Cheers to you for having us. My name is Kshitiz Moktan AKA Captain Bhudey and I play guitars in a band called Chepang. We play a form of music called IMMIGRINDCORE, its basically grindcore but with the pain , love and intensity of the great Kublai Khan’s immigrant warriors worldwide. Its basically nothing but a loose form of freestyle music over double blast beats for double the love...
Did you start this band in your motherland or did you start it on the shores of the USA? Also can you give us a short story of Chepang?
No it started here in NYC with one of our drummer Gobin AKA The Hammer. It officially started when the great Kublai Khan came in our dreams and blessed us with his power and told us to play fast and intense songs and carry the message of all the immigrant brotherhood round the world. So now we have been carrying the burden of love and honor to successfully spread this message across all kingdoms of the planet earth.
Chepang- It is a semi indigenous tribe from Tibet/Burma and have been migrating in the himalayas for a while. They are the people with the biggest heart but with the poorest financial status. And have been abused by Nepalese government and society for a while excluding them of their benefits and humanity. Nepal is a country where there is still class war and people are treated according to their class. And them being the lowest class as per the government and the society who define them. they have been abandoned and forgotten. They are deprived of basic need such as food and shelter, basically living in caves with whatever they can salvage from the jungle or grow in the wild Well lets get back to the music. I know that you're already finished your new album. My deepest congrats with that. So which label will you choose, who is doing the final mixing and mastering and also who is in charge of the cover artwork? And the main question when we will hear it?
K- Thanks. it is called Dadhelo- A Wildfire. Nov 3rd 2017 is the official release date and will be co-released by Nerve Altar (Brooklyn, USA) and Holy Goat Records( Cologne, Germany). It was Recorded and Mixed by Kevin Bernsten (Triac) at Developing Nations , Assistant Engineer- Yave Rust and Mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege. The artwork was done by a guy called Dib Gurung from the Mountains of Nepal and the layout will be done by Aaron Nichols AKA Lord Nerve Altar. We are currently planning on premiering a song in September via SUBTERRANEAN and more to follow. Also an exclusive stream via one of the blogs close to the release date.
K- The single thing we look forward as band for Chepang is energy and emotion not the performance. While single drumming can provide that there is something about double drummer energy live and recorded. Indeed it is hard thing to pull off but both of our drummer Gobinda Sen AKA The Hammer and Surya Pun AKA The Himalayan Leopard are childhood friends and everything just sort of clicks. Actually Gobin started playing drums seeing Surya play live and that’s how they kicked off their drumming career. Even when they eat they kind of finish it on the same time, they are interconnected by the grace of the great Kublai. Again we go back to the blessing he has given. In terms of mistakes , yes there will be but what record is good or human without mistakes, it is the mistakes that make it more dynamic and free flowing. U will hear it in Dadhelo- A Wildfire, some mistakes which we did not clean up because that is what it makes the record special. Those moments of love. But I would like to officially thank Takafumi Matsubara AKA KYOTO DAGGER for uploading that video with Mortalized and Completed Exposition (Japan) jamming together in Youtube. I would say that is what started the whole thing of 2 drummers playing live together and creating the FIRST GRINDCORE RECORD WITH 2 DRUMS.
K- Yes Nepal has been growing in terms of the scene a lot. Foreign bands have started playing there as well. Recently we had bigger bands like Behemoth, Vader and even Napalm Death play festivals. It’s a small scene but in terms of bands and recognition its getting bigger. Check out bands like Nude Terror, DisXcord, ROG and Error etc who are carrying that torch of grindcore in the himalayas. And connect with EUMSN, Live&Loud and Pokhara Underground for more info about the scene and bands etc. Do you have any plans for a big tour after your album release? Maybe a tour which will cover a big part of US?
K- Yes definitely we will be touring the US of A after the release. As I speak we are trying to put up a record release show on Nov 3rd 2017 with all our homies in Triac, Mother Brain, Organ Dealer, Stimulant. How cool is that?We also have plans to play outside of states in Canada , we have been officially given the word to perform at Montreal Earlslaughterfest 2018 . Plans to come to EU in 2018 is still in works, so lots of stuff ahead to promote this record. It will be spread like the wildfire just like the album name Dadhelo- A wildfire . Hm, If I remember right you all are located In different towns. So how does it effect you and on your creating process? I guess it`s hard to find time for rehearsals? Am I right?
Okay boys just in your opinion, Is grindcore a good way to relieve stress? (for example to visit or play good live gig) and is this the best way to tell to blind people about harsh reality which is around us?
K- No stress , its all about love here. Obviously Our lyrics are super socio political and we mean it and in that reference it does speak harsh reality . For example check this 1 liner in English from one of our songs from the new album called Pakheta -[Deception and manipulation led to a revolution. Didn’t we lose more than we gained?] You can speak whatever u want as long as u mean it and take it with heart. We are direct descendants of the Lord Kublai and Gurkha Warriors , so we put our money where our mouth is and drive it home.
And what about books? Do you like to read stories by such authors as George Orwell, Aldous Huxley, Margaret Atwood and other people who write about a gloomy future?
K- I hate books, so no reading. No one in the band reads besides the 2 drummers who read just school books for studies since they are in college. I have never been to USA so it's pretty interesting for me. What was your first impression when you arrived in that land? Was it hard to enter to that crazy bubbling flow of socium, find a job, etc?
K- Yes obviously it was hard to adapt. And we won’t deny it we are still adapting . We all are working 6/7 days a week to make ends meet. The struggle is hard but we grind on... Can you name some albums which impress you and push you into this world of extreme noise?
K- 2 bands and albums that I absolutely love is Discordance Axis- The Inalienable Dreamless and Agents of Abhorrence - Relief. Such a different perspective in terms of song writing and theme. Love these 2 albums to death. And thats all for today folks. Thanks you for your time and I want to say to you “thanks” one more time for your crazy noise. Cheers!
1 Love . let the wildfire spread soon across everyone’s heart.
Contacts: Chepang fb Chepang bc
