 "Music Katha Ha"  "Music Pitae ha "  Lover Boy Amit |
“
The North-East’s old school rockers, who converge for a festival in
Shillong this weekend, can’t comprehend why Amit Paul got all that attention
S. Mitra Kalita
New Delhi
Before there was Amit Paul, there was rock.
In these times (they are a-changin’) when a surefire way to stardom is to lose
a televised contest, this hill station is hanging on to the lone reality show
that birthed its reputation as the Western music capital of India: live
concerts.
Shillong, known for convent schools and matriarchy, waterfalls and
Westernization, has emerged as a frequent stop for certain rock groups. The
kind that rage and riff, thrash and bang. Sometimes break into jazz or funk.
Often shock. And like Amit, the Indian Idol 3 runner-up, they too pack crowds
who swoon and dance and scream and yell along with the lyrics.
But don’t dare liken them to the North-East’s latest boy wonder. For he has
come to represent part of what they rage against: institution, popularity,
government sycophancy, cheesy Bollywood music.
You wouldn’t know it by looking around here, though, because this place still
largely looks like a shrine to Amit. Neither dhabas nor retailers have taken
down signs imploring diners to “SMS 52525” to support Amit, and his face looms
on various billboards promoting upcoming concerts.
And so the rockers who have been here all along have one question: What about
them?
“These reality shows happen in Hindi. We speak English. Amit Paul was the
craziest thing I have seen and the government supported that very much,” says
Keith Wallang, a musician and concert promoter. “They just don’t give a damn
about us.”
Wallang is one of the forces behind this weekend’s Festival of Rock: Shillong,
part of the state’s Autumn Festival, which runs until 4 November. He says that
despite the region having a reputation for rock and the potential to host
big-ticket names, Shillong is lacking in coffee shops and bars which host
gigs; it also has few arenas and theatres and this hinders the scene from
really taking off.
Still, there are clear signs that music has represented an entry to the big
leagues for this once sleepy city which some dub the “Scotland of the East”.
At this weekend’s festival, Mr Big’s lead singer Eric Martin is headlining,
with local artists such as Mizoram’s Magdalene, winners of Great Indian Rock
2006, and Meghalaya’s own Snowhite opening; Amit Paul is also scheduled to be
there. The organizers are trying to get Shillong into the Guinness Book of
World Records for the largest number of guitarists playing together with a
crowd rendition of Bob Dylan’s Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door; last year, they
accomplished a similar feat with 7,951 drummers.
On 31 October, the Brazilian thrash metal band Sepultura is scheduled to play
at Polo Stadium. Thrash metal might be described as cacophony given life and
melody, the heaviest and most aggressive of metal music; consider this—the
band’s first album was called Morbid Visions, and the gold-selling 1993 opus
was Chaos A.D. In India, the tour stops in New Delhi, Bangalore…and Shillong.
It is a logical leap in many ways for a place that has lured the West for much
of the last century, namely, missionaries, tea estate magnates and Britishers
in search of a cool climate with breathtaking views to retreat to. Observers
say parents who sang gospel gave birth to the rebellious or, in some cases, an
interest in gospel spawned an interest in rock. Guitar-based sounds seem most
popular, understandable in this region marked by unemployment and insurgency,
as guitars are the cheapest instruments.
“It could be a reaction to religion. Everyone needs a safety valve to let off
steam,” says R.G. Lyngdoh, a musician-turned-minister for technical and higher
education (only in Shillong can a minister brag that he plans rock concerts to
avert strikes on 15 August). “Anything that is against the system,
establishment, attracts the youth.”
Including Amit Paul.
Because, despite the media coverage of steadfast support for the Shillong
native, pockets of annoyance also exist. Meghalaya chief minister D.D. Lapang
led the campaign to promote support for Amit in the state, dubbing him a
“brand ambassador for peace, communal harmony and excellence”. Promoters and
rock musicians say they have never gotten the same respect from government and
that they desperately need better places to play; Lyngdoh says there are
efforts to build through the private sector.
“All this Indian Idol is like a lottery,” says Felix Langstieh, who runs a
band called Felixis on the weekends and the Andante School of Music during the
week. “There are people here like Lou Majaw, who has made a name for himself
but gotten little recognition.”
The Majaw he refers to is one of Shillong’s most venerable names in music, the
Khasi guitarist who organizes an annual Bob Dylan tribute concert. But even
that is controversial in the tiny but growing community of rockers—some people
think events and concerts should support original scores and lyrics from the
North-East.
In some ways, says Rudy Wallang, head of the Shillong-based blues band
Soulmate and brother of Keith Wallang, the scope for such music is growing
elsewhere in India. His blues band has regular gigs in New Delhi and performed
at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee, last year. He’s a
regular at Haze, a blues bar in New Delhi’s Vasant Vihar, and says he ends up
spending most of his time performing outside Shillong.
“Delhi’s really happening,” says Rudy Wallang, who performed with Majaw in the
band The Great Society. “It’s become the hottest live-music place.”
As for Amit Paul, Rudy Wallang says he doesn’t care much for his music. But he
did vote for him a few times. It’s the least he could do for a hometown boy
just starting out. Besides, he says, “these are just passing phases.”
Indian Idol | Indian Idol News | Indian Idol Videos |
Indian Idol ...Official website of Indian Idol, musical reality show on SET,
Talent Hunt, Indian Pop Idol, Idol Images, Exclusive Videos, Indian Idol 3,
Indian Idol 3 News, Watch Indian idol on Daily motion Share Your Videos. Sony
Entertainment Television Asia (SET )INDIAN IDOL songs. Listen to INDIAN IDOL
songs. Artists songs from album INDIAN IDOL. INDIAN IDOL.Hindi music, Indian
songs, Bollywood Movie soundtracks Download Music Download mp3 music songs
hindi songs hindi music bengali music movie bollywood Shahrukh Khan Amitabh
Bacchan ash dvd hero heroin listen music songs north east india shillong
meghalaya assam hindi music hindi songs durga puja deepavali singer playback
singer acotr actress india mp3 music songs download online music