The Superfuzz

Infobox musical artist
Name = The Superfuzz


Img_capt = The Superfuzz
Background = group_or_band
Origin = New Delhi, India
Genre = Garage rock Punk blues Indie rock Alternative rock
Years_active = 2002–present
Label = Unsigned
Associated_acts =
URL = [http://www.thesuperfuzz.com www.thesuperfuzz.com]
Current_members = Sanchal Malhar Nikhil Rufus Aditya Paharia
Past_members =

The Superfuzz are a Rock & Roll band from New Delhi, India, whose members are Sanchal Malhar, Nikhil Rufus, and Aditya Paharia. They initially found fame playing pubs & college fests in & around New Delhi, India.

History

Early years

Sanchal and Nikhil met at St. Columba's School, New Delhi, sometime around 2000. In high school, they would go on to form a 6-piece pop-rock cover band called Red Edge, with Nikhil playing guitar & Sanchal on vocals, which remained restricted to the jamroom. Later, Sanchal, who only sang until now, picked up the guitar, with Nikhil & Benjamin showing him the ropes.Early influences included Nirvana, The Beatles, Black Sabbath, and Led Zeppelin.

The Copperstoned Era: 2003 - August 2004

Copperstoned was a working name thrown around for the band in its early days. The band, who were schoolboys then, landed up at NSIT's annual rock competition, and on being questioned by the event volunteer as to which band they played for, Sanchal mumbled "Copperstoned" & the name stuck for a while. Copperstoned played a few battle of the bands & were runners-up at Pepsi Storm 2003 and Samsung digi-witz 2003. The lineup during this time was: Sanchal Malhar (vocals), Nikhil Rufus (bass), Damian Sousa (guitars), Shannon Peter (drums).

The Superfuzz Bigmuff Era: September 2004 - January 2006

After graduating from high school, Sanchal played a few gigs with Sumit (drums, Messiah) opening for local bands like Killer Tomatoes & Nakshatra. Later, on being contacted by organizers for gigs & without a proper band name as yet, Sanchal came up with Superfuzz Bigmuff, after the Mudhoney record. The band have said that they didn't give much thought to the name, believing that eventually it would "cease to matter", beyond the purpose of identification.

This incarnation of the band comprised Sanchal chaman Malhar (guitars, vocals), Nikhil Rufus (bass), and Aman Gulati (drums). The band would go on to compete at the nationwide battle of the bands 'Campus Rock Idols' in 2004, where they were placed second. Soon, academic pursuits beckoned Aman to Ontario, Canada, and the band was without a drummer for a while. An acquaintance, Ankit Jena, would introduce them to their current drummer, Aditya Paharia. The band, with this lineup, would go on to win the 2005 edition of Campus Rock Idols.

The Superfuzz: January 2006 - present

Soon after their CRI victory, the band would shorten their name to The Superfuzz, as they thought it sounded more simple and catchy. Copyright infringement, with reference to the Mudhoney album, was also a passing thought.

Their first performance as The Superfuzz was at the Great Indian Rock festival 2006, which they went on to win, and brought them nationwide attention among the underground rock scene & built the foundations for a fan-base.

To this day, the band exists with this lineup and name.

Hiatus: October 2006 - May 2007

In October 2006, Chaman moved to London to pursue a course in Guitar & Vocal Production at the London Centre of Contemporary Music, and the band didn't play any gigs during this period.

Comeback: May 2007

After Chaman's return, the band resumed touring, with their victory at the Channel [V] Launchpad 2007 adding another feather to their cap. During August & September 2007, they played dates in all major Indian cities, as part of RSJ Pubrockfest 2007.

Music & Performances

While the band refrains from defining their music as anything less generic than Rock & Roll, listeners have detected traces of garage rock, indie rock, & punk, with grunge being a seminal influence during their early days.

The band cites the following artists as influential in their musical pursuits: The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Nirvana, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, The Strokes, The Stooges, The White Stripes, The Mars Volta.

Audience Reception

The Superfuzz are known to win over audiences wherever they've played, and enjoy a high degree of admiration & respect among audiences, and their musical peers alike.

Criticism

There have been allegations that some of The Superfuzz's early compositions sound too similar to Nirvana. One listener noted that the riff of "School", one of the band's earliest songs, which they wrote as 16 year olds, is ripped off from a riff played by Kurt Cobain, which can be seen in backstage footage from Nirvana's Live! Tonight! Sold Out!! video. Another fan noted that the song-structure & drumming patterns of "What I Really Think", were similar to Nirvana's "Drain You".

It's a well-known fact that Nirvana were Sanchal's boyhood heroes & one of his earliest musical influences. In response to the allegations of plagiarism, Sanchal stated:

Personal life

sanchal dropped out of his English Literature (Hons.) course from Delhi University after a few semesters, to move to LCCM. Nikhil graduated this summer, from DU, with a degree in Political Science. Both of them were students of Delhi College of Arts & Commerce. Aditya graduated this summer, with a degree in Commerce from Sri Ram College of Commerce and is now working.

Onstage flamboyance aside, sanchal is known to be camera-shy, introverted, & modest, commonly leaving Nikhil to handle interviews.

Future

The band now pursue music full-time & have completed recording a 4-track demo at Grey Studio (Anupam Roy's home studio), which can be heard on [http://www.myspace.com/thesuperfuzzmusic their Myspace page] . They are playing regular gigs in India, and are scheduled to perform at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York City, in early 2008. A tour of the UK is also being planned, as part of the deal they won on their GIR victory. In early 2008, the band was selected to record with legendary producer John Leckie.

Equipment used

anchal Malhar

Guitars

Fender Standard Telecaster (in Arctic White) (The Superfuzz c. 2007) Washburn HB30 (The Superfuzz c. 2006) Givson GS1000 (in Copperstone & during the early days of Superfuzz Bigmuff)

Pedals

The following pedals have been spotted in his pedalboard at various times.

MXR Microamp Electroharmonix Big Muff Pi Electroharmonix Holy Grail Reverb Electroharmonix Deluxe Memory Man Electroharmonix Small Stone Phaser Boss TU-2 Tuner Boss DS-1 Distortion Boss BD-2 Blues Driver Boss CS-3 Compressor/Sustainer Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor Dunlop Crybaby GCB95F Classic Wah Fulltone Supa-Trem

Amplifiers

Marshall MG50DFX (only used at home/jams, The Superfuzz c. 2005-2007) Orange AD30R (The Superfuzz, c. 2007)

Nikhil Rufus

Nikhil Rufus plays a Fender Standard Jazz Bass through a Tech 21 Sansamp Bass Driver DI.

Band Members

* Chaman Malhar - vocals, guitar
* Nikhil Rufus - bass, backing vocals
* Aditya Paharia - drums

Footnotes

* [http://in.news.yahoo.com/060115/32/620nb.html The Superfuzz Buzz] , "Yahoo! News", 2006-01-16
* [http://www.mumbaimirror.com/net/mmpaper.aspx?page=knowmumbai&section=Leisure&sectname=Leisure&subpage=article&sectid=20&contentid=200705302332219372258373e&pageno=1 All Fuzzed Up] , "Mumbai Mirror", 2007-05-30
* [http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mp/2007/08/02/stories/2007080251300300.htm Hard Rocking Time] , "The Hindu", 2007-08-02
* [http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mp/2007/07/26/stories/2007072660050200.htm The Superfuzz Buzz] , "The Hindu", 2007-07-26
* [http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=246140 Headbanger's Ball] , "The Indian Express", 2007-07-16
* [http://www.jammag.com/etc/etcshow.php?art_id=349 The Superfuzz: An Instant Success] "JAM", 2007-11-05
* [http://therecordmag.com/sep2007/superfuz.htm The Superfuzz] "The Record Music Magazine", 2007-09-01

External links

* [http://www.myspace.com/thesuperfuzzmusic Official site]