Unholy Maunder: Hello there Raktim! It feels overwhelmingly amazing to converse with One Of The Best Keyboardists Of The Nation. A Precious Gem that our North-East would always value...
We all love music, some play wonderfully but few achieve leaps and bounds in it..and you're one of them... so, how did it all start off with music in your life?
Raktim Mahanta: To be quite honest, my wish was to be a singer while I was a child. Did many shows where I sung, and trust me, the memories ain't that great. I sucked! haha... Then, it was my cousin, Brittanta whom I saw working endlessly with his guitar, practicing like crazy. He was in a band and he needed a keyboardist. He asked me to learn keyboards. Thats how it all started. The first song that I played live was Final countdown by Europe.
UM: So how was Silver Tears formed?
Raktim: The one thing that brought us together was the love for Progressive music and our dire need to experiment with the same. It’s been a year since we started out with the current line-up. ST has been in the scene for a very long time, though. As we evolved, musically and individually, things started to shape up for us. Our vocalist Girish joined us last year.
UM: Ok, first things first, how's it all going?
Raktim: Things are turning out to be great for us. People starting to realize what we are about and what we are trying to do. We are planning to do as many gigs as possible.
UM: What more- something new in the Silver Tears' bag?
Raktim: We have just started working on our full length album. It would take some time for us to finish the album. Hopefully we get it done soon enough.
UM: Your album, Ensnared is out the new avatar of your previous EP Dirt beyond beauty, tell us about it!
Raktim: Ensnared is more like a new interpretation of the last Ep. We know that sounds a bit complicated and weird- but that’s how we perceive it.
UM: The Djent sound has spun like a craze now. How do you melt yourselves into it?
Raktim: SILVER TEARS' sound, although not totally, but is djent oriented and that has to do with our love for jazz music. Djent is the most suitable way to infuse jazz into Metal. Another major reason being bands like Periphery, Textures, animals as leaders etc.. which are some of our major influences.We are working on a whole lot of different sounds for our upcoming album though.
UM: Tell us, few secrets about the magic that you brought into your fingers and keys, your weapon.
Raktim: Haha!! There's no magic in my fingers. I am just an average keyboardist who's trying to develop himself as much as he can. I Learn from whatever I can, be it bollywood, metal, or classical music.
UM: After Johny's departure, things weren't the same for a while. How did u guys carry on since then?
Raktim: We tried our best, but things did not work out between us. We decided to go instrumental if required but would not settle for anyone but the perfect match for our band. We decided to do the Wacken Metal battle with Girish and requested him. He was humble enough to except the proposal. We realized that our love and passion for music was quite similar. We exchanged ideas. We felt a the. And we decided to make it permanent. Girish has been great. He tried his best to understand our sound which is totally different from what he has been doing since years, and for a dedicated musician like him, it was not that difficult. He is a big contributing factor in our song making process now a days.
UM: Well, the name 'Silver Tears' seems quite like a philosophical imagery. How did the name come to life?
Raktim: The name did not really have too much behind it although it was influenced by the Deep Purple song 'When a blind man cries' We don’t really have a concept behind the band. We don’t believe in restricting/concentrating on a certain viewpoint. We like to express what we feel and do it with all honesty. The underlying theme behind most of our songs relates to everyday life happenings. Life, love, hope, humanity is what we mostly write about.
UM: Girish is quite an awesome vocalist. He sure serves an inspiration for you guys. But he also has another band. Does that create a bridge?
Raktim: Not at all. We all are very good friends, and being professionals when it comes to music, we have been able to carry out both the band's work smoothly. Its not that hectic playing or singing in two bands in India. We don't always have gigs lined up throughout the year. As a matter of fact, you would see me playing with GIRISH AND THE CHRONICLES in their next gig.
UM: How was the Wacken experience?
Raktim: One of the most memorable one. Playing and competing with the best bands around the country was a great experience. The finals was one of the most intense competitions I have ever seen. After all the band performed, no one had any idea about how the results would turn up. We were overwhelmed with the fact that we were judged runners up. Eccentric Pendulum deserved it that night. They were simply mind blowing.
UM: Amitabh and Siddharth from Lucid Recess have been quite helpful for recordings. A word for them.
Raktim: These guys have been with SILVER TEARS since the begining. We have learnt a lot from them. They are way too humble and are always ready to lend a helping hand whenever we needed. We are grateful to them. Thank you Sidharth Da and Amitabh da!
UM: What next do we expect for the fans?
Raktim: As I already said, we are working on our album which we are planning to release by year end. Planning to do gigs, as many as possible.
UM: Share with us your most memorable experiences throughout your music life till now.
Raktim: Wacken Metal battle again. The fact that the bands were so good, we had a feeling like playing in an international concert. And the crowd was just simply awesome. The kind of response we got on and off stage was a memorable experience that will be treasured for life. As for me, it has to be the nomination that I got in the Rolling stones Metal awards 2011. Its an honour to see my name written among some of the finest musicians that our country has to offer.
UM: Who do you dream to perfrom with, sharing the same stage?
Raktim: The list will never end!! haha! It has to be our major influential bands like Dream Theater, Periphery, Textures, Symphony X, Porcupine Tree etc!! although we would also love to share the stage with some great artists who are not into metal such as Fourplay, Dave Mathews band, Yanni, Louis banks, Gino Banks, AR Rehman, Kalyan Baruah etc.. Trust me, there's a whole lot of names missing out there.
UM: What are your views on the music scenario of the North-East and India too as a whole?
Raktim: I would not like to comment anything about the North east India Metal music scenario. India as a whole is rising. Be it in the field of Metal or world music. Good musicians are coming up from every corner of the country and this is a good sign for the things to come in the future. All we need is more gigs and a bit of financial assistance to the bands to help the band carry on with whatever they are doing.
UM: Tips for the upcoming keyboardists and other musicians too.
Raktim: The most common and the most effective tip- 'Practice'. There's no shortcut. Listening to good music is very important too.
UM: A message you wanna give to your listeners and followers.
Raktim: I would like to thank you guys!! SILVER TEARS has nothing but you. You own us. Just keep supporting us and we would keep working hard!!
UM: Words for Unholy Maunder Team.
Raktim: UM- New but super active!!! Great job guys! Keep up the good work! And thank you so much for taking interest in our music!
(Thanks for your time & best wishes for your future)