Sumith Ramachandran and Rila Banerjee. Picture: Rashbehari Das

Plan B started out with a bang in 2007 with a fresh list of covers and a departure from the oft-played classic rock. Then you went missing. What happened?

Rila: We never really disbanded. The first place we started playing was at Someplace Else in The Park but what did not work with us was the part where we were given a slot at half past twelve and we’d finish at 1.30am. Also, there were 15 other bands doing covers and we were the 16th band doing covers too. It did nothing for us, on a selfish scale. Then we tried out other places, which couldn’t support the live act and band members started moving out here and there. After that, during the time we weren’t performing anywhere, we spent a lot of time writing music. Unfortunately there weren’t too many takers for it.

What prompted you to

revive Plan B?

Sumith: I finally found like-minded musicians who wanted to do quality music. And I also thank The Park hotel for giving us earthly hours to perform.

Rila: Finding the right musicians took a lot of time because the originals we had written were not very easy to play. The biggest problem was getting the right drummer.

Sumith: After a year we got hold of this guy (Satyajit Mukherjee) who is not just a drummer. Very musical, reacts to music, understands guitar chords and easy to communicate with. He commutes from Bandel for an hour of rehearsal. That’s dedication.

What is the kind of music you have in mind this time around?

Sumith: It’ll be more focused on pop and rock jazz.

Rila: Importantly, it’s all original stuff. Two and a half bands do originals in the city and I don’t blame anybody. If you’re performing to a roomful of people, the moment you start an original the room clears out. It’s demoralising. At some point you have to stand up for what you want to do.

Sumith: We are concentrating on promoting original music but if we’re doing 70 per cent originals and the rest covers, even the covers are meant to fit our umbrella.

How does the song-writing process work for you both?

Sumith: A song can take a few days, a couple of months, even a year and sometimes we might also throw some away.

Rila: It’s both of us. He writes the music, all the arranging, the chords and the tunes. The lyrics I write and the tunes too at times. I’ve grown up on country music and country music tells stories. The songs that I’ve learnt to write are mostly about stories and relationships. The songs range from one called Purple which is about abuse, Butterfly where I wrote about my daughter when she was 13 and some heavy-duty musically complicated head-banging stuff like Smoke You Out to ones like Muddled Up Me that plays with jazz. There’s Dominic on keyboards, Paddy, one of our founder members, will play with us when he’s free, Shankha will play bass and Satyajit is on the drums. I will be singing and Shankha and Sumith are also on harmonies.

The good and the flip side of being a husband-wife duo making music together?

Rila: Only bad sides (laughs)! We’re clashing all the time. He’s very hot-headed, so am I and very rarely do the two meet! Once in a while when it does meet, a song happens! So many songs don’t see the light of day.

Sumith: I don’t look at it that way. Husband and wife is the last thing on my mind when we’re creating music. For me a song has to sound good and also the ultimate product. ‘Can you contribute or not?’ is my point, like it is with any other musician.

People often complain about the same bands playing the same music at Someplace Else. If there’s one thing you could change about the music scene at SPE, what would it be?

Sumith: That’s true. I get a lot of complaints, so does Gautam (Singh, manager of Someplace Else) but if I were to handle a band that performs there regularly I’d try not to be stale. Every week, it’s not possible to come up with a setlist of 20 new songs but as a band we must try to bring in something new. One day you have to play for not just the food on your plate but also for the food for your soul!

Rila: Someplace Else is trying to promote fresh bands who look up to the bands that play there regularly. But if they see those bands playing the same songs over years, they’d also feel it’s the right thing to do. It’s not setting the right example.