ElectryA

C'mmon, lets 'jump' to others support

A group of frogs was hopping through the woods. Suddenly two of them fell into a deep pit. All the others gathered to see how they could help their companions.

When they saw how deep the pit was, the rest of the dismayed group agreed that it was hopeless and told the two in the pit that they should prepare themselves for their fate, because they were as good as dead.
Unwilling to accept this terrible fate, the two frogs began to jump with all their might. Those outside shouted that it was hopeless, and that the two frogs would not be in this situation if they had been more careful, and obedient to the froggy rules, and more responsible.

The other frogs continued shouting sorrowfully that they should save their energy and give up, since they was no way they could get out. The two frogs continued jumping as hard as they could and, after several hours of desperate effort, were quite weary.
Finally, one of the frogs took heed of the others' calls. Spent and disheartened, he quietly accepted his fate, lay down and died as the others looked on in helpless grief.

The other frog continued to jump with every ounce of energy he had, although his body was wracked with pain and he was completely exhausted.

His companions began anew, yelling for him to accept his fate, stop the pain and just die. The weary frog jumped harder and harder and - wonder of wonders - finally he leapt so high that he sprang from the pit.

Amazed, the other frogs celebrated his miraculous freedom and then gathering around him asked, "Why did you continue jumping when we told you it was impossible?"

Reading their lips, the astonished frog explained to them that he was deaf and, that when he saw their gestures and shouting, he thought they were encouraging him to try harder and succeed against all odds.

This story teaches some important lessons:

1. There is power of life and death in the tongue. An encouraging word to someone who is down can lift them up and help them make it through the day.
2. A destructive word to someone who is down can be what it takes to kill them. Be careful of what you say.
3. Never listen when people criticize or discourage you just because they do not have the character to attempt what you are trying to achieve.

posted by electrya @ 12:34 PM 0 comments

The Genius Pratik Kamat(Myndsnare) Artwork

posted by electrya @ 11:37 AM 2 comments

Demonic Resurrection Intitviz

My fav. Indian Death Metal Band ( 4get the recent fight blah blah blah) Demonic Resurrection Frontman Sahil a.k.a Demonstealer have a few words with Musicman RJ Mihir. Here's the shout out.
Mihir: Hi Sahil, so how does it feel to be the "Furtados & Emusic Post Artiste of the Fortnight"?
Demonstealer: It was fantastic. We've been around for a while on the scene and it feels great for our music and hard work to be acknowledged.
M: Okay then Demonstealer let’s talk about your music. Actually let’s take people down into the past. Tell me a little about all the changes you guys have been through…and how the current line up of Demonic Resurrection (DR) is different from what it initially was?
DS: Well this is a long story and often repeated story but here goes. Demonic started 5 years ago. We were all kids then in the band and we did our best to write the kind of music we liked. We had a different sound back then with simpler songs and female vocals. Due to circumstances beyond our control we never had a stable lineup. In the first year itself we had about 8 lineup changes. Our most stable lineup was that of me, Yash, Aditya and Nikita which lasted for about two years almost before the entire band almost disbanded. That was the turning point for DR. The band was just down to me and Husain. We were lucky to have Mephisto and JP join us after which we started afresh. So with this new lineup we found a new sound which had more complex songs, more brutal and yet more melodic and we've been together now almost 3 years and looks like we'll be around for a long time to come
M: Yeah man, Mephisto gives you guys an incredible feel.
DS: Yeah Mephisto's keyboard playing style is very different from what we had earlier and that’s really been a big part of the bands sound.
M: You guys have released two albums right? What was the first one called... tell me a little about that.
DS: I released an album called 'DEMONSTEALER' with the old lineup of DR in 2000 just 9months after the band was formed. It was an extremely amateur effort in terms of music, recording, production etc. That album was recorded completely at home with programmed drums. It was a CD-r with a black and white xeroxed cover. We released it at NLS Bangalore in 2000 where we practically sold out everything we carried there. Later in 2001 we re-recorded the album and put it out with a colour xerox cover and about 6months after that we changed the artwork again for it to something that was sent to us by a fan from Mexico.As a matter of fact that album has 3 different covers. The original artwork exists only in the 100 copies of the 1st print of the CD which are no more available. Even I don’t posses a copy of that.
M: So now...let's talk about the new album. This is with the new line up...how is it different for you than your first effort?
DS: It is extremely different from our 1st effort. We were totally professional with the work on this album. We went into great detail with everything from artwork to the recording. The way it was recorded and produced was totally differently from our 1st effort. If you place the albums beside each other it hardly looks like the same band. If you hear it won’t sound like the same band either.We really matured as a band with this album. We learnt so much from the process of recording. I engineered this album for the most part. Since I now work as a recording engineer I was more competent at recording and mixing this album that I was with the last one.On this album we decided shift from programmed drums to live drums. We also got a whole bunch of guest musicians who helped bring out some of the stuff we heard in our heads in terms of guitar solos and vocal parts. Also a lot of work went into the artwork. It was many many late nights and lots of coffee that helped it come together.The artwork was done mostly by Prashant from Exhumation.
M: Let's talk about the songs now. What would your definitive single from this album be...your favourite track…a track that defines the new DR sound?
DS: I dont think any one song can completely define the DR sound because each song is so different from the other. Every song has a different nuance of the DR sound, take away any one song and it would sound incomplete. If we had to release a single it would either be ‘Frozen Portrait’ or ‘Apocalyptic Dawn’. My personal favourite on the album is currently ‘Where Shadows Lie’.
M: Tell me a bit more about ‘Apocalyptic Dawn’...it sounds incredible and I do believe you played that as your first single on the radio?
DS: Yeah it was the 1st song we had aired on radio by RJ Mihir (hehe). It features a lot of guest musicians on it. One of them was Warren who used to play with Zero. Prashant from Exhumation, Pervez Quadir and Kanika Nagpal have also contributed.Apocalyptic was a song that just came together. It is structured very different from all our other songs. I guess maybe that’s why it stands out. It is a completely melodic song.
M: It was brilliant for sure…I’ll agree with that. And ‘Frozen Portrait’ has also been quite successful for you right...I mean even before the album ‘A Darkness Descends’ was launched. Tell us about it.
DS: Well actually ‘Frozen Portrait’ and ‘A Darkness Descends’…the song, were released at the same time and were sent for GIR in 2004. Both songs were rejected. We had them online for download and Frozen Portrait received a lot of positive feedback. Even ADD did but Frozen Portrait stood out.In 2004 end we recorded 'Spirits Of The Mystic Mountains'. It was meant to be our GIR Entry for 2005. I decided to put Frozen Portrait and A Darkness Descends on the CD any ways and to our surprise Frozen Portrait was selected this year. So through GIR, a lot of Online promotion, putting the song for download and just people liking it and spreading the word about the song it became a huge hit even before the album.
M: Damn cool man...I wish you a lot of luck with the new album. Now let’s talk about DR LIVE! You guys had a mega gig recently...Resurrection IV...tell us about it? How was it...the response...the bands?
DS: Well Resurrection is a show that is done by Barcode* to specifically promote Extreme metal bands and that kind of music. So Resurrection was the perfect place for DR to launch our album. We got Myndsnare, Kryptos and Exhumation to come down and perform at Resurrection IV which was held at Marine Centre in Vashi. This was the 4th installment of the event and we saw a huge turnout as there hasn’t been an extreme metal gig for over 6months.The response from the audience was phenomenal. Not for any one band in particular but for every single band. There was a lot of wild head-banging and moshing throughout the show. All the bands put up an amazing performance. The show was basically a very successful one.*(Barcode Entertainment is an artist and event management company founded and headed by Husain Bundukwala (DR BASSIST). The team includes the Demonstealer and Deepti Unni. The company's main focus is towards extreme metal music.)
M: So what's the next step for DR? What's on the chart for the next few months?
DS: Right now it is to just go out play every show possible in every city possible and promote the album. We are also looking at getting it out in retail music shops like Planet M across many cities. Also GIR is on the cards for us. Beyond this we are looking at getting the album out abroad by sending it to labels and magazines and webzines and basically get the music spread far and wide. We are hoping that something will come out of all this and then we'll start getting ready for album number 3.
M: Any final words to your friends and fans?
DS: We'd like to thank everyone who has supported the band through this album. Especially Furtados Music, that has helped us right from the recording to the merchandise to promotion. To all our fans…do buy our album!!! Cheers and Stay Demonic!!

posted by electrya @ 11:36 AM 4 comments

Picss!

posted by electrya @ 9:51 AM 1 comments

C.C.L

Check the Jamendo Project, GarageBand.com and Creative Commons Licenses, and how you could be benefited. I am not a member of the mentioned project or organization; once I attended a talk of Volker Grassmuck, hearing him say about how rock band could be benefited I thought about you guys, today I see Pearl Jam doing it, and here I am sharing you the information.

What is Creative Commons?The Creative Commons (CC) is a non-profit organization devoted to expanding the range of creative work available for others legally to build upon and share. What are Creative Commons Licences ? Creative Commons licenses provide a flexible range of protections and freedoms for authors, artists, and educators. The Creative Commons licenses indicate that copyrighted works are free for sharing, but only on certain conditions. The license specified that derivative works can be made and distributed, as long as they are for non-commercial purposes and the source is attributed. The Creative Commons website enables copyright holders to grant some of their rights to the public while retaining others through a variety of licensing and contract schemes including dedication to the public domain or open content licensing terms. The intention is to avoid the problems current copyright laws create for the sharing of information. Why there is Creative Commons ? All these efforts, and more, are done to counter the effects of what Creative Commons considers to be, in the words of chairman of the board Lawrence Lessig, a dominant and increasingly restrictive permission culture, "a culture in which creators get to create only with the permission of the powerful, or of creators from the past". Lessig maintains that modern culture is dominated by traditional content distributors in order to maintain and strengthen their monopolies on cultural products such as popular music and popular cinema, and that Creative Commons can provide alternatives to these restrictions. The Knowlege Commons "If nature has made any one thing less susceptible than all others of exclusive property, it is the action of the thinking power called an idea, which an individual may exclusively possess as long as he keeps it to himself; but the moment it is divulged, it forces itself into the possession of everyone, and the receiver cannot dispossess himself of it. Its peculiar character, too, is that no one possesses the less, because every other possess the whole of it. He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lites his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me.... That ideas should freely spread from one to another over the globe, for the moral and mutual instruction of man, and improvement of his condition, seems to have been peculiarly and benevolently designed by nature, when she made them, like fire, expansible over all space, without lessening their density at any point, and like the air in which we breathe, move, and have our physical being, incapable of confinement, or exclusive appropriation. Inventions then cannot, in nature, be a subject of property." (Thomas Jefferson in a letter to Isaac McPherson, August 13, 1813) Projects using Creative Commons licenses Some of the best-known CC-licensed projects and works include:
Media archives (for a subset of works where the uploader chooses a Creative Commons license): Flickr, Internet Archive, Wikimedia Commons, and Ourmedia
Groklaw
MIT OpenCourseWare - academic course syllabi
Jamendo - Music archive
Public Library of Science
Star Wreck movies, the most recent being Star Wreck: In the Pirkinning
The podcast This Week in Tech
Wikinews, Wikitravel, Memory Alpha, Uncyclopedia, and many other wikis
ccMixter, a community music site featuring remixes licensed under Creative Commons
GarageBand.com, music site for exposure for unsigned bands
Notable works
Professor Lessig's 2004 electronic version of the book Free Culture. (The printed version of the book, however, was published under a full copyright.)
Yochai Benkler's The Wealth of Networks:How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedom
Dan Gillmor's We the Media: Grassroots Journalism by the People, for the People
The fiction of Cory Doctorow
Three of Eric S. Raymond's books: The Cathedral and the Bazaar (the first complete and commercially released book under a CC license, published by O'Reilly & Associates), The New Hacker's Dictionary and The Art of Unix Programming (all three with added proviso)
Teach, a 2001 short film directed by Davis Guggenheim.
Cactuses, a 2006 full-length dramatic movie.
Elephants Dream, a 2006 CG short film created with open-source software
Open source record labels
LOCA Records
Magnatune
Fading Ways Music
Disfish
Onclassical
Opsound
Kahvi Collective
Small Brain Records
Krayola Records
There has been lot of success, and little criticism. Recently though, critical attention has focused on the Creative Commons movement and how well it is living up to its perceived values and goals. One notable point is : An ethical position - Those in these camps criticize the Creative Commons for failing to set a minimum standard for its licenses, or for not having an ethical position to base its licenses. These camps argue that Creative Commons should follow the model of the Free (libre) or Open Source movements by defining a set of core freedoms or terms which all CC licensed works must satisify. These terms might, or might not, be the same core freedoms as the heart of the free software movement. (e.g. See Hill 2005 and the writings of Richard Stallman). References: http://creativecommons.org/

References: http://creativecommons.org/
http://creativecommons.org/weblog/entry/5913
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_Commons
http://www.jamendo.com/en/
http://www.jamendo.com/en/static/artists_why/
http://www.lessig.org/
http://www.pearljam.com/
http://www.chuckberry.com/index.php

posted by electrya @ 3:14 PM 0 comments

The Rock Bands Of Manipur

Izzy Pudaite *

The State of Manipur, a state that forms a part of the Seven Sisters or the Eight Sisters with the inclusion of Sikkim is a state which is a home to the Various communities who inhabits it Hills and Valleys. A State which gave the ‘Polo Game’ to the world, a game patronized on a large scale by the members of the British Royal Family’. The Enchanting Manipuri Dance, which continues to mesmerize and fascinate people the world over till date. Manipur is a state that has earned the admiration of people far and wide, a state that has captured the fascination of Great men and Common Men alike. The then, Governor General of India Lord Irwin, impressed so much by the beauty of Manipur nick-named the state as ‘the Switzerland of India’. The first Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru refers to it as the ‘ Land of Jewels or Jewel of the East’. While, a certain Japanese soldier described Manipur as, ‘A flower on lofty heights’. Manipur is a state, which is rich in flora and fauna, where nature in glory abound, the two most unique among them being ‘The Sangai – the Dancing Deer’, a type of Deer found only in Manipur and no where else in the world. And the famous flower ‘The Shiroy Lily - A Flower that blooms only in the state of Manipur, and also the floating land mass of ‘Keibul Lamjao’ Apart from all these, Manipur is also a ‘Home’ to many talented Rock Bands who went on to Rocked the Nation, with their fret-board wizardry, powerful and soaring vocals, and a proficiency that is still unmatched by other Rock Bands from the North East Region and the Country as a whole. For those who are of the belief that only the Guns Rules in Manipur are hugely and truly mistaken. ‘ Rock Music Rulz’ in this picturesque State – both in the Hills and the Valleys. And the rise of many talented Bands in the past with a cult like following of their own is a testimony enough to the fact that ‘ The Guitar is sometimes more powerful than the AK-47’. If we were to go back in time, there were many talented Bands who emerged from the various districts of Manipur. In the late 1960’s and 1970’s, there were a few bands that began to rock in their own little way. There were to a name a few- The Blue Stars and The Magnetos (Fronted by Lienchungnung Gangte, who is now a Lecturer at the Churachandpur Govt College) from the Churachandpur District, who did made quite an impact. The ‘Rock Music Fever’ then began to spread to every nook and corners of the State. And soon Rock Bands started emerging from all over the state of ‘Ei-Gi Manipur’. Of the numerous Rock Bands that descended on the Manipur Rock Scene. Special mention must be made of 3 extremely talented and professional to the Core Rock Bands, who showed the Nation and Rock Music Lovers across the Globe that ‘Manipur Rocks!’ These 3 Legendary Bands who heralded a Rock Music Revolution in the Hills and Valleys of Manipur at different phases of time were:- (1) The Cannibals 2) The Dark Krusaders 3) Phynyx
# THE CANNIBALS
The Cannibals, were fronted by the versatile Paul Kamei the Singer and the Leader of the Band. It won’t be an exaggeration to say that ‘The Cannibals needs no introduction to any Self Respected Rocker in the Country. Because ‘ The Cannibals were The Cannibals – Legends in their own right!. Richie on the Lead Guitar, Matthew on the Bass and the Flamboyant and Phenomenal ‘ Momocha’ on the Drums completed the line up of the Legendary - Cannibals. And thousands of Fans who flocked to their Concerts across the Country, and who were privileged enough to see them perform ‘Live’ were always awe-struck and blown away by the Band’s sheer professionalism, and high voltage stage performance. They were, no doubt a bunch of dedicated Musicians with a lot of feel, and proficiency that is rare and simply unmatched. The Cannibal’s Singer Paul Kamei handled his vocal duties like a true professional – From Iron Maiden to Nazareth, Paul could sing it all with ease and proficiency. Richie played with a real feel and often played his heart out on his ‘Guitar Electrique’. Matthew as was as tight as vice, as he thumps the Bass Guitar note to note perfect, as if it was the very extension of his soul. And last but never the least was ‘ The Hit-Man’ Momocha on the Drums. Momocha was without any shadow of a doubt the Best Drummer in the Country when He was at his peak. His good looks, his showmanship, and most of all his ‘Drumming Skills’ left Fans Screaming and Girls swooning over him. Momocha’s unbelievable drumming style still left a magical touch on the Rock Fans all over the Country who were lucky enough to see ‘Him’ do ‘His Thing’ on the drums. One needs to see Momocha in action to believe what sets him apart from the other ‘Skin-Bashers’. Who could forget the Cannibals show down with the Best Band from Mizoram (way back then) The Otto Band at the Finals of the Delhi University Rock Competition way back in the late 80’s. The Otto Band was also a band that takes big pride in their professionalism. But when the Competition got underway, The Otto Guys were no match from the Band from Manipur – The Cannibals. The Cannibals attired in their traditional Leathers and tight Jeans Pants, and their long flowing hair rocked the Crowd right from the word ‘GO’. They swarmed all over the Stage – Rocking, Head-Banging, their long black hair swaying to the rhythm and the beat of their music as they play perfect renditions of Rock Classics from Iron Maiden to Nazareth, from Bon-Fire to Pink Floyd. Taking the crowds on a musical journey never experienced before. The Cannibals were truly a Classic Rhythmic Combination that Fans could never have enough of. Needless to say the Crowds and the Judges loved The Cannibals, they all were completely mesmerized by Paul and his Gang. The Cannibals won the Delhi University Rock competition ‘Thumbs Up’ over the Mizoram’s Otto Band who had to be contented being second to the Cannibals. I must add here that being 2nd to The Cannibals is quite an achievement in itself. The Cannibals played a number of Concerts all over the country and their fame and popularity grew by leaps and bounds. The Cannibals once played to a Capacity Stadium at Siri Fort, New Delhi. Richie the Lead Guitarist of the band, for a change took over the vocal duties from Paul for the Bon Fire’s Classic ‘ You Make Me Feel’. As the Band launched themselves into the song with Richie the Axe-man on the vocals, An over excited Fan – A Beautiful Delhite Girl ran up on to the stage, took Richie in a warm embrace and planted a deep kiss on Richie, right there on the stage with the thousands of fans going hysterical and screaming themselves hoarse! The Cannibals could produce the Intended Effect. They were a Bunch of extremely talented Guys who were complete Masters of their Trade. Professionals who could have made the World their Arena, had they been blessed with better facilities and opportunities. The Cannibals influenced many budding Rock Fans to form a band of their own. The Cannibals were also one of the Bands who sowed the seed of the Rock Music Revolution in the Capital – New Delhi. They were ‘ An Inspiration’ for many Bands who tried hard to walk the Cannibal’s way. And many budding Drummers ‘ wanted to play the drums and be like the One and Only Momocha’ The Cannibals had fame, they had fans who would flocked to their concerts all over the length and breadth of this vast sea of Humanity called India. They were a Band who would always deliver, a Band whose professionalism was never once in a doubt. A Band who won the admiration of other Bands, respected and revered by other Musicians and their peers. But due to reasons best known to the members of the Band’s themselves The Cannibals, unfortunately for their fans across the country, broke up and went their separate ways. And like many other bands before them, they became ‘History’ confined only to the memories of their Fans who were privileged enough to see them perform live. It is indeed a real pity that The Cannibals are no more :(! Though after a long hiatus and years of non-existence, some of the member of the famed Cannibals regrouped and recorded a few original songs like 1) Sweet Reggae 2) Dirty Boy Blues 3) In the middle of the night. But they could never reclaimed their past glory and with the passage of time, Paul and His Gang faded away for good into the Oblivion. With the break up of The Cannibals – a Glorious era in Manipur’s Rock Music came to an end.
# THE DARK KRUSADERS
Once during a Rock Competition at the G.M. Hall way back in the 80’s. The Crowds who were beginning to get a bit unruly and wild. Because most of the Rock Bands had failed to deliver the goods, the Crowds who had gathered their to have a “Rocking Wild Time’ felt betrayed, feeling that they have not got back their money worth of Pure Rock Music. Disgusted, most of the Fans started walking out heading towards the Exit Door. When a little known Band from Churachandpur, by the name of The Dark Krusaders took the Stage. The Crowds did not pay much heed, thinking that they might be just like the other amateur bands before them. Some of the fans were armed and ready with tomatoes and eggs in their hands to throw at the Bands if they again fail to deliver. It was only when their Singer Jessy walked up cooly to the Microphone and started to sing in his inimitable style the Ozzy’s classic ‘ Mr. Crowley’ that the section of the Crowds who were heading for the Exit Door turned back and got themselves into the Rocking and Head Banging Groove. And from there on it was complete Metal Mayhem, as The Dark Krusaders belted out one Metal Classic to another soaking the Rock/Metal thirsty fans with their pure metal onslaught, as the fans rocked to their heart’s satisfaction. The Dark Krusaders have announced their Arrival with a Bang and the Legend of Jessy Ralte was thus born! The Dark Krusaders were :- Jessy Ralte - Vocals Eddie - Lead Guitars T.K. – Drums And One Very Talented Chap on the Bass Guitar, whose name I just cannot recall. Eddie, the Krusader’s Guitar Player was a Guitarist par excellence, a very accomplished musician with real feel and dedication. He introduced to the Rock Fans of Manipur – the Neo Classical style of Guitar playing a la Randy Rhoads. He was a pioneer of Neo Classical, a guitar player way beyond his time.The Krusader’s Stick Man Thangkima alias T.K, though He was not as showy and flamboyant as the Cannibal’s Momocha. He too was an exceptionally talented drummer who could keep his beat with any band, anywhere in the world. Considering the fact that He never had a drum-set. Some Genius are indeed born. Some even went to the extent of saying that ‘ T.K. was a far more better drummer than Momocha’. And many who have witnessed the Krusader’s concert would surely vouched for that.It may be pertinent to mention here that The Dark Krusaders and The Cannibals were Contemporaries.The good Looking Jessy Ralte fronted the Dark Krusaders. Whose high-pitched voice had drawn a comparison to the Nazareth vocalist Dan McCafferty and the legendary Ozzy Osbourne. Jessy Ralte, is a man who lived and breathe music and it is indeed always a treat to watch him perform ‘Live’ on the Stage. Once The Dark Krusaders, played to a packed audience at the Chuarchandpur Community Hall, full of Hard Rock music and Krusaders fans. The Dark Krusaders were playing as tight as it could ever get, and the crowds were up on their feet, rocking away and lapping up every moment of it. When one over jealous fan took one good aim with and shot Jessy Ralte with his catapult. The Catapult ‘Bullet’ found its mark and it hit Jessy Ralte on his right eyes. Jessy writhed in pain, and the music came to an abrupt halt. The Fans got wild and decided to tear apart the person responsible for such a ghastly act. But fortunately for the ‘Catapult man’ the Police got him first and the ‘Men in Khakhis’ rocked the hell out of the ‘The Catapult Man’ with their Lathis. Jessy Ralte was led off stage by his band mates. By this time, ‘ A pin drop silence’ had descended over the ‘Concerts Place’. While some waited in anticipation, keeping their fingers crossed, the Big question ‘ Will the Dark Krusaders get back on stage to get on with the Show? Looms over the place, some prayed a silent prayer, others waited with hope. Then after a few moments, the Dark Krusaders sans Jessy Ralte came back on stage and picked up their respective instruments. Everyone started looking around for Jessy Ralte, he was nowhere to be seen. The fans stretched their neck far and wide with just one question apparent in their minds ‘ Where is Jessy?’ The fans then heaved a heavy sigh of relief, when they saw Jessy Ralte coming back on stage, one could see the blood soaked bandage that covers his right eye. As he came forward to the microphone ‘ear shattering silence was all that one could hear’, and every living soul in the community hall was touched and some moved to tears, when Jessy Ralte Broke into a perfect rendition of the Nazareth classic ‘Moonlight Eyes’ with his Band. It is of such stuff that Legends are made of! The Dark Krusaders fame spread far and wide, they rocked not only Manipur but also the whole North East region, before they broke up and faded away from the Rock Scene. Jessy Ralte after a few years of hiatus, emerged from the ashes of ‘ The Dark Krusaders, and teaming up with Ex Sound-Factory Guitarist F.Loncy Suaka and former Krusader Drummer Thangkima alias T.K. formed a 3 piece Metal band named ‘ The Drixian Empire’. In this new venture, Jessy Ralte doubles up as the Bassist and the Vocalist. The Drixian Empire were:-Jessy Ralte (Ex – Dark Krusaders) - Vocals and Bass GuitarsF.Loncy Suaka ( Ex – Sound Factory) - All GuitarsT.K. ( Ex – Dark Krusaders) - Drums The Band soon made their presence felt with their ‘no hold approach’ to their music. They not only play ‘ Heavy Metal but also Heavier Metal’. They wrote, composed and recorded their own music. Some of the outstanding compositions of the band are listed as follow:-
May be I am a Fool
No where to Run
Broken Piece of Battery
Dreams
Flowers at your Doorsteps
Net Work of Dreams
Drixian Empire Drummer Thangkima alias T.K. showed the stuff he is made of on the song ‘ Broken Piece of Battery’, where his drums sounded like the firing of an automatic guns, and laid to rest the speculation if he is a truly a drummer worth his salt. F.Loncy Suaka’s unconventional approach to guitar playing gave the Band a sound which is solely their own. Loncy Suaka left his signature in all of the songs recorded by the band. Suaka deserve all the applaud for the haunting acoustic guitar intro to the Band’s powerful Rock ballad ‘ No where to Run’, a hauntingly beautiful Rock Love Song which went on to become a national anthem with the followers of the Band. The Rock Street Journal, referred to Jessy Ralte as India’s answer to Ozzy Osbourne. Jessy also displayed his song writing ability in the song ‘No Where to run’ which dealt with a broken relationship. A line from the song goes ‘ As I looked into your eyes/ I could see the love/ That can’t hold me, but it made me strong’ The Band rocked around for a few years, before they shifted their base to New Delhi. The Band moved on to New Delhi and started playing at the Various 5 star Hotels in and around New Delhi as Contract Musicians. They were also regular faces at all the North East Programs and Events in the Capital City. But the Drummer T.K., for personal reasons soon left the band. T.K’s departure left a hole, a vacuum in the Band, which a series of drummers tried so hard to fill only to fail miserably. And the Band’s new drummers, as mentioned were not even as half good as TK was, which really made it hard for the band musically. With the arrival of new amateur members ‘with I know it all attitude’ and the inevitable change in the Band’s musical direction. The Band renamed themselves as ‘ The Dirge Harkers’ and played on for sometime before finally hanging up their Rocking boots for Good.

# PHYNYX

A member of the Indian Rock Band Agni was once asked by a Journalist to name a band that influenced him to become a Rock Musician. The AGNI guy shot back ‘ Black Tooth Sabre’ (A Pune based band just like Agni) A Guy from North East India’s Manipur with a voice that could scale the Mount Everest fronted ‘BLACK TOOTH SABRE’ A Pune Based Band that was extremely popular in Pune The Rock City of India. His name – Gangte, LIEN GANGTE! After rocking around for a few years. Black Tooth Sabre disbanded and Pune’s loss was to become Manipur’s gain. As Lien Gangte came back home to Manipur just in time to take over the Vocal duties with a band that was just starting to make a name for themselves in the Manipur Rock Circuit – Phoenix The Band then changed the spelling of their name from Phoenix to Phynyx, because there was another band with the name Phoenix. Lien Gangte did for Phynyx what Bruce Dickinson did for Iron Maiden. With the professional, versatile and Americanized Lien Gangte at the Helm of affairs, the Phynyx true to their name rose from the ashes of obscurity to instant stardom and nation wide popularity. The Phynyx were:-Lien Gangte - VocalsVivek Sharma - Lead GuitarsRingo - Bass GuitarGouhau - Keyboard and PercussionBobby - DrumsThe Band announced their arrival with a thunderous Bang, bagging all the prestigious and major Rock Competitions across the Country, winning fans and admirers through the length and breadth of ‘Hamara Bharat’ Fans who thronged to Phynyx concert never went back home disappointed. The Phynyx were a band of unique excellence and unsurpassable beauty. They make playing Rock and Metal music seems so easy, as they strut on stage doing their own thing. They were very accomplished musicians. The Rock Street Journal was to write of them as ‘Formerly known as Phoenix, Phynx are a band musically proficient to the nth degree. Neo-classical rock is this band's forte; blazing fretboard runs, tight rhythms and soaring vocals make up the bulk of their impressive set lists and having been around since 1990, the band has won both the IIT-Bombay and BITS-Pilani rock competitions. Their song on GIR II, 'Woman', is a power ballad.’ Lien Gangte Vocal Prowess needs no elaboration, and He fronted the Band with ease and flamboyance, which is rare in Indian Rock Bands struggling to make a name for themselves. He was as always backed ably by the Rhythm section of Bobby and Ringo, and Vivek Sharma’s blazing guitar Solos and Thunderous Riffs, and dazzling run on the fret-board (which was always something to look out for at a Phynyx Concert). And Guruji Gouhau on the Keys and the Percussions, the fans could never have enough of this deadly combination. Bobby was outstanding on the drums, and even drew comparison to the Legendary Momocha of the Cannibals. And the Phynyx , arsenal unlike any other band had a formidable weapon in ‘Gouhau’ who is a multi-instrumentalist and could play all the instruments from Keyboards to Drums, and who was the backbone of Phynyx as far as writing one’s own music was concern. With such abundant talent and proficiency, no doubt they started to headline all the major rock competitions with the country, inspire of racial discriminations by the Organizers who always want to downplay any Chinkis Band even though, they may be the best. Phynyx silenced their critics with their flawless music. Their original song the powerful Rock Ballad ‘ Woman’ was featured in RSJ Great Indian Rock Cassette Vol 2, became an instant hit with Rock fans across the country and any Rock Fan who could manage to get hold of the Tape. And Phynyx became a House Hold name for Rock Fans from Delhi to Calicut, Calcutta to Bombay. Phynyx were also voted by the Readers of the Rock Street Journal in an Opinion Poll conducted by the Magazine as among the top 5 bands along side – Bangalore Thrashsers Millennium, Delhi’s Parikrama ( an Amateur in Comparison to Phyynyx), Indus Creed and Agni (Pune) The Rock Street Journal went to the extent of writing that ‘ Robert Plant and Bruce Dickinson can safely retire now, future high pitched vocals lies in the hands of the able and capable Lien Gangte ( Italics mine) Phynyx were also the only north east band to have been interviewed on the MTV Asia and featured on the music channel as “A Promising and Upcoming Band’. And mind you this is MTV Asia and not MTV India. The Band also recorded a number of originals. One of their songs ‘ I need your loving tonight’ talks about living your life on the road and missing the one you love. A beautiful song where Lien sang his heart out and showed what makes him a class apart from the rest of wannabe Rock Singers. Phynyx also shot a few music videos, which continues to receive regular airplay on North East Doordarshan and Doordarshan Imphal Kendra. Just as the going seems to be getting really good, Phynyx like many others bands before them, disbanded for reasons best known to the members of the band, and unknown to their fans across the nation. After a year or so hiatus, Lien, Gouhau, Bobby and Ringo rose from the ashes of Phynyx and reformed as ‘White Dove’, with Guruji Gouhau on the Lead Guitar and all things essential. They played a few shows and are still believed to be around though not in a very active state. Apart from the 3 legendary bands mentioned above with their various re-incarnations and Rock Musicians who made up this band. There were many Musicians from Manipur who excelled themselves in the various cities across the country in which they based themselves in for a period of time.

To name a few of the Rockers from Manipur who rocked the city where they live are:-1) C. Varte - (Calcutta)2) James Singson - (Hyderabad)3) Lalpi Guite - (Madras)4) Mang - (Delhi)

C. VARTE:- This Lanky Guitarist from Manipur won the best Guitarist Award many times at the Various Rock Festivals in Calcutta. He vibe well with the crowd, He could almost make his Guitar talk! Once at a Rock Competition in Calcutta, C. Varte and his band were playing the Mr. Big Classic ‘ Just Take My Heart’. C. Varte was in the middle of the song’s extensive lead solo, when one of his guitar strings broke. C. Varte then in a split of a second, without missing a beat and a note of the song, kept on playing the lead solo with the same flow, pitch and intensity with the remaining 5 strings, much to the applause of the crowd and the admiration of the Judges. Well! That is C.Varte for you the guitarist with an image. C.Varte the Guitar Man. (Chawnghmunlur Varte)

JAMES SINGSON:- In the early 90s when Rock Music was still Greek and Latin to many of the Hyderabadis. A lad from Churachandpur, Manipur who goes by the name of James Singson formed a Band ‘ Shangri La’ and introduced the Hyderabadis to the Heavier side of Life ‘ Iron Maiden, Metallica et al’. James Singson became a common name with every Rock Fans in Hyderabad. And the fans know what to expect at Shangri La concert ‘ One Rocking wild time’. And his on stage performance and antics had girls swooning and fans screaming themselves hoarse. James played the guitar and boy he did play one mean guitar, all the Hyderabadis Rock Fans would nod their head in approval to that.

MANG:- Mang was the Famous Guitarist for the Delhi based Band Haze. Most of the Students in Delhi University Knows Mang the Guitar, a versatile guitarist who is well at ease with any form of music from Rock to Reggae to Blues. Mang was indeed the backbone for Haze, and without Mang Haze could not have achieved the fame and the popularity they had. Hats off to Mang!

LALPI GUITE:- ‘The Master of Classical Guitar’ Lalpi Guite used to wield ‘The Very Bass Guitar’ for the then Madras based Gospel Rock Band Blood and Fire. Lalpi’s chords and progressions are ‘Not of this world’. A Classical trained Guitarist, who could also sing with equal ease and make his guitar gently and sweetly weep. He has also written a number of original songs, one of his songs ‘ No Pain No Gain’ is popular with the Blood and Fire Fans. It is always an unbelievable experience to watch Lalpi play the Bass Guitar. One could almost see Billy Sheehan nodding his head in complete approval as Lalpi Guite plays ‘ Da Very Bass Guitar’ on the stage. Lalpi Guite is now alive and rocking in the Nation of the Maple Leaf – Canada.

Cannibal’s Paul Kamei is Manipur answer to Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson. Dark Krusaders/ Drixian Empire Jessy Ralte is like RSJ commented ‘ India’s very Own Ozzy Osbourne’ Lien Gangte is a combination of Ronnie James Dio, Joey Tempest, Rob Halford and David Coverdale all rolled into one. Jessy Ralte, Paul Kamei, and Lien Gangte are the HOLY TRINITY of Manipur Rock Music. The Golden Sons of the Manipur Rock Music! Kudos to Paul Kamei, Lien Gangte and Jessy Ralte for taking ‘Manipur’s Rock Music’ to a height never attained before by any other band from the whole North East region. As far as skills and talents is concern even other bands who have better connections in the Country are just ‘beginners, when compared to the 3 Manipur Golden Rock Bands:-Cannibals, Dark Krusaders /Drixian Empire and Phynyx Talents such as the Cannibals, The Dark Krusaders/ Drixian Empire, and Phynyx are rare. And no other bands from the Country were even half of their equals when these Bands were in their prime. Only can only hope that they reform and let the Guitars and the Drums, booms louder than the Guns and the Rocket Launchers in the State of Manipur and the Nation as a whole. So Paul Kamei, Lien Gangte and Jessy Ralte – If you are out there somewhere and somehow listening, we the Rock Fans of Manipur would really like you guys to come back on Stage and do the thing that you do best. Why don’t you Guys reform your respective bands for old time sake and ‘Let the Good times Roll Again’?

I know my fellow Rock Fans would agree with me when I say‘ I KNOW IT’S ONLY ROCK AND ROLL AND I LIKE IT’ (I SAY I LIKE IT, WE SAY WE LIKE IT)

Let the Good Times Roll! Long Live Rock and Roll

posted by electrya @ 11:28 AM 2 comments

The Conspiracy of Extraction

I am silver and exact. I have no preconceptions.Whatever I see I swallow immediately Just as it is, unmisted by love or dislike.I am not cruel, only truthful --The eye of a little god, four-cornered.Most of the time I meditate on the opposite wall.It is pink, with speckles. I have looked at it so long,I think it is part of my heart. But it flickers.Faces and darkness separate us over and over.Now I am a lake. A woman bends over me,Searching my reaches for what she really is.Then she turns to those liars, the candles or the moon.I see her back, and reflect it faithfully.She rewards me with tears and an agitation of hands.I am important to her. She comes and goes.Each morning it is her face that replaces the darkness.In me she has drowned a young girl, and in me an old woman Rises toward her day after day, like a terrible fish.

posted by electrya @ 2:24 PM 0 comments

In Memoriam:Syd Barrett

In June 1975, while Pink Floyd were recording the album Wish YouWere Here at London’s Abbey Road studios, a portly, shaven-haired man arrived and stood quietly at the back, watching.
He appeared as the Floyd performed the song “Shine On You CrazyDiamond”. It contains the words: “Remember when you were young,you shone like the sun. Shine on you crazy diamond. Now there’sa look in your eyes, like black holes in the sky.”
At first, they didn’t recognise the man, whose head and eyebrows were shaved and who was apparently trying to clean his teeth by holding the brush still and jumping up and down.
But this was the “crazy diamond” himself: Syd Barrett, thesubject of the song. He was the most famous “acid casualty” of his generation, and the writer of much of the original materialof the group, from which he had been ejected because of his drug-induced eccentricities.
When Roger Waters saw his old friend, he broke down.
Rick Wright, the keyboards player later told an interviewer: “I saw this guy sitting at the back of the studio… and I didn’trecognise him. I said, ‘Who’s that guy behind you?’ ‘That’sSyd’. And I just cracked up, I couldn’t believe it… he hadshaven all his hair off… I mean, his eyebrows, everything…he was jumping up and down brushing his teeth, it was awful…
“Roger [Waters] was in tears, I think I was; we were both intears. It was very shocking… seven years of no contact andthen to walk in while we’re actually doing that particulartrack. I don’t know - coincidence, karma, fate, who knows? But it was very, very, very powerful.”
Pink Floyd continued as one of the biggest names in music, butfor much of the time since, Barrett lived reclusively inCambridge, painting and gardening, cycling to the shops andrefusing all interviews. He preferred to be known by hisoriginal first name, Roger, and looked very different from theslim and dark-eyed genius of the Sixties.
While he had driven them to despair, Barrett was never forgottenby his former bandmates, who made sure he received all hisroyalties. On 2 July last year, when the Floyd, whose remainingmembers reformed for the Live8 concert in London, theydedicated “Wish You Were Here”, to Barrett.
Just over a year later and after nearly four decades as the mostfamous recluse in rock’n'roll, Barrett, has died, aged 60. Hehad been suffering from diabetes and stomach ulcers.
Last night, the Floyd paid tribute: “The band are naturally veryupset and sad to learn of Syd Barrett’s death. Syd was theguiding light of the early band line-up and leaves a legacywhich continues to inspire.”
Despite the fact he had not produced any original work since theearly Seventies, Barrett remained an iconic, almost mythicalfigure in music. He was a presence whenever Pink Floydperformed, and was cited as an influence by contemporaries suchas Pete Townsend and David Bowie, and groups such as The Cure,Placebo and The Libertines. In Tom Stoppard’s new playRock’n'Roll, showing in the West End, he is portrayed in theopening scene, and his life and music are a recurring theme.
Bowie, who recorded a version of “See Emily Play”, the Floyd’ssecond single, on his album Pin-Ups’ said: “I can’t tell you howsad I feel. Syd was a major inspiration for me. The few times Isaw him perform … during the Sixties will forever be etched inmy mind. He was so charismatic and such a startlingly originalsongwriter. His impact on my thinking was enormous. A majorregret is that I never got to know him.”
Former Blur guitarist Graham Coxon cited Barrett as one of thegreatest influences on his career.
Barrett was from a middle class Cambridge family and was atschool with Waters and guitarist David Gilmour, although helater studied at the Camberwell School of Art in London.
Originally called The Tea Set, The Screaming Abdabs or TheMegadeaths, Barrett renamed the band the Pink Floyd when hejoined them in 1965. They originally played R’n'B covers.
In early 1967, they signed to EMI and released Barrett’s “ArnoldLayne” reaching 21 . “See Emily Play”, also written by Barrett,reached sixand they followed with their first and criticallyacclaimed hit album, Piper at the Gates of Dawn; Barrett wrotemost of the album.
Barrett soon tired of playing their hit and began to experimenton stage. The Floyd became a more improvisational group and amainstay of the psychedelic underground music scene.
But, even as Piper was released, Barrett’s drug abuse spiralledout of control, becoming a liability to the band. One night onstage he de-tuned his guitar, and on others he simply stoodthere staring straight ahead. In the United States, he once tookthe stage with a pot of Brylcreem on his head into which he hadcrushed a bottle of Mandrax, the sleeping tablet favoured as arecreational drug.
According to Tim Willis, Barrett’s biographer, there werestories of Barrett being locked in cupboards by hangers-on anddark rumours he was being fed, without his knowledge, daily LSDdoses by “friends”. Gilmour would later say: “Syd didn’t needencouraging. If drugs were going, he’d take them by theshovelful.”
Because Barrett sometimes forgot to turn up for gigs, Gilmourwas recruited as stand-in guitarist. The end came in 1968, notlong after Barrett’s 22nd birthday, they decided not to botherpicking him up on the way to a performance. It was, said Willis,debatable, whether Barrett ever realised.
Although he would never play with them again, Barrett’s careercontinued sporadically for some time. Once or twice, he wouldturn up for gigs, guitar in hand, only to be ushered away.
By that time, the Floyd were well on their way to hugecommercial success, with Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You WereHere and The Wall, until tensions between Waters and Gilmour ledto a final split in 1985, although Gilmour continued to leadvarious versions of the band until 1994.
Over the next few years, Barrett made sporadic musicappearances. Assisted by Gilmour and Waters, he made two soloalbums, The Madcap Laughs and Barrett, released in 1970, bothrevered by fans for their whimsy and madness. He appeared onPeel’s radio programme, Top Gear and there was one gig inOlympia, in 1970, when Barrett walked off stage after foursongs. One further attempt in 1974 to get him back into theAbbey Road studios, ended in failure.
Barrett eventually withdrew completely. He sold the rights tohis solo albums back to the record company, checked into aLondon hotel and, after his money ran out in 1981, walked to hismother’s home in Cambridge. He stayed there until his death.
No-one now doubts that what was dismissed in the Sixties as justanother case of LSD abuse was more likely to have beenschizophrenia, Asperger’s Syndrome or another type of autism,aggravated by the drugs.
Otherwise, it was a quite life. Apart from his painting, heworked briefly as a gardener. Some of his paintings were madepublic, and an album of previously unreleased material came outin 1988.
And, in 2002, the BBC screened a documentary about him, which hewatched at his sisters. Afterwards, Barrett was said to have enjoyed hearing “See Emily Play” again, he found much ofit, “too noisy”.

posted by electrya @ 1:54 PM 0 comments