INDIAN ROCK MP3

The Echoes release debut album ‘Stitched’

IRMP3 — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 06:41:33 +0000

Mumbai based hard rock band ‘The Echoes’ is formally launching its debut album ‘Stiched‘ at the Hard Rock Cafe on 11th of March 2010. “The Album has 10 tracks and it is a theme album. It’s like a musical story about the various struggles that everyone faces when they set out to follow their dreams and be something. The journey has it’s ups and downs, practically sowing the outcome that stitches the garment of that individual’s life. Hence the album is called, “Stitched.“ The Echoes comprises of Aidan Lewis on Lead Vocals, Soumitra Bhat on Guitars/Vocals, Shawn Pereira on Drums/Vocals, Abhishek Shah on Lead guitar/Vocals, Ishaan Krishna on Bass/Backing Vocals, and Saakshi Vyas on Keyboard. The album also features Vidhyadhar Bhave as guest ‘vocalists’ on the track ‘Living without You’ .The Echoes is signed by EMI/Virgin and the album ‘Stitched’ will be available at major music stores nationwide.

Tracklist:
1. Stitched
2. Insomnia
3. Hold On
4. I Need You
5. No Escape
6. Warcry
7. Nothing Man
8. Unite
9. Living Without You
10. Free

(Via Indianrocket)

Review: The Tribes of Babel – Motherjane

Shikher Chaudhary — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:18:44 +0000

Motherjane have always been a virtuous bunch. Socially aware to say the least, they have often been described as the quintessential Indian rock band. A hard rock band with roots deep within the fabric of Indian tradition, they are one of the few groups fortunate enough to be able to transcend the local scene and be heard the world over. That is probably the reason why, when it came time for Amnesty International’s joint venture with Spanish DJ duo Buffetlibre to feature bands from over 50 different countries in a compilation entitled ‘PEACE’ promoting human rights, the first band chosen to embody the essence of the country were this eminent quintet from Cochin with over a decade of experience and two critically acclaimed albums under their collective belts.

Along with local stalwarts Menwhopause and Shaair+func, Motherjane will represent India in this collection aiming to spread the message of justice, fairness, freedom and truth – already recurring themes in numerous Motherjane songs. Bringing this iconic band out of hibernation with a song written exclusively for the compilation entitled ‘The Tribes of Babel’, the bands first track released in over a year and a half sees them falling back into brilliance without missing a beat.

A track along the lines of, dare I say it Lennon classics ‘Imagine’ and ‘Give Peace a Chance’, this song reverberates with the same honesty and passion the band is renowned for. Kicking off with a pulsating cadence, the rhythm section of Clyde and John hold together an ultra tight groove, before allowing chiming guitars and Suraj’s emotive vocals to take lead.

The song’s striking lyrics deserve a special mention. Evocative but graceful, the core message of beauty in diversity resonates thoroughly in today’s day and age. Words with soul, these couplets confer heart wrenching imagery of a world united in imagination and with a purpose to repair and change itself.

Midway through, the song completely alters direction turning into a stunning free fall for all, with some truly explosive old school progressive riffs and incredible dexterity on the drum parts. Loaded in visceral instrumentation, it all builds to a heady climax where all the sounds coalesce leading out with the sound of Baiju’s wailing guitar.

A bustling melody layered on top of an enchanting chord progression renders this song as an unskippable track on your playlist, a poignant promise of humanity and an enduring hymn of solace and peace.

*Shikher Chaudhary, an avid fan of indie rock, punk and jazz spends his time blogging, drumming and listening to music. An ardent supporter of Indian Rock he hopes to popularize the scene working as the Mumbai correspondent for Rock Street Journal.

Myndsnare all set to Thrash Musicians Institute on 12th March

IRMP3 — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:50:54 +0000

This one’s for the records. India’s most brutal Technical Death Metal band Myndsnare who migrated to U.S.A to upgrade their bruatlity playing skills will be playing Live at Musicians Institute, L.A. Myndsnare comprises of Yasmine Clair Kazi on Drums, KP Krishnamoorthy on Vocals/Guitars, and Sandesh Nagraj on Bass.

The event is basically an end-of-quarter metal show held at Musicians Institute at main concert hall. This time 2 from the other 4 bands are composed of various combination’s of the three piece Myndsnare members (KP, Yasmin, Sandesh)

StrangleHold has Yasmin on drums, Sandesh and Prashant on guitars, Krishnan on bass and Christian on vocals

Infinite Entropy will have Ray on drums, KP and Mike on guitars, Sandesh on bass and Christian on vocals

Shall we say .. Be there and witness the mayhem that will engulf Indian Subcontinent this winter?

Review: “42″ – The Bicycle Days

Soumil Nigam — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 14:22:26 +0000

When traditionally, Bangalore (or Bengalooru whatever) is considered righteously to be the metal central of the country, now stands a band odd to the ‘culture’. Unlike a few of their mainstream complements, who simply seek too much, attaining naught but fake honors for an ersatz sound, ‘The Bicycle Days’, seems to ‘plant seeds’ of a lucid, fearless and some memorable music.

It certainly is not humdrum for a band to make music that is distinctive. The band’s debut EP, ‘42’ is an exploration, for our ‘alternative’ cores.

The album completely shadows under an unconventional psychedelia. The true-to-thy-heart and effortless attempt, drawing sketchy sounds, is gratis of the politics and ‘Radiohead’ bugs, if one might be mistaken, or try too hard.

From the psychobabble and melodic ‘Circles’, the guitars in which are, capable enough to send you to a far-far away isle, plus the superb drum departure, and ‘27’ that has an amazing chorus and outro. To, ‘Something Human’, that kicks off with some groovy rhythms, which are very well complemented by Karthik Basker’s vocals. ‘Psychonaut’ adds a track to their conventional sound, with ‘Zen’ being the perfect acoustic interlude in the EP.

‘The Bicycle Days’, promises to be a much relevant band that is acceptably novel. The band speaks of intrepid lyrical subjects and is explicitly the one to stand comfortably for itself. Also their debut is sure to arouse fans and critics comparable, and deserves repeats, on your music contrivances that is.

*Soumil Nigam is “Just a regular guy who blogs, plays the guitar, supports Indian Rock and headbangs when in a shower”.

The Bicycle Days release debut EP “42″

IRMP3 — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 14:34:06 +0000

The Bicycle Days is one of the upcoming Alternative Rock bands from Bangalore. Formed in 2009 this four piece act is releasing its debut offering, a 5 track EP title “42″. We heard the promising preview on myspace and caught up with the band for a quick interview, here’s what they had to say..

IRMP3 : The Bicycle days .. what the story behind the band name? how did y’all come up with the name?
TBD : Well, it’s based on Hoffman’s celebrated bicycle ride in 1943. But it’s also a reference to the days when we all rode bicycles as naive little kids, wide-eyed and curious about the world. Hoffman would certainly relate.

IRMP3 : Please introduce yourselves.
TBD : Karthik Basker, Rahul Rangnath, Paul Dharmaraj and Shreyas Dipali. Together we form a string plucking, skin thumping schizophrenic unit. In other words, 4 people with different perspectives on how to make beautiful noise.

IRMP3 : Why the title ‘42′? Could you walk us through the songs?
TBD : Sure. ALL the songs have multiple interpretations and inside jokes, but we’d offer this to any listener looking at the album as a cohesive whole. 42 is a zenslap set to music. It’s a reference to Douglas Adams and the various interpretations for the meaning of life we all inevitably come across at some point or the other.

TRACKLIST:

Something Human - the first track is a social commentary. We touch on the accepted absolutes in religion and education we encountered while growing up in India.

Psychonaut - This was inspired by the seminal standup comedian Bill Hicks, who we’d recommend to anybody with a functioning mind. It’s about a man battling his ego, while still trying to find pieces of the big picture.

27 – A reference to dead heroes and ideals. It’s about discovering that existential angst and disillusionment are just the first steps in a neverending journey to finding and relishing that personal freedom we all seek.

Circles – Reaching an epiphany in the endless cycle of life and the overwhelming emotions and heightened awareness that comes with it.

Zen – Coming to terms with life from an enlightened perspective, and realising that life never changed, but your mindset definitely did. Love and peace is all you really ever need.

IRMP3 : Tell us little bit about the making of 42.
TBD : Made on a shoestring budget, 42 is a self produced album mostly recorded in Rahul’s bedroom. Artwork is done by the incredible artist Sumaya who brought out the intensity of the album on paper. Credit is also due to Pranav.K. (Drones from the turbine) for art, inspiration and encouragement.

IRMP3 : How can fans buy/download 42?
TBD : Fans can email us on “thebicycledays@gmail.com” along with their address and telephone numbers and we will v.p.p the CD to you , that means you can pay on your doorstep.

You can also pick up cd’s during our gigs which will happen in various venues across the country.The Ep will be priced at 100 bucks.

IRMP3 : Any thank you notes? Shout outs?
TBD : Our Dead Heroes (Excluding the rockstars) Lenny Bruce, Bill Hicks, Douglas Adams, George Carlin, Osho.

Thanks also to Ergoplum, and to Rahul (from his grateful bandmates) for toiling hours and hours to get you listening to a good sounding mix. Most importantly, thanks to the fans who appreciate our music, and everybody who supported us along the way. Thanks is also due to certain unnamed bands who inspired us to break away from their definition of “good” music.

IRMP3 : last words…
TBD : Think. For yourself.

BLUE BLOOD, the first true International Hard Rock band from India release video for ‘Walk Away’

IRMP3 — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 03:56:23 +0000

Just when Indian Indie scene was reeling in despair after the hurricane called Rock in India devastated whatever that was left of the Indian underground scene, here comes the rescue in form of Blue Blood. Yes! That’s right! BLUE BLOOD, a super duper makes your gandma take cover band from amchi Mumbai formed by none other than the founding members of Heavy Metal giants ‘Brahma‘ . Blue Blood was formed when Cyrus Gorimar(drums) and Dean Lazarus(guitars) of Brahma fame decided “to challenge their sensibilities and push it one notch higher by handling more evolved sounds and structuring’. Joining force withe these two are ‘Roald D’costa’ on Vocals and Joshua Rodrigues on Bass (unfortunately for some reason this dude does not appear on the video). Blue Blood has released their debut album ‘Beyond Reach‘ in less than 6 months of its formation , the album contains 12 deadly tracks. You can buy this album (Virgin EMI release) from all major record stores worldwide and also available for download on itune.

Blue blood which has struck a lucrative deal with Virgin EMI leaves no stone unturned in their quest to put India on the world map Rock (according to the band website, their motive is not just performing at an odd international festival but to be one of the biggest selling bands worldwide). Labeling themselves as the ‘first’ true international hardrock band from India, the band has released a video for ‘Walk away’ which has been doing ‘heavy rounds’ of VH1 and MTV international. The Video is directed by Pramod Naidu. (hot desi chick video alert)

For more info on Blue Blood,India’s first true International Hard Rock band visit the official website.Also join the Facebook fan page.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Related Article : Kixmet, India’s only all Original Rock Band (hotter phoren chick video alert)

Quote of the Day

IRMP3 — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 12:31:08 +0000

I remember when I first met Sahil Makhija; he had a mushroom cut, and listened to a lot of extreme metal way back when most people hadn’t. People made fun of and bitched about him, but he stuck to his guns, and today, his band is one of the top metal acts in the country. Columnist Sid Basrur writes about extreme metal band Demonic Resurrection’s frontman Sahil ‘Demonstealer’ Makhija’s rise to fame in an Article on Channel[v].in.

ARTIST OF THE MONTH – KRYPTOS

IRMP3 — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 13:14:11 +0000

Kryptos is one of the pioneering thrash metal bands that emerged in India’s nonexistent metal scene in the late 90’s. Formed in 1998, Kryptos has two remarkably amazing albums to its name, 2004’s Spiral Ascent and 2008’s The Ark of Gemini. This Bangalore based four piece old school thrash metal outfit comprises of Nolan Lewis on Vocals and Guitars, Ryan Colaco on Drums, Rohit Chaturvedi on Guitars and Jayawant Tewari on Bass. With an album-release slated this year and performing three international Metal festivals, the band looks all set to make themselves recognized in the world metal scene. IRMP3’s Ritesh Mayekar caught up with iconic front man Nolan Lewis for the exclusive interview.
Ritesh : Greetings .. All geared up for the European Invasion 2010 tour?
Nolan : Hello. Yeah we’re getting ready with all the formalities and other important things that need to be done. Hopefully it all goes according to plan so fingers crossed.

Ritesh : There has been a definite change in the way Kryptos has progressed (sound & lyrically) from Spiral Ascent (2004) to the Ark of Gemini(2008)? Have Rohit and Jayawant (new members) made a difference to the way Kryptos sounds as of today?
Nolan : Yeah they definitely made a difference since they’re both extremely talented in their own right and they helped push the bands sound to the next level. They also add a lot to the songwriting side of things, which makes composing new material a lot easier and more natural. On the Ark of Gemini there were glimpses of their potential but their influence will feature very prominently on our next album.

Lyrically we’ve changed as well since our former vocalist/bassist Ganesh wrote all the lyrics on Spiral Ascent (Free Download) while I wrote the lyrics for TAOG. Of course I’m not as good a lyricist as he is but we have our own styles I guess. My lyrics are a little more direct when it comes to certain subjects but my real interests lie in mythology, history, space, the supernatural and anything else out of the ordinary so you’ll definitely see a lot more on those subjects in our next album.

Ritesh : Rumour has it that you guys drained your bank account to pay off Niklas Sundin (Dark Tranquility) for designing the Spiral Ascent (2004) album cover. True?
Nolan : Well not exactly but back then it was quite a sum for us since we’d just started working and money was still tight. Nowadays it would probably be classified as ‘moderately affordable’ haha.

Ritesh : Although the current line up is the best one according to your fans, Ganesh is still missed by some old timers, could you tell us why founding member Ganesh left the band?
Nolan : It was just one of those things that happened and it took place pretty quickly. Sometimes change is necessary to ensure the long term survival of any band and to ‘freshen’ things up as well. At that time we were in danger of stagnating a bit since our priorities were changing according to our personal lives and we were losing focus as far as the band was concerned. So we just parted ways and that was that. No hard feelings and we still hang out from time to time and we’re still great friends plus it’s awesome Ganesh is doing so well with Parachute XVI.

Ritesh : Now that Kryptos and few other Indian bands have been invited to play in popular metal festivals. Do you think the western world is finally giving up on the “sitar & tabla sound” & are looking at Indian rock / metal acts with a new found respect?
Nolan : It hasn’t begun yet actually. Indian bands need to regularly tour places like Europe and the U.S and consistently put up excellent performances there to earn the respect of anyone. That’s how it is anywhere in the world. If you put in the graft you will be appreciated, whether you play metal or Indian classical or any other form of music. It’s up to us and other Indian bands to make sure that this happens.

Ritesh : Kryptos was the first Indian band to be signed on Old School Metal Records. How has the experience been? Has it opened a whole new world of opportunities for you guys as a heavy metal band or just a few radio plays in the U.S.A?
Nolan : It’s been a real eye opener for sure since we learnt a lot about how the whole ‘industry’ works. OSM have been great with us, especially our label boss Patrick. They’ve managed to get our music to places that would not have been possible without their support. We’ve also noticed that a lot of people (festivals/labels/journos etc) take us more seriously when they realize we’re signed to a respected label like OSM so it makes things a lot easier for us.

Ritesh : Descension is your most requested original at every Kryptos show? Comment
Nolan : Yeah I guess it is because it’s one of the first songs we wrote and it’s been around for a long while so people are really familiar with it. Plus it’s fun to play live since it has a bit of an ‘anthemic’ quality to it where everyone can yell along with us.

Ritesh : The moment when you guys finally thought that “We have arrived”?
Nolan : I don’t think we’ve ever felt that way or will feel that way anytime soon. We still have many moons to walk before we can consider ourselves satisfied with what we’ve achieved.

Ritesh : You guys are signed up with Anupam Roy (Grey & Saurian) for your third studio album? Given the awesome reputation Anupam has, will we be looking at a all new Kyptos sound wise?
Nolan : The Kryptos ’sound’ will still be intact but will be improved a thousand fold sonically with Anupam at the knobs. We’re looking to make our third album absolutely world class so we’ve decided to collaborate with the best, which is where Anupam fits in.

Ritesh : How tough is it managing day jobs, shows, practice times, and everything else in between?
Nolan : It’s really really tough but we all have to do it if we want to make this work. Three of us have full time jobs so it makes balancing everything extremely tricky. For example Jayawant has to travel insane distances from work to practice and then back home every day while I haven’t taken a promotion at work for the last 4 years just so I can get to practice regularly. Ryan has to squeeze our practice sessions in between his regular drum classes and gigs with his other band so it’s tough on all of us…..except maybe for Rohit who just has to concentrate on enticing the women to come to our gigs haha.

Ritesh : You guys have often joked BEER has been the secret of your energetic live shows, is it? :P
Nolan : I’m not sure if it contributed to our ‘energy’ but it sure enhanced the experience haha. But that was years ago when we’d go absolutely ape shit on any form of alcohol before and after gigs. Now we’re older, a bit wiser, and definitely fatter so a few cups of hot tea work fantastically well, while we keep the beer for later.

Ritesh : This interview is not complete without a comment on the current status of Indian Metal scene, any thoughts on Backstreet boys headlining at Rock in India? I mean, for Kryptos who opened for Iron Maiden last year this must be a huge disappointment?
Nolan : I’m not sure what the current status of anything in India is at the moment since I’m in my own world most of the time. As far as I know or have seen, there are a lot of good Indian metal bands but I’ve yet to hear anything that has made me sit up and take notice. I’m more of a hard rock/80’s metal guy so with all the extreme metal going on in the Indian scene right now, it’s good stuff but not really my cup of tea.
About Backstreet Boys headlining Rock in India it really doesn’t bother me all that much. Yes in a way it is disappointing that they’re the ones performing here after Maiden and Megadeth but quite frankly I couldn’t care less. There are a lot of local metal gigs happening all over the country so it would be great if all the people who unite so readily ‘in the name of metal’ to protest against a BSB concert, showed the same amount of support for the local metal bands who are the ones who really need it. Sadly I don’t see it happening very often.

Ritesh : Final Words?
Nolan : Don’t believe your government.
Don’t believe your schools.
Don’t believe your priests.
Don’t believe your T.V

*Ritesh Mayekar is a IT professional and passionate about the Indian rock music scene. Also dabbles as a co-manager (Atmosfear) and a freelance rock journalist .

VH1 to air ‘The Unrelenting Surge of Vengeance’ Video

IRMP3 — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 06:08:15 +0000

Mumbai based Extreme Metal Heavyweights Demonic Resurrection add another feather in its cap. Demonic Resurrection’s 1st video ‘The Unrelenting Surge of Vengeance’ will air on VH1 on 1st March (between 1pm-2pm and 3pm-4pm). The video is directed by Vijesh Rajan and Srinivas Sunderrajan.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Quote of the Day

IRMP3 — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 06:15:59 +0000

We just had to call off our gig after one-and-a-half songs yesterday at their fest, which we were headlining. The sound was just pathetic. Onstage, we couldn’t hear a note we were playing, and on top of that the soundman was, to put it mildly, an uncooperative nincompoop.It has never happened before, and hopefully this cancelled show will go out as a message to organizers. Please don’t compromise on the sound. That is the lifeblood of a performance. – Mumbai based Hindi rock band PRAYAG on bands official blog.

we just had to call off our gig after one-and-a-half songs yesterday at their fest, which we were headlining.

The sound was just pathetic. Onstage, we couldn’t hear a note we were playing, and on top of that the soundman was, to put it mildly, an uncooperative nincompoop.

It has never happened before, and hopefully this cancelled show will go out as a message to organizers.

Please don’t compromise on the sound. That is the lifeblood of a performance.

INDIAN ROCK MP3

The Echoes release debut album ‘Stitched’

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Review: “42″ – The Bicycle Days

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Quote of the Day

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ARTIST OF THE MONTH – KRYPTOS

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