New kids of rock

THE JUNE Rock Out fest wound up with all guns blazing. Some had their fingers gliding through the guitars and some sent cymbals crashing real hard. Many who struck the right chords with the crowd. Here's a tribute to some of the unsung rock stars, who shone brightly during the recently concluded fest.

Shaun Roberts

Strums for Molotov Cocktail. This talented guitarist had his first fling with music when he was in school, with a band called `Pat Cats' between '92 and '95.

Shaun then was a part of the hotel band called `Inspirations' for a couple of years until he joined Molotov in '97. Only last year, Shaun along with drummer Vasanth formed a band called Cosmic Debris.

``Now that I have finished college, I am full-time into music. Cosmic Debris is where we come out with our `own comps', which are more like the 80s rock numbers,'' says Shaun.

David Fernandez

Is Shaun's mate at Molotov Cocktail. He's been playing the guitar since his school days. ``I was a part of a band called Blaze at Doveton Corrie. That was in '95-'96,'' David recollects.

Soon after school, he joined Molotov along with other MCCites and played with other commercial bands including Moksha where he sometimes substitutes Allen.

Rock is only ``partially a profession'' for this HR person working with an IT company.

Ranjith Jeyapaul

Ranjith is Moksha's battery of energy. He sits behind the drums, at the back of the stage, but his presence can be felt even outside the hall.

He's been a part of Moksha since '95. And is also a part of Double Edge and of course, the Vineyard Band.

Incidentally, Ranjith teaches drums at the Vineyard School of Music, and loves all kinds of music, especially funk.

Nanditha Sashidharan

She's one of the rare girls in Chennai's otherwise male-dominated world of rock. Nanditha is the lead vocalist for `No Idea' that won quite a few prizes within a year of its inception.

Nanditha also sings for Nurve, which she says, is the ``first band to sing on the Internet''.

``No Idea is a relatively new band on the scene. We are into all sorts of music, we are versatile. We like alternative/metal though we do like to try new stuff that's progressive. We are a serious band serious about our music,'' she says.

Mario Desmier

This chap becomes Jim Carrey when he's on the bass. He enjoys his music, animated expressions on his face only paint the passion with which he plays his music.

One of the most talented musicians in the city, Mario loves to compose. He's does that for his foursome band, `Joose' which already has 8-10 compositions to its credit.

Mario was with heavy-metal outfit Gothic between `97 and `99 and also a part of a commercial band called Splash that played at weddings.

This guy who's looking for a career in IT, passed out of Loyola and now freelances with bands. At the June Rock Out fest, he got to play with none other than Moksha, a slot that belonged to their regular Bobby, which sometimes Keith Peters used to fill!

Praveen George

He's at the bass for the Vineyard Band, and loves to chip in with backing vocals. He used to play for a band called `Vatz'. Now, he teaches guitar at the Vineyard School of Music.

This talented musician also freaks out shooting videos. He did that during the entire fest. ``My sense of music would help me for my passion for videos,'' he reveals.

By Sudhish Kamath

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