Rock band Pseutopia on what binds them and on making music together
When rock band Pseutopia’s cover of Chris Cornell’s ‘Seasons’ dropped on Youtube last December it met a lot of appreciation. The song was their tribute to the legendary singer/songwriter Chris Cornell (front man of Soundgarden/Audioslave); making it extra special was Grammy-winner Dave Abbruzzese, former Pearl Jam drummer, being a part of it. The song is brilliantly done with this version of ‘Seasons’ coming together beautifully.
“We sent Dave a demo sometime last year, he really liked it and was immediately on board to be a part of it,” says Pseutopia’s guitarist Mithun Raju, who also plays with Thaikkudam Bridge. It was, obviously, a dream come true for the band, whose inspirations include rock bands such as Pearl Jam, Nirvana and Soundgarden. Laji George (vocals) and Shyam Narayan (bass) are the others in the line-up.
Appreciation has been pouring in mostly from viewers and fans from all around the world. Making it all the more special was the feedback from peers such as Pearl Jam drummer Matt Cameron and Chris Cornell’s brother Peter Cornell. Impressed, each posted encouraging and appreciative comments on social media. For a band which has been playing for the sheer love of music, this recognition is as significant as it is encouraging.
Mithun, Laji and Shyam have known each other since their school days at Bhavan’s Vidya Mandir (Kochi), where they formed the band. Unlike most school bands, which seldom last beyond school days, Pseutopia still plays together. “What works for us is that our taste in music is very similar, and the creativity and the energy keeps us together,” says Mithun.
Based out of New Jersey (United States), where lead singer Laji lives and works, the band gets together in the US where they record songs, shoot videos and do shows. Mithun is Kochi-based and Shyam is based in Bengaluru. “The video for our latest release ‘Crooked Nose’ was entirely shot in New York City says Laji.
Chris Cornell’s untimely death in mid-2017 affected each of them and they felt they had to pay a tribute to him. “This led us to recording ‘Seasons’ and to have Dave Abbruzzese playing on the track was just tremendous. He was a joy and inspiration to work with!” the band members say.
Feeding off each other’s creativity - working as a unit writing a song and recording it. “All of us are totally involved in the creative process right from the inception of a song to the final mix,” says Shyam of the dynamics of making music.
‘Seasons’, and the ensuing attention, has been good but they are already working on their next songs which they plan to release online through the year, “it should culminate into a full album by the end of the year. We are really excited and looking forward to our next release, which should be in a month,” says Mithun.