'There is such uniqueness in music from India'

TOI talks to Sarah Blackwood from the well-known Canadian band Walk off the Earth

Why This Kolaveri Di...has some stiff competition, and not from another soup boy, but from five musicians playing one guitar - at the same time. Each member of the band plays five different aspects of the instrument - from percussion to rhythm guitar, from the lead guitar to the bass and what seems to be plucking of the chords.
With more than 55 million views in two months, Walk off the Earth's cover of Goyte's Somebody That I Used to Know, has truly gone viral.How did the band - which comprises - Ryan Marshal, Gianni Luminati, Mike Taylor, Joel Cassady and Sarah Blackwood - manage that with a single guitar? "Gianni heard the song on the radio and then showed it to us. We all decided it was a song we wanted to cover with a video. Gianni came up with the idea for five people to play one guitar and we decided to film it in Gianni's kitchen," says Sarah, who plays the rhythm guitar in the video. Recording the video took them about 30 over almost 20 hours.
The original song was on the Australian top 10 in 2011. What Goyte had to say about Walk off the Earth's version of his hit, Sarah says, "He invited us to his show in Toronto and he is excited for us."
The band was originally founded by Marshal and Gianni, about six years ago. The band has been writing original and covering other songs. Among their covers are Adele's Someone Like You. Seeing that they created a solid fan base after their video created ripples online, do they think they will still write original compositions? "In order to maintain a solid fan base and a true connection with the world, you have to continue to be good. You have to dedicate yourself to the integrity of your work and never stop making creative stuff," says Sarah. Their motto is to keep making videos that keep upping the ante.

The independent band has been getting a lot of offers from record labels, but they are in two minds about whether to accept any of them. "It's nice for us to have the opportunity to hold a lot of cards in our hands. We are able to construct a foundation based on our terms," says Sarah.
Now that they're famous do they want to tour India? "There is such uniqueness in music from India. We would love to integrate in to the local music scene somehow and develop more knowledge of culture and music," she says. Apart from planning a world tour they are working on their latest album. "We will be recording and releasing a new album soon as possible. We are hoping for a summer release," says Sarah.

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