biography

-- Passion'd Flower was the inspired child of Skutch Shimoda (Sameer Gidwani to friends). It was the very first real band I'd been in, and remains to this day the closest thing to me to a religious experience... something to believe in, to treasure, to inspire.

Skutch's songs inspire me to this day, and I know from recent e-mails that there are many other people out there that feel the same about his music. A decade has passed, but it's not the kind of music / experience you forget about.

When we started out, still in high school, no one could really play - we'd jam for hours in Sameer's basement (he was yet to become Skutch at the time) on anything from the Doors to Guns n Roses, butchering song after song, until Sameer would play something he'd written and, in a very minimalist way, we'd join in.

Tentatively at first, and then spurred on with over-reaching confidence by his manic, possessed delivery, we eventually recorded an album with our drummer friend Mike Rogal and Steve Downs on guitar for a couple of songs and one show - Mike and Steve were both really just learning music, and after releasing "Flowers in the Rain" on cassette and playing a series of shows at "Under the Marquee", the band split up for the first time.

Throughout the turmoil that was Skutch's life during the rest of the 90's, we'd occasionally have the opportunity to record together, bringing along several good friends, there was Vince Strnad (now the artist by the name of Vaslav), Dan Dutnoff (ex-Last Society), Devin Stoneham (who used to have a band called Madame Tussaud, was around for the early days of Conscience Pilate, then later played drums for Lindi, before stepping out unde his own name)... Passion'd Flower at its best was always a group of friends making music together.

All four releases are now available via Fading Ways Special Item mail-order.