Prashant Fuloria - electric
and acoustic guitars
Prashant picked up the guitar more than 17 years ago
and still has trouble putting it down. His initial music education
came
from playing acoustic and bass guitar for the choir at the missionary
Don Bosco school in New Delhi. Prashant then migrated to the electric
guitar, learning from Saibal Basu, one of the most talented rock guitarists
in India. While in college, Prashant played extensively in the Delhi
music circuit, and was the founder of the award-winning IIT Delhi rock
act Rehash. At a Rehash concert, Prashant was spotted
by Palash Sen - the vocalist of the then already-established rock
group
Euphoria. Months later, Prashant
joined Euphoria, as it began its transition to playing
more Hindi originals. During his time with Euphoria, Prashant
got the opportunity to play with and learn from the legendary Gussy
Rikh,
Delhi's best known jazz and blues guitarist. In 1996, Prashant
left Euphoria to come to Stanford University, where he
kept up his musical activities and got to meet the other members
of what
is now Kaif.
Adil Husain - bass guitar,
keyboards
Adil Husain began playing bass in an experimental
band formed in Austin, Texas by early Vital
Signs guitarist Imran Baqai. He played in a number of small
concerts in Austin before moving to California, where he turned
his
attention back to piano, his first instrument, and a study of music
theory. He picked up the bass again three
years later after reuniting with old Austin bandmate Faraz Syed
and former
Euphoria guitarist Prashant Fuloria. Although Adil's musical
tastes are very Western, he is content playing "Sufi mystic
rock."
Vivek Laddha - drums
Vivek has played in various rock and pop bands over the years. We're
glad to have him as a member of Kaif!
Adil Sherwani - acoustic
guitar, backup vocals, vocals
Adil Sherwani first picked up the guitar in the summer
of '97, when he borrowed a friend's nylon-stringed acoustic. Adil enjoys
having played and sung in a variety of places in the years since then:
the hallways of LUMS (his undergrad school), classrooms at LUMS, the
cafeteria at LUMS, a chair-lift
in Murree, beaches in Karachi and the Bay Area, on rooftops, around
bonfires, a PIA flight, Singapore International Airport, the New York
subway at 42nd Street, concert halls at Stanford, LUMS, San Jose State
University, and George Mason University, and a few places he doesn't
want to mention in public. "Keeps life interesting."
Siddharth Sheth - tabla,
dholak
Siddharth started playing tabla in 1982 under the
tutelage of the eminent pakhawaj maestro Pt. Sadashiv Rao of Pune.
In 1986, he
continued his training at the Saptak School
of Music with Pt. Nandan Mehta of Ahmedabad and Pt. Pooran Maharaj,
both disciples of the legendary Pt. Kishan Maharaj of Benaras. Siddharth
plays the tabla in the Benaras Gharana style and has performed for
audiences all over India, on All-India Radio, and on the Indian national
television
network, Doordarshan. In 1992 he won the prestigious 'Omkarnath Award'
for accomplished percussion. After 17 years of dedication to classical
tabla, Siddharth has added folk & fusion rock to his repertoire as
the tabla/dholak player for Kaif, and hopes to compose and
perform a drums-tabla jugalbandi (duet performance) at one of Kaif's
upcoming concerts.
Nikhil Sohoni - drums
Nikhil is a jazz drummer masquerading as a rock drummer.
Faraz Syed - vocals, tambourine
Faraz's career as a vocalist began at the age of nine
when he took to the stage with the Pakistan Children's Cultural Forum
in Abu Dhabi, UAE (the United Arab Emirates). There he performed in
various shows, singing both chorus and solo. In 1989, he won the 'Best
Child Singer Award' in an international competition featuring participants
from all the Gulf states. Over the following years he sang in several
rock and pop bands, including some notable efforts at the University
of Texas, Austin, and at Stanford University. By 1997 he had recorded
an original song "Chehra" with Prashant Fuloria, and released
a single and video in Pakistan. Faraz's early musical inspirations included
Pakistani popular music artists like Vital Signs, Strings,
and Zoheb Hasan. Lately, Faraz's vocal style has been driven
by his favorite contemporary artists: Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and
Junoon.
We have had guest musicians at various shows.
