Mumbai Blues/Rock Band The Tripp Release Debut Single “Troublemaker”

The Tripp. Photo: Blake D’Silva

Whoever said blues is old school hasn’t heard Mumbai blues/rock band The Tripp, who formed in 2012 when they were still in college. The Tripp modernize the blues with variations, drawing from alt rock but keeping the main elements of blues intact. Says the band’s bassist David Britto, “I think it [blues] is pretty cool.” In fact, their debut single “Troublemaker,” which released last week, isn’t about the usual girl problems, but about “feeling the blues,” says Britto.

The Tripp, comprising Britto, vocalist Joel Padikkal, guitarist Keegan Moraes, drummer Derrick Soans and guitarist Rinaldo D’souza, came together in college as a two-piece acoustic band. Says Britto, “It was Joel and I at first and then the live band came together when we played our first college gig [in September 2012].” One of the first songs they wrote, “You Don’t Want Me Like I Want You,” was recorded as an acoustic demo song and released online in the hope of getting noticed and snagging club gigs. After performing a few sets across Mumbai venues such as I-Bar and early sets at Blue Frog in 2013, the band says they moved on from covering songs by artists such as Eric Clapton, Stevie Wonder and John Mayer to concentrate on writing new material. Says Britto, “We didn’t want to restrain ourselves to any one genre, even blues. For example, I started out playing punk rock. But Joel has this rusty Clapton-like voice, so it changed the sound.”

Though their demo “You Don’t Want Me Like I Want You” got them gigs, Britto says “Troublemaker” is their first release, produced by Mumbai recording engineer Ayan De at Midicore Studio earlier this year. Says Britto, “He [Ayan] is really open-minded about music, which is why we recorded with him.” The band performs a 45-minute set at Hard Rock Café Andheri, opening for fellow blues band Kanchan Daniel and the Beards on September 11th. Besides songs such as “Troublemaker,” The Tripp’s setlist will include new songs such as “The Deal,” which Britto says has a Pink Floyd influence and “How I Lose Track of Time,” a “slow, Sunday drive song.” Adds Britto, “We’ve got a lot of new material, some old stuff and one cover of [Bill Withers’] ”˜Ain’t No Sunshine’.”

The Tripp open for Kanchan Daniel and the Beards at Hard Rock Cafe, Andheri on September 11th, 2014. Event details here.

Listen to “Troublemaker”