Listen: Grey Shack Launch New Single “Country Song”

Grey Shack at Harley Rock Riders Season IV in October last year. Photo: Prashin Jagger

In October last year, Chennai rock ”˜n roll band Grey Shack opened their set at the Harley Rock Riders Season IV with a twanged-out guitar riff that was part of “Country Song,” which was one of the catchiest songs that night. Says guitarist Vikram Vivekanand, “It [our music] is just unapologetic rock. No one’s doing straight up rock any longer, but that’s what we’ve always loved doing.” “Country Song” is their latest single since the band’s 2012 full-length album Step Outside.

Despite its title, their new single is not inspired by country music, says Vivekanand, but leans toward Seventies rock ’n roll. “Country Song” is part of a collection of six singles called The Soundgarden Sessions, which Grey Shack recorded in July last year at Puducherry’s Soundgarden Studio. Says Vivekanand, “We went into the studio on a weekend and spent 13 hours and recorded bass, guitars and drums live on six songs.” Although Grey Shack vocalist Rohan Sen is yet to record his vocal parts for the rest of the five songs on The Soundgarden Sessions, the band is currently on a mini-tour through south India to promote their new single. The band played at Hyderabad’s Nalsar University of Law on April 6th, followed by a show at Hard Rock Cafe, Chennai yesterday and are set to perform at BFlat in Bengaluru tonight.

Grey Shack will spend the rest of the year releasing more singles, including “She Bites,” one of the first songs the band wrote after Step Outside was recorded, “Make Yourself,” which Vivekanand mentions has a touch of funk  and “Plastic,” which was the first ever track that the band composed together dating back to 2007. In an unabashed admission Vivekanand adds, “It (”˜Plastic’) hasn’t changed much even though we’ve become much better musicians now. It’s a lot more energetic.” Vivekanand adds that the band plans to perform all six of their upcoming singles in Bengaluru today, along with material from Step Outside, “All the old songs are also updated. People come to watch and we’re there to have fun playing the songs, so we always change them around. No two shows are the same with us.”

Listen to “Country Song” below

Grey Shack performs at BFlat, Bengaluru on April 11th, 2014. Entry: Rs 300. Event details here.