Calcutta (band)
Encyclopedia
Calcutta is an alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...

 band formed in 1995, in Camarillo, California
Camarillo, California
Camarillo is a city in Ventura County, California, United States. The population was 65,201 at the 2010 census, up from 57,084 at the 2000 census. The Ventura Freeway Camarillo is a city in Ventura County, California, United States. The population was 65,201 at the 2010 census, up from 57,084 at...

. Their musical influences include U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...

, Rush
Rush (band)
Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...

, Jimmy Eat World
Jimmy Eat World
Jimmy Eat World is an American alternative rock band from Mesa, Arizona, that formed in 1993. The band is composed of lead vocalist and guitarist Jim Adkins, guitarist and backing vocalist Tom Linton, bassist Rick Burch and drummer Zach Lind....

, and Smashing Pumpkins. From small beginnings as a garage band, Calcutta quickly set themselves apart by garnering a loyal following in Southern California. The band's success has been noted in local media outlets like the Ventura Country Star, CSUF
California State University, Fullerton
California State University, Fullerton is a public university located in Fullerton, California. It is the largest institution in the CSU System by enrollment, it offers long-distance education and adult-degree programs...

's Daily Titan, UCLA's Daily Bruin, UCI
University of California, Irvine
The University of California, Irvine , founded in 1965, is one of the ten campuses of the University of California, located in Irvine, California, USA...

's The New University, on radio stations like 95.1 KBBY
KBBT
KBBT is a successful Rhythmic Contemporary radio station owned by Univision in the San Antonio, Texas area. The city of license is Schertz, Texas and operates at 98.5 MHz.- History :...

, and also on websites like www.buzzcast.com, www.purevolume.com, and www.themusicedge.com.

History

Calcutta was formed by highschool
Adolfo Camarillo High School
Adolfo Camarillo High School is a high school located at 4660 Mission Oaks Boulevard in Camarillo, California. It was recognized as a California Distinguished School in 1996 and in 2009 and a National Blue Ribbon School in 1998. It is part of the Oxnard Union High School District. The land was...

 friends Prem Panicker, Grant Umeda (classically trained pianist and guitarist), Sameer Sharma (classically trained violinist and guitarist), and Jason Park in 1995. The original lineup for the band included Prem Panicker on the drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....

, Grant Umeda on the guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...

 and piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...

, Sameer Sharma on the guitar and bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....

, and Jason Park singing the lead vocals. The band's love of rock music, and their classical training set them apart from the other garage bands in the area. As interest in the band increased, they released their first album in 1998, self-titled Calcutta. Following the release of their album, Calcutta received many requests to play at local venues such as the Ventura Theater, and Camarillo's Constitution Park.

Jason Park left the band in 1999 to follow a career in filmmaking
Filmmaking
Filmmaking is the process of making a film, from an initial story, idea, or commission, through scriptwriting, casting, shooting, directing, editing, and screening the finished product before an audience that may result in a theatrical release or television program...

. The remaining band-members teamed up with Mike Moshy and Nathan Villa to release their second album (Far Away) later that year, to a growing fanbase. After the release of their second album, the band received offers to play at Hollywood venues like The Roxy
The Roxy Theatre
The Roxy Theatre is a famous nightclub, on the Sunset Strip, in West Hollywood, California. The Roxy is owned by Lou Adler and Adler's son, Nic, who operates the club.- History :...

. During this time, the band's lineup changed to include Prem on the bass, Sameer and Grant both on the guitar, Nathan Villa on the lead vocals, and Matthew Villa on the drums.

After graduating from highschool, Grant and Sameer both decided to pursue engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...

 degrees at UCLA, while Prem decided to pursue a degree in political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...

 at UCI. Nathan Villa went to CSUF to pursue a Communications major. The band was able to balance their musical career with their college life, and went on to win the KROQ
KROQ-FM
KROQ-FM — branded 106.7 KROQ — is a commercial modern rock radio station licensed to Pasadena, California serving the Greater Los Angeles. The call sign is pronounced "kay rock." It is the flagship station of Loveline hosted by Dr...

 and UC
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...

-sponsored UCLA Battle of the Bands, the UCLA Spring Sing
UCLA Spring Sing
Spring Sing is UCLA's oldest and greatest musical tradition, an annual music competition held in May at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion. The competition brings together UCLA students to perform as solo artists, duets, bands, and a cappella groups in front of an audience of over 7,000 UCLA students, alumni,...

, the Thousand Oaks
Thousand Oaks, California
Thousand Oaks is a city in southeastern Ventura County, California, in the United States. It was named after the many oak trees that grace the area, and the city seal is adorned with an oak....

 Battle of the Bands, and the Moorpark College
Moorpark College
Moorpark College is a California state college located on a property reclining on a hill in Moorpark, a town in Ventura County, California. It was established in 1967 and as of 2006, had an enrollment of 16,580 students and 175 full-time faculty members....

 Battle of the Bands. Between recording sessions of their third release (... and I remain unchanged), Calcutta also performed with bands such as Sum 41
Sum 41
Sum 41 is a Canadian rock band from Ajax, Ontario. The band was formed in 1996 and currently consists of members Deryck Whibley , Tom Thacker , Jason McCaslin and Steve Jocz .In 1999, the band signed an international record deal with Island Records...

 and Yellowcard
Yellowcard
Yellowcard is an American pop punk/alternative rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1997, and based in Los Angeles, California since 2000. Their music features the use of a violin, unusual for the genre...

. They also toured on the 2002 and 2003 Vans' Warped Tours
Warped Tour
The Warped Tour is a touring music and extreme sports festival. The tour is held in venues such as parking lots or fields upon which the stages and other structures are erected. The BMX/skateboarding shoe manufacturer Vans, among others, has sponsored the tour every year since 1995, and it is...

.

In 2003, Calcutta recorded, engineered, and released their fourth and latest full-length album The World Alone. The album was a success and saw their fanbase growing across the nation, following their inclusion as a featured artist on the ESPN NHL 2K5
ESPN NHL 2K5
ESPN NHL 2K5 is an ice hockey simulation made by ESPN Videogames and published on the Xbox and PlayStation 2 consoles. ESPN's Gary Thorne on play-by-play commentary and Bill Clement on color commentary calls all the action....

 game soundtrack for the Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...

 and PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...

, which included six songs from the album. Calcutta was a showcased artist at the Midwest Music Summit 2005 in Indianapolis
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...

 and is presently playing show cases in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

 and Hollywood, as well as performing throughout the country. Calcutta has just recorded an acoustic session for Sony/BMG
Sony BMG Music Entertainment
Sony BMG Music Entertainment was a recorded music company, which was a 50–50 joint venture between the Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann AG...

 in Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...

 which will be released in early 2007 on Sony Connect's website. Calcutta has also finished writing and recording new material for their latest album, Out of Daylight, which has been released.

Discography

Full-Lengths
  • Far Away 1999
  • The World Alone 2003
  • Out of Daylight 2010


EPs
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...

:
  • Calcutta 1998
  • ...and I remain unchanged 2001
  • Beyond Online Single 2002

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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