After coming together to form a band only last year, this trio of talented musicians from Chennai is already making waves. Wayside, the blues-rock band comprising of bass player Shiv Rekhi, drummer Pranav KR and vocalist and guitarist Elvis Xaviour, were noticed nationally after winning the first ever Band Hunt, powered by Red Bull Tour Bus. 

The trio are unanimous about their happiness about the win. “It was an amazing experience to be part of the competition. It was superbly executed and we are thrilled to have come out on top in spite of the heavy competition that we faced. It’s a special feeling to know that our music has connected with people the way it has,” says Shiv. 

Shiv explains how the band, which recently released its debut single Anastasia last month, came into existence. “Pranav and I also play for another project called Spine Shatter, and that’s how we know each other. As for the idea to play this kind of music for Wayside is concerned, we would often find ourselves jamming to funk/blues-rock songs during Spine Shatter jams. So it was natural to want to form a band that plays that kind of music. We met Elvis through a mutual friend, and from the first jam, we knew this would be the final line-up of the band.”

Interestingly, none of the youngsters are full-time musicians yet, with Pranav graduating from college this year and Elvis and Shiv pursuing their final year of engineering currently. 

Quiz them on how Wayside has evolved over time, and they say, “The sound has become more coherent in the sense that we now know what suits the band and what doesn’t. The other major evolution has been in our live shows, which have become a lot more entertaining and energetic from when we first started.”

Wayside counts a number of international artistes as inspiration for them. “Collectively, as a band, we have a wide range of musical influences — John Mayer, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Audioslave, Nirvana, Oasis, and Alter Bridge, to name a few.”

So, what’s next for Wayside? “Currently, our main focus is to perform in as many shows as possible and put out a lot more music. And also hopefully track a live session and record an EP or an album soon,” Shiv reveals.

“Funnily enough, one of our dreams was to play on the tour bus someday – luckily, we got that chance early on. Our other major dream is to play in music festivals — all of us wish to play on the biggest of stages for thousands of people, so that’s definitely on our bucket list,” the band signs off.