Rainburn

Rainburn is an Indian progressive rock band formed in 2011 in Bangalore.[1] They went through a number of line-up changes until their current formation that includes founding member Vats Iyengar (vocals/guitar), longtime drummer Praveen Kumar and recent addition Ravi Nair (bass).

Rainburn
OriginBangalore, Karnataka, India
GenresProgressive rock
Years active2011–present
LabelsUnherd
Websitewww.rainburn.com
MembersVats Iyengar
Praveen Kumar
Ravi Nair
Past membersVineet Gogoi
Allan Julius Fernandes
Toshimoa Jamir
Shishir Gupta
Abhishek Prakash
Ashwin Ethiraj
Avik Chakravarty
Jayaram Kasi

Amidst these changes and intense domestic touring, the band recorded and released its debut EP Canvas of Silence in 2014. With their current line-up, they released their debut and latest album Insignify (2018).

Etymology

Vocalist Vats Iyengar stated in a 2015 interview that drummer Praveen Kumar came up with the name Rainburn. He also explained: "I'm a big fan of bands that work with opposites. Like Led and Zeppelin or Black and Sabbath. The name suggests that we are covering a very wide spectrum of music. I like Metallica but that kind of name would be so limiting to me. Rainburn allows us that luxury."[1]

History

Rainburn was founded by keyboardist Avik Chakravarty and vocalist/guitarist Vats Iyengar in 2011. The duo was soon joined by drummer Praveen Kumar (Blood & Iron) and bassist Jayaram Kasi.[2] Since its inception, the band has gone through a number of line-up changes, apart from some financial bad times.[1]

In 2012, they started to gig, first in their hometown of Bangalore, then in southern India. Also in that year, Jayaram left and was replaced by Shishir Gupta and the quartet recorded two demo songs, "End of Sleep" and "Listen Through the Noise".[2]

In 2013, the band went through several successive line-up changes: Avik left and was replaced by keyboardist Ashwin Ethiraj, but he quickly left too and the band decided to hire a second guitarist instead: Abhishek Prakash (ex-Groove Chutney). He didn't last long either and quit the quartet as they were recording their debut EP, being replaced by Toshimoa Jamir.[2]

Following a 2014 local release,[2] they globally released their debut EP Canvas of Silence, which was defined by The Hindu as "a brilliant blend of opposing Indo-progressive tonalities that throb together in eclectic energy, exuding the band's vibrant take on music that is rooted and yet atmospheric".[1] It was ranked as the 4th best 2015 progressive rock album by Classic Rock.[3] By that time, they were already thinking of a full-length album.[1]

In early 2015, the band faced another formation change: Toshimoa and Shishir left and were replaced by Vineet Gogoi and Allan Julius Fernandes, respectively.[2] In July of that year, they co-organized and co-curated (with Coshish) the progressive rock music festival Progworks.[4] In October, they were joined on stage by Ted Leonard (Spock's Beard) for an unplugged performance of "Refuge".[2]

By 2016, Fernandes and Gogoi left and were replaced by Ravi Nair and Paraj Kumar Singh, respectively (the latter on a live basis only).[2] In the following year, the band released its first music video, "Merchant of Dreams", a single coming from their then upcoming debut full-length album,[2] by then known as The Anthropic Conceit and expected to be funded by a campaign in Fuel a Dream and succeeded by a tour.[5] By 2018, however, the album was being promoted with a new title: Insignify. It was elected one of the best 2018 Indian albums by Rolling Stone India.[6]

In 2019, they released their second EP, Resignify, consisting of acoustic versions of songs from their two previous releases.[7]

Musical style

The band is normally defined as a progressive rock ensemble. In a 2015 interview, drummer Praveen Kumar stated that "the genre also allows a lot of scope to experiment and better ourselves." Vocalist Vats Iyengar added:[1]

Progressive is a label that people put on music that has certain characters on rhythms and odd time signatures. We never sit down and make it. It comes naturally to us. I also like the term itself. Why choose an expression that belongs to someone else and limit yourself? The term progressive allows us to push the envelope. [...] I'd like to think we make our music organically. We don't want to be a technical band that doesn't enjoy or express themselves in our music.

The band members have different influences and musical tastes. Vats is a fan of pop and progressive rock while Praveen enjoys modern heavy metal. The band is also influenced by Indian and fusion music such as Shakti and Prasanna.[5]

Members

Current members
  • Vats Iyengar - lead vocals, guitars (2011–present)
  • Ravi Nair - bass, backing vocals (2016–present)
  • Praveen Kumar - drums (2011–present)

Live member
  • Paraj Kumar Singh - guitars (2016–present)

Past members
  • Vineet Gogoi - guitars, backing vocals (2015-2016)
  • Allan Julius Fernandes - bass, backing vocals (2015-2016)
  • Toshimoa Jamir - guitars (2013-2015)
  • Shishir Gupta - bass (2012-2015)
  • Abhishek Prakash - guitars (2013)
  • Ashwin Ethiraj - keyboards (2013)
  • Avik Chakravarty - keyboards (2011-3013)
  • Jayaram Kasi - bass (2011-2012)

Timeline

Discography
Ep
Albums
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References
  1. Rodricks, Allan Moses (15 March 2015). "Creating their own soundscape". The Hindu. The Hindu Group. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
  2. "Band Bio". Rainburn official website. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
  3. "This issue of Classic Rock Magazine went on the stands [...]". Rainburn's official Facebook page. Facebook. 6 December 2016. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
  4. Tagat, Anurag (1 January 2017). "Insight 2017: Progressive rock and metal might just be the best bet for promoters and fans". Firstpost. Reliance Industries. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
  5. Prabbhan, Pooja (7 November 2017). "'Burn'ing with passion!". Deccan Chronicle. Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
  6. Tagat, Anurag; Chakraborty, Riddhi; Britto, David (31 December 2018). "Best Indian Albums of 2018". Rolling Stone India. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
  7. Tagat, Anurag (26 November 2019). "Rainburn On Why They Reimagined Their Songs for 'Resignify' EP". Rolling Stone India. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
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