Wednesday 3 September 2014

DRUMMER WEEK: VARUN SOOD (BLAKC)

Varun Sood is a fucking metal drummer and there's no doubt about that! Earlier being drummer of former Delhi band 'Frequency', he now works in Mumbai. Besides his amazing corporate job (lul), he is drummer of Blakc. Having played at Slayer and Metallica tributes in the past, this hard-hitting drummer is an absolute treat to watch, and you can take my word for it. He's one of the tightest drummers I've seen live in recent times. Check this cute interview I did with the Punjabi drummer!




Full name and age.
Varun Sood (aka Punjabidrummer on Youtube), 29.

What is your favourite dish/cuisine?
I guess it’s a close competition between Rajma Chawal and Golgappe (better known as Pani Puri in Mumbai)

Kindly tell us about all your precious gear! (Sticks, cymbals, kit, skins, gear/bags)
I am really gear agnostic as of now since I have broken all my cymbals. So I basically play whatever is available at the venue. However, I do have a faithful Iron Cobra double bass pedal that has been serving me for a good 6 years now.

How long have you been playing the drums?
I think I have just completed 8 years.

What got you into playing drums?
I remember seeing Prestorika, a popular thrash metal band from Delhi playing at my college in 2003, and all I remember is staring at the drummer belting it for an hour. I just knew then that this what I want to learn.

Have you learned to read music as well, or do you just play by ear?
By ear. I have tried to dabble with learning notations but honestly I really suck at it.

Loud and pounding | soft and accurate | the normal drummer. What do you prefer?
Loud and pounding any bloody day of the year!

Live with Blakc


What thought goes into the composing process?
I have always wanted to be “a band’s drummer”. My job is to get the foundation right and that’s what I try and do with every song. I mostly sit with the bassist and the guitarist to figure out what groove fits the song best.

What other music projects are you currently a part of?
As of now, I play full-time for Blakc. However, I am open to playing sessions (Hullo! Can anyone hear me??)

Do you have a day job? What is it that you do?
Yup. I work as a Financial Analyst for a real estate company.

Your favorite musicians (Indian)
Guitar: Akshay Rajpurohit, Warren Mendonsa, Bruce Lee Mani, Adil Manuel
Bass: Roop Thomas Philip, Ashish Sharma (ex-Frequency)
Drums: Jai Row Kavi, Rahul Hariharan, Viru Kaith, Nishant Hagjer, Gino Banks
Vocals: Sidharth Basrur, Shashank Bhatnagar

Your favourite musicians (international)
Guitar: Steve Vai, Stephen Carpenter (Deftones), Fredrik Thordendal, Dave Mustaine
Bass: Billy Sheehan, Flea, Stuart Zender (Jamiroquai)
Drums: Tomas Haake, Brad Wilk, Lars Ulrich, Abe Cunningham, Dennis Chambers…this list is too long to fit the page
Vocals: James Hetfield, Chris Cornell, Zach de la Rocha, Chino Moreno

Can we expect a release from your band(s) any time soon?
We (Blakc) are working really hard towards our third album and we expect to come out with a new record in 2015.

Whom do you look up to, as a musician and a band?
Too many to list here, but as a musician definitely all my favorite drummers listed above.

A message to all your fans (hello ladies!)
Just a big hug and thank you for supporting me so far. Keep doing the same and I’ll keep drumming forever! :)

Somebody's preparing for kids :P 


Blakc on Facebook

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