Introduce yourself… (Where are you from, what band do you play in etc..)

My name is Susil Sharma, I’m a musician based in Montreal. I make rock/punk/shoegaze sort of stuff. I used to front a band called Heat and I unveiled a solo project recently-ish.

Why do you play music?

Lots of reasons, but mainly cause it’s still the most fun thing in the world.

What was a major influence on you as an Artist/Band?

Like a lot of guitarists, Loveless is something of a Rosetta Stone (sidenote, band name: Rosetta’s Tone), for me. Kevin Shields is an undeniable genius. I’ve been listening to Isn’t Anything and the earlier MBV EPs again lately. They did Byrds as well as they did Sonic Youth!

What's your ideal festival line-up?

Anything organized by Insane Clown Posse or Ja Rule.

Do you prefer the recording process or performing live?

I love em both, but I must say I do miss playing live.

What would be a dream collaboration?

Have you ever heard Bruce Willis’ blues-rock/harmonica music? I would love to collab...

Describe a favorite album.

I’m a big fan of the Swell Maps album, Jane From Occupied Europe. So much so that I stole the album art for my last release! I heard it for the first time a few months ago and I was just really captivated by how free and inspired it sounds, even decades later. It’s the right blend of raw power and krautrock. I’m so impressed by how visceral and authentic they were.

What's your favorite local haunt?

Esco is a cool venue. I miss Cinema du Parc, the legendary movie theatre.

What's your strangest experience while performing live?

Heat played this gig at a festival CBC was running for a small-town hockey tournament in Quebec. The strange thing was that they decided to put it on in the middle of February and it was like -30 degrees out. You would play for a minute until you couldn’t feel your hands and then you would have to walk to the back of the stage, where they’d decided to put the heaters. My guitar just kept going out of tune from the temperature changes of doing that and there was no one there anyway, haha. I’m pretty sure the guitarist in the band before us got frostbite, come to think of it... But they paid us a bunch of money and we met Ron MacLean!

What are some of your favorite aspects of being a musician in Montreal?

I have a lot of musician friends, so I guess the community aspect of it.

Has the current COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine influenced your creative process?

Honestly, it’s been pretty great. I just watch movies, make music, and workout all day. I recorded and released an EP during the first wave and I’ve been doing a lot of writing through it all. It’s like a very odd research grant or something.

If you weren’t playing music in Montreal where would you be?

I probably would’ve finished university and had a nice stable life. That’s what my mom seems to think, anyway…

Any sage advice for young musicians?

Rock it, man! I know you will.

You can find Susil’s latest releases at the Bandcamp links below. All proceeds from Keep The Dream Alive go towards The Native Woman’s Shelter of Montreal.

ICYMI

You can find our interview with Susil Sharma from the September 25, 2020 episode of The Go-Go Radio Magic Show in the archive! Check it out!