Rock Star Dreams

Rock star Dreams

By Shastri, drummer, Can of Bliss

Nietzsche said. “Without music, life would be a mistake.” To this I agree as music is the thing that has kept me sane through most of my life. At my age I can proclaim that I have fulfilled one of my dreams. I am in a rock band, we are called Can of Bliss and we kick ass. All my life I have dreamt of becoming a rock star, a dream no more it became reality on the 26^th of October 2008. The feeling cannot be described it can only be experienced.

The evening kicked off with FEEDBACK who true to their name entertained us mostly with feedback. It was our turn after them. You could cut the tension in the air with a knife. The crowd wanted entertainment. The organizers were doing their best to pump up the crowd. The chant. “CAN OF BLISS”, sent shivers down my spine. This was it, our first show, we had a responsibility to rock and rock we did. Ours was an eight man band and we did take up quite a bit of stage space. All of us invoked our respective gods of Rock to look upon us favourably this evening.

We kicked our set list off with La Grange by ZZ Top. The crowd was puzzled at first but soon got into the Classic Rock groove. Dhruv blew the crowd away with his Morrison charm, Plant stage presence and Mick Jagger madness, pulling out all stops, leaving nothing more to yearn for. Our next track Goin’ Down the G3 version went down with the crowd quite well with Norten causing eye-balls to pop with his guitar leads. It was time now to let this crowd be a part of this experience, TNT got these rockers off their feet, nothing like some classic ACDC to push this show into high gear. “Smoke on the Water”, by Deep Purple, a classic. I was to sing this song and the crowd scared the bejabbers out of me, but as the opening riff sounded I knew that this was home to me and I let go full throttle, the crowd went wild and I went a level higher. Next up our signature cover, “My Guitar Wants to Kill Your Mama” the G3 version again. Irshad just blowing the crowd away with energy that would do justice to Frank Zappa himself.

Ricky, the heart, soul and spokesman for Can of Bliss. You will never be just a memory; you are an inseparable part of this band and all our lives. His tribute, composed by all his friends left the crowd dumbfounded. Artet had the crowd eating out his hands with his intoxicating riffs and screaming in- your- face guitar leads. Benji exuding perfection from every pore, bringing John Bonham back to life with his flawless drumming. Ricky, we hope we did u proud, wish you were here.

“Fire”, by Jimi Hendrix, the song I hoped I could do justice to, the song I think every drummer finds challenging, the song that feels like a constant drum solo. The true rock crowd smiled knowingly at the opening bars of the song. For me, it was a blur a rush of energy through my veins, as if the Gods of Rock had been appeased and they were a part of the crowd leading us on into this feeling of immortality. Our final number, a homage to the Godfather’s of Heavy Metal, Black Sabbath, NIB. We nailed it, it was absolute. Wasiur blowing the crowd away, handling his bass like a pro.

As we cleared the staged the crowd was chanting our name, screaming for more. We had at last become rock stars, for however small a period of time but we were still rock stars. We had satisfied the creed of all rock bands that is to entertain.

The band has come a long way since it started with Artet, Me and jam room. We have all improved, grown and been nurtured into rock stars. I may sound pompous but I am proud, we all should be with what we achieved. Long Live Rock!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now it’s just going to be a long list of acknowledgements. So many people to thank and I apologise if I have missed anyone out. My undying gratitude to the following people and all who supported the band.

First and foremost- Aditi, Shonali, Leann and the rest of the organizing team who believed in us and gave us this opportunity to live the rock star dream.

The band, my band of brothers

Norten- The Jimmy Paige of the band. I am humbled in the presence you and your axe. We did it at last; we played a full rock show.

Dhruv- the newest member but dude you really rock, keep the spirit alive always.

Irshad- I have seen you change from a shy, meek singer to a mesmerizing showstopper. You did it! Keep it up.

Varun- Calm, composed, dependable and now a rock star. You my friend are the only sane member of this band.

Wasiur- my brother in metal. The true metal head always. I admire the hard work, effort and perseverance u put in for this show man. This is just the beginning.

Benji- You have no idea how much I have learnt from u. the drummer I am today is because of you. I owe this day to you my brother.

Ricky- you will be fondly missed always. You were the pillar and the essence of this band. We are together today because of you. Peace

Artet- I left you for last because you and I have a history together. This whole thing started with you, me and a jam room. You have made my dream come true. From that first performance in that lab, this is where we have come today. Be proud, you are a rock star and you will always be one. I am indebted to you for life for what you have done for me. Purple Sunset forever!!!

Our fans, without you guys and your unending support we would still be playing Hindi songs at college functions. All of you are special I apologise if I miss out anybody.

Nivisha- My number one fan. You have always been there. I still remember that Saturday night during first year when you walked into the jam room and asked Karthic Rajan to play “here without you”, and I was drumming for it. You’ve always been there to support us in this endeavour. Your presence is just invaluable. It meant so much to the whole band that you came down all the way from Bombay to watch us play. Your face shining with happiness standing out from the crowd just meant the word to me. You are amazing!

Vik- Band Manager Extrodnnaire. Sorry for all the noise. Just can’t thank you enough for all the support. All I can say is, “Vik Bottle!!”

Pranati, Mallika, Archana, Devansh, Amit, Naman, Amlan; You guys have always been there and your support is just the most amazing thing this band has had.

To some of those who missed the show

Sangay- You were sorely missed. It didn’t feel complete without u. wish you were there in person but u were always there in our hearts.

Roohani- You have come every single performance of ours, it’s just real sad that you had to miss our best one yet.

Amar- I know rock isn’t your preferred genre of music but with your deep understanding of music I just wished that you were here to witness this event.

Lastly, I would like to thank my parents. They are the people who let me pursue and achieve this dream. They have put up with all the loud music that has gotten worse over the years without a single complaint. It is to you I dedicate this dream that I have fulfilled.

Well that’s a wrap. Signing off this is Sastri, a drummer, a rock star!!!!

Where's The Drumkit in Manipal?!

Petitioning for Manipal University to provide a drum kit for all the students in Manipal as a part of extra curricular activities. If you'd like to support, sign here and spread the word!

Going Nowhere Tour - Manipal!!

Going Nowhere Tour '08 - Lounge Piranha, Feedback and Can of Bliss live at Edge, Manipal, 26th October '08.

Is the show happening? Or not?! This ran through our minds since we started. No teasers, no word of mouth and there it was, one of George's kickass posters all over Manipal. Paints missing, volunteers studying, this show was the toughest thing ever! Despite all of it, white sheets, pink and purple, we were all in a happy place!

An initial deposit for printing and paints came out of our tiny little pockets which were now so light. But Lounge Piranha was coming back. The band that started it all for us. They were touring the country on a stickered bus, from Bangalore to Hyderabad to Chennai all the way up to Delhi, Pilani and Bombay and then to Manipal! We had to do it but how? And until the morning of the show we still didn't know if we could pull it off..

Three bands, 4 and a half hours. Seems possible. But late sound guys, late band guys, all of it made it almost impossible. But finally at almost 7 PM, the show kicked off with Feedback covering Slayer, Metallica, Iron Maiden and Scorpions thrown in, in the middle! Can of Bliss were waiting for a show almost forever and it was their day of glory. The ten member band (yup, two bassists, two drummers) took on the stage and covered almost every legendary song in the history of rock and roll. Dhruv's remarkable performance on Going Down with the 'going down' and the marching only emphasized that Manipal had a good deal of performers. Their own composition simply known as Ricky's Song was a moment of 'sigh' for all of us. Ricky was a good friend, a great musician and a supportive jammer. He is and will be missed dearly in our hearts. Peace.

The crowd deserves an award for attending this show. The ones who didn't go home to the hustle and bustly of family and diwali but not only attended but made a lot of noise for the bands. Lounge Piranha requested a 15 minute break to put up the white sheets for the projections. The crowd got a little irritated but in amount ten mins, everyone was back and the show continued. They started solemn, almost depressing. The crowd became silent but I don't know when the happy tunes came and everyone was jumping and grooving.

I couldn't remember the last time I had gotten high on music. But there I was standing and staring into shades of pink and purple. A static Kamal, an intoxicating Abhi and an expressive George and more and I was in my own little place. Probably a corner by the side of the 40 foot backdrop in a Pink Floyd concert. Somewhere in the middle I felt the room was spinning. In company of my team, nothing that night felt incomplete. I was taken over, it reminded me of Charles Manson, maybe the pied piper and we were all just rats and snakes charmed away by these people on stage. Lounge Piranha that night was my happy place and as the show came to an end, we were updated, we had covered costs and as the magnificient visual and hearing feast stood before us, we gasped 'We did it!'.

I walked around looking for someone to buy me an album, but had no luck. The day ended with interviews, burgers and jokes about the menu at Juice Corner. I went around slapping everyone asking if they wanted a 'chicken slami pizza'.

The afterparty was almost non-existent. And so the journey for Lounge Piranha ended and they returned home the next morning. For us, it was a bit of a relief, no more planning and the break had finally arrived. I realize this entry is a little absurd, honestly, there are no words to put that concert into.

Black Current

Black Current - Blind Image and Apocrypha live at Edge, Manipal, 28th September '08.



One of the funnest events we ever organized, mainly because of all the problems we had. We were broke and it was a metal band. In the end, we didn't sell enough tickets, but the point is those who came had fun and Manipal's first mosh pit was born.

The day began with Shyam and me taking the cab to Mangalore to Tomato aka Prashant, the guitarist's house to pick up Blind Image. Prashant's mom is a principal at a hotel management college, therefore the cheese toast we were invited to was kickass. Thank you aunty! Luckily, there were no sleep issues, because it was 10 in the morning. So we talked the journey, David, the vocalist was entertaining everyone with stories about other gigs and crazy friends with accents. We dropped the band at home, quickly got ready and hit the venue. Sound guy was late as usual. But the bands were on time. And as promised we were ready at 6. But there were hardly 20 people, so we did the math and started 20 minutes later! Apocrypha was up first, they played mostly covers. This was our fault, we informed them they'd be playing late thanks to some fickle minded Mangy band!

Apocrypha has a female vocalist, Suchetna. Now this was enough to make some noise! The guitarist broke a string at the first song, but pulled it together when Blind Image lended them a guitar. Potential, describing Apocrypha in one word - Metallica, RATM, Dio and It - in four. Blind Image were up next. They played kickass metal. The concert was to mark the release of their album Psychobabble in Manipal. The album is available with me for just 50 bucks, so if you're interested let me know.

Blind Image did play too many covers, obviously, the crowd liked it. But it was one eventful concert. Manipal's first moshpit happened. And it was the first time I was so thrilled to see violence! I could only hear 'Lamb of God' chants from crowd and honestly did not know there were that many Lamb of God fans. Crowd control was a constant worry. I kept walking in and out of the stage to keep a watch on stamps, we were terribly understaffed. They played Duality for encore and I confirmed later that there were no vocals on that one. But there was a wall of death leading someone to throw a now team member on to the vocalist, who tore his lip when the mic hit him.

But they had fun! And the afterparty was in their tam words 'WATHAAAA'.. We jammed till 4 in the morning when it was time to say another goodbye. At the end of the day, we didn't cover costs and were in debt. But thanks to the really understanding people we work with, the journey continues. And while ours is a neverending one as long as the juniors carry on the legacy, for some journeys ended in Manipal...

Banana Tunes!!

I'm a little hazy on the details probably coz it's been 2 months since the event. But here goes...

Banana Tunes - Public Issue, Chimera and Artificial Insanity live at Edge, Manipal, 31st August '08.



31st August! My day however began on 30th August. Cleaned the house, Mayukh picked the mattresses up, Faheem, the stamp.. We seemed okay. I had to pick up the band at 3 in the morning, so I decided to get myself some sleep early that night and went to bed at 8 PM.. Tossed and turned till 2. When I finally fell asleep, was woken up by friends who had just returned from one of those crazy parties where they give out neon sticks and everyone gets high. By 3, not an inch sleepy, my roommate and I got into the cab on our way to Mangalore to pick up Public Issue. Deciding to catch sleep when I return I got chatty with Public Issue on the way back to Manipal. We reached home and then went for breakfast. Eventually I got only a couple of hours of sleep.

The sound guy is the most important person at a concert and in our case also the most ignorant. He's always late. This was our first show with him so we asked him to come by 2. He came at 3:30. Set up took a while and soundcheck finally began. Chimera and Artificial Insanity are currently the most experienced bands around in Manipal. We have been rude to them in the course of Banana Tunes and sincerely apologize. As beginners I think the heat of the situation gets to all of us. A little prelude on the concert. We printed 300 tickets and they were sold out 3 days before the show. On the day of the show, we had a restless bubbling crowd and things got quite messy. By 6:45, almost an hour late, the show began with Aritificial Insanity. A little hazy on their performance, as I was walking up and about facing the little troubles that happen and at the same time trying to stay awake. I remember them playing Kill, their own composition, walked in, headbanged and walked back to run errands.

Chimera was up next. I honestly owe the members of this band a lot as they really took time out to help us paint the wall, sell tickets and even put up posters at 10 in the night due to unwanted poster wars which seem to be a major problem in Manipal. They played a good set too. The crowd absolutely enjoyed both the Manipal bands. However, most of them were first years and left before Public Issue took the stage. Still, the crowd that remained had a ball of a time.

Funk band, Public Issue had already played at Manipal in Jan '07 at the regional finals of Campus Rock Idols. But that was only a 20 minute set. Here they were playing a whole one and half hour set filled with energy, funk and comedy. People grooved. There was no line between the audience and the band. That sort of did cause problems, as the whole time I was protecting Handel, the bassist from falling victim to a few drunken girls falling all over the place. But at the end of the day, everyone had fun. At the end of the day I was still awake. The afterparty was peaceful with more music and the other necessary things at parties. We bid a solemn goodbye the next morning and Manipal was back to normal. Until 2 weeks later when we put up teasers. A mass apology to the first years for starting late - This time we'll start on time!

Sunday Jam for the music lover by the poor!

It began with some confused first timers wondering if the jam was actually happening or not. So we guided them in and sat around discussing useless things until Leann arrived with the acoustic guitar and so it began the semester’s first Sunday jam. As the newcomers waited for the metal to begin, Amlan, Abhimanyu and Leann started off with some acoustic numbers with the occasional company of our vocals. The mic finally arrived quarter to five and the jam went from acoustic to semi-acoustic with Rohan and Ashish on guitars and Abhimanyu on vocals on the mini stage in the corner of dingy Twist.

Abhimanyu’s voice was absolutely stunning and I definitely want to mention that about a million times! According to me, this guy just stole the show by singing and playing Dave Mathews Band, Alice In Chains, Oasis, Pearl Jam and many more. The best was definitely him on vocals of ‘Where did you sleep last night’. I really don’t know what more to say about Abhimanyu, I’m quite speechless and definitely hope he succeeds in forming his grunge or blues band.

Almost every band in Manipal was there and got a chance to play. Ashish and Errol from Chimera, Alex from Artificial Insanity, Rakesh and Avinash from Unreplica, Narayanan from Riot House (who is a 16 year old who studies in Little Rock School J) and Tet, Benjamin, Naman and Irshad from Can Of Bliss. It was a jam in the true sense with people playing with each other. People of all ages and tastes, a first year Abhay from Delhi played some Pearl Jam and Radiohead with his own style.

The guys from Unreplica covered some Metallica while Alex sang along with the Chimera boys on Roadhouse Blues; the song was later covered better by Abhimany and Ashish with Leann on bongos. The sound setting was a little unusual. As there wasn’t a mic stand, I held the mic up for everyone who sang and played at the same time. While Abhimanyu and Ashish and Ankit indulged in a blues jam, the acoustic guitar was miked by me too. Along with the talking walking mic stand element, there were flowers. We gave out flowers to anyone who sang, grooved and head banged. The unconventional MCing by Shonali just added to the chilled out atmosphere completing the jam (though she did go overboard at times).

We played a couple of originals with the name Ten People WhoDon’t like Being Called Alexander. We also covered Save Tonight along with a chorus involving a lot of people, whose names I’d take too long to mention. Shonali’s drunken “stage act” was neat! Towards the end, a lot of people were drunk and the music only got better. Rohan, Abhimanyu and Abhay shuffled guitars and vocals bringing the jam to an end with Don’t Cry where everywhere sang as loud as they could almost in protest to the trance DJ who had set up behind the bar waiting for us to finish. When the DJ proceeded to play trance, Shonali fought for another “last song”. We wanted it to be Freebird so the music would go on but settled for Stairway to Heaven which was played beautifully by Abhay with Indrasish on some killer vocals. The end reminded me of Freedom Jam 2007 when musicians just played till the cops cut their sound off and when it off, they continued with acoustic guitars and bongos bringing people closer to the stage and literally fighting for freedom!

The only difference here was that while in Bangalore it’s a war against authority, here it’s against trance. Next jam, bring your voices and instruments (do not forget, please) and applaud. Rock is still alive.

Excuse the long gap!

Well, there's a long gap between our last post and this one. Not that nothing happened. The updates went a little wonky due to too much alcohol. But all that's taken care of now that me, THE ONLY POSTER doesn't drink anymore! Plus I got internet at home. Too much has happened, mainly we did pull the Lounge Piranha gig off, pretty well.. The sound was really fucked, but we sold more than 200 tickets, making a slight profit. I will get down to writing about it another time when i have a backrest! What's on the road is another show, at the end of august.. As usual the rest is confidential, for now let me leave you with this: