Most fans don't know much about the band members of Something Relevant - what they like and dislike, what they argue about, what they wear off stage.
It's the same with a majority of indie (or independent) Indian bands.
They can't afford to make professional music videos; they don't get featured on TV. The only interaction fans have with them is limited to concerts and websites.
For a generation raised on television music channels, this is not nearly enough. "We're the MTV generation and we thrive on music videos," admits Nikhil Raj (23), a fan of indie rock band Tough on Tobacco (TOT). "They give you a vibe of what the band is like - whether they're funny or serious guys."
Now, finally, there's hope. As filming equipment becomes more affordable and broadband penetration rises month on month,bands are roping in friends, fellow rockers and professionals to shoot music videos and compile behind-the scenes and tour footage that they then post on the Internet.
This is giving Raj and others like him all-access passes to their favorite bands, and it's giving the musicians a chance to extend their reach.
It helps that a lot of band members now have considerable experience as film producers, admen, sound engineers and graphic designers - thanks to the day jobs they were forced to keep in order to earn a living.
"These band members help out with their expertise and can rope in friends and colleagues to do the rest for a nominal fee," says Sahil Makhija, vocalist and guitarist of death metal band Demonic Resurrection.
The fans are already responding Demonic Resurrection released its first online music video on YouTube and on the band's officials website (demonicresurrection.inn) in January, for the track The Unrelenting Surge of Venegance from their third album, The Return to Darkness. The video has already been viewed 30,000 times.
And the trend is spreading fast, drummer Sidd Coutto's latest act Tough on Tobbacco is releasing its debut music video online for their track 'Taxi Song' from their album, Happy Goat.
Last week, jam band Something Relevant released a preview of their first online music video - also their first ever video - shot by two budding filmmaker friends using a fairly basic SLR. The video will be uploaded some time in the next fortnight.
Electronic rock band Medusa has approached a friend to shoot a video for their track Sweet Smile Diving. The video will be uploaded in September to coincide with the publicity campaign for their as-yet-unnamed debut album, which is set to hit stores in November.
"A video predominantly lays down the attitude of the band and that's something most fans want to find out about," says indie music buff Anand Nanivadekar (25).
"Will they make an entertaining video? Will they interpret their music in a serious way or in an abstract fashion? It's the next step after bands have invested time and effort in producing quality music."
Music videos also give a song great recall value, help generate buzz, and they're entertaining and fum to share, adds Himanshu Vaswani (23), event executive for music magazine Rolling Stone (India).
In addition to posting these videos on their websites and on YouTube, Facebook and MySpace, the bands are also hoping to get them aired on TV channels like VH1 and Zee Cafe.
VH1 has a segment called India Rules where the channel airs Indian indie music. "Bands are now coming forward and giving us content for this segment," says Hashim D'Souza, associate director of programming and artist management for VH1.
For the bands, it's whole new world of potential to explore. "Until now, funds were always an issue because producing a video would cost a minimum of Rs 4 lakh," says Sidd Coutto, frontman of TOT. "Now, with equipment becoming affordable, it's possible to make a good quality video for under Rs 50,000."
Adds Samira Kanwar of Babblefish Productins, which is directing the TOT video: "Our crew is a mix of band members' friends and fans, so it's easy to bring down the budget drastically, since everyone agrees to do things as a favour and to push the indie scene in their own small way."
In addition to the TOT video, Babblefish Productions is also working on a video podcast project for Pentagram called Penta TV, which will comprise 25 video podcasts on the making of their fourth studio album, Bloodywood.
"When I first started listening to Metallica and Guns 'n' Roses, I was dying to know what they looked like dressed like, what guitars they used and generally, what their vibe was like," says Randolph Correia, guitarist for Pentagram and Shaa'ir and Func. "That's exactly what we want to provide through these podcasts. They will reveal the normalcy of the band and help break any rock star image we may have developed over the years."
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