News - 8octaves Music

May 31, 2012

May 31, 2012September 13, 2022 Varun Khatri

Wacken Open Air in Bangalore on 16th June

Wacken Open Air, one of the world’s biggest metal fests is going to hit India shortly to give a taste of some of the gods of the metal scene plus give a chance to metal bands in the country to perform at the big stage in Germany.

W.O.A is going to be held 2^nd to 4^th August this year. Tickets to this festival have been sold out since November last year! Around 70,000 of them. The festival is spread across a wide area featuring some of the best heavy metal acts. The lineup includes: Amon Amarth, Cradle of Filth, Hammer Fall, In Flames, Machine Head, Napalm Death, Opeth, Sepultra, Six Feet Under, Testament and many more.

Thrash Metal band Kreator and Folk Metal band Suidakra are headlining this year’s Bangalore Open Air. This is the second year this competition is being held in the country. Last Year, Eccentric Pendulum, a Bangalore based progressive metal band won the contest. This competition is held in 20 countries across the world with the best of the making it to Wacken Open Air Germany. Albatross, Bevar Sea, Kryptos, 1833 AD, Dying Embrace and Eccentric Pendulum are the bands lined up to play in the Bangalore Open Air on June the 16^th. Iced Earth was scheduled to play at the event but these plans have been cancelled due to visa issues.

The location for the main event too ha been subject to debate. The government has not given permission to the organisers to host the event at Palace grounds, which is one of the best venues of the city. In its place Acharya Institute grounds has been chosen which is located on the outskirts of the city. Fans are pissed off about this and their opinions are clearly put forth on various social media platforms. Nevertheless the organisers (Infinite Dreams) have promised for a Heavy Metal Blast on June 16^th.

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	Wacken Metal Battle Regional Rounds
		Time/Place
East Zone	Scarface, Devoid of Dreams, Dark Carnage, Damage	25^th May, Blues (Guwahati)
North Zone	Dementia, Arcane Deception, Phobia, Wasted Soul	27^th May, Turquoise Cottage, (New Delhi)
West Zone	Zygnema, Chaoskampf, Dionysian, Providence	3^rd June, B69 (Mumbai)
South Zone	Tiffin Box, Crypted, Timiraah, Neolithic Silence	10^th June, Kyra (Bangalore)

The official trailer of W.O.A can be viewed here:

Wacken is a small town with 2000 souls in the middle of Schleswig Holstein, Germany. For three days in August though the population increases to 75000. The Wacken Open Air festival now in its 23^rd year has achieved a reputation for itself among metal fans across the globe. Not only do they have a chartered metal train for the visitors, there is special package for handicapped visitors, something for the metal offspring, tattoo shop, Wacken Foundation, etc. The W.O.A. organisers have created special tickets for Indian fans wanting to make their metal pilgrimage. The ticket package to include tickets, a camping tent as well as a letter from the W.O.A. organisers to get a Visa for the festival. Plus also an opportunity to win a W.O.A. t-shirt and Backstage tour of the festival!

May 22, 2012

May 22, 2012September 22, 2022 Amar Singh

Sinful Saturday @ Shockk (Bandra) with NRI Fronted Pop-Rock Band The Chudail & Demons

This Saturday, May 25^h, Mumbai based pop-rock band The Chudail & Demons will be performing at Shockk in Bandra.

The Chudail & Demons (www.facebook.com/thechudailanddemons) was formed in March 2013 by NRI vocalist-lyricist-composer Amanda Sodhi who moved from Los Angeles to Mumbai recently. This energetic band also features several seasoned musicians including Shrikant Sreenivasan (guitars), Jayakrishnan Unnithan (keyboard) and Pratik Kulgod (drums, percussion). The Chudail & Demons has an entertaining and large collection of originals and covers in both English and Hindi drawing from various genres including pop, jazz, blues, reggae, ballads, retro, soft rock, rock and gothic rock. Their original compositions’ lyrics have a dark and witty streak which leaves audiences smiling. Within just a few weeks of formation this female fronted band has already performed in Mumbai and Pune at several prestigious venues including The Blue Frog, Out of the Blue, 11^th East Street Café, Kino 108, Kaifi Azmi Park and COHO Bohemia at India Fine Arts Gallery. They will soon be performing at Someplace Else and Amadeus. And, the band is working on their EP which they will be releasing post-monsoon season.

Shockk is the latest addition to the nightlife and entertainment this city has to offer. A gigantic area, which overlooks the busy streets of Bandra, Shockk is a chic restaurant, bar and lounge. Its mix of old world and art deco spells contemporary all through its 14000 sq. feet. Shockk is designed to attract one and all, right from the fun lovers to the swish high-rollers of Mumbai. The turntables promise to churn some of the best music in town, right besides the bar, which promises to offer you an extensive list of cocktails.

Catch The Chudail & Demons (Amanda Sodhi – Vocals, Shrikant Sreenivasan – Guitars, Jayakrishnan Unnithan – Keyboard, Virendra Kaith – Percussion) at Shockk on Saturday, May 25^th from 9-10pm. Entry before 8:30pm is free, and entry after 8:30pm is Rs. 200/person with the fee waived for those dining at the venue.

the chudail demons entire band bluefrog 1

May 7, 2012

May 7, 2012September 20, 2022 Aditya Biswas

A. R. Rahman to Rock London Olympics 2012

The Olympics, the premier global sporting event of the world, will be held in London from July 27 to August 12, 2012. Preparations are underway and stages set to host an event of magnanimous proportions with many countries participating and visitors flocking to London to witness this sports extravaganza. This time there is going to be an additional Indian flavor attached with the Olympics. A.R. Rahman, the grandmaster of Indian Music scene, has been chosen to compose a song for the opening ceremony of the London Olympics.

A.R. Rahman is set to team up with ‘Trainspotting’ director Danny Boyle for this project. Rahman revealed on one of his social networking pages, “Clarifying the report on the Olympics track I am composing, it’s a track in Punjabi celebrating the Indian influence in the UK” Rahman who has worked with Boyle before in the Oscar-winning film, ‘Slumdog Millionaire’, and ‘127 Hours’ said, “It’s a part of a medley in the Olympics opening ceremony, according to Danny Boyle’s creative wishes!”

Filmmaker Danny Boyle is said to have planned a three-hour musical show that will feature various genres of music. According to sources, he has been taking active interest in putting together such a massive show for worldwide audiences. Rahman’s spokesperson said that Rahman’s track would be one of the tracks played in the opening ceremony and Rahman is working towards making a track that is grand to appeal to diverse audiences.

This would be another feather in the cap of Music maestro’s achievements.

It has also been reported that music composer Ilayaraja’s composition “Naanthaanungappanda”, from Kamal Hassan and Sripriya’s 1980 film “Ram Lakshman”, would also be a part of the opening ceremony. English rock band, Muse, is scheduled to perform at the opening ceremony of the sporting event. Survival, the band’s latest singlewill be the official song for the London 2012 Olympic Games. The band released a statement on their website stating, “Matt wrote the song with the Olympics in mind. It’s about total conviction and pure determination to win. The song will be played throughout the Games including when the athletes enter the stadium, in the lead up to the medal ceremony and also as the theme for all international TV coverage.” In other news, Robbie Williams was asked to play at the closing ceremony but declined due to personal reasons. ‘Isles of Wonder’ has been revealed as the theme for the opening ceremony and One Direction might play for the closing ceremony.

March 5, 2012

March 5, 2012September 8, 2022 Shubangi Sundar

Vote for your Favorite Singer-songwriter/ Band to play at this Bandstand Revival on May the 12th

NH7 and Bandstand Revival have been short listing candidates since March 27 for the selection of performers for the Bandstand Revival, an annual series of events organizedby Bombay Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Bandstand Revival 2012 edition consisted of free live music gigs for 11 weeks at Dadar-Chowpatty Bandstand and Hanging Garden, Mumbai featuring some of the fast becoming popular talent in the country. This includes the likes of Lightyears Explode, Blakc, Goddess Gagged, Tribal flora and Rang.

The contest required participants to send in their demos and profile pages to the bandstandsociety.in website by April 25th. Fans can vote for their favorite musicians at the link given below between April 27^th and 4^th May. The winner to be announced at Dadar Chowpatty event on 5^th May.

The ones who made the cut are:

Bands:

Blek: alternative rock trio Rishi Bradoo (Vocals/Guitars), Jared Creado(Bass) and Varoon Aiyer (Drums) from Mumbai. The released their debut EP, Hexes + Drama & Other Reasons For Evacuation, in Feb 2012.

Dischordian: Solo acoustic project started by Gareth D’mello (ex-frontman Split) and later growing to include multiple instrumentalists AgneloPicardo, Howard Pereira, and Nigel Rajaratnam. The band describesits music as ‘Goa-tinged orchestral indie rock’. Their Debut album TheFeni Farm Riot released in 2011.

Modern Mafia: Four-piece (Varun Das on vocals, Ishaan Krishna (bass), Karun Kannampilly (drums) and Krehl Gonsalves (guitars) punk rock act from Mumbai, active since 2011. In 2012, the band released an EP called Random Sheep. The also released a video for their single ‘daylight’.

Highway to Heaven: Ashish Malvi (drums), Darryl D’souza, Sean D’souza (guitars), Charanjit R (vocals) and Ralph Menezes (bass) make up Highway to Heaven an alternative rock band from Mumbai. With over a thousand fans and a number of events, this band is to watch out for.

Seher: An indie rock band comprising of VispyHomavazir (guitars and backing vocals), Anchal Seraik (vocals), Abhishek Srinivasan (drums and percussion), Vaibhav Pani (guitars), Tanmay Diwadkar (keyboards) and Onkar Potdar (bass).Been around since 2009, they play interesting combinationof Indian and western melodies and rhythms and have a great time doing it.

Singer-Songwriters:

Tejas Menon: A Pune based acoustic guitarist singing his heart out.

Nush Lewis: Singer/Harpist trained by KM Music Conservatory in Chennai.She will soon be releasing a 5 track EP.

Dilpreet Bhatia: Singer/producer making a mix of Punjabi/Hindi Rock ‘n’ Roll to acoustic ballads to folk rock melodies.

To Vote go to this page

September 6, 2011

September 6, 2011September 10, 2022 Abhiraj Ghosh

Silver Tears Wins The Yamaha Asian Beat – India Leg

Guwahati based band Silver Tears has won the second annual Yamaha Music India- Asian Beat 2011 contest which was held at Kyra Bangalore on 27th of August. The band will head to South Korea to represent India at the international level next year. This 6 piece progressive metal outfit had its fortunes turned around after Gangtok based Girish Pradhan (Girish & The Chronicles) replaced founding member/Vocalist Johny Karan Marak If you remember, Silver Tears were the runners up at the Wacken Metal Battle 2011 which Eccentric Pendulum won after a very closely fought contest.

Here’s the list of winners from Asian Beat India 2011

Girish Pradhan – Silver tears – Best Vocalist
Ishan Das – Silver Tears – Best Guitarist
Ashish Joy – Route 714 – Best bassist
Chandra Bhushan – Purple Asparagus – Best Drummer
Vivan Lawrence – Route 714 – Best Keyboard Player
Khalid Ahmed – Parvaaz- Sharpest Band Member (Yeah Even we don’t know what that means!)

Best Band – Silver Tears

“Asian Beat” is one of the biggest amateur band contests held throughout many regions in Asia. It starts out from Area Heat in participating countries and regions. Each winner at Area Heat finals can proceed onto the Grand Final, where they will perform together on the same stage and compete to be the top of amateur bands in Asia.

Yamaha Corporation started this event as “Band Alert” in 1998, renamed to “Asian Beat” in 2001. In the past years, worldwide famous players were the judges such as Nathan East, Wes Borland, Tommy Aldridge, Sonny Emory, Billy Sheehan and James LoMenzo.

June 9, 2011

June 9, 2011September 9, 2022 Abhiraj Ghosh

Metallica in India – What it Means to Us

The name says it all. Being one of the most revered pioneers of the “love-it-or-hate-it” metal/hard rock genre, Metallica is considered one of the most influential rock bands that has defined the genre as we know it over the past quarter century . Many bands shaped in the same fashion have come, seen, and yet failed to conquer. One of the key factors that separate them from the hundreds of other bands that tried to emulate the sinister and sarcastic growl of James Hetfield and the lightning fast guitar “shredding” of Kirk Hammett is the fact that Metallica can claim to be the one band that brought the metal and hard rock culture to the mainstream audience.

Being a metal (pronounced Mai-Thaaaaal in Bangalore, complete with the devil symbol) fan in India has been tough and exasperating over the years. The experience has been very similar to that of a full-blooded teen male having a rather conservative girlfriend; a lot of teasing and dry humping but never any of the good stuff. Sure, the bands have come and gone. Opeth, Sepultura, Dream Theater and Aerosmith have served to provide the fans a glimpse of the vast world of live rock music so easily available in other parts of the globe. Incidentally, the closest that any of the thousands of goatee and black t-shirt sporting “Metal-Heads” in India have come to experiencing the full live experience are the two Iron Maiden concerts and Megadeth concert in Bangalore. However, come the end of October, Metallica promises to take every single screaming fan in Palace Grounds “all the way”.

A woman in a printed crew neck t shirt — Photo by Dillon Kydd

Formed in 1981, Metallica comprises currently of James Hetfield (vocals, rhythm guitar), Kirk Hammett (lead guitar), Robert Trujillo (bass) and Lars Ulrich (drums). Over the years, Metallica have stuck to their trash metal/hard rock roots, unlike so many other bands that tend to experiment with their style and sound. By sticking to what they do best, Metallica has provided their fans album after album of what they want to hear; good metal music. The early albums such as “Ride the Lightning” and “Master of Puppets” can be considered timeless classics not only in the metal or hard rock genre but also in the mainstream rock genre while later albums such as “Death Magnetic” showcases the band’s relevance in today’s music scene dominated by hip-hop and bubblegum pop.

For every kid who picked up the guitar after hearing “Enter Sandman”, for every college student who woke up with a whiplashed and sore neck after a night of furious head banging to “One”, for every girl who decided to reward their boyfriends with something “special” after hearing them play “Nothing Else Matters” on the acoustic, the Metallica concert on 30^th October in Bangalore signifies a once in a lifetime opportunity to experience what fans in more privileged parts of the world have been able to do over the years. The ticket price of Rs 2750 might at first seem a steep asking price for a concert by Indian standards, but the question that begs to be answered is whether a band of such magnitude has ever graced the Indian stage before. Fans can expect Metallica, known for their extravagant and dynamic live performances, to set the new standard for live performances, and not just by metal or hard rock bands, in India. I know for a certain fact that one very such fan will be among the horde, screaming every line of every song and will proudly claim after, “I was there”. Metallica is playing in Sector 29, Gurgaon, Delhi on 28^th October and in Palace Grounds, Bangalore on 30^th December. Tickets are available online at www.ticketgenie.in and at most Planet M and Landmark outlets.

April 12, 2011

April 12, 2011September 9, 2022 Varun Khatri

JOSHISH Released Another New Single Called “Maujood”

JOSHISH released another new single called “Maujood” on 25^th November 2011 and got an overwhelming response from people within two days of its release. This is the second single from the upcoming album due to be released early next year. The first single was ‘Betukay’, which was appreciated for its unconventional song writing approach and it was made available on all the major portals like I-tunes, Cd-baby, Amazon, Napster to name a few, making it an extensive global release. It was mixed by the well known producer Zorran Mendonsa from New Zealand and it was produced by Sameer Rahat, who has also produced and mixed the new track. They had previously released 2 other originals, the first one was ‘Ho Subah’ in 2007, They also released a video of the same in 2008 and then the second single was called ‘Still not too late’, which was released in mid 2009. These songs were featured on several independent albums and created a lot of buzz amongst the followers of the band. We recorded the new songs partially at our Home studio and the rest of it at EQ Studios in Mumbai, before sending it to Zorran, Who will be mixing the rest of the songs too from the upcoming album. After their last release in mid 2009, the band decided to take a break and work upon re-discovering themselves as musicians before hitting the studios again. They resolved that they wanted to figure out their original sound and muster up the musical strengths individually too before we further release any more of our music. The atypical sound of the songs makes it harder to categorize them into a particular genre and the band claims that this is just a tinge of their musical potentialities and the upcoming stuff would be more promising.

Originally from Bhopal, They have recently shifted their base to Mumbai knowing that it’s time they cover this side of the country and the rest of it subsequently by playing more gigs and finally releasing their new songs from their upcoming album due to be released next year. They don’t like people asking about their genre because they believe that they ‘re is too much to music to be put under genre and they are still experimenting with everything they can catch hold of, they’d rather like people to decide what they sound like and maybe fall in the category of a new born genre itself. They are always trying out new sounds and techniques of playing music, be it the studios or gigs. Their concert has myriad hues of interactive sessions, zippy stage act and surreal feel to their music and lyrics, a complete Audio-Visual bliss.

The band plans to stick to these roots and their present ideology of receptiveness to new ideas and collaborations, they plan to release more and more originals and with already a few gigs lined up in the upcoming months, they want to tour across the country and maybe out of it sometime soon as they want to elevate a new wave of Hindi Rock Music which is global in nature, which is not bound by language. They’ve been recently featured in The Score Magazine (India), The Big M magazine, Fried Eye Magazine and a number of music blogs/websites. They’ve also been asked by Fireworks, a U.K. based magazine for an interview and promotion of their new track across Europe because of the singularity in their sound as they mentioned. It’s been five years of togetherness and the band has gone through major line-up changes, finally coming down to the oldest one with the forming members Sameer Rahat on the Lead Vocals and Rhythm Guitars/Bass Guitars, Shwetang Shankar on Drums/Percussion and Vocals and Shatarchi Hundet on the Lead Guitars/Effects. Please share the music on your Facebook page, blog and help us spread it. Your support is necessitated. We’d like to know what you feel about the song and a review of the song from your side would be really encouraging. For more information, promo request or setting up an interview, please feel free to contact us. Looking forward to a positive response.