When one of the New Jersey-based Bamboo Shoots got married in Delhi this spring the rest of the band flew out to India and celebrated rock style with a five-city music tour. Concluded last month, the “Homecoming” tour brought their brand of pop/rock rhythmic dance beats to Mumbai, Pune, New Delhi, Bangalore and Kolkata. The band’s blog has pics and clips from their shows and time on the road, including a description of a near-arrest situation in Bangalore where dancing and dance-provoking music can be illegal.
Indian coverage of the tour described it as part of a broader relatively recent transition for rock bands there, from one-off concerts to nationwide tours. Drummer Shiv Puri compared touring there with the U.S.: “India is a lot like the US; it’s a huge place and here, you have to tour if you want to be known outside your home town.” (DNA India). Though many people (myself included) have come to know of the Shoots’ music through their tunes online, the tour allowed an international audience to get to know them as live performers.
CNN India interviewed the Shoots, touching on the pull of the music world v. their academic studies and white-collar work for the various members.
Now that they have made it through airport security back to the U.S., the Shoots continue to play shows and their upcoming album “Armour” with Epic Records releases this year. They’ve worked with producer Jerry Harrison from Talking Heads on it and “Wrong All Along” is one of the new tracks. They also offer a free mixtape online — “Music for Cotillions” — with accompanying videos featuring covers of Springsteen, Kanye West and Radiohead.
Previously: SM blogged about the Shoots back when they were chosen as the best college band in a national MTV contest.
