It’s often the voice of a band that gets all the limelight while on stage but the shadows behind that voice stand like united pillars in holding that melody together. Drummer Drashti Thakkar, who is a student and member of metal band ‘Ceborgium 106’ may not look like she can bring a house down, but there is more to her than what is visible on the surface. Srishti Jain interviews her
Drashti hails from Surat (Gujrat). She is studying at Sophia College where she is pursuing her BMM degree. She has been teaching drums in Surat since a year and also takes classes in Mumbai.
When was the first time you felt an interest towards music and learning the drums?
I always wanted to be able to play an instrument and I loved the idea of performing. Thus I decided to learn an instrument. I decided on drums because that was the one instrument no one expected me to try (I am very small when it comes to physique) and you will often find I get lost behind a drum set. I guess it was a rebellious phase. But I am happy I made that decision.
Agree or disagree – ‘Drumming is a male dominated profession’, why?
It is a male dominated profession in the sense that the number of male drummers today vastly outnumbers the female drummers. But that’s not saying that being of the fairer sex and being a drummer is a setback in major terms. The better part of the music fraternity is more interested in the drumming than the drummer. In fact, lots of times when I put on a good show, guys give me a thumbs up and very emphatically exclaim ‘respect’.
How do people react when you tell them you play the drums?
They are generally surprised and jump to conclusions about my drumming abilities on the basis that I am a girl and am ‘tiny’.
Who are your musical inspirations/favorite artists?
Chris Adler, The Rev, Mike Portnoy, Tomas Haake, George Kolias, Travis Barker, Virgil Donati, Mike Mangini are some of my favorite artists and I get inspired by their work.
How supportive have your parents and school been about you drumming?
My parents have been extremely supportive when it came to drumming. I seriously started drumming when I was gifted a drumset by them in my 10th standard and since then, except for the few complaints about the excessive noise, they have been very positive about it. Even when it came to things like being the only girl in a band, going to perform in outstation gigs with them, staying back late for practice and ultimately converting my own room into the jam room for the band.
Tell us a little about your journey from being interested in the instrument to now mastering it?
Mastering it would be a little of an exaggeration. I have fallen in love with it, that’s what has happened, and when you love something you put in your best efforts to do justice to it. The journey is not much of a journey; I just remember it in flashes here and there. I’ve had my fair share of getting rejected or kicked out of a band for the simple reason that guys felt they had to restrict their behaviour to decency around me since I was a girl, or because guys just do not take a girl’s suggestion very easily. I was disheartened but I moved on and landed where I am today. Now I see the majority of people in the music fraternity are not like the ones I met. Yes, there is the occasional viewer who looks at my small stature and my gender and quickly passes a judgement about the kind of drumming I will be presenting, occasional metalheads who think a slight creature like me will not be able to do justice to the power and brute force metal drumming requires. But I have discovered that it brings me more joy when I find I changed their opinion of me.
Tell us a little about your band?
My band is a Surat based, four piece band. It was formed two years ago. We have performed in all major venues of Surat and many in Ahmedabad. Recent shows include IIT Gandhinagar, SVNIT and South Gujarat University. We concentrate on genres such as metal and heavy metal.
Give us an overview about your accomplishments.
I have been giving Trinity School of Music Guildhall London’s drum kit examinations and just passed the fourth grade and will be giving the fifth this summer. I have been awarded the best drummer in Surat and have been teaching drums since a year.
A drummer must have a lot of energy. Where do you get your energy from?
I get my energy from the audience and the stage. This gives me a high.
According to you, what are the factors that make a good drummer?
I believe that practice and versatility are the key ingredients that set a good drummer apart from the amateurs.
Do you think that drumming as a profession has lucrative prospects?
It is a lot of underpaid hard work but I have seen drummers make a successful business out of it only because they never meant to or intended to.
What are your future musical aspirations?
They are very vague. As of now, I am concentrating on my graduation and my band.