Each time the indie rock band Voxtrot took the stage, they’d forgot how to play their songs, nobody recognized them, or there was not one person who had ever even heard of them.
These scenarios weren’t real, but part of Voxtrot vocalist Ramesh Srivastava’s recurring nightmares of what would happen if the Austin, Texas-based band reunited after nearly a dozen years. The nightmares left Srivastava pondering their meanings until, one day, those nightmares turned a little less gloomy.
“When I had the good version of the dream, and it was the feeling of love, and that feeling was so good it was just unquestionable,” Srivastava said during a recent phone interview. “I knew in my heart exactly and automatically what it meant.”
That positive twist is what led to the reunion of the quintet, which originally called it quits back in 2010. Voxtrot is currently out on tour and is stopping by the Regent Theater in Los Angeles on Saturday, Sept. 24 and at Echoplex in L.A. on Sunday, Sept. 25.
“The thing I am looking forward to the most are the moments we’re on stage, when we’re really into it, while the audience is really into it, and that magical moment that can’t be defined with words,” Srivastava said. “I’ve had it so many times with Voxtrot and it’s such an incredible feeling.”
He compared the band’s initial split to a romantic relationship in which the love simply faded, whether from unmet expectations, stress or from the inability to grow together.
“I felt at that time, for our individual growth, we all needed to not be in Voxtrot anymore,” Srivastava explained. “The force that was propelling us in that situation was no longer propelling us and we needed to go our own separate ways. But now it feels really ripe to be coming back together in a way that it hadn’t for me before.”
Each member of Voxtrot set out on a separate path that consisted of joining or starting various musical projects, including Srivastava, who ventured out on a solo career. Srivastava said he hoped coming out of Voxtrot would help boost interest from labels, but it was a struggle. His first album was partially funded by a Kickstarter campaign, but it became evident that starting a solo career from scratch had its own set of hurdles.
“It was hard for a long time,” he said. “I had to go back to working ‘normal jobs,’ which for me was working at restaurants and teaching and rediscovering my love of music and becoming really dedicated to it outside the public eye.”
Srivastava said that talks about a reunion came up at least once a year over the past seven years. Different band members were either for or against reuniting, but he admits that he was mainly the one who against it, due to his solo career. He felt it didn’t make sense to do both simultaneously.
“After the dream of when it felt so right, suddenly, this idea of what it means to be a solo artist versus what it means to be the vessel of music through Voxtrot didn’t seem so different to me,” he said. “I was just grateful to have brought all the songs into the world in whatever medium.”
Another aspect that led to Voxtort’s reunion was the internet. Srivastava said he’d scroll through social media to gauge what interest was out there for the band. He went through Voxtrot hashtags and was surprised to see a new generation of teenagers covering their songs and people with Voxtrot tattoos. A reunion would have never been possible for band like Voxtrot, Srivastava said, without the current status of streaming music and how it’s being consumed.
“It’s a pretty crazy thing because we were not a band that was a household name,” he said. “So it’s just amazing that it could survive through the means of the internet, where that relationship with the audience is still there despite us being quiet.”
After getting the band back together and everyone on board, Srivastava said they were unsure of how exactly it would function, which impeded any immediate excitement. It wasn’t until the band began to rehearse again and dug up their archived content that the sparks began to fly.
“The feeling of love between us has just grown over that time,” he said. “I feel like the reverence and the excitement has built up in this really organic way over the past year since we decided to do it.”
Voxtrot also reunited with Annie Gunn, the photographer who shot the art for their previous albums. They were trying to find inspiration for the cover art for their two albums, “Early Music” and “Cut From The Stone” B-Sides & Rarities,” which contain remastered work along with tracks never heard before until the albums were released this summer.
The art was inspired by the light coming through darkness and primitive discovery. Srivastava said it was meant to evoke the idea of starting over again. It was also partially inspired by the coronavirus pandemic. While the pandemic changed how the world functioned in a new way, for better or worse, Srivastava views it positively and translates that into Voxtrot’s music.
“I consider myself an eternal optimist,” he said. “It could seem really hopeless, but each person has to take personal responsibility to grow the light in themselves and others.”
While the band is finishing up its reunion tour, Srivastava said he isn’t sure what’s next for Voxtrot, but feels good living in the present.
“I really cannot tell at this point what is going to happen,” he said. “I feel that no matter what, the energy at the shows will be great, and I feel the excitement between us as bandmates. But, in terms of the part after that, I just can’t figure it out. Some days, I wish I knew the answer, but I have to relent and leave it up to the mystery of life.”
Voxtrot
When: 7 p.m. Saturday Sept. 24.
Where: The Regent Theater, 448 S Main St., Los Angeles
Tickets: Sold out; but available via third party markets.
Also: 7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 25 at Echoplex, 154 Glendale Blvd., Los Angeles. $30 at theecho.com.
Stay connected with us on social media platform for instant update click here to join our Twitter, & Facebook
We are now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@TechiUpdate) and stay updated with the latest Technology headlines.
For all the latest Music News Click Here
