Sidd & His Self-Esteem

I am Sidd and I can describe my songwriting approach as having unexpected, sometimes erratic but always sincere results, being inevitably founded on soul-wrenching efforts. I reject every notion of being a part-time musician or hobbyist while being unable to reject the reality that accompanies such obstinacy. I play a fancy Epiphone dot ES335 but once made-do with a shitty Korean strat copy on which I wrote all of the better songs in our album.

Jonathan is the bass player here, an exceptional musician with a playing style that is simple and efficient yet flat-out brilliant. Know that feeling you got when you heard "Taxman" from the Beatles' Revolver for the first time? I get that feeling every time he plays a new bass line. Some of the idiosyncratic, wacko goose bump-giving guitar overdubs you will hear in the album came from his dark, inexplicable brain.

Angshu is a telecaster-playing guitarist, irreplaceable and ingenious, whose playing defies linear logic or comparison to anything in contemporary music. That scratchy tele tone of his is an obvious ingredient in the sound of this album. Not given to those soaring guitar solos, Angshu isn't someone you'd expect to find if you're putting up ads looking for the next Satriani or SRV, but believe me, he puts the "lead" in lead guitarist. Not long ago once, this singer at another gig that Angshu was supposed to play in but wasn't in town to, said to the shredder-virtuoso-type stand-in: "if Angshu were here, he'd wipe the floor with you."

Sammy is a tight, groovy drummer in the John Bonham mould, with much more sophistication in his playing than is common to rock music. Equally at home sessioning for reggae, blues or punk-rock music, Sammy however, makes his musical tastes (and distastes) bloody clear. Always a dream sessionist, playing, however, as a full member of this lineup, he's left a strong mark on these songs.