Meet Nachiket Karekar | Drummer and Actor/Model

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nachiket Karekar and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nachiket, do you disagree with some advice that is more or less universally accepted?
“Do only one thing that you’re good at, and invest all of your energy into it.”

I’ve always been of the opinion that we should explore all of our talents, and choose the ones that make us the happiest. But I also strongly believe in diversifying one’s skill set. In an ever changing world, we need to make the most of our resources and be great at multiple things. If by chance, one of the fields of one’s work doesn’t work out, it’s always good to have the liberty to change our chosen path.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m a drummer and singer-songwriter based in LA. I love drawing inspirations from my motherland: India. There are so many interesting rhythms and scales in every corner of India. Even though I predominantly play rock and metal music, I always have some underlying voice in my playing and singing that can be traced back to my roots!

My band Vella La Vella has a “drum car” (A muscle car on which we have a drum kit) which is one of the most eye-catching sight you’ll see on the streets of LA. Every time we’ve played on the drum car, every single person around whips out their phone to film us. You have to see it to believe it!

I started playing drums on pillows when I was around 13 years of age, after my cousin introduced me to Linkin Park and Green Day by burning CD’s of their music for me. I remember teaching myself how to play the drums by looking at videos of the Live in Texas DVD by Linkin Park and trying my best to figure out what notes the drummer Rob Bourdon was playing on the drum set and correlating it to his hand/leg movements in the video.

I formed my first ever band “Still A Long Way” in 8th grade with my high school buddies and we played our first ever gig in my school when I was 15. It was a farewell gig for our seniors graduating high school. Being terrified of the stage as a kid, I felt somewhat comfortable hidden behind the drum set on stage. It was a rush like no other.

I was a part of multiple bands that recorded, performed live and toured all over India. I’ve been a part of numerous bands that have released singles and albums on all streaming platforms. Some of them are The Indian jam Project, Tripp Pilots, Protocol, After Acoustics, Bombay Bandook, etc. The Indian Jam Project has millions of views on YouTube, cause of the unique concept of Western song and movie score arrangements on Indian Classical Instruments!

After graduating from college with a Bachelors Degree in Commerce and Advertising, I got a scholarship into Asia’s biggest music school: Swarnabhoomi Academy of Music where I did short course in Music. It’s also where I learnt theory for the first time and other aspects of music such as Harmony, Staff notations, etc. I was self taught no more!

I moved to LA about a year ago to pursue my education in music at Musicians Institute, now play with a bunch of artists all over America, especially with my band Vella La Vella. I’ve also taught drums since I was 19, and have had 100+ students in groups and private lessons!

Also, I’ve played a number of shows in LA with singer-songwriters and bands at legendary venues like the Whisky a go go, The Viper Room, The Virgil, The Mint and places like Priest Lake in Idaho and the Nascar race in St. Louis since moving to America!

My band Vella La Vella went viral on TikTok and other social media because of our ingenious “Drum Car” (a muscle car with a drum set on it’s back) and we went on to headline the Whisky a Go Go in 2022! We’re in the final stages of our debut full length record which is already recorded and we recently shot a music video for our first single off of the album called “Blonde, Bad and Beautiful”

I also am an independent artist who releases music of his own, posts vlog content on YouTube.
In the lockdown of 2020, I released my debut single as a singer songwriter and animated the music video by teaching myself Photoshop from scratch!
It helped me score a scholarship into Musicians Institute too.

I’ve also had moments when I wanted to quit music altogether, cause it just wasn’t lucrative enough. I mean, bands in India get paid in peanuts, and I wasn’t even able to earn enough money to even rent a place for myself. Also, rejections in my acting auditions weren’t helping my mental health either. But, I was extremely fortunate to have parents that supported my career and kept pushing me to keep going and keep my head high.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Point Dume in Malibu, Lake Hollywood Park, The Grove, Rodeo Drive, Santa Monica Pier, Runyon Canyon Park and the Venice Boardwalk are my Top spots in the city. If my best friend visits me here, I’ll make sure I dedicate a day for each of these spots. I’d also take ’em to a few local shows at the Whisky a Go Go, The Viper Room or Troubadour.

We could also catch a movie at the legendary Chinese Theatre. Grab a late night bite to eat at my favourite In-N-Out Burgers. We could also get drunk at The Rainbow and get some sushi from Ramen Melrose, which is open till 3AM!
I’d take em to Mel’s drive-in right next to my school for a perfect All-American diner breakfast, get some Pink’s Hot Dogs for lunch and get some taquitos from my favourite Mexican food truck, next to Trader Joe’s on Vine St. for dinner.

I’d also love to take em for an actual concert at the Forum in Inglewood or any other stadium shows that are happening.
Or we could go for a musical at the Vantages theatre or try to get into the audience at Jimmy Kimmel Live!

There’s just so many fun things to do in LA..

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’d like to dedicate this shoutout to Musicians Institute, my music school in LA! Everything I’ve had the fortune to achieve in this city, all the bands that I’ve joined, all the gigs that I scored is because of the network I was fortunate enough to create in my school.

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Youtube: YouTube.com/NachiketKarekarMusic