India...Rock...and You!

Many cities and regions have produced collections of bands large enough to be classified as a scene within Indian rock.

One of the most notable rock music scenes in the Indian subcontinent, Kolkata delivers a diverse range folk-, metal-, jazz-oriented music. The scene culture is known to have a significant impact on the youth all over West Bengal, who have been known for their revolutionary thinking and rebellious and questioning attitude dating back to the Bengal Renaissance. A key figure of the raga rock movement, sitar virtuoso Ravi Shankar himself is from West Bengal.

A major aspect of the Kolkata scene is bringing forth the variety of folk music to younger audiences in new light. However, with the exception of the band Bhoomi, metal and hard rock still dominate the scene with bands like Fossils, Cactus, Lakkhichara and Insomnia. The other significant scene in West Bengal is Darjeeling, best known for its Nepali rock.

Bands like Cassini's Division,Mantra, Grungy Morphines, Pralaya and Reincarnation have shown their talent and zest for music by winning numerous beat contests including IIT-Delhi,IIT-Kharagpur fests.Mantra- a nu metal band was selected to perform at the GIR 06.

Darjeeling has been a hub of western music and culture, mostly credited to British colonization and western influences. Jazz King of India,Louis Banks hails from the foothills of Darjeeling. A special mention of the renowned pub, Someplace Else has to be made as it is the mecca of rock music in the region.

An annual concert at the DI is called the Kolkata Jazz Festival organized by Congo Square and is said to be host to one of the most educated jazz crowds in Asia.
Delhi's music circuit has seen its share of ups and downs, but has held on largely due to the local presence of Rock Street Journal (aka RSJ). Delhi being the operational home of the Allahabad-based magazine, local bands have benefitted by the proximity to India's first magazine that (supposedly) was only about rock and metal. The Great Indian Rock festival is mostly held in Delhi, with occasional forays into Bombay, and has exposed the upcoming musicians of Delhi to a wider variety of musicians.

Of late active participation by other organisers such as Prospect A&M, Riff, and Onstage, have propelled the scene even further. Multiple gigs happen every week, with strong attendance.

Delhi's most famous products are probably Parikrama, Indian Ocean and Orange Street. Other famous bands to come out of Delhi are menwhopause,Them Clones, Killer Tomatoes, The Superfuzz, Joint Family, Prestorika, Half Step Down, Level 9, Acrid Semblance , Undying Inc.,Septic, Decibel, Feedback, Oritus, Levitikus, Cyanide, Who's Jim? and HFT. Off late, Delhi has seen a rise in bands incorporating much more contemporary western influences such as the White Stripes, Rage Against the Machine, Limp Bizkit and Slipknot. Genres like Jazz, Grunge and Nu Metal have found a strong following, bolstered by the growth of pub gigs around the city.

The past few years have seen Delhi rise as the capital of Rock music in the country. All three Campus Rock Idol tours (the biggest amateur rock competition in the country) have been swept by Delhi bands.

Prestorika in 2004, Superfuzz in 2005, and FTN in 2006-07. While Prestorika was a support act for The Rasmus' tour of India, FTN would open for Iron Maiden.
The Indian Rock scene in Bangalore brewed in its own quiet corner, coming of age gradually. Largely independent of what was happening around in the rest of the country, Bangalore bands have been quietly innovating and experimenting with various forms of music and, their achievements have been commendable so far. Home to legends like Konarak Reddy, Millennium (the band), Amit Heri, Roberto Narain & Vasundara Das, Bruce Lee Mani, Nolan Lewis, Trinity D'Souza,etc. Bangalore has been a rich breeding ground for many a young gun waiting to make a mark in the Indian music arena.

Bangalore based bands, in brief: Thermal And A Quarter is considered one of India’s most popular, talented and innovative bands. With their own signature band of invention, they create music that challenges any form of classification. Kryptos, the straight-laced, virtuoso thrash /speed metal band, became hugely popular after they came out with their brilliant debut album titled Spiral Ascent – with a music company contract, and an extensive international tour they are all set to take the word about Indian Rock to the world.

Two events Freedom Jam conducted every year on the 14th of August every year in honour of the Indian Independence Day & Sunday Jam conducted on the first Sunday of every month, both conducted by Guruskool of Music, have become the Mecca for bands waiting for a break. Both events not only provide musicians with an unbiased platform to showcase their talents but also acts as a jump-board to help them jump-start their career. Also the annual rock festival Strawberry Fields organised by the National Law School is one of the most prominent rock festivals of the country attracting a large number of bands from across the country.

The Mumbai scene is sporadic. There are gigs almost every week or two, either at Juhu's Razz or at Velocity. Razz is a great venue for gigs but the sound isn't always so great. Since shows aren't priced over Rs. 200, there always seems to be a smallish crowd of people who never fail to show up.

In the Indian subcontinent, other countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal have all produced rock bands. Bangladeshi death metal bands like Severe Dementia, Barzak, Voodoo Economix, Annex, Necropolis and Dripping Gore, as well as other Bangla bands like Rockstrata, Warfaze, In Dhaka, Ashes have gained some following. Pakistan also contains many rock bands, some of which have not only gained fame in the sub-continent but globally as well.

Some of the internationally acclaimed Pakistani bands are; Entity Paradigm, Noori, Junoon, Call, Mauj, Rung etc. Being the oldest pop-rock scene, Pakistani bands and musicians lead the pop orientated rock of the Indian sub-continent.Dusk & Kainaath were the first metal bands from the country, since then Pakistani underground has seen many metal bands. The Nepali rock scene originated in the influence of westerners visiting the Nepali and Indian hippy trail. Band like Septic is a great example of friendship between Bangladesh and India. The band has members from both the countries and making a new way to think about life.

Several Indians living abroad have become famous names in rock music. The first and most famous of PIO rock stars was perhaps the late Freddie Mercury of Queen. Other examples include Kim Thayil of the group Soundgarden, Tony Kanal of No Doubt and Dave Baksh of Brown Brigade (formerly a part of Sum 41). Generally, wherever there is a significant Indian comminity, Indian origin musicians have emerged. This is both a testament to the number and size widespread overseas Indian communities, and India's strong musical traditions. The most notable band composed exclusively of PIOs is Singapore's Rudra.

Other rock musicians of Indian origin, with varying degrees of success, are:
* Tjinder Singh: Cornershop (vocals, dholaki)
* Sushil K. Dade: Soup Dragons (bass)
* Jason Singh: Taxiride (vocals)
* Jas Mann: Babylon Zoo
* Roy Venkataraman: The Wailers (guitar)
* Tanuja Desai Hidier: San Transisto (vocals)
* Kaustubh Pandav: Lucky Boys Confusion (vocals)
* Giti Khalsa: Seven Mary Three (drums)
* Miki Singh: Dragonfly (vocals)
* Ra: QED (vocals, guitars)
* Ian D'Sa: Billy Talent (guitar)
* Sameer Bhattacharya: Flyleaf (guitar)
* Roc
* Sheila Chandra

BANDS
* Joint family
* Atmosfear
* Avial
* Aurko
* Bhoomi
* Brute Force
* Bhayanak Maut
* Cassini's Division
* Chandrabindu
* Cyanide
* Colossus
* Demonic Resurrection
* Devoid
* Exodus
* Fossils
* Half Step Down
* History Makers
* Indian Ocean
* Indus Creed
* Infinite Dreams
* Insomnia
* Junkyard Groove
* Kryptos
* Legacy
* Motherjane
* menwhopause
* Moksha
* Neolithic Silence
* Parikrama
* Pentagram
* Pin Drop Violence
* Prakalp
* Psychomotor
* Rudra
* Sceptre
* Souled Out
* The LBG
* Zero
* Vayu
* Tripwire
* Turn
* Ichor
* Dry State
* IIIrd Sovereign
* Lakkhichhara
* Cactus
To sum up...i wud quote the following:
Rock music. . . is the expression of elemental passions, and at rock festivals it assumes a cultic character, a form of worship, in fact, in opposition to Christian worship. People are, so to speak, released from themselves by the experience of being part of a crowd and by the emotional shock of rhythm, noise, and special lighting effects. However, in the ecstasy of having all their defenses torn down, the participants sink, as it were, beneath the elemental force of the universe.”
Pope Benedict XVI quotes.

(Excerpts from artkerala.com)