Countdown to Guwahati’s first international music fest begins

Santanu Thakur, Secy to Government of Assam, Departnment of Cultural Affairs, Sports and Youth Welfare, inaugurating the curtain raiser to the 1st Guwahati International Music Festival

Published in The Sentinel on October 10

By our Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI, Oct 9: If you thought that with the end of Durga Puja the festivities were also over, you better think once again. Indian psychedelic rock sensation Menwhopause carried the puja fever to a different pitch altogether in the ROCKTOBER RIFFS – rock of the ages concert held at Shilpgram yesterday. The concert marked the formal countdown to the 1st Guwahati International Music Festival.

The event was formally inaugurated by Secretary to the Government of Assam, Cultural Affairs, Youth Welfare and Sports Department Santanu Thakur. Lauding the efforts of Eastern Beats Music Society towards the promotion and preservation of musical and art forms of the region, he spoke at length about the approaching Guwahati International Music Fest (GIMF). “We are all trying to contribute our might to make this landmark event a huge success,” he said. GIMF, which will be participated by musicians from UK, Nepal, Indonesia, Bollywood, Goa, Kolkata, Bhopal and folk musicians from different parts of the Northeast, is being organized by EBMS in collaboration with the North East Zone Cultural Centre, Dimapur, under the Ministry of Culture, and with the support of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), under the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India.

Hornbill 2009 winners OFF

Hundreds of people were seen thronging Shilpgram on Saturday to watch the curtain raiser event. The show began with a performance by Nagaland’s top rock outfit Original Fire Factor (OFF). The four member alternative rock outfit is known for their originals and is incidentally, the first band from Nagaland to win the prestigious Hornbill National Rock Contest 2009. Playing a half-hour set of their originals including tracks like Save Me, the band literally brought the crowd alive and set the mood for December running high.

Guwahati-based classic rock bands PROJECT PATKAI and STAGS also performed a set of popular covers, much to the delight of the crowd present – a mixture of both the older and younger generations. “Whether it is the alternative-meet-psychedelia sound of Menwhopause, or the protest brand of retro-rock as espoused by OFF, Rocktober Riffs was rock as it is meant to be,” says Eastern Beats Music Society secretary and creative director of the 1st Guwahati International Music Festival Aiyushman Dutta.

PROJECT PATKAI

Talking about GIMF, Dutta said, “Basically conceived as a confluence of musicians and artists from across the world, GIMF will result in Guwahati witnessing the largest confluence of musicians in the Northeast. The festival has been conceptualized to fill the need for a premier music festival in the country which can showcase the best of regional, national and international talents in the music field to the people of the region. Besides serving as a platform for interaction among musicians, music professionals, music lovers, music trade firms and music institutes, the festival will also help initiate cross-cultural dialogue among people and artistes of the region with those from others parts of the country and the world.”

MENWHOPAUSE

To be held from December 2 to December 3, more than 30 top artistes from all over the globe are scheduled to land in the city for 48 hours of cultural exchange and sharing of ideas through music. “Besides musical performances, we also have events like music workshops, seminars, lecture-demonstration sessions, film screening camps, etc lined up,” said Dutta.

This puja, Guwahati gears up for ROCKTOBER

Internationally-acclaimed MENWHOPAUSE & OFF to perform for ROCK OF THE AGES concert

If you thought that puja pandals were all you had look forward to in the coming festive season, you better think again. Indian psychedelic rock sensation Menwhopause is all set to carry the puja fever to a different pitch altogether in ROCKTOBER RIFFS –rock of the ages. Scheduled to be held on October 8 next, this hardcore rock festival has already created a wave among rock circles of the State.

Rocktober Riffs, which will provide a rollercoaster ride through the good old days of rock, will also feature Nagaland’s top rock outfit Original Fire Factor (OFF). The four member alternative rock outfit, known for their originals, had won the Hornbill National Rock Contest in 2009. Guwahati-based classic rock bands PROJECT PATKAI and STAGS will also be performing on the occasion.

Rocktober Riffs is being organized by Eastern Beats Music Society in association with the North East Zone Cultural Centre, Dimapur. The event is being supported by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, under Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, The Northeast Today, Hit7 Television, Saanz Mobile and other partners.

Eastern Beats Music Society founder secretary and creative director Aiyushman Dutta said the concert has already created a lot of enthusiasm among the city’s mature rock circles. “Whether it is the alternative-meet-psychedelia sound of Menwhopause, or the protest brand of retro-rock as espoused by OFF, Rocktober Riffs is going to rock as it is meant to be,” he said.

For those who happen to be still uninitiated, Menwhopause, whose journey started a decade back in 2001, is one of the very few rock success stories in the Indian subcontinent. Labelled as “India’s top rock band” by a jury of veteran and eminent musicians in the Jack Daniel Polls 2008 held at Nashville, USA, their first EP titled ‘The Story Begins’ was launched in 2003 under the band’s own label “the middle earth company.” The songs found international airplay, including BBC London, and climbed on to top 10 ranks on international mp3 sites. Ever since then, the band has been slowly but steadily setting benchmarks in India’s music scene, most importantly as being one of the first bands to have stuck to playing only original music and concentrating on the art of songwriting.

OFF

Their debut concept album ‘Home’ saw an international release by the middle earth company in August 2006. Their fixation towards creating and retaining their own identity had worked for them, as they were the first Indian band found to be commercially viable to perform at the world’s biggest independent music festival, the prestigious South by Southwest [SXSW] in Austin, Texas, in March 2007. This was followed by a month-long tour with other bands from Iran, Germany, Britain, Mexico, Scandinavia, etc. in the early part of 2008.

The band’s performance at ROCKTOBER RIFFS in Guwahati marks the promotional drive of their new album ‘Easy’. “With soothing rhythms, emphasis on a simplistic approach to rock, lyrics that describe everyday life, and tons of humour – Menwhopause has ensured that with easy, their fan base remains on a continuous upward surge,” says Dutta. The band is made up of Sarabjit Singh, guitarist Anup Kutty, guitarist Inder Pal Singh, singer-songwriter Sarabjit Chadha, bassist Randeep Singh and Paul Schneiter on drums.