Back in the mid 90s, a rock music show in Vizag meant a packed house with an oozing stars-in-eyes idealism that marked the golden era of rock music culture in the city. What happened in the subsequent years was something the rock bands didn’t anticipate and never wanted the Vizag scene to turn out the way it did. Over the years, techno-backed music swayed the new generation towards a different musical sensibility - pushing rock music off the scene. More challenges came up for rock with a dwindling patronage from organisers, pubs and hoteliers - till rock n roll was finally swept off.
But now a revival of rock seems to be underway with Vizag’s rock bands coming back to hold rock lovers in thrall with the concept of ‘Rock Rising Fridays’, an initiative of The Park to bring back the genre of music to the party circuits with acoustic rock. The members of the bands are mostly from college or fresh graduates, who romance many genres or jam on balmy evenings with a guitar in tow, adding their own spin to classic rock rhythms and bringing in the concept of fusion with rock. And in doing so, they are not only succeeding in creating sounds of their own but are also creating a fan base in the city.
Rock fusion
One of the youngest bands in the city, Nakshatra, is endeavouring to bring back the rock culture with a new twist of Sufi music. The four-member band plays at Tribe at The Park every Fridays. “We are trying to introduce a concept of fusion rock with the flavour of Sufi and Bollywood. It is tough to capture the crowd’s attention with hard rock. So to keep alive the rock flavour, we will slowly shift from rock fusion to hard rock, gauging the crowd’s mood,” says the band’s lead singer Zuhaib Ali Khan. And that rock fusion is more an idea than a sound makes it perfect for a comeback. Other city bands like Kairoz had also fused sitar with rock in two or three shows in the city, which was received well by the people.
While the ‘Rock Rising Fridays’ may be a small step forward to bring back the musical genre, colleges have had a decent presence of rock bands that perform at college fests and inter-college events. Nakshatra’s guitarist Amy, who is also a member of Pulse Theory, says that colleges have always laid the foundation for many city rock bands, but stepping ahead from there remains the main challenge. Pulse Theory has been around for the past four and half years and managed to perform 100 gigs in Vizag and in places like NIT Warangal and other cities. “We always wanted to continue the shows here. For a long time there was a lull in the rock shows in the city because of monetary issues and lack of support from organisers. Everyone wants to drop in if it is a free show, but who will pay these artistes? We have got a free venue now and so we decided to start it once again for the love of music,” he says.
A distinct identity
Pulse Theory has so far recorded four original compositions. “If you need to make a mark, you have to have original music which gives you a distinct identity,” adds Amy. The band’s high point came when they opened for Parikrama during the iconic band’s city tour. Home-grown rock bands are also resonating with verses of the soil. City band Kross last year introduced a new composition of Telugu rock music. While the lyrics were garnished with Telugu words and proverbs, the music was true to the classic rock genre.
Another city band ‘Lithium’ that played during the initial weeks of ‘Rock Rising Fridays’ feels that the concept may finally bring rock back into limelight, but more needs to be done for a sustained musical movement. Till four years ago, a series of shows and regular rock band fights used to happen in the city, which later fizzled out, the five-member band says. How did the disconnect happen? “It occurred primarily due to the lack of support from organisers. And this happened in a city that even today has at least four to five active rock bands. If these bands come together and open a common jamming room with support from hotels and organisers, the rock scene will spring back to action,” says Krishna Peri, lead guitarist of the year-old-band Lithium. The recent past also saw city band ‘Against Evil’ pushing the envelope to an all new level with their recently released debut single that was well received. “The rise of electronic music and DJ culture spelt a doom for rock music. Although there are good bands, no shows were happening here. And monetary issues are the looming factors,” say local rock bands. But with free venues and a coming together of rock bands and enthusiasts, a change is in the offing. Coming up next is a rock show featuring ‘Heavens Down’ in June.
Everyone wants to drop in if it is a free show, but who will pay these artistes? We decided to start it once again for the love of music.
