Member Since: 11/1/2007
Band Website: this Website is
Band Members: Nick Trepka (ukulele, 1st vocals, recordings)
Joe Lewis (percussion, 2nd vocals)
Govinder (the holy ukulele)
Neville (spiritual leader)
Influences: Win, Hit, Godfather 50000, Charas, Kingfisher, Sikkimese XXX rum, Chung, Bhang lassi, Neville
Sounds Like: THE TRACKLIST1. Whiskey Delhi Ukulele
Recorded in a hotel room in Delhi
This is the first song we wrote on our travels soon after arriving in Delhi, as we drank Royal Stag whiskey and mused on our predicament for the next couple of months. If anyone has previously heard slide blues played on a Ukulele, Nick would love to know about it.2. Shivganga Express
Recorded at Sandhya Guest House, Varanasi
Glimpses of a fifteen hour journey on a standard class overnight sleeper train and the colourful company we kept. Joe plays the Lonely Planet guidebook on this one.3. Gangtok Procession
Recorded in Gangtok
This Buddhist procession passed us as we had our breakfast of porridge and chai, horns blaring and drums throbbing and rattling.4. One Last Kiss
Recorded in a hotel room in Yuksom
Nick wrote and recorded this song very quietly in the space of 30 minutes and euphamises his intention to stop smoking the following day, when we would embark on a trek to the base of third highest mountain in the world. We proceeded to smoke the highest altitude cigarettes we will probably ever smoke, Nick at one point lighting up at 5433m above sea level.5. Goechi-La
Recorded on a Shikara on Dal Lake, Srinagar
Goechi-La is the pass at 4500m that we were trekking to; the chorus lists the other camps that we passed through on the way. So this song is about the mountains, although Nick again manages to word it as though it's about a girl. Sexy, sexy mountains.6. Flies (With Your Compound Eyes)
No idea where we recorded this. Possibly Delhi
The mountain air was too thin and too fast to support a great number of flies. This was written when we got back down again.7. Let Your Beard Grow
Recorded on a roof in Vashisht
Vashist. Some people go there for the alpine scenery, the peace, the orchards and the hot springs. Most people go for the Charas, and the rest is a bonus. Joe wrote most of this one.8. The Song Has Ended (But The Melody Lingers On)
Recorded in a hotel room in Delhi
We love this song, written by Irving Berlin and beautifully rendered by Louis Armstrong and many others. The first song Joe learned on the Uke, it quickly became part of our soundtrack.9. Wedding Party
Recorded in Srinagar
This was nuts. We were out on a boat ride to see the floating vegetable gardens on Dal Lake when we heard music emanating from a marquee, and we had to investigate. The music was live and raucous, it was five in the morning, and the stunning Kashmiri girls who took a shine to Nick failed to be wooed by his attempts to count to ten in Kashmiri.10. Road To Kashmir
Recorded in a hotel room in Delhi
The jeep takes eighteen hours to get to Srinagar from Leh, and there can't be many journeys to top it. Driving through serious Himalayas, sheer drops to the side, shouting at the driver to keep him awake, vomit on the headrest, all the time feeling pretty apprehensive about our decision to visit this troubled area. It was completely worth it. Joe plays tambourine and foam mattress.11. When I Return
Recorded in a houseboat on Dal Lake, Srinagar
Nick wrote this in Leh while Joe slept. After a while, traveling becomes as normal as a nine-to-five, and your life back home starts to seem a little alien, and the mundane a little exotic. Everything changes with and without you. Time is passing everywhere around the world.12. Azan
Recorded from the roof of a houseboat on Dal Lake, Srinagar
Kashmir is predominantly Muslim, and five times a day the air in Srinagar is heavy with the aching prayers of a thousand muezzins. From the tranquil lake, you can hear them all. This is what it sounds like. Headphones recommended.13. Holiday Snaps
Recorded on a Shikara on Dal Lake, Srinagar, and various locations in Delhi
This is a montage of conversations we gathered as we went about our way, and the album closes with a special rendition of Flies (With Your Compound Eyes) recorded on the back of a cycle rickshaw as it silently shuddered its way through the chaos between New Delhi railway station and our hotel in Paharganj.
Record Label: unsigned
Type of Label: None