able to do so. I have tried very hard to limit expectations for this tour; consequently I am rarely disappointed. I just want to leave with some real sense of this vast nation that I have read about up until now.”
Brad has been a part of this lineup since before the band worked on its debut album back in 1997. Ever since, there have been various changes in the band, but Brad feels the entry and exit of members can only be viewed as something positive. “Everybody brings a different life experience that informs their musicianship. While change can be painful, embracing it can actually be enjoyable.”
Third Eye Blind’s debut self-titled album sold six million copies in the US alone making it the band’s most popular album till date. Following that up with Blue was no mean feat, says Brad, adding, “There was quite a bit of pressure to replicate the previous success but we had a lot of confidence too and had the benefit of playing a lot of the material live while we toured on our first record. Of all the albums I’ve worked on, I liked Blue the best.”
While the band’s subsequent albums have not reached the success of their maiden venture, the MTV generation in India will only hope that Third Eye Blind will play on their nostalgia of the 90s. Though Brad is happy to tug at their heart strings, he wishes the band’s later works will be given a fair chance. “I have very little knowledge of what the scene is like here but I am happy to hear it includes rock music. It would be nice if people know us or remember us but we are here to be in the moment.”
This John Bonham-loving percussionist is currently tripping on the music of Flume and feels that one really needs to dig into the present rock scenario to find some good music. “The DJs have taken over which has been a long time coming. Luckily I like a lot of that stuff. Nothing in hard rock has spoken to me for a while which I miss. There is lots of creative stuff happening but you have to dig to find it. I spend quite a bit of time on music blogs.”