THUS WAS said by the kings of the dirty blues, Aerosmith, about our great country. And mind you that Steven Tyler wrote this not out of a whim just because it’s cool to write about ‘exotic India’ but because he actually came to India and loved it. And he is definitely not the first one. Right from the forefathers of rock and roll, ’The Beatles’, who came here for spiritual healing and of course jam with Ravi Shankar, India has had a relation with the western rock n’ roll culture since quite a while. Being a huge aficionado of the genre that I am, I decided to put my thoughts about rock and roll in our country to print. So, from where do we begin?

India as it is, is a treasure trove when it comes to music. Hindustani and carnatic classicals have been around for thousands of years. And the folk songs from different parts of this diverse nation echoed the hopes and dreams of societies since time immemorial. So, the tunes were always there. And these forms of actual Indian music (no, not Bollywood) were about expression, freedom and experimentation in all forms. Be it lyrics, vocals or instrumental. Familiar? Exactly, just like rock n’ roll. So, it was not surprising that when the Beatles were singing about peace in Liverpool, the strains of those tunes caught on here and inspired many to just pick up that guitar and start saying what they wanted to. It started in all the metro cities like Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai at first but soon spread in other places too.

In the 1950’s, the listeners of the genre mainly consisted of a heavily westernised urban young audience, as well as the then anglicised armed forces. In the 1970’s, even the All India Radio took notice of this wave and started airing shows like ‘Yuva Bani’, specifically playing songs of the genre. Record labels, both national (HMV) and international (Polydor, Capitol) started signing Indian ‘Beat Groups’ like Flintstones, Beat-x, Mystiks and the likes. This laid the groundwork for a much larger interest and fanbase for the genre throughout the country.

Currently, India has got innumerable bands, which have even made international impact with bands like Parikrama playing in international concerts like the Download Festival. Other bands like Motherjane, Myndsnare and supersonics enjoy radio airtime in the States, Germany, England and many more places. This has been possible due to the thriving music scenes in the various cities, pubs and increasing number of local and international concerts. I have been fortunate enough to go to a lot of cities which are hubs of the modern rock culture. Lets take a look at the various places in India, which lets just say, rock!

Kolkata – It’s truly, the city of joy. The morning cup of tea, the ever flowing Ganges, the lazy sunshine. The sight of the young man in a Che t-shirt playing ‘em old blues while his girl hums Tagore. The city has the scent of love and melancholy, anger and peace, old and new, laziness and energy, all at the same time. No wonder it became the blues capital of India. Internationally renowned blues acts such as Cassinis division, Urban reflections, Ganga groove and many others have started their journey in this city. One of the most notable rock music scenes in the Indian subcontinent, Kolkata delivers a diverse range folk, blues, jazz oriented music. The scene culture is known to have a significant impact on the youth all over West Bengal, who have been known for their revolutionary thinking and rebellious and questioning attitude dating back to the Bengal renaissance. A key figure of the raga rock movement, sitar virtuoso Ravi Shankar himself is from West Bengal. In Kolkata, the rock scene probably started with bands like Skinny Alley, Hip Pocket, Crosswinds. A major aspect of the Kolkata scene is bringing forth the variety of folk music to younger audiences in new light. However, with the exception of the band Bhoomi, blues and hard rock still dominates the scene with bands like Cactus, Phoenix, Lakkhichara, Ragaaz and Insomnia. A special mention of the renowned pub, Someplace Else has to be made as it is the mecca of rock

The Jazz Fest music in the region. An annual concert at the DI is called the Kolkata Jazz Festival organised by Congo Square and is said to be host to one of the most educated jazz crowds in Asia. It has played hosts to acts like Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, John Mclaughlin among many others. The king of jazz in India, Louis Banks also hails from this city. But what strikes one as strange is that even after such an active musical circuit, the bands here are somehow shy to market themselves globally. Very few bands have actually put out albums and prefer just to tour, thereby gathering a more cult following. Well, guess its always been about the music, not the money.

Bangalore - The silicon valley of India. The face of the future. The rock circuit here thus aptly represents life. It is fast, progressive and with a lot of Metal. Bangalore has the distinction of having the most varied genres of Metal like Goregrind act Gorified, White Metal band WhiteNoiz and Vedic Metal band Asura. Other bigwigs include Myndsnare, Bhoomi, Extinct Reflections, Spitfire, Slain, Synaps, Inner Sanctum and Inviktus. Bangalore bands have been quietly innovating and experimenting with various forms of music and their achievements have been commendable so far. Home to legends like Konarak Reddy, Amit Heri, Roberto Narain and Vasundara Das, Bruce Lee Mani, Sharmon Ibrahim, Trinity D’Souza, Ryan Colaco, Tony Jason Das, Ebenezer M John etc, Bangalore has been a rich breeding ground for many a young gun waiting to make a mark in the Indian music arena. And not to forget that every international rock act makes a definite appearance here. Including stalwarts like Deep Purple, Joe Satriani, Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Mark Knophler, Aerosmith and Scorpions. But unlike other places in the country, the music in Bangalore, I feel, lacks honesty. The music and themes are often violent but that is only superficial. I am pretty sure not a lot of them have had traumatising experiences. Plus the teen rockers sporting long hair and a vicious kill ‘em all attitude start running with their tail between their legs right when the clock strikes 6 pm. Time to go home. But you know what, as long as they are rocking, who cares?

Delhi - Delhi’s music circuit has seen its share of ups and downs but has held on largely due to the local presence of Rock Street Journal (aka RSJ). Delhi being the operational home of the Allahabad-based magazine, local bands have benefitted by the proximity to India’s first magazine that (supposedly) was only about rock and metal. The Great Indian Rock festival is mostly held in Delhi, with occasional forays into Mumbai and has exposed the upcoming musicians of Delhi to a wider variety of musicians. RSJ is a monthly magazine, covering the rock and roll scene in India and South Asia.

Delhi’s most famous products are Parikrama and Indian Ocean. Other famous bands to come out of Delhi are Them Clones, The Superfuzz, and Decibel. Of late, Delhi has seen a rise in bands incorporating much more contemporary western influences such as the White Stripes, Rage Against the Machine, Limp Bizkit and Slipknot. Genres like Jazz, Grunge and Nu metal have found a strong following, bolstered by the growth of pub gigs around the city.

Mumbai - The Mumbai scene is sporadic. There are gigs almost every week - these are college festival related events or private gigs at pubs like Hard Rock Cafe and Not Just Jazz By The Bay. Razzberry Rhinoceros used to be a great venue for gigs but has of late not had any due to license issues. Bands from Mumbai include various genres of music, mostly Rock, Metal and Alternative. The metal scene in Mumbai has over the years been the most popular, with music enthusiasts readily showing up in numbers for Colossus live most Metal gigs. Bands like Colossus, Demonic Resurrection, Devoid, Amidst the Chaos, Bhayanak Maut, Skincold, Bitchslap, Scribe etc play heavier music. But the scene is still marginalised by the Bollywood culture.

Shillong, Guwahati – These places arguably host the most number of musicians in India. Almost anyone plays like a pro! It’s probably the mountains and the breathtaking beauty of the Northeast- the paradise unexplored that lends the music. A thriving rock scene, you wake up in the morning to the tunes of Pink Floyd. Bands like Magdalene, Lucid Recess and Casino Blues have their roots here. It’s just the snow, a little smoke and the E major chord. A rocking tour (literally) to India would be absolutely incomplete without a visit here. Need I say more? Scorpions live in Shillong.

With everything that’s been going on in the country today, this music provides a wonderful outlet for every little emotion. Rock n roll in India has come of age and is raring to burst onto the international scene, if it has not already. And it is good to see that the numbers of musicians and listeners are only rising. So, what are you waiting for? This is the last line. Stop reading and pick up that guitar man!