Meet a family that plays together

After an eventful year, the young musicians who make up local band drona reflect on their achievements and most influential moments.

BY SAM WILLS

Drona has had a busy year. The band released a new album, keen eyes with a grim smile, on Jan. 27 and was a part of 2023 True/ False Film Fest’s music program. Last fall, the band, which is made up of the three Raghu siblings, opened for their musical heroes in a Kansas City show. Not bad for a group of teenagers who started in their living room.

For drona members — Arjuna, 17, Surya, 15, and Pasha, 13, — musicianship runs in the family. They even use the drum set that their father, Deepak, had when he was in college. “He was actually showing us some of his music that he recorded on a four track the other day,” Arjuna says.

Growing up, the band members had access to an array of instruments at their house. “There are so many pictures of us little where Surya is playing the flute, and I’m playing drums,” Arjuna says.

A change of tune

The siblings started to focus more intensely on music during the pandemic when they were all home together. “It became really convenient for all of us to practice because we were within feet of each other at all times,” Surya says.

The band was rewarded with offers to play around Columbia after its first set at a September 2021 Darkroom Records Showcase for local students. That same year, the band released its first EP, friendz and family, and debuted its hardcore indie rock music. Only a year later, the siblings would share a stage as an opening act in Kansas City with their musical heroes, Dinosaur Jr.

“I threw up in my mouth and almost passed out because I saw (Dinosaur Jr.

singer J Mascis) over my shoulder standing there,” Arjuna says. “That was just an unbelievable surreal fever dream that we got to play.”

For many bands, this would be its greatest achievement, but drona has other ambitions. “It also inspired us to write a lot more music and make our songs super tight,” Pasha says.

Homemade melodies

The siblings mix, master and record all material at their home studio, which holds their newly updated technology.

“The new record is much clearer and warmer sounding,” Arjuna says.

Mike Hagan hosts local bands for interviews and live performances on his KOPN radio series, Open Mike Radio, and he’s impressed by drona’s abilities.

“I think they have a really unique sound that’s hard to pigeonhole as far as style goes, so I think they’re pushing the creative boundaries,” Hagan says. “They’re a great example for other aspiring mu- sicians, regardless of age, to just get out there and have the courage to do it.”

Arjuna Raghu has been playing instruments since a young age (above left). The siblings (from left) Arjuna, Surya and Pasha — began playing more seriously together when they were at home during the pandemic. The band released a new album Jan. 27 and played at the True/False Film Fest for the second year in a row.

The band reflects this diversity of styles on its latest record with the hardcore-leaning song “over your head.”

“We like adding small songs that are an extreme turn into one specific genre,” Arjuna says. “On our last album, we had one called ‘geometry jam’ where we just tried to make it the most complex, fast math rock song.”

Gigs that give back

Arjuna and Surya attend Hickman High School, and Pasha is still in middle school. Arjuna and Surya helped found Hickman Sicc Jams — Students in the CPS Community Joining in Arts and Music Solidarity — which raises money for the Food Bank of Central and Northeast Missouri.

“We decided to make a music club where we would try to organize and get everyone who’s interested in art and music into one more tightly knit Hickman community,” Arjuna says. The band also donates the money it receives from playing shows outside of Sicc Jams. “It’s good to know that the people around us are also being helped, like the people we’d see outside who are houseless who are being helped by the actions of just some kids,” Arjuna says. Since the formation of drona, the three-piece sibling band has amassed over 30 songs. The group’s latest album was released in 2023, and is available on streaming platforms such as Apple Music, Spotify and YouTube.

Arjuna Raghu,17 (left), plays the electric guitar during practice. The siblings started playing together as drona in 2020. Pasha Raghu, 13 (top), is the band’s lead singer — she taught herself how to play the bass guitar after her brothers showed interest in creating the band. Surya Raghu, 15, practices drums during rehearsal.