Rocking out from New Delhi to Newfoundland

King Solomon mines St. John’s

By Guruchathram Ledchumanan

Seeing the crowd at the Breezeway’s recent Rock and Metal night last Friday was like seeing the inmates take over the asylum. Skinny long-haired boys and pierced and tattooed girls in black T-shirts throbbed their necks in time to the metallic drumming. I felt like I found my army. One of the headliners responsible for the atrocities was 20-year-old MUN Engineering student Aditya Johar. He performs lead guitar and vocalist duties in King Solomon. The Muse caught up with the future rock star engineer after the show and he told us why the Breezeway needed to rock and how metal can help cancer research.

The Muse: How did you end up in St. John’s from India? Aditya Johar: I come from New Delhi and got to St. John’s on a boat. [Laughs.] Well, I came here to study engineering and it’s been a pleasure so far.

TM: How did you get the idea to do a rock and metal night at the Breezeway?
AJ: Well, the Breezeway is a pretty big bar in town and I thought since there hasn’t been a metal night at the Breeze at all; we should set one up and get everybody to rock the fuck out. It was a good show but it was over before we could start any fires.

TM: So Neil Young was right, it’s better to burn out than to fade away? AJ: Definitely. He knew what he was talking about.

TM: I think he was talking about heroin, suicide or love, I’m not sure. AJ: Probably all of the above, knowing Neil. One from column A and one from column B.

TM: He also wasn’t lying when he said, Rock ‘N Roll can never die, he certainly can’t. Speaking of surviving, you’re playing a benefit this Friday 10:00 pm at Junctions and this Saturday at the Levee. How did this gig come about?

AJ: It’s a cancer benefit show, part of a two show series organized by another great band in St. John’s, One Day in February. They decided to give back by setting up two shows this weekend, one at Junctions and the second at the Levee, on Saturday. All proceeds go to cancer research.

TM: Who are the rest of the band? AJ: We’ve got Bradley Sheppard on the other guitar, Shane Seaward on drums and Johnny Burton on the bass. When our powers combine, we are King Solomon.

TM: Some people who are unfamiliar with the genre might find metal music as mindless noise. AJ: It’s a lot deeper than some people think. Sure, some of the songs are just fucking crazy, but there's a lot of great song writing that goes into metal. There’s a certain amount of technicality involved in the music, from the guitars to the drums. Lyrically, we have bands writing songs about everything, be it political issues or Greek mythology. The crazy stuff ain’t too bad either,

TM: What’s the state of music today and how’s the local music scene in St. John’s? AJ: Music has changed a lot today. We’re seeing some of the most formulaic shit being put out on a daily basis. It’s an overdose of Autotune, man. But underneath that is a whole different world of true and soulful musicians. St. John’s has an amazing pool of talent. They have what it takes to make it big. Two of my favourites are ODIF and Sacrosanct.

TM: It’s unusual to find an Indian guy fronting a Newfoundland metal band. AJ: I’m just playing the guitar and lending my voice to a crowd. If what the amplifier and the speakers project out sounds good, my job is done. It’s got nothing to do with race.

TM: So you’ve never experienced racism in St. John’s? AJ: Fuck, no.

TM: What advice do you have for anyone who’s thinking or starting a band but may feel afraid to try? AJ: Just do it. Pick up a guitar or drumsticks now. It will stay with you throughout your life and you’ll only have yourself to thank for trying.

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