Rock Street Journal

Ten years ago at any indian college fest, if you couldn’t identify Nirvana, U2 or Coldplay being spewed out by the flavour-of-the-month Indian band, chances of being labeled tone-deaf and uncool were quite high. But now, tables are gradually turning with a new genre of Indian rock music coming to the center stage. And whether it’s a romantic ballad or an electronica-infused number, one things stands clear: bands are no longer afraid to experiment with their own sound, rather than playing by the book. And with sustained efforts from magazines such as Rock Street Journal and subsequently platforms like Great Indian Rock (GIR) and pubrock fests, Indian rock music is on the cusp of breaking new ground everyday.

Rock Street Journal or RSJ is a monthly magazine covering the rock scene in India and South Asia. It was started in January 1993 in Allahabad by Amit Saigal and Shena Gamat Saigal after they realized the lack of support system for Indian rock musicians. The magazine has grown in popularity ever since and is now published from Delhi. It organizes the yearly Great Indian Rock Festival (GIR) to promote original music of new and upcoming rock bands in India.

Any insight into rock music in India would be incomplete without bringing Amit Saigal(in photo), who played a pivotal role in recognizing the "original" potential bands carried way back in the 90s, into the picture. The first step in this initiative was through a column in RSJ devoted to reviewing original Indian music.

Features:

• RSJ regularly covers professional and college festival concerts throughout India.
• It also publishes reviews of new music albums, new bands,old bands and everything that falls under the gamut of the Indian and the international rock scene, they also publish reviews of Indian Bands along with extensive reviews and interviews of International bands.
• Its website(RSJ online) has an extensive database of over a thousand rock bands and musicians hailing from the Indian subcontinent, including desi rock bands from elsewhere in the world.
• The website also contains the official forums frquented by thousands of Indian rock fans.Currently boasting of a registerd database of over 40,000

Concerts and Music Festivals:

• RSJ organizes the Great Indian Rock Festival each year showcasing the best among upcoming talent in rock and roll in the Indian subcontinent.
• The first GIR was in 1997 in Kolkata. It is usually held in Delhi in the month of February, in the 11th year of GIR; Norways biggest Black Metal Act Enslaved were headlining.
• In addition, RSJ has organized several other concerts including the Concert for Tibet in 2003 in Dharamsala, and the Brotherhood of Rock in Shillong.
• RSJ has also conceptualised and executed events like the Pubrockfest and RocktoberFest which are now regular events in Delhi, however the PubrockFest went national this year going to 7 cities and with over 30 gigs in all.
• This year the Pubrockfest is bigger going to 20 cities with 60 gigs and also features two international artistes from Australia and Canada respectively. 2007 also saw the inception of a new festival called LiveAlive - Experience Jazz, Blues and Beyond, this festival focused on music like jazz, blues and other experimental music.
• Every year in November, Jazz fans in Delhi get a treat in the form of The Jazz Utsav which is organised by Capital Jazz in association with Rock Street Journal, the Jazz Utsav features some of the biggest acts in Jazz from across the globe.

Partners in rhyme

Technology has given a big impetus to the band’s popularity ratings. Music promotion has found a new ally in the form of downloads and through networking websites like MySpace.com, while popular labels sit in the other corner and cringe. Another fact that has affirmed the emergence of the new rock ‘n’ roll talent in India is the launch of its loudest proponent, Rolling Stone.

In fact, even the mighty Bollywood has begun to acknowledge the alluring power of the growing trend of rock ‘n’ roll. Artistes like Vishal Dadlani of Pentagram, and the trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy have proved that giving rock a pop and jangly spin opens up a world of possibilities, apart from satiating the artistic appetite.

Michelle Lobo, lead vocalist for the band TUG (Toxic Urban Grove), believes that the rise in new talents has also been wrought by the shift of focus from bands to individual artistes. "There’s still a long way to go, but I feel that individual talents have garnered a lot of attention in the last few years. Now and then you see a vocalist sing for more than two bands, which shows that many are keen on experimenting with different sounds."

It is perhaps this open-mindedness that has brought a much-needed respite from the staid, unoriginal and ‘juvenile’ songs of the bygone era.

These aspects have definitely stoked the interests of the listeners and driven them to the umpteen gigs being held every week, although the same can’t be said about the album sales. But more labels are eying promising bands so it won’t be too long before the deal is signed. Till then, there are a lot of gigs to keep your calendars full.

Promising artists:

Karsh Kale:Tabla player trained in classical music; known for working with Anoushka Shankar on Breathing Under Water. Has 6 solo albums to his credit.

Raghu Dixit Project: Folk-based rock musician. His self-titled album was out in March.

Galeej Gurus: Were chosen to perform at the Dubai Desert Rock festival along with bands like Velvet Revolver and Machine Head this year.

Avial:The band from Kerala featuring former Motherane guitarist Rex Vijayen. Their eponymous album has been getting rave reviews.

Shair n Func: Pentagram guitarist Randolph Correia collaborates with New York-based Monica Dogra to create a unique electronic sound.