All set to open for their rock idols, Guns & Roses, Girish Pradhan of Girish and The Chronicles recounts the journey from upstarts to jamming with legends
Yogesh (left) and Girish Pradhan jam on stage
The ancient archetype for proteges is to first imitate, and then surpass their idols. Come June, Gangtok-based heavy metal rock band Girish and The Chronicles stand a chance to try it with their teenage idols — Guns and Roses, as they open for the latter at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. “I sang Sweet child o’mine at school and college performances,” recalls Girish Pradhan, lead vocalist for the band.
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While they were in talks last year, Pradhan says, “It sank in only last week. We used to cover their music, as well as Led Zeppelin and The Eagles. Playing Hotel California was proof of making it as a guitarist.” So, does playing in front of their idols sound intimidating? “The effort is always to showcase your best compositions, and doing that in front of Guns & Roses is something. But the key is the vibe of the crowd; we have to go with the flow and represent ourselves in the best way,” shares Pradhan.
Growing up around a family steeped in classical and Nepali folk back in the late 1990s, Pradhan discovered rock on his visits to neighbouring Kalimpong. He followed Yogesh Pradhan, his brother and lead guitarist for the band, who first picked up the guitar. Soon, they had the early makings of a band.
Girish and The Chronicles at a previous performance
“It changed when I first heard Iron Maiden. I had never heard such chords before,” he shares. While the Pradhan brothers had a fondness for heavy metal, their guitarist Suraz Sun leans towards the glam metal styles of Joe Satriani and Van Halen. “It was on our first album, Back on earth (2014), that we discovered our sound as a band,” he remarks.
Since then, they have shared stage with Poets of the Fall (2016), Destruction (2019) and collaborated with Lamb of God and Megadeth drummer Chris Adler during his India tour last year. Their fourth album, Hail to the heroes, came out in February 2022. “The Internet has expanded our international horizons,” he explains.
Now, the vocalist also has collaborations with The End Machine lined up, a tour to Spain and Summerside Festival in Switzerland alongside Hollywood Vampires and Five Finger Death Punch.
Before them, comes a meeting with Slash and Axl Rose. “I don’t know what I will say to them. I am excited, and might be dumbstruck. We will just give our best, I suppose,” he says, before adding, “Maybe I’ll ask Slash to sign a hat.”
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