Meet the Band: Pavan Rajam
In the last of our 5-part interview series, guitarist Pavan Rajam ponders how he met the other members, his history with guitars, and his thoughts on cultivating taste.
Hi Pavan, how's it going? It's spring time, the weather is getting nicer, and I'm taking three music appreciation classes. If "it" isn't going well, something is wrong with either me or the universe. Life is good.
Tell the fans a bit about yourself.
I'm currently a student at IU, at the Kelley School of Business, pursuing a degree in Finance. I am originally from Maryland. In my free time, I play guitar and occasionally write about technology and other subjects on my blog "the rajam report".
How long have you been playing guitar?
I've been playing the public saxophone for about 7 years. I bought my first public saxophone, the red Fender Stratocaster you'll see Ryan playing at our shows, back in 2006. Before that I played electric bass, double bass, violin, and the piano (like everyone else).
(Do I have to explain what a "public saxophone" is?)
I've also been building and tinkering with guitars since 2009, when I built an Eddie Van Halen style guitar for my physics teacher as a going away present. I striped up it up in our high school colors. Later that summer, I built another guitar for myself, and made it black with red and white stripes. When I came to IU in the fall of 2009, I also made made a hoodie, t-shirt, and shoes to match the guitar. In hindsight, that was definitely not as tasteful as I thought at the time. Please don't use that as my photo for this profile. Seriously, don't do it.
[We totally used that picture. It's just too embarrassing and crazy not to.
-the Editor]
Who are your musical influences?
The most obvious ones are Edward Van Halen, Jimi Hendrix, and David Gilmour. You can hear those three for sure. I'm a loud electric guitar player. There's also elements of The Edge of U2 in there as well. It's has taken a lot of studying and practicing these guys techniques and obsessing over their sounds.
How did you meet the other band members?
I met Ryan for a series of aborted band projects back in the fall of 2011. We decided that we got along pretty well and stuck together through various (failed) projects for the last 18 months. I'd pretty much given up on my dream of playing at the Bluebird until I was up at 2AM on a Monday, and saw Kristofor' post on OneStart looking to start a band. After some late night/early morning emails, we decided to meet up. Ryan and I went over, and the initial session went well. Kris ended up brining in Quinten and Sarah to round out the lineup. We really lucked out.
It's really amazing to me how this band came together. I'm not a big believer in the notion of "fate", but the pure serendipity of how I met Kristofor really makes me reconsider that. I went to bed at 11:00PM that night, and I randomly woke up around 1:45AM and decided to hop on my Mac and find some interesting articles to read. I randomly decided to peruse the classifieds around 1:55AM and saw Kristofor's ad. I drafted and sent him an email at 2:03AM. Five minutes later, at 2:08AM, I got a response from Kristofor, and the rest is history. It just seems too good to be true.
And yes… I have a very obsessive, detail focused personality, if the "down-to-the" minute times didn't give that away.
What are your thoughts on the other band members?
We've got some really great people in this band. We have this amazing singer and frontwoman in Sarah. She has the right personality and presence to be fronting songs, and it's going to be great having some like that on the mic and on the stage. She keeps moving and grooving to the music, and the audience is going to love her.
Ryan is a great guitarist and a frontman in his own right. Ryan and I have been working at this for a long time now, and we've been dying to get on stage and have some fun. I think that should be fairly obvious on some of the songs we play. He has a great sense of humor, and he'll have plenty of opportunities to tap into that during the show.
Kristofor is just an astounding bass player. He plays the bass with relentless enthusiasm, and its fun to just watch him get into it. His personality really comes through his playing. Kris has become a great friend of mine over these last few months. We mesh very well as people and I'm looking forward to going crazy with him on the stage.
Quinten is one of the most solid drummers I've ever played with. I bet he has a metronome instead of a pulse, that's how good he is. He is also just a really cool dude. He and Kris have been playing music together for years, and it shows. The rhythm section really benefits from their musical telepathy and their friendship.
What makes this band different?
Everyone in this band has talent. There's no question there. I think what sets us apart is our taste, and its rare for vision and the ability to execute converge in the way it has with us. Taste isn't something that you can just hammer away at, like studying for an exam, and it isn't as instinctual as people make it seem. It comes from years of exposure and exploration of the world around you. It is cultivated by remaining relentlessly curious. It comes from trying new things and learning what works and what doesn't. You have to have an open mind, and be honest enough to admit that you are sometimes wrong. In a band, it means you have to check your ego at the door, and focus on the larger picture, which is the song and the show.
That is the sensibility that informs everything about this band, from our setlist, to how we present ourselves on stage, to the website you are reading this on. We consider every detail, and work it out until we figure out what makes it the best it can possibly be.
Of course... there is the possibility that everything I just said here is complete rubbish. I like to pretend that it's not.
Are you excited about the first show?
Absolutely. The Bluebird is hallowed ground to me, and I know the others feel the same. It's an absolute privilege to play there. It means a lot to me.
We are really focused on putting on the best show possible. You're going to see us move a lot on the stage and really interact with each other and the audience. They paid money and came to see a show. If they just wanted to listen to music, they could just stay at home and listen to their iTunes library. Or they could go to Kilroys on Kirkwood and sing along to the studio version "Sweet Caroline" for the millionth time. I like to think people would rather sing along with a band that is having as much fun as they are.
Are you nervous?
Here's what always happens: You feel a little anxious before the show. Then you get on stage and it melts away. I've played shitty gigs where the power went out midway through a guitar solo and by the middle of the set, they were packing up the chairs. Once you've played something like that, you don't get super paranoid about shows anymore. Am I concerned about the details, and meeting my personal standards? Absolutely, but that doesn't mean I'm nervous about the show.
What is your favorite song to play?
That's a tough one. I will say that the riff on Superstition is fun to play, so it's probably that's one.
Thanks for your time Pavan! Ampers& will play its first show at The Bluebird in Bloomington, Indiana on Thursday, April 11th at 10PM. Cover is $5. The Bluebird will be running its $1 Pints/Wells promotion that night. Keep an eye on Facebook and Twitter for more Ampers& news.