EUPHORIA !!! The word itself fills my thoughts with splashes of colours and happiness. And that’s how Euphoria’s music is  - vibrant, melodic, beautiful and very Indian, and not in a dumbed-down way. And along with the upbeat songs of the folk genre, they have also some really heartwarming love ballads and even Qawwalis. Euphoria’s spectrum of music genre is spread wide and can be defined only as what Palash calls it – Hind Rock! And each of their videos has a story to tell, a proper story, like a mini-movie of sorts.

For the uninitiated, the band line-up as of now is :

Back row: Palash Sen (lead vocalist, standing)
Front row L to R: Ashwini(drums), Benny (Keyboard), Irshad(dholak and percussions), DJ Bhaduri (Bass Guitar),
Reshu (dholak and percussions), Hitesh (Guitars).

I, personally, have seen them perform live once at my college campus (NIT Silchar), and there is only one thing which I want to say bout it. Man, they performed for almost 3 hours straight. And what a flawless set. They sing their favorites from the albums released so far, and apart from that do covers as well such as – Another One Bites the Dust, Every Breath You Take and Smoke on the Water. It has been almost 4 years now since that concert, and I can still vividly remember the wild fun that I had.  And so,  in memory of that awesome one wild night, here I list down 10 of my favourite Euphoria songs.

10. Raja Rani

This begins with a high pitched Palash belting out a Rajasthani folksy lyrical syllable. The instruments used are also reminiscent of Rajasthani folk. And so is the video, which is filled with beautiful deserts, puppets, colorful turbans and a cutesy love story. And the lyrics has elements of national integration – Multani, Bangaali, Dogra. How can you not love this?

9. Gully

Just sheer fun. Right from the intro clinging of the metal ring, to the catchy chorus catch-phrase – Tak Dhina Dhin. In a picturesque video directed by Pradeep Sarkar which highlights his signature desi style. So there’s the hustle-bustle of a dulhan-walle ghar with the pandals, the light arrangements and garlands strewn across. And then there’s Vidya Balan playing the coy and shy bride who almost gets married to the greedy family. But our hero Palash dude gets to the rescue and saves the day. Guru phataphaati!! Yep, one of the catchy phrases generated by this song. The playful lyrics are a delight e.g. Kya karegi tu Kashmir Jaake, Swarg tera yaha..

8. Sha Na Na

One of the overlooked and underappreciated songs from their first album, Sha Na Na is a solid pop rock song replete with guitars, bass and rolling drums and contains a very funky chorus line which you can sing all day long. And yes, that’s Neha Dhupia in the video before her Miss India, and then Julie days.

Pyar ka Jadoo Chal Gaya…
Main Deewana ho gaya..
Ooo yeah! Chodo tum satana..
Ooo yeaah!! Mat karo tum na na na na..
Sha Na na Na ..

7. Ab Na Jaa

The first ballad on this list. Let’s forget the video for a bit. And lend our ears to the lyrical words which are woven beautifully to Benny’s piano melody.

Aankhen Bandh kar lu jo main..Dekhu bas tumhe
Khwabo Mein hi keh sakta hu, Apna tumhe
Rehne de, Mera ye Vehem pe hi Yakeen
Na jaa abhi..
Pyar ki ye raat hai, ab na jaa
Chhoti si ek baat hai, ab na jaa
Pal do pal ka saath hai, ab na jaa
Jaadu si ye raat hai, ab na jaa

[Translation:
I close my eyes and I can only see you
Its only in my dreams that I can say you're mine
Let me keep on believing in this misbelief
Don't go now
Its the night of love, don't go now
There's something I want to say, don't go now
This togetherness is short, don't go now
Its a magical night, don't go now]

6. Mehfuz

When Gulzar saab teams up with Euphoria, the result is no lesser than perfection. Mehfuz is one of Euphoria’s masterpieces because of its melancholy tone perfected by the musical arrangement – the flute and the slow bass tune which haunts even after the song is long finished.

And the lyrics – sigh! Have a go at this.

Phir bhi banke nishaan tere honthon ke kisi konon main hasi ki tarah main mehfuz hoon

[Translation: Even then, as a mark, like a smile on some corner of your lips, I am safe. ]

5. Tum

Ok, this one is hands down the best ballad written in Indipop. The video is quite tragic like most of Euphoria videos which involve the death of the female protagonist ( on more than one occassion). I guess Palash or one of the band members has suffered from such a loss. Bless! Coming back to the song, the lyrics are just top notch. Check this out -

Pehli saas, Mere din ki pehli dhoop
Tum Chand ki pehli kiran
Pehla Geet, Baarish ki pehli boond,
Tum sheet ki pehli kampann

Usne Bheja tumhein mere liye
Suune dil ki tum dhadkan

Saanso mein jo mere khwabo mein jo, wo ho tum
Yaado mein jo, meri aankho mein jo, wo ho tum

[ Translation:
The first breath, The first sunshine of my day
You are the first ray of the moonlight
The first song, The first droplet of the rain
You are the first shiver of winter

He sent you for me
You are the beat in my lonely heart

The one in my breath, the one in my dreams, that's you
The one in my memories, the one in my eyes, that's you]

4. Dhoom

The one that started it all. And I love everything about it. The folk elements juxtaposed brilliantly with the heavy sliding bass of DJ Bhaduri, and the awesome jugalbandhi with Shubha Mudgal’s bengali Majhee song. SD Burman would have been very happy if he heard this. And to top it all, Pradeep Sarkar’s opulent presentation set in Banaras filled with Gulal, the Ganges and gorgeous model -

Love it..to bits. Sujoy = Dhoom pichucked!

3. Waise Hi

Now this is what I would call stuff of geniuses. It starts off with a crunchy guitar solo and you’d expect a rock song to come out of it. But then it mellows down and before you know it, voila, its a Qawwali. And not just any random one. The solo on this song was performed on Abida Parveen’s Dumadum Mast Kalander when Euphoria collaborated with Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. And I wish they had included at least a section of this song.

This has all the elements to make it an awesome qawwali, needless to mention the gradual picking up of the tempo and the mood of the song. And to top it all, Palash in a naughty way blurts out – So does this surprise you baby? Hehe!

This has no video unfortunately, but for your listening pleasure, I have embedded the audio file below.

Saanse chah kar bhi rukti nahi,
Aise hee jeena hai to, yahee Sahi..
Dil to dhadakta hai aise hi
Muskurata bhi hu main, waise hi..

2. Mantra

The first single to be released in the history of Indipop. And this one pretty much defines what Euphoria is all about. The lyrics are reminiscent of every rock number and yet they do not sound like a cheap copy/translation of an English rock song. Its positive, ambitious and most importantly smart. And also, Hitesh’s guitar solo after the second verse is one of the most awesome guitar pieces on any Indian album.

But what makes this track on no.2 is the solid intro instrumental which is an awesome jugalbandi between the guitars, drums, the tabla and Palash Sen’s screaming vocals.

And the inspirado lyrics go something like..

Jeet kya aur haar kya
Gham aur khushi ke paar kya
Hai Megh ke aasar kya
Toofan kya, Majhdhaar kya

Hai Baadlo ke paar kya
Gham aur khushi ke paar kya
Bas jan lo hai pyaar kya
Ye mera Mantra…

1. Maaeri

I don’t think any of you will disagree with the choice of this song as the no. 1. And over the years, it has become almost the anthem of every desi college lover.

The intro lyrics – Teriya Meriya Poool Gaya
Pool Gaya Haar de jeet
Hee Maaye, Main Jeetnu
Hove naa je Meet

I have forgotten about you and me
I have forgotten about loss and victory
Oh mother, what victory is a win
If I don’t have my love with me

Reemi Sen’s earthy looks do wonders to the video. The toothpaste on the nose, the railway-track pressed coin, the station tea shop, and the busy compartment in a train rattling through the foggy villages – all visuals which depict so much in each and every frame than most movies can possibly can. And the story of love kurbaan-ified by the zaleem duniya aka Ladki ke Mummy Daddy. I tell you, they should be mummified with a ‘lep’ (layer) of Mirch Achaar (Chilli Pickle).

So there you go. Those are my top 10 pick for the Euphoria playlist. I know a lot of you will be disagreeing to this, and questioning and possibly pelting stones at my window for excluding – Phir Dhoom, Bewafa, etc etc. C’mon people, only 10 spots. But you do have the comments section to let your outburst get out there. But please, behave.

Band Image courtesy: Dhoom.com

And because I am so awesome, here’s a grooveshark playlist with 6 of the 10 songs (couldn’t find the rest).

Hey there! This is the last post in the India’s Got Talent series this season. Thankfully, the space of the 10 finalists on the Grand Finale got increased by 1 – Thanks to the Judges Wild Card entry. In the Wild Card Entry special, out of the 6 contestants who battled it out, my favorite – Aslam Khan Langa Group got selected. The previous night , which was the Independence Day Special, saw 6 special acts showcasing their talents to become the India’s Got Talent show-stealer- Bharat ki Shaan. The acts which competed that night included amongst others, Illuminati [ aka the Super Mario act ], Soham Brass Band from Delhi and . The criteria for selection of these acts is unknown, but yes the motive was clear. After the online adulation and success achieved by Illuminati, the producers – BIG Synergy wanted to show some sort of acceptance to the Illuminati Group – and very rightly so.

Coming back to the Grand Finale – Ayushman and Nikhil were dressed in their best of suits, and so were the judges. The stage was set, and the acts were about to be unveiled.Here we go. ***Lotsa screenshots after the jump.**

Act 1: Sneha and Richard

Salsa made it to the National Finals. Quite a big thing, isn’t it. And yes, they deserved every bit of it. They even showed a bit of Daredevil Stunt in their dance show-off. Bravo! Have a look at the Judges reaction.

Act 2: Piyush and the Fine Tuners.

They are a Indian fusion music act – and not so surprisingly in their Intro, we get the background music to be – Indian Ocean’s -Maa Rewa. But they are far behind that level. The band is great, except the vocalist – the dude who named it after himself -Piyush. He is completely out of tune. In the auditions, semi-finals and in the finals too. And yes, gimmicks do work, and I am not complaining. People ‘use’ issues of the Nation viz. Mumbai Terrorist attacks of last year- and it would have been really beautiful, if the bloke could SING. I am surprised by the results – not in a good way.

Act 3: Prince Dance Group, from Behrampur, Orissa.

The group which gave us Shree Krishna, and then the National Flag- Tricolor act. All eyes were on this particular act. The question was, will they be able to outperform their previous performance. The answer is Yes, and in what style. They performed Dashavatar, and it spelt Grandiose in every single move. It was a Magnum Opus. Just have a look at the many Screens below. Definite winners.

Act 4:Satyajit Padhye

Honestly, his act was a bit flawed. There was an environmental message, clubbed with a few glittering choreography too. But the script wasn’t as crisp as before. But yeah, he did make us chuckle by making the baby puppet call Ayushman – Daddy!! Look at the reactions from the judges.

Act 5: Aslam Khan Langa Group

One of my favorites to win the show. They performed – Damadam Mast Kalander – made famous by Abeeda Parveen and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. I just can’t stop dancing when Qasim takes the stage, and makes every one sway in their trance. Just love them. It was perfect!

Act 6: Rajesh Amrale

The Malkhamb guy. His act was brilliantly choreographed, and with more dangerous act. Yes, there was a stage mishap, but he carried on. Funny thing was, after such a tiring and demanding act, the audience shouted “Once more”. Yeah, like he’s gonna do that once more just for you Mr. The act was awesomely, breathtakingly, dangerously good. Have a look at the judges’ breathless reactions.

Act 7: Mandeep Singh and Group

This Bhangra Dance Group did what they do best – Bhangra. Explosively youthful and absolutely energetic. Vibrant colors and loud dhols. My Dil said Hadippa.

Act 8: Vaishnavi Patil

The little-cute-smiley girl who enthralled us with her audition dance to Shankar’s “Breathless” chose to perform on another Shankar song – Man Mohini from Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam [ yea...the music is by Ismail Darbar, but can you imagine anyone else singing it]. Her performance was ok, compared to her previous acts. I even liked her “Monjulikaa” act more than this one. Brownie points for the Moon-landing sequence though!

Act 9: Lokmanya Sanskritik Nyas, Ujjain

Ropes, Upscaled stunts, Platforms set on glasses – all of these spelled danger in every move they performed. And they were flawless. But my problem is with the cameraman dude. I could not enjoy this performance as much as I could because of the gibberish imagery that was on display. Really bad editing as well. Lovely act!

Act 10: M-Sonic from Guwahati, Assam

Mainak’s voice is brilliant. They have performed – Teri Deewani by Kailash Kher, A.R.Rahman – Maa Tujhe Salaam; and in the Grand Finale, they performed – Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s – Piya Re. Not only did he sing it flawlessly, the band did an improvised rock twist to the song cover. BRILLIANT. If there was a prize for the best musical talent on this show, it goes to M-Sonic.

Act 11: Rohan Dance Group

From Nala Supara to New York; Shekhar Kapoor corrects it to: From Nala Supara to New York. And he’s very correct. Brilliant is the word. Awesome choreography, and flawless execution. As Sonali sez referring to Shekhar Kapoor – Mogambo indeed Khush Hua.

Now, once the performances got over, the bakar-ch@#$ commenced. You know, killing time to get the votes tallied. Some reality TV ‘Star’ – Sambhavna something performed to Aaja Nachle – and her dance was yuck! Really! Vaishnavi would pin her down with just a single move. And then came the Fear Factor gals. And then there was yet another performance by a not-so-annoying TV starlet – Shweta Salve. What annoys me about talent shows now is that, it is a collaborative, mutually beneficial enterprise. And this is not just an Indian phenomenon. We have FOX promoting their blockbuster exclusive trailers on American Idol etc etc.

And on IGT- we get to hear a lot of chanting of the sponsors – by Ayushman, and then the promotion of their next upcoming shows – Fear Factor and De Dhana Dhan. Trivia: The host of the show:De Dhana Dhan – Sharat Saxena, played Daaga in Shekhar Kapoor’s Mr.India. And well, we have the special prize distribution ceremony with Bollywood celebrities cum Movie promotion – Shahid Kapoor and Rani Mukherjee promoting ‘Dil Bole Hadippa’. Yawn Yawn Yawn!

And after a long wait, and Nikhil Chinappa uttering every word at snail pace, we are told that the top 3 acts selected by the Nationwide votes are: Piyush and the Fine tuners ; Lokmanya Tilak Sanskritik Nyas, Ujjain ; and Prince Dance Group from Orissa. Quite obviously, there were no surprises as to who were declared the winners – Prince Dance Group. But I am a bit disappointed at the choices that India made as the runners up. Aslam Khan and Group, Rohan Dance Group and M-Sonic deserved that space in the runners up than any of the other acts. But then, India ne meri kab suni hai? And btw! Could Rani Mukherjee be any less interested in the results? She and Shahid just went on chatting as Nikhil announced the results. Whateva!

So there you go.

The first winner of India’s Got Talent – Prince Dance Group from Orissa.

What a season it has been! Very colourful! But before I go, you might have noticed, that I have kinda unknowingly kept away from mentioning Shekhar Kapoor throughout the post. That’s because he showed quite a few lukewarm responses which were not at all screencaping-worthy. You know who wins that game – Kirron Kher. Yes, Sonali is indeed very photogenic and pretty, but Kirron jee gives the best reactions. We wrap up with a montage of the judges reaction through this season.

Kirron Kher

Shekhar Kapoor

and finally, Sonali!!!

The Good, The Bad, And the mediocre!

I’d rather let the pictures do the talking in this post. And yes, there are many. The five semi-finals of India’s Got Talent were held from 26th of July to the 9th of August. Each Semi-final episode selected two out of ten acts, hence sending ten acts to the Grand Finale. What was not expected, was that there will be a WildCard entry round which will be a battle between a few acts which the judges thought were deserving to be in the Finals. No idea which acts will those ones be, but am rooting for Aslam Khan and Group, from Rajasthan. I just love Qawwali, Sufi and Rajasthani Folk music. But for now, let’s see who made it to the top 10, and who did not quite make it.

Semi-Final 1:

Winners: Lokmanya Tilak Sanskritik Nyas, Ujjain

I believe this is the best that could and would happen to the group. They are in the finals, and it is not any small feat. But, frankly speaking, this is not a act to beat.

Sneha and Richard

For the Salsa duo, jazzing and burning the dance floor with their svelte moves and ravishing chemistry, this is just the beginning. They might not win this competition, but there are bigger worlds to conquer.

Disappointment 1: Viren from Ranchi, aka MJ Jr.

I really thought that he would at least make it to the finals.

Disappointment 2: Aslam Khan and Group

It was a WTF moment for me when Aslam Khan and Group were not in the Top 3 of Audience voted Semi Finalists. It is exactly what I had feared. This act is an act to beat, a world-class act which defines India’s beauty and richness. And if we, ourselves, the people of India do not appreciate it, who else will?

Semi Final 2:

Winners: Rajesh Amrale

Again a surprise winning act. Of course it is Malkhamb, but there was a similar act which won in the previous episode. Nothing against it, but hard to believe that this act will win it.

Satyajit Padhye

He is a genius ventriloquist, truly. His act was crisp and humorous and in every way entertaining. His charm comes across easily with his script, his puppet- Chhotu Singh and it was an absolute delightful watch.

Semi Final 3:

Winners: Mandeep Singh Dance Group

Its Bhangra. Period! Can anything go wrong? The vigour, the explosion of happiness and extreme colours come alive with this act, and its a joy to watch. Is it an act which can be considered as a contender? That remains to be seen.

M-Sonic from Guwahati

One of my favorites to win. They are pretty much the underdogs of this competition. The entire competition is overshadowed by glitzy performers and performances, from dancers to acrobats. M-Sonic is a plain-jane Rock Band, with vocalist Mainak Nandy’s flawless renditions of Teri Deewani and the Semi-Final winning performance of A.R.Rahman’s -Maa Tujhe Salaam. They surely have places to go, and winning this competition would probably be the beginning of their journey to success.

Semi Final 4:

Winners: Piyush and the Finetuners

This was a surprise as well. My problem is that their sound is a bit messy, and it is a bit all over the place. Maybe they do sound much better in the studio. But, another problem is that, I really do not appreciate much of the utensils-turned-into-instruments-kinda-fusion. I’d rather enjoy listening to Sivamani play the “Beat of Passion” in Taal, rather than see him perform it. But then, that’s me. India thought otherwise, and they are in the Finals.

Rohan Dance Group

As Shekhar Kapoor sez: From New York to Nala Supara. Rohan Dance Group’s Hip Hop is simply put- Brilliant. The perfect pauses, flips, b-boying are mindblowing and precise. The choreography is top notch and reminds me of Step Up 2, Jabberwocky, Kaba Modern and yeah of course, this years ABDC winners – Quest Crew. But these guys chose a very interesting mix of Madcon -Beggin [ one of my fav Hip Hop tracks ] and Dhan Te Nan from the Kaminey Soundtrack. It was just awefhum to see them win this round of Semi-Finals, and I can’t wait to see them in the Finale.

Semi-Final 5: The winners have not been announced yet. But I know for sure, who’s gonna get through to the finals from this Semi Final round.

1: Sadhya Dance Academy

Patriotism works. So does, fusion with acrobatics,and spandex and Kalaripayattu. Sonali vouched for them. And I trust her..blindly.

2: Prince Dance Group from Orissa.

I’d rather keep my mouth shut. And just let the images below do the talking.

They came, we saw, and they conquered our hearts with their audition performance.

As Ayushman correctly said, “Apne Viraat Roop se unhone humara Dil Jeet Liya”

And then in the Semi-Finals, they did this.

Need I say more, who’s gonna win those 50 lakh Rs! The studio audience cried out loud “Vande Mataram”, and the judges were overwhelmed by the enormity of this performance..yet again. We have the winner.

But yes, we do have the Wild Card entry round, in which some semi-finalists will battle it out to get a second chance to enter the finals of India’s Got Talent. I wish the following are included in that round.

Meher’s Belly Dancing; K Suresh’s Spine Chilling stunts, and Priya Raina‘s very delightful mimcry.

The little Vaishnavi Patil perfected emotional atyachar with the carbon copy portrayal of “Bhul Bhulaiya” – Monjulikaa; and she has the smile of a 1000 volts. Yes, I measured that with a Voltmeter.

Ameek Singh Raina from Jammu. He’s a kid with a great voice. Yeah, that’s the only reason why I’m vouching for him.

Amar Jyoti School from Delhi aka the act which made Shekhar Kapoor break into tears on National TV. The Semi Final round performance was very emotional, and actually quite beautiful. Not to forget the ever-giggling little angel.

Jasleen Royal. I know, I can hear a lot of WTFs. But remember, she was in the top3 voted by the audience. She’s weird. She’s weird.[ Not a typo, I said that twice] And I think India kinda diggs that weird chick appearance.

On a serious note, I can only see Aslam Khan and Group to be true competition to “Prince Dance Group”. I just want them in the finals…very badly. They SHOULD be in the finals. Are you listening Mr.Sidhharth Basu; I don’t care if you rig the competition or do anything. Just get them in the finals by hook or by crook.

But well,not to forget my favorites :

M-Sonic from Assam:

Rohan Dance Group from Mumbai

and Prince Dance Group from Orissa:

The only celeb guest judges, this season so far, have been Shruti Hassan and Imraan Khan, who were on the mission to promote their box-office loser Luck.

And finally, let’s not forget the real celebs on the show.

A) The ever smiling- Kirron Kher

B) The Emossanal Man- Shekhar Kapoor

C) And finally, the ravishing as ever, Sonali Bendre.

We’ll be back with the final winners post. Shout out loud in the comments. Cheers.

P.S. Special Thanks to Darshit (@dunkdaft) for his tweet tutorial on Arcsoft Photostudio. And sorry, I have not hyperlinked any of the videos of the performances; just search for them on YouTube or Dailymotion. If you can’t find them, tweet me @SujoySingha.

\m/.Bollywood Rock has Arrived. And it is FULL ON.\m/

So we have it. The first Indian Rock Bollywood soundtrack. Ugh! I so hate to call it that. It is a Bollywood movie soundtrack-Yes! And it IS ROCK. How Indian? I can see no Indianization in it (except for the Hindi lyrics) and it is an all out-full throttle Rock soundtrack with no holds barred. No cliche’ sitar addition or an Indian classical solo on a distorted electric guitar in the arrangement of which Indian Rock soundtracks in Bollywood are known to be. Nothing wrong about them as well. But Rock On’s soundtrack is what it is-ROCK ON. It is somehow an Indian tribute to the many Legends of Rock that we have grown up listening to -AC/DC, Megadeth,The Who et al. And I know it for sure that Farhan Akhtar saw way too many concert DVDs before sitting down to sing for the soundtrack. The attitude, the grunge and the punch in the vocals comes through easily, and yes, get ready to be hit by the Vocals. And well, it might not be a totaly new sound for us Rock fans, who pretty much listen to it all the time, it is a big welcome change for Bollywood Music. And quite frankly, it seems funny (in a good way) to hear Hindi lyrics on a Rock Song. As always, I am gonna go the reverse way -Last track first.

But well, there is now a twist to it. The Last track is a Live version of the second track in the album. SO let’s go for it together. Track 2 and 8: Pichle Saat Dinon Mein – Farhan Akhtar on the vocals. I know it is Ehsaan on the guitars belting out the riff. . The lyrics is as silly as it could be , but well you don’t expect a very metaphorical referencing rhyme in a Rock Song-not this one. It is about what stuff the guy lost in the last seven days. And it contains things as trivial as a Laundry Bill, a lady’s phone number, a king of hearts from the deck of cards, and a silver ring. Pretty meaningless and irrelevant, unless we hear the organ sound in the background, the riff, and the chorus going Na Na Na Na Na!! And hold on it does contain the Lines- Maryjane ka ek packet, Meri Denim ka ek Jacket. And who did we say wrote the lyrics. Javed Akhtar \m/. For those who still don’t have any idea of what Maryjane is (no it isn’t Mrs Spiderman), get some ejj..ucation. The guitar solo is Oh Yeah!! And this song leaves you grooving to its addictive sound. Special mention: Listen to Farhan go :-Kabhi Khud Pe Hasaa Main, aur Kabhi Khud pe…Ro.yyyaaa (in perfect Bon Scott fashion).
Now for the Live version: Starts with “Hello Everyone” in a concert venue. Farhan asks people to sing along the chorus Na Na Na Na. Somehow, when I try to sing it, it always loses direction and shifts to the Na Na Na of Cuts Like a Knife (Bryan Adams). LOL. I know, both are very different Na Na Nas. Anyway, the Live version creates the ambiance of a Rock concert, and I can totally see the people sway with the guitar riff. Nothing much added to the studio track (this one is as well, but then for the sake of it, we’ll call it the Live version), but it is really cool to see that they didn’t do a Lounge version and a Techno version, and oh yeah a Bhangra Underground version with Punjabi MC. . This track (both) sets the mood right. Really cool. Finally good to hear loud guitar solos (not subdued muted ones ala Pritam).

Track 9: Phir Dekhiye: Its an acoustic one. Caralisa Monteiro on the vocals. This one is on the lines of the many lady artistes we get to hear -may be a bit of Alanis. Very cool sounding pianos to go with the svelte vocal lines. Very likeable and perfect for a quite evening when you want to listen something calm as you sit down to solve your Sudoku.

Track 7: Sinbad the sailor: The guitar ‘sounds’ so similar to AC/DC’s You Shook Me All Night Long. But then, the Keyboard kicks in and we are almost back into the 80s. I cannot search the right name of the band which inspires such sounds-perhaps a whole league of Brit Bands in the 80s. But this is the weakest tracks of the album. The lyrics are predictably about Sinbad, the sailor. Nuff said. The guitar solo is likable, nothing that would qualify for a smokin solo. This is at best a clichéd Rock track which fails to live up to the standard of Tracks 2 and 8. But, wait we are not done yet. The final 2 minutes is when the track picks up.Enter Raman Mahadevan and there is a fresh twist to the sing, and hear Farhan go the falsetto way – high ,high and high. And it all wraps up in typical guitar solos and the cymbals going disshhhh. Huh, after the climax, I’d rather, not Bad eh!

Track 6:Tum Ho Toh: Farhan tries a ballad (ok, Shankar ,Ehsaan and Loy made him to). A bit pitchy at times in the intro, romantic lyrics, and yes, Farhan does the falsetto again.As suggested in the promo posters, Luke Kenny is on the keyboards. And this song, surely does have enough shots of him, considering the Keyboards portions in the arrangement. Prominent bass to go along. It does sound a bit like Coldplay at times, but then may be it’s because I have been listening to a lot of Coldplay’s latest album (Viva La Vida, check out Violet Hill from the album). Listen to Farhan do the falsetto in the second verse. Ladies n Gents, Boys n Gals-Farhan Akhtar,the singer has ARRIVED.

Track 5: Zehreelay: 1…2…3..4..Oh Yeah. Silly lyrics again..LOL. Talks about venomous snakes. Forget the lyrics. I bet you can’t stop headbanging to this one. The double bass on the drums keep on thumping. This one’s really Metal. Oh yeah. Bollywood featuring Metal. Awesome! can’t wait to see this one on the movie. And that is what excites me more than anything. I would like to watch and hear this tracks on the loud, ear piercing speakers of a multiplex cinema. The vocals of Suraj Jaggan are very typically thrash (where has he been so far?). Very harsh, the drums as brutally wild as it can be, and the guitars are fast. The rhythm riff is very Megadeth, and the solo is blazing fast. Beware Bollywood -The Metal has finally landed. This one has got to be my favorite of the Album. You have to buy this album for this ONE. The wrapping up part just grabs you by the..ahem…and just throws you away. God, there are zillions of people sounding like this in English,German or infamously from Norway, but Zehreelay makes Hindi added to the list. Now listen Shankar,Ehsaan and Lloy, no matter what Yashraj Uncle says, DO NOT GO BACK to doing Karwa Chauth and God Bharai songs. Puhleeeezzz.

Track 4:Ye Tumhari Meri Baatein-Dominique Cerejo- Who’s this lady? I have one word for her-Satine’. Would love to hear her sing any damn Jazz song and I can just sit hours listening to her. May be a bit of Norah Jones would also make me go crazy. Love the bass lines on this track. A romantic ballad. But I can’t get over her vocals. Pitch perfect!! I wouldn’t be surprised if this is shot on location in a Jazz bar. This is actually how it should look. We have to wait for how this is gonna be picturised. My second favorite of the album. Dominique-step out and SING.

Track 3: Title Track-Rock On: Enjoyable Guitar Riff- Standard Rock Lyrics speaking of freakin’ out, speaking your heart out, screaming your lungs out blah blah!

Rock On-Hai Ye Waqt Ka Ishaara,
Rock On-Har Lamha Pukaara,
Rock On- Yu Hi Dekhta Hai Kya Tu,
Rock On- Zindagi Milegi Naa Dubara

Okay, probably it is me because we just have heard so much about this stuff in the ones that started it all. I would have liked the lyrics to have been a bit more innovative.
Leave the lyrics aside, and this one is actually enjoyable. Has the rhythm riff, a guitar solo, the head shaking drum beat and a catchy chorus line. What else do you need?
There we have it-The Title Track-tailor made. I say, fits well. Just not Armani yet.

Track 1: Socho To: Is it me, or is it still the same guitar -yeah, the AC/DC of You Shook Me All Night Long. Although we get to hear flashes of a bit of Joe Sat, and a bit of Colplay as well. Man, I am insane now.
This does sound a bit like some Strings track as well. Or should I stop thinking of references and listen to this track. I am enjoying the bass track more than anything on this track. Listen closely and you’ll understand what I am saying. The guitar solos embedded in the track are a bit on the lower side of volume. And then, the louder solo kicks in. This one is a Happy Rock Song with even the Happy Oh ho ho. The lyrics are again, quirky and a bit childish.

Aasman hai Neela Kyu
Paani Geela Geela Kyu
Gol Kyu Hai Zameen

Silk main hai Narmi Kyu
Aag main hai Garmi Kyu
Do aur Do Paanch Kyu Nahi

Try singing these lines and I am sure you’ll fall in love with this song. Much like a Nursery rhyme with a bass track, a drum beat, a rhythm guitar to go with and a guitar solo. I would say, not a very good opener to a Killer album, but yeah, kinda good.

So there you have it. My verdict: GO BUY IT. It is Rock as you would expect, and Bollywood music as you would never. Few things are still unexplored- may be darker themes for a rock song, a punk sound and perhaps, even an instrumental track. But then, you know how demanding I can be. Heroes of the soundtrack- Farhan Akhtar, Shankar Ehsaan Loy, Dominique, and definitely Suraj Jaggan. I’ll go with 3.5 stars out of 5 for this one .

Ladies n Gents, Boyz n Gals, make room for the Rock to hit you, coz here they are: Wagon Rags to knock your socks off with their rock and well make Bollywood remixed bitches eat dust. But well, Mr.Lead Singer, Jh**ga (though he specifically mentioned his displeasure over being referred by this name and that Jh**ga is not derived from Abhishek JHA but from his affinity to prawn dishes) would put it otherwise. (I asterisked the name coz my chicken platter is at stake) He says, Wagon Rags aren’t here to compete or battle against any form of music. Wagon Rags are just here to belt out their music and sweep the crowd off their feet. Ok, I know Wordsworth said “A thing of beauty is a joy forever”. And well, “A little of Self Promotion is SuJOY forever *wink*”. First, lemme introduce the band before I go into the intricate details of the seven hours in Sound Ideaz Studios of Pune where we witnessed a nine month old tune take its shape, riff by riff, solo to solo and beat to beat.
Drum Rolls: Dheessh!!!!!!
Dean on the Bass.
Gyan on the Drums
Vatsal on the Guitars
Parag on the Lead Guitars
Abhishek on the Vocals.
The Band: Wagon Rags . First Single: Devil’s Ride
In a way, it makes sense that the bands Rhythm guitarist:  Vatsal Raicha is a Mechanical Engineer from NIT Surathkal. But then, he has lost all of his mechanical gyan of IC engines, and that now all he knows is screw up the nuts of his project teammates (he is a project lead in an respectable IT Firm ). And well, to say that Wagon Rags has anything to do with Mr.Raicha would just be cool for the sake of it. That is so not how it happened. Wagon Rags emerged as the winner over such great ones nominated as “Marcoly’s Punch”, ” Pure silver Brutal Farce” and well the one suggested by me – ” Paanch Badan Ek Jaan” (5 bodies, one soul). Clearly Wagon Rags seemed logical to them, but well I still think Paanch Badan to be a clear winner.

BAND PROMOTION PICS FROM RECORDING ROOM AFTER THE JUMP

Venue: Sound Ideaz Studio run by Nitin Joshi
The band is already there since 3 pm trying hard to put together the drum setup. But then, the mixing of Brute Force’s next track is on. So plans are a bit postponed. And then, the clock have now been set up to start ticking at 4:20 pm. Nice choice. Drums setting up starts. The quest for the perfect bass, and THE sound on the tom is on. Muting, tuning, taping, cushioning with extra pink pillows, tightening of screws (or screwing em up) and getting rid of the extra toing. It takes an extra hour and it  almost consumes three hours to get it done right (not to forget, we had a fun jam inside the studio and then finally realised that we were being charged by the hour, and that before we could actually settle down and record a thing, the Rags are already been charged a cool 1000 bucks). But then, the Rags wont stop until the perfect sound is achieved. Such a bunch of perfectionists. (A slight element of promotional stunt, given that these guys are my close pals, but what the heck, they even made me a pseudo publicist and promised me two meals of chicken for this post).

Drums all set to roll. Gyan takes his Throne. Headphones on. Mirrors tilted to see the reflection from the mixing room. Nitin on the Mac. Guys ready with their instruments for the demo take. The plan was to go one by one. The order to be followed was: Drums >> Bass >> Rhythm Guitars >> Lead Guitars >> Vocals . Gyan gives the cue, and we ROLL. A taste of the lyrics is given below.

Worlds movin, but on really slow feet
tryin to keep time, its missin a beat
an ol black n white
I wanna paint it, i wanna paint it in speed

I dont even let the wind set the pace
gonna overtake the storm and set the chase
gotta make every moment a raceday out here
i leather my skin, i get ready to race

(pre-chorus)
and theres that sign ahead that says go slow
never cared to know what the fuck that means
have seen them lights all red n yellow
but i dig only … i dig green …

(chorus)

I…. get on the devils ride,
kick up dust … leather my stride
blazin wheels … better watch your side
coz I…. m doin the devils ride

First take of drums- a bit flawed. First take was a bit of a disaster as everyone didn’t seem ready. The guitars went out of control and so everyone was shut down. But surprisingly, the tempo is a bit on the higher side than the one in the rehearsals. And it sounds GOOD. Gyan hits for take 2 and it goes goo..oood until the last 20 seconds when his headphones fell off. Take 3..and we are done with the drums. Best part in a band is when everyone knows his flaws through and through. We listened the entire drums track closely and carefully, and couldn’t deduce any flaw until Mr.Gyan pointed it out. And with some help from Nitin’s mixing skills, drums are served on the platter. Next up :Dean Vaz on the Bass (try to say it as a rhyme).

Dean on the bass, goes easy and smooth. Just a bit of improvisation required and with instructions from Jhinga, Vats, Parag and Nitin, job is done. And yes, it looked as easy as it sounds here. Very smooth.
And we are almost four hours into the clock. Now the debate for recording the rhythm guitars:- whether to go for direct Line Out Recording, or go for the Amplifiers. Vatsal knows it best. Amps it is. And we enter the studio again. Oh yes, I forgot to mention, Gyan is already out of the room, and is puffin some smoke of the tobacco kind.

Vatsal settles down, overcomes his stage fright, leaves all his worries of Project deadlines and attritions behind, and gathers the confidence to PERFORM. Must be the Hide n Seek and Cashew Nut Good Day that he ate (You guys I spent 25 bucks  on that). First take- Vats not satisfied. Second take : went well until he looked up through the looking glass and saw Alice…no I meant Jh***a. Third take: Job Done…or was it the seventh? Parag is in next. The Rhythm parts to be filled first. Done. Solos in the verse part, Done. Intro Solo..one take ..Done. Outro Solo..Done. The solo part where the spotlights are to be on on Parag..3 takes. Done.

Last but not the least, Mr.Jh***a  (Abhishek Jha) takes control of the microphone. He entered, he made some mistakes, he corrected em and was then beaten to pulp. Why do I keep deviating? Must be too much of Korean gore that I have been watching lately. The recording on the other hand went smooth, quite.
And then, it was up to the Man to make the pieces fit perfectly. Mr. Nitin Joshi. And so he did. With regular inputs on the volume levels, the punching in and punching out,etc. after almost 5 and a half hours of clock time, Devil’s Ride was ready to ROCK THE WORLD. Go here to the Myspace Page of Wagon Rags to listen to the Track. I have the MP3 but they won’t let me upload it here for download.

Bonus Track :Live recording in two takes: Tie Your Mother Down: Original Artistes- Queen
Long story short: Signed, Sealed ,Delivered. Hear me in the Chorus. LOL.
CD Burned: Thanks Steve Jobs for the Mac. Thanks Sujoy for the cookies. Thanks Nitin Joshi and Sound Ideaz.

PROMOTIONAL PICTURES AS PROMISED ABOVE:

The Pseudo Band Manager / Publicist

Photographs Exclusive to : OneKnightStands

CONTACT for Band: wagonrags [at] gmail [dot] com

MySpace Page: myspace.com/wagonrags

Guest Author: Prakash Rajgopal ( the guy in the Gulshan Grover beard).

BENGALURU, Bangalore or just same ol’ BANGY. Oh how fortunate art thee to have been the soil which played host to Rock in India. How golden is thy spirit to have seen history in the making!The biggest International Rock Festival India has ever seen! Nine bands! Two headlining acts! The chance to get 8 hours of thrash/hard rock drilled into metal heads! What a mouth-watering prospect! Which genuine rock enthusiast would miss such a historic event? One of the top four metal acts in the world, Megadeth was playing in India. Yes, MEGADETH!! It was the last leg of their United Abominations Tour Of Duty. March 14, 2008. Palace Grounds, Bangalore. After a month of eager anticipation since booking the tickets, the day had finally arrived! We all HAD to be there to witness it. And we did!

We (my friend Harshal and I) reached the venue well ahead of time, at 1 pm. As we arrived at the venue and were waiting for the gates to open, we could hear some sound checks going on inside. There were already some people loitering around, most of them wearing black tees. I could see lots of Maiden’s, some Slipknot’s, Children Of Bodom’s, Nirvana’s around along with the usual Megadeth ones. We also saw a girl and a guy walking in, with the girl wearing a Megadeth tee, and the guy wearing a… hold your breath… 50 Cents!! Yo mama, he was right in da club!!! I also saw a guy wearing a Master Of Puppets tee. I wonder what became of him. Soon, Sujoy arrived with his gang just in time for the gates to open, and we headed inside. There were two stages on the venue. A smaller stage that was meant for the Indian bands, and a bigger one up front, obviously for Megadeth and Machine Head .

Here’s a run-up of all the bands in the order of their appearances:

1. Casino Blues: The band from Guwahati formed by Joshua, the lead singer of the Independence Rock winner band-Faith. They might’ve rued the fact that their’s was the first act of the day. With the scorching sun was beating down everybody’s necks, most of the people preferred taking shelter in the shady corners of the ground to avoid being burnt. The band had some catchy numbers. But they didn’t catch enough attention. Enough said.
Verdict: Mediocre.
Sujoy’s Verdict: Joshua has got strong vocals, but it got sunburnt.

2. Prestorika:

This Delhi-based band sure knows how to get people’s attention! They started their act with the intro of Holy Wars, and that got everybody kicked up and in the mood to rock!! They belted out most of their popular originals. They were very tight. A special mention for their lead guitarist. The solos were blazing fast, and he ripped apart the whole venue! The guitarist might’ve used all the existing guitar techniques from tapping to sweep-picking. Super-talented. But the special mention is for another reason. His mannerisms were all Kirk Hammett-inspired. I mean, Kirk Hammett would’ve been proud seeing his antics on stage and would’ve taken him under his wings! Whether intentional or not, only he can tell.
Verdict: Good.
Sujoy’s Verdict: Best Indian Metal band I have ever seen live. Hint: I haven’t seen Bhayanak Maut perform live.

3. Junkyard Groove:

I’d heard a lot about this band. They had participated in the recently-concluded Channel V Launchpad. Let’s get to their music. What Prestorika lacked, Junkyard Groove made up for big time. Melody. The songs they performed were really melodic and got the crowd cheering, asking for more. The band’s stage presence was amazing. Especially the singer was great at interacting with the crowd, making wise cracks now and then. He also got the crowd to sing along to their well-known track “It’s OK”. In one instance, the singer said, “Say something. Say We love you, Fuck off! Say anything!”. Some attitude, and alcohol for sure. The drummer, IMO, was the best of the lot. His off-beat classical style drumming was effortless.
Sujoy had earlier mentioned about the unusually long fingers of their bassist! His bass guitar too was quite different in shape. Okay, let’s stop at that.
Verdict: Very Good
Sujoy’s Verdict: Ladies n Gentlemen, Vee are Jungayaarrd Groove. Welcome ..Wannakam! Vee khickd yur asses. Yuu know that!

4. Motherjane:

A little history first. This band is based out of God’s own country (that’s Kerala, for the lesser mortals). So it’s a rock band comprising of all Mallus. I don’t have anything against their community (hell, I’m a southie myself). But it’s just that one cannot picture Mallu’s playing rock. I blame Lola Kutty’s sidekick Alex for this. Anyway, I had never heard about Motherjane before. When they arrived on stage to get plugged, I thought both the guitarists could certainly use a makeover. Sporting bushy moustaches that looked Mallu-ish from every angle, they were dressed in really “simble” attire, and were very unassuming. We joked that when not playing, to earn a living these guys must definitey be fishing or rowing boats in the Kerala backwaters (Damn you Alex!!).
Well, we had to eat our words, and how!! Right from the first note, we were all blown away! Motherjane’s music sounded like an amalgamation of hard-hitting rock and mellow carnatic classical music! What an orgasmic combination it was!! Each song sounded like it had bettered the previous one. Quite amazing! Although one guitarist (Mr. bushy moustache) did take prominence, I can absolutey not label the other guitarist as a pure rhythm guitarist. Their guitar solo’s were laced with carnatic raaga-style pieces, and lots of harmonic ones which had to be played by both guitarists. Both complimented each other very well. Their song ‘Mindstreet’ still lingers on in my mind. The way they started the song with the carnatic piece really gave me goosebumps! This was easily the best act on that day among the Indian bands.
Verdict: Excellent!!
Sujoy’s Verdict: Since IIT Guwahati’s Alcheringa 2006, I hadn’t heard of what happened to Motherjane. Two years later, they rocked not as hard as what they did then. They rocked hardER.

5. Thermal And A Quarter:6. Millennium:
We chose to give these bands a miss, and went off to grab a bite. But we were hearing them play, and we thought we weren’t missing anything great.
Sujoy’s take: Long queue at the Men’s Loo. Killed time by taking the Pic below and chuckling. Also showed to everyone around.

7. Pentagram: The last of the Indian bands to perform on the day. One thing that struck everyone about their act was that it wasn’t completely live. Most of their song parts sounded pre-recorded and were played from source. To add to this, their singer (Vishal from the Vishal-Shekhar composer duo) was jumping around with all his might and his enormous belly!! That was some sight not worth beholding! Their songs sounded like some alternative-techno-rock-punk junk. I saw a couple behind that were dancing salsa-jive to their songs while we were trying to make sense out of them. We were just looking at each other in disbelief. Here’s Pentagram, one of India’s leading bands, and what do they come play?! Pretty unimaginative stuff.
Verdict: POOR!!
Sujoy’s Verdict:4u Vishal- Tera Paao Bhari Ho Gaya, Tera Paao Bhari Ho Gaya. 4 Pentagram-please stop churning out the processed noise aka shit aka bullshit aka Pentagram.

Alright, we said. Enough of the Indian bands. It was finally the turn of the real metal messiah’s to take centerstage. More people trickled in now, and the crowd gradually moved over to the main bigger stage. It seemed as if the heavenly gods were also a mood to headbang. The weather took a turn for the better. It became overcast, a cool breeze was running across the grounds, and a stunning lightning display played in the skies right behind the stage. The setting was perfect!! We were ready!!
But sadly it appeared as if the sound guys weren’t. There are some things you should really struggle to do at a heavy metal gig. Carrying out a conversation without blowing out your lungs should definitely be one of them. Well. when Machine Head and Megadeth came out to play, the sound system seemed to have a mind of its own. The volume kept going up and down, and the sound kept panning right and left. Hell, the Indian bands sounded louder and better than these guys. Anyway!

8. Machine Head: I had heard only two of their songs way back in college. Songs whose names too I had long forgotten. Machine Head shredded and shredded. Their solo’s were incredibly fast. I yearned for some melody in their songs. But they came and shredded the place down.
Verdict: Above Average
Sujoy’s Verdict: Why can’t I hear the guitars, or the drums or the vocals. I can hear him complain about the marijuana smoke from the front row. Damn you Penta’hose’gram. You played so damn loud. Now I can’t hear what I came to listen.

9. Megadeth: I couldn’t believe I was seeing Dave Mustaine in person. Megadeth played some of songs from their latest album United Abominations, and many of their popular ones like In The Darkest Hour, Skin Of My Teeth, Symphony Of Destruction, Tornado Of Souls. Dread And The Fugitive Mind wasn’t played, ading to the disappointment of a lot of people.

I’ve always felt it takes great skill to sing while executing some of those wrist-bending riffs, and Mustaine showed why he is one of the best! He was flawless in his solo’s and played them almost exactly the way they appear on the records. Chris Broderick, the new lead guitarist, was a tad disappointing though. No doubt, he was exceptionally talented, what with Mustaine drawing analogies between him finding Chris to Ozzy finding Randy Rhodes. But he seemed to lose control and fly away while playing some solo’s, and didn’t interact with the crowd very much. Probably the long tour must’ve taken its toll. But Marty was sorely missed.

They also did their Holy Wars/Mechanix mash-up which they have been doing recently at other concerts. Overall, although Megadeth were awesome, the sound screwed it all up. Mustaine’s closing words would be in memory for some time atleast: “You’ve been great, we’ve been Megadeth!”.

Sujoy’s take: It is a bad BAD thing to play and fuck around with the sound console during a concert. It’s considerable if it’s a Pune gig, punishable if it’s I-Rock, and sinful if it’s the Gods who are playing. I could hear someone shift the balance from left to right to left again. That was actually all that I could hear. Not the vocals of Mustaine, not the shreds of his guitar and not the bullets fired from the Drums. Damn you..whoever responsible.

Sujoy concludes: The skies were with us. It was dark and the clouds were roaring for Metal. They flashed the lightnings. They roared like they should. But then, nothing else could roar or was disabled from roaring. I am rocked to the core, but I still got some more room to be rocked. Boo you sound guys. Now you lady, I am cheering you to bunjee-jump.

PJ of the Day: What do you call a girl who is bunjee jumping? Think! Think! Wink! Wink!

Answer: Bundee Jumping.

Extension of the prior joke: Courtesy Praxy:- What do you call an elderly lady who is bungee jumping? Think.

Answer: Behenjee Jumping.

Praxy concludes:
Overall, it was an average concert. It was really heartening to see all the Indian bands perform. It showcased the abundant talent that we have in our country. I also thought Megadeth playing with so many other bands on the same day wasn’t really a good idea. They appeared like just another band that came and went. Something other major bands would probably never do. Aerosmith’s June 2 concert at the same venue would definitely rate way higher than this one. (Save it. Not debatable at all!).
And now that Megadeth’s come and gone, it’s definitely time for a certain metal band to take note and consider touring India. DNA Networks, get the clue.

And now for the Winners of the Rock in India concert. Ladies ani Gentlemen, please applaud- OneKnightStands with Boras.

If you are a rock-addict( I mean music, and nothing related to Geology or Paleontology) in India, and you love Beer and the subsequent alcoholic preparations, and your wardrobe fashion is dominated by those Black tees flaunting the GnR, Metallica and Sabbath prints, you know which is the best place to hang out. It is Bangalore! Especially when it’s concert season. I was there for the “Rock in India” concert and the air was breathing and smelling rock , I mean grass, I mean the fragrance of beer burps, I mean all of that. We’ll talk about the concert later, here we are talking about the eternal escapism for a Rocker like me, on a Rock weekend at the Rock Mecca of India-Bangalore.The journey begins on 15th March 2008, a day after the Big-Rock in India Concert-at 6 pm from my friends’ place at Jayanagar. There’s rain and there’s Bangy’s infamous,static and most irritating traffic jams. But I was more than ready to brave all of them for the Booze, the Bass, the Beeotches at the Bar and of course Bang Bang Headbanging. Do you know the concept of Party hopping where you are so restless enough to be at more than one party on a single night. Try that when 5 glasses of LAGER are already down your throat. Anyway, first venue- STYX at MG Road. It’s still raining. Thanks to my pal’s Raincoat, I am 70% drenched. I am waiting for my friends -Praxy and Harshal to arrive.And here they are (see pic below, I am the chinki guy).

A cover charge of 200 bucks on a Saturday Night-pretty decent. And as we walk up the stairs, I can see a few chicks trying hard to speak on the phone and a few others staring at them. The doors open and I am hit by a WALL of shreddding guitars. It’s Hetfield and his army and the black tee brigade with the long hairs is echoing -Master ! Master! Instant reaction : Yeah with a devil’s horns Up!!! Walk straight to the Bar. There’s hardly any room here to stand. The seats are filled and there are some firang backpackers too. Next song (that I can remember)- predictably Megadeth – Symphony of Destruction, and the crowd just goes berserk. I gulped down the chorus line with a Smirnoff blended with Tropicana Orange. And that was when my entire gang joined in -Enter Ravikanth, Mandal and Satya. Next up-Bora, Mohanty and Barik(I have to mention their names or else I might get slaughtered SAW style). More beers with Chilly Chickens and some more vodka shots, I get my first kick already. All this while we were being hit by the Metal of Slayer, more Megadeth, Godsmack, Soulfly and Sepultura. Special Mentions: We got to see a new video: A Little Piece of Heaven by Avenged Sevenfold. Have a look at the video and you’ll get a new mashed up enlightenment of animated gore and gothic rock with growls.

It was time for us to hit to Party Zone 2. No rickshaws in the vicinity and we had to walk to Purple Haze at Brigade Road. It was already 9:25 pm and the only bad thing about Bangalore’s ( I will NOT call it Bengaluru) night life, the upper limit of 11:00pm, was hanging on our heads. The clock was ticking, the beer was gurgling in our bellies as we tried to WALK to Purple Haze. I see a lot of BRANDED showrooms with Kannada hoardings. And I could only make them out with their Logos. Seemed like a visual round at a Brand Equity Quiz. Nevertheless, we reached there in almost 20 min, at around 9:45pm. Another 300 bucks for the cover charges, taken care of by my extremely generous friends. And as we walk in, we are greeted by Mr.Robert Plant on the vocals and Mr.Jimmy Page on the Guitars, exclaiming – Wanna Whole Lotta Love!!!!!

If STYX was heavy, this was ROCK. Rock as I Love it most. Oh, I can see some familiar junta from aamchi Pune who have come to Bangy on the same bus, for the concert. Purple Haze belted out the quintessential Rock playlist featuring : Metallica- Unforgiven II(I had my Metallica Tee on, see the pic), Cranberries-Zombie, REM-Losing my Religion, Pearl Jam- Alive, Deep Purple- Smoke on The Water and God I can’t remember anymore. Coz I was already too drunk. The only mishap that happened -Harshal’s credit card got swiped thrice and he signed only once, but he was debited for all of them. Dispute raised but case not resolved yet. The damned clock struck 11 and all the music was shunned. Bollocks!!!!

I could still see people getting really jubilant, and some not so jubilant. Even at an elevated state of mind, my analytical brain was surveying the workings of the drunk rocker. And trust me, it is a delight! Either they do get extra happy and extra generous while paying off the bills, or they get extremely selfish and act sloshed and sit in the corner -acting depressed. I can also see some loser crying. Ugh! why? And oh, there’s yet another aspect that I haven’t covered. And that is Mohanty. For him, when he gets drunk, all he does is crack jokes, and not just simple plain jokes, but the most filthiest ones and of course the jokes are on the person next to him. Beware of him when he has the slightest amount of alcohol content and he strolls near you. You could be his next victim. It was like literally he was on a roll, as if some nuclear reactor was providing him a non-exhausting source of energy of Jokes. And this continued right through dinner and the walk on Brigade Road, until Mohanty’s mouth started forming foams and Barik was eternally humiliated with the color jokes.( BTW Mohanty ridiculed about my website saying: Click the pic. We’re gonna be on OKS. We’re gonna be famous. Now who’s laughing?) That’s the infamous Mohanty in orange with the specs next to me. Look at Bora.Don’t go by his looks, he is completely sober.

I know, I know. This is a closed-circuit post and I might not quite find any potential readers taking interest. but c’mon. No matter the city, no matter the names, you’d always be able to identify the characters mentioned and the events depicted. Just replace that Mohanty with a Juan or a Pablo or an LC Saikia, and Purple Haze at Bangalore with probably some bar at some street at some city. And there you go, you have your drunk Saturday Night with your drunk mates and your drunk self, banged heavily to the Rock Anthems and the Molten Hot Metal. Oh look at me so satisfied.

Confession: For me “Rock in India” was the curtain raiser to the Saturday Night Blast . Peace. \m/

Image courtesy: Praxy’s PICASA Album.

Venue Courtesy: STYX, Purple Haze.

Hospitality Partners: Satya Swaroop Sharma, Sidhharth ‘the pudhiya rolling” Bora, Orindam Mandal, Ravekanth “Co-ordinator” Kosuru, Sarthak ” Kalaprasad” Barik, Swagat “@$%^&#” Mohanty and finally ,oh! I think the list just got exhausted.