Bamboo Shoots' major-label debut features Parsippany native
By JENNIFER L. NELSON
SPECIAL TO THE DAILY RECORD
When Parsippany native Shiv Puri, 29, was studying finance at New York University, he had no idea he would one day trade in a lucrative career on Wall Street to play the drums in Bamboo Shoots, an alternative dance-rock band.
Described by Puri as "Daft Punk meets Hall & Oates," the Brooklyn-based band, composed of fellow New Jerseyans Avir Mitra, Karl Sukhia and Ankur Patel, will release its debut studio album, "Armour," on Tuesday.
"I remember leaving work at 4 p.m. to play a show in Boston, taking the bus back at 5 a.m., sleeping for an hour and going back into the office," he said.
That's why, soon after a 2007 performance with his bandmates on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," Puri decided to quit his job as an oil and gas equities analyst and pursue music full time.
"I was nervous about leaving the comfort and security of a good-paying job and having my future mapped out," he said. "But I've been playing in bands since middle school ... I've always dreamed of doing this."
Puri had been interning at Goldman Sachs when a friend passed along a demo made by childhood friends Mitra and Sukhia on an antiquated PC with a pencil microphone. Puri found himself instantly drawn to their unique music and songwriting.
"I e-mailed them during my lunch break to tell them I was a musician and asked to meet up next time they were in New York. Lo and behold, they responded, and we clicked right away," he said.
At their first practice, Patel, a friend of a friend and an up-and-coming DJ, arrived with what became a Bamboo Shoots signature — an Indian folk drum — and the band landed its first official gig in New York in 2005.
The Bamboo Shoots' claim to fame turned out to be winning an mtvU contest for Artist of the Year/Best Music on Campus in 2007.
"A friend randomly signed us up," Puri said.
The prize was the coveted slot on Conan O'Brien's show and a deal with Epic Records. That summer, they hit the road with the Plain White T's, and that's when Puri knew it was time to leave the corporate world for good.
"Looking back, I know I made the right choice," he said.
They were embraced by India during a recent tour — they made it into Vogue India, Rolling Stone India and CNN India. They also nabbed a Gibson guitar sponsorship and completed a national ad campaign with Virgin.
Recently, the Bamboo Shoots performed at Six Flags in Jackson and were invited by Parsippany's mayor to perform at the Fall Festival.
"It was a great reason to call old friends and reconnect with my town," Puri said. "We got a lot of love from people who were proud to see someone from Parsippany trying to make it on the national scene."
The Bamboo Shoots have been classified as "DIY pop," with undeniably catchy, upbeat songs like "Hey Girl," the first single. The songs are known for their South Asian influences, as well as their innate danceability and dueling rhythm section. Puri added that there's an electronic element to their music — and everyone has their own synthesizer.
"Our music is accessible, but there's something a little more interesting going on than just your average pop/rock band," he said.
Of course, they did not work alone. Thanks to a couple of cold calls, the band was lucky enough to team up with legends like Jerry Harrison of Talking Heads and Modern Lovers as producer. Brian Gardner (Jay-Z, Van Halen, Eminem) mastered the album. It was mixed by Mark "Spike" Stent, who has worked with such stars as Madonna, Beyonce and U2 in addition to indie acts MIA and Arcade Fire.
"We're not successful yet, but I feel like we've been dealt a good hand so far," Puri said. "Whenever we've just done our best and tried to do what's right — and not cared about what other people think — somehow, things have always worked out."
"Armour" will be available at bambooshoots.com and iTunes. To learn more, visit myspace.com/bambooshoots. They'll be appearing at the CMJ Festival in New York City on Oct. 22.
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