The Year That Was 2009 – Headbangers.In
Name:
Subhramani Iyer .
Company : Headbangers.in
City: Bangalore
How was 2009 for you and your company, what do you think has been the best thing to happen for the Indian Rock scenario in 2009?
2009 has been a good year for Headbangers India, mainly because it’s been the first year for Headbangers India! Though the Indian rock, and metal (in my case) scene hasn’t seen a very active year, it’s been pretty ok. We saw quite a few new mind-blowing acts come on to the scene, and according to me, the best thing to happen for the scene here would be the Deccan Rock Festival. And I say this not from the view of organization or international acts, but just the fact that we got to see a whole set of amazing Indian metal performances on one day, and we showed the outsiders that we have some quality stuff coming from our end too!
What are your Favorite song / album from 2009?
Favourite album: Inner Sanctum’s ‘Provenance’ followed by Eccentric Pendulum’s ‘Sculptor of Negative Emotions’
Favourite song: “Eye of False” (Inner Sanctum) followed by “Venomous Tormentia” (Theorized)
Please share an instance on/offstage that you can’t forget from 2009.
Personally, I am a metal drummer and I have played for a band earlier. Unfortunately, we disbanded before the start of the year, and I won’t be able to share any particular on-stage musician experiences with you. However, as a die-hard fan of Opeth, watching them for the first time up close was an off-stage experience that I will never ever forget. It was completely unbelievable.
Headbangers.in the site has promoted Indian Metal in a big way, how did you come up with an idea like this?
Indian independent music, by itself, doesn’t get much support. And among these underdogs, metal bands get least encouragement and support. However, the talent we have in the metal scene here is amazing, and I have always wanted to stand by that and promote it, to the best of my ability. The website has been a dormant idea for a long time, and came to life on Jan 1st 2009 after I got the right kind of support and assistance that I needed.
What are your company’s plans for year 2010?
We will continue to support Indian metal bands in a big way, like we always have, and if things go as per our plans, we will probably start selling metal merchandize for fans soon, as well as organize shows in different parts of the country. Fingers crossed, hope all this really happens!
How do you think the Indian rock scene will change from 2010 onwards?
Honestly, I don’t see any major changes happening overnight. But as far as audiences are concerned, I think people are getting more aware about bands in their own local circuit, and even if it’s just because the band is their friends’ or brother’s group… whatever the reason may be, they are helping in supporting them. And this support may get greater as time passes. However, we need a lot of other major changes to come our way before anything huge happens. We need a government that will encourage music, instead of equating it with dance bar music. We need people to not ban live performances, not shut down early… we need good sound systems, and a change in attitude towards rock and metal music. All these cannot happen overnight, and I’m only hoping that it will happen eventually at least!
