Members of the music band Root Three Five | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The name ‘Root Three Five’ sounds unique for a music band. So we ask, ‘How did you come up with this name?’ “The name ‘Root Three Five’ comes from the three main notes on the guitar: the root note, the third note and the fifth note,” says group founder and drummer Rindo Sunny. He adds, “We have three instruments: percussion (drums), strings (including lead guitar and bass guitar) and vocals (also considered an instrument). We are five people who have three instruments, hence the name Root Three Five.”
New Show
A show at the Hard Rock Cafe | Photo credit: Special Arrangement
The eight-year-old band, which plays progressive Hindi rock with Sufi music, comprises a group of working professionals – lead vocalist Mir Mujeeb Khan (senior manager, PwC), bass guitarist Vijit Singh (manager, Deloitte), lead guitarist/backing vocalist Sanjay Kumar (technical architect, Salesforce) and rhythm guitarist/backing vocalist Sanjeev Ranjan (senior consultant, IBM). They have been practising at Rindo’s house.
Playing music in the office
Bass guitarist Vijit Singh performing at a show | Photo credit: Special Arrangement
The story of Route Three Five began in 2016. A group of corporate people working from Deloitte across the country started playing for in-house shows and eventually won a contest held by Gliffy (a mobile app-based platform for hiring artists) in 2017. Their first public performance at Vapor (now named 36 Downtown Brew Pub) in Jubilee Hills was well received; which led to them getting a one-year contract to perform there every Friday. Their popularity continued to grow with gigs at Highlife Brewing Company, Air Live and Amnesia.
Rindo recalls that the band members continued to meet for performances even after he left Deloitte. Although members left the group, Rindo is still a part of it and the current line-up continues the band’s musical journey.
Distinctive taste
Sanjay Kumar performing at the show | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The band chose Hindi compositions because its members are from different states across the country and have a musical connection in Hyderabad. Apart from this, singer Mir Mujeeb Khan, a ‘Sure! Hyderabadi, trained in Hindustani music.
Their blend of Sufi elements with progressive rock has gained them attention. Rindo describes their style of music: “We take a song, break it down and add our own flavour. The hallmark of Root Three Five is to perform a difficult song live, such as Shankar Mahadevan’s ‘Breathless’. “Not many bands cover the entire song but we do it beautifully.”
‘Afreen’ by Rahat Fateh Ali Khanis another favorite. “Musicians cover the lyrics part of the song but never sing it Gamut (The notes) are difficult, but our singers perform it well.” Apart from AR Rahman’s songs like ‘Sada Haq’ and ‘Nadaan Parindey’, his playlist also includes Bollywood numbers like ‘Zinda’. Run Milkha Run And ‘Khamoshiyan’ was mixed with ‘Na Jaane Koi’,
They plan to introduce a Novation Pad for gigs from July, so that sound effects and background score can be added. “We just hope to continue this for as long as possible because it’s an incredible achievement for us to have mainstream jobs and families while we continue to pursue our passion for music.”
Route Three Five will perform at Hard Rock Cafe, Hitech City on June 28.
