The Artiste Feat. The Khirki Village | Episode 3
The Khirki Village is an indie band in the truest sense of the word. And its members Sunil and Ashish are determined to keep it so.
The duo admit that commercial music and covers were their bread and butter for a long time. But since they started working on their EP (or extended play), they have almost touch with commercial music.
They tell us, ‘We only want to work on our original music now. We have had to do a lot of commercial music because when we perform, people want to hear familiar music. But now we feel we have done enough of that.’
How they produced their EP
So what does it take for an indie band to create their own EP? Sunil and Ashish accumulated whatever money they could from their live performances and invested all of it in their own recording studio. They now spend most of their time at their studio working on their music. ‘We have set it up on the terrace of Ashish’s house in Rudrapur, Uttarakhand. We spend a lot of time there. The best part is that we do not have to worry about food and a place to sleep as his family stays right there.’
How they formed the band
The Khirki Village was formed quite coincidentally. The vocalist Sunil was booked to open for The Local Train at a gig and he needed an accompaniment. He contacted Ashish, who now plays the guitar and does the back-up vocals for their band. After that, they did not immediately form their band. But over time they realised that they enjoy playing together and found a niche where they could play the kind of feel-good music they wanted to play.
What sets them apart
The duo is interesting in other ways as well. For the past couple of years, Sunil and Ashish relocate to either Goa or Manali for a few months at a time, when it is season time. In Goa, that is in the winter months. And in Manali, it’s in the summer.
‘We go and take a small apartment on rent because we stay there for two to three months. The main thing is that we pay the rent from whatever we earn. Some cafes gave us dinner, so at least a meal was sorted. The best part about this is that we can play the music we want to play. We cannot always do that in Delhi gigs or when we play at weddings and all.’
To get a taste of their music and their upcoming EP, and to know more about their musical journey, watch the entire episode here.
