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Emerging rock bands
A rock band group practising on the beach. Photos:C.V. Subrahmanyam
Every one hums at one point of time or other, but there are only a few confident ones who can take to the stage. Vizag is home to many a warbling youth, who have struck common chord and formed rock bands. They believe in the adage `music is the food for the soul'. The wannabe stars sweat it out during rigorous practice sessions, plucking the fret boards, strumming chords, matching the jazz beats, and the vocalists hitting the right pitch.
Says Augustine S. Deep, vocalist and rhythm guitarist in the quintet named `Aliens': "Our group was formed accidentally. I spotted Nirmal Truman (lead guitarist) humming `Hotel California' for his friends on Beach Road. A common friend introduced us and we hit it off. We realised that we shared similar music interests and it struck us: why cannot we form a band? Similar incidents led some other members joining our group." They picked up Sharat Kumar from Bullayya College as bass guitarist and Soumya, an engineering student of Gitam, as the second rhythm guitarist and singer. They take time off on Saturday evenings to practise at the Y.M.C.A.
Sam, the drummer in the group, states, "We are completely into English rock. Initially we started off by accepting invitations to play at college parties, but now we stick to professional shows. The offers are few as Vizagites are not much into serious rock."
A band group at a recording theatre
`Aliens' has decided to break fresh ground by playing Telugu rock for the local audiences and would blast off at Gurjada Kalakshetram on February 21.
There are music groups that dabble in live shows, cutting devotional albums for Ayyappa devotees, scoring music for advertisement jingles on the cable channels and imparting music lessons.
V.R.A. Pradeep, a member of `Blue-Wings' rock band and who has recently opened a music school, converted his bedroom into a makeshift recording studio to make an album of Christian devotional songs "Stuti Kiranalu". With only a music mixer, a personal computer and a mike at his disposal, Pradeep composes melodious tracks. While his younger brother, V.A. Sudheer, and a buddy, Ch. Satish, chip in with the recording and mixing, other friends lend their voice for the tracks. The group initially picked up tips from Roshanlal orchestra and learnt the technical nuances of music at Vijayawada.
The group has been lying low for a few months with two of their star performers shifting to Hyderabad. It is set to rock again with their old band-mates coming back.
There are a few creative blokes who love to experiment with their music. P. Kalyan, an engineering student from Gitam, who draws his inspiration from Yngwie Malmsteen and Michael Angelo and touches 200 notes a minute on his guitar, records his own songs using his PC, electric guitar and music match software. "First the rhythm is recorded on the beats and then the lead is added. Finally I put my voice on the track. A single mistake and the whole labour is wasted," says the budding composer. The lad educates himself over net chatting with other music buffs, downloading audio and video files and making lots of notes. He dreams of making his own album some day. "I always have my engineering degree to fall back upon if things don't work out in music," he quips.
Though opportunities are fewer, there is no dearth of talent among Vizagites, says T. Srinivasa Rao of `Harmony', the musical instruments outlet at C.B.M. compound. "The local event managers prefer popular names and rope in performers from Hyderabad or Bangalore. The local bands get neglected which dampens their spirits. This affects the local music scene."
The local event managers could do their bit by encouraging the local groups and launching them in their shows. They have the flair for music and given a chance they are sure to strike a chord with the audiences with their performances.
SHAZEEL M BASHA
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