Kharaj (Interview)

Band name: Kharaj
Band members and their positions: Usman Ahmad Khan [Vocalist/ Guitarist / Song writer] Saqib Nasir [Drummer / Percussionist ] Qaisar Shakeel [Bassist]
One quote that inspires you all? People haven't always been there for us but music always has.
Tell us a bit about yourself?
We are one of the pioneer progressive rock bands from Islamabad with a profile of playing hundreds of live concerts locally as well as internationally. It was the year 2007 when we formally started recording our debut album, which we plan on releasing worldwide this fall. Till date we have released three music videos and five original singles from the album.
Inspirations?
Led Zeppelin, Nickleback, Dream Theater, Guns & Roses, Pantera and the list goes on etc.
What are your hopes for the near future?
We hope to release the album which is called ‘AAG’. We also hope to play lot more shows.
How long have you all known each other? How did you meet?
It’s been 10 years since we know each other. We were all class mates back then.
If you guys were to describe yourself in simple word choice. What would you say?
Heavy yet melodic. Honestly we follow no genre as musicians. We play and listen to what sounds good to our ears.
Do you guys have any other hobbies besides, obviously, making music?
We are born musicians. Music is not a hobby! Usman Ahmad Khan (vocalist) is a graphic designer, director and a photographer. He is a permanent band member of another Islamabad based band SATURN aswell and play guitars in it. Kaisar Shakeel (bassist) is a photographer aswell. Both of them do it professionally. Lastly, Saqib Nasir (Drummer), is an iphone guru and sleeps all day long. Both Kaisar and Saqib are members of a Gospel band called Hosanna aswell.


Which famous musicians do you admire? Why?
We admire everybody who is doing music or any kind of art. They are all contributing in their own special ways.
Your song Main kaun ho, one of the best song of yours. While you were in studio working on that track what was on everyone’s mind?

Mai Kaun Hoon is a song which compels you to seek for who you really are and what you really want to be. Not just this song, all our album is a conceptual album. There is a story, a message in every song of ours. A message of hope. Few of our other tracks from the album namely Tau Kiya Hua, Aag, Tum Kabhe and Akaila also got a lot of hype and helped us expand our fan-base.

How do you handle mistakes during a performance?
Mistakes are common in live concerts. We just let them go with the flow. Energy, stage presence and control is what is required in a live show. When you have those, nobody really cares if you hit or play few off notes.
How often and for how long do you guys practice/jam?
It all depends on our shows schedule.
Which songs do you perform most frequently? Do you ever play any covers?
Do you have a set play list?
We play our original songs normally. The covers we do depends on the type of audience we get. We don’t have a set list in general. It varies for every show.
Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs? Do you think these topics will change over time?
Usman Ahmad Khan (Vocalist / Songwriter) writes all the songs. The main topics/themes for most of our songs are to find one’s real identity, motivation and hope. We do have a couple of ballades too in the album.
How has your music evolved since you first began playing music together?
We play tighter now and have grown a lot as musicians. We’ve learned a lot from our past experiences.

What advice do you have for people who want to form their own bands?
Be original and consistent. Success would come to you automatically. Nobody is in competition with anybody but himself.
Thoughts on lespectra?
It’s a great website and a great platform for promoting local acts and music. Keep up the good work.