Demo ‘crazy’

Justice Rocks was an initiative that used music to spread the message about the environment.

July 14, 2010 02:26 pm | Updated 02:29 pm IST

'Justice Rocks' an initiative supported by ROB. Photo: K.V. Srinivasan

'Justice Rocks' an initiative supported by ROB. Photo: K.V. Srinivasan

In today's concrete jungle we live in, music has been a media to voice out our issues, views, opinions etc. Be it anarchy, racism, world wars or terrorism, music has brought together millions of lives and has catalysed revelatory changes. Now, mankind sits at the edge of its existence where the time has come for radical changes in our lifestyles that must be made in order to save our planet and ourselves.

Back here

In ‘Namma' Chennai, a mini-revolution had risen in the wake of the city's deteriorating condition of beaches in the name ROB (Reclaim Our Beaches). Over the years, ROB has come a long way from rehabilitating the shores to taking radical initiatives that could change the world as we see it.

Power of music

The ‘Justice Rocks' initiative was supported by ROB the proceeds of which would aid the victims of the Kodaikanal, Mettur, Cuddalore and Bhopal tragedies. The show started off with a soft-rock band, Downhill Automatic, whose members were mostly from ROB. They featured Soundarajan from E Flat on percussions.

Soothing acoustic beats and the sweet voices of the female vocalists (special mention: Sneha) perfectly fused with Siddharth Hande's bluesy voice. Krishna's lead guitar made sure that the subtle nuances in his playing provided the desired effect of the evening. The “ROB song” composed by them became an instant favourite amongst the audience. After a vocal-heavy set, Downhill Automatic signed off with style creating a solid impression among the blues fans. We know we haven't seen the last of them.

Next on stage was E Flat, the Arabic/Classical/Alternative act from the city who recently released their new album “Parables of the Pariah”. Clearly one of the most eccentric acts in the country, they have managed to take over so many fans in the country with their originality and versatility. This concert featured fan favorites such as “Konichiwa” “The Living Zombie” and “Calypso”. The highlight of the set was “Bed Lamp” which will be featured in the next album.

The twist in the evening came with E Flat featuring Benny Dayal on vocals. They jammed on various numbers by E Flat and one of Benny's own compositions “The Ooh Song” which featured songs from Bollywood, Kollywood and Billy Jean by Michael Jackson.

Late evening set in and the mood was perfect for a Hindustani-Blues duo. The presence of them on stage was greeted with silence from the audience, anticipating their unorthodox style of music. The vocalist/guitarist sat simply on the floor with his percussionist, smiling at the audience.

They performed their own renditions of 600-year-old songs by Kabir, Mirabai etc with delta-blues guitar backing the vocals. The guitars and vocals were brilliantly phrased and it was clear that this duo was one of the most talented acts in the country. Some English songs included the likes of Bob Dylan's “The times they are a-changin”

Food for thought

The event kept the audience engaged all the way through by filling up the slots between the bands with skits. They featured mock advertisements and messages on how our lives have become slaves to the corporate agenda. It included the stereotypical “Dude” story and how our lifestyles can have a huge influence on our environment. It could be said that the attitude of the youth and that of the older generations has finally seen congruence with respect to the environment at least. Strolling out into the beach, the combination of influential music and a radical change in thought was something the people were left with at the end of the perfect Saturday evening

Siddharth is a II year EEE student from SRM University.

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