Chennai’s Grey Shack Release Debut Album

Chennai rockers Grey Shack released their debut album, Step Outside, last week. The eight-track album that took five years to record, features songs that the band began writing since their first gig in 2007. “We love doing long solos, something that is mostly reserved for jams. Our entire album is very old school rock with an element of blues,” says Greyshack guitarist and backup vocalist Vikram Vivekanand.

The band members went to college together and got together in 2007. Within a few months, the Madras Christian College students were playing the rock competition circuit, and went on to perform alongside Bengaluru bands Galeej Gurus and Thermal And A Quarter over the next two years. They released their first single, a classic rock track titled “Gonzo,” in December 2011, based on American journalist and author Hunter S. Thompson’s character Dr. Gonzo from the cult novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. “We listen to a lot of classic rock,” says Vivekanand. “There is a bit of AC/DC, The Who and Steppenwolf in our sound. At the same time, we do draw from Thermal And A Quarter and Indus Creed as well.”

Grey Shack played their album launch gig in Chennai last week and plan to perform in Bengaluru next month. Though there are no plans of a nation-wide tour, the band hopes to play in Mumbai, Delhi and Pune soon. “We don’t want to remain in the Deccan but want to play to a new audience,” says the band’s bassist Madhav Ravindranath.

Here’s the full tracklist of the album

“Awake”

“Beautiful Man”

“Dirty City”

“Monkey Man”

“Gonzo”

“New Day”

“One Night Stand”

“Step Outside”

Listen to the title track of the album