Hi Eventually Epic!
Congratulations on the release of your new single and music video “Grey,” we loved it!
Thank you very much! We’re so glad you liked it. We appreciate your support and the opportunity for the interview.
Tell us more about your new single. What inspired it and what’s the message conveyed through it?
Roon started writing Grey way back when he was in high-school, soon after he taught himself how to play some basic chords on the guitar. He was initially inspired by the first line of a poem that his sister – author and activist Manjima Bhattacharjya – wrote. Around the same time, he remembers falling in love with suspended chord arpeggios, while playing along to Suzanne Vega’s song Luka. He completed an acoustic version of this song several years later as a graduate student in Stanford University, where he also performed it live for the very first time with Sachin.
We have tried to convey a sense of pensiveness and yearning using simple yet universal lyrics, haunting vocal harmonies, acoustic guitar arpeggios, and other sparingly used surreal instrumental sounds.
The music video is magnificent! Who came up with the visual concept? Any BTS moments you’d like to share with our audience?
The unique interpretive dance was choreographed and performed by Jillian Linkowski and Razvan Stoian from Battery Dance. They did a great job capturing the heartbreak of a couple who aren’t over their past relationship. The concept and direction is by Barry Steele, who had some wonderfully creative ideas such as using a noticeably desolate New York City as the backdrop, and interspersed color with black and white visuals to convey a sense of nostalgia.
The video was shot back in 2020, in the middle of the pandemic. So we went with a concept that was all outdoors. This explains why the NYC streets were so empty! Also, Sachin’s not in the music video because he lives in Seattle and people were still avoiding travel back then.
How did you all meet? What sparked your desire to form a band?
We met as graduate students at Stanford University and connected through music (and a whole lot of other common interests like playing cricket and soccer, watching movies, eating Indian food, etc.). In 2008, we played an on-campus acoustic show where we first performed a couple of original tunes, both of which were very well received, along with a bunch of rock covers. A couple of years later, both of us ended up in New York state for work. That’s when we officially formed Eventually Epic. Since then we’ve continued to write and record original music together.
How different is your creative process now compared to when you just started?
Our creative process usually starts with a guitar riff or a hook or chorus melody or sometimes just a song title, that sort of defines what the song is about and what style it will be. We then slowly flesh out other aspects like the lyrics, chords, harmonies and song structure to create the acoustic version of the song. We then add all of the other instrumental elements of the song to create the final radio-ready version. Our process has more or less remained the same in general, but some songs take a lot longer than others.
What is your most memorable experience or moment when performing live?
One of our most memorable experiences was performing live at the Battery Dance Festival in NYC back in 2021. The backdrop of the Hudson river along with the Statue of Liberty at sunset was absolutely breath-taking … It was an unforgettable moment for us!
What sub-genre would best describe your sound or style?
We generally describe ourselves as acoustic rock or acoustic pop. But coming from diverse musical and cultural backgrounds, we end up performing music across various genres and languages including classic rock, contemporary pop, Bollywood tunes and Indian folk/fusion.
What’s next for Eventually Epic?
We plan to follow up our Grey release with our debut album release in April, and shows in multiple cities later this year. We will kick off our show calendar with our album release show/party at ‘Heaven Can Wait’ in the East Village NYC on May 13th Saturday.
Thank You!