An evening with Slayer

“Sometimes it's the venue that makes the music more special.”
- Random Metalhead at the Rave

It is when I got to the Rave for the first time that I truly understood what “Random Metalhead” saying. The Rave at Milwaukee is truly a testament to music venues. With multiple stages and 3 different levels, the venue can be quite overwhelming. I've been here numerous times wondering whether I should stick with the band I was watching or head up to watch an equally awesome band.

When we heard Slayer was coming to Milwaukee, the excitement was hard to contain. This was the band that had laid the foundation for many a metal band around the world. Finally, we would get to see them live - and what better place to see them than the RAVE.

It's customary always to arrive at the Rave quite early. More often than not, I manage to find a band that kicks off the evening and rocks the place entirely. We weren’t disappointed this time either - White Chapel was our find for the evening and they were amazing. I’m sure to draw the ire of a few White Chapel fans, but surprisingly I haven’t heard them yet. If you are one amongst the uninitiated like me, I suggest you start here.

Get exclusive Whitechapel merch here: http://smarturl.it/WHITECHAPEL_merch Whitechapel performing 'I, Dementia' live at Impericon Festival Leipzig 2015!

Right after White Chapel, We climbed the stairs to the Ballroom where Slayer was playing. 1 Tour T shirt, 3 shots, and 2 beers later, I found myself staring at the crowded ballroom. While I tried to ignore King Diamond ( “Yes I'm not a fan. So Sue Me “), I focused more on the right spot - far away from the mosh so that we could get pics, but where the mosh was accessible enough that one could jump right in! For those who are still wondering what that looks like - try the left corner of the stage ( where the bassist stands). In most small venues, there is a sweet spot you can find where you can be close to the band and not get killed.

Slayer came in with their usual setlist. Obviously we were waiting for Dead Skin Mask. The setlist was as below.

Obviously, there is no better way to experience the conference than to see and listen to it. Check out the video.

Slayer live in milwaukee on July 8, 2015 performing Chemical Warfare!

Sign up below to receive our weekly newsletter containing useful tips, and insider stories directly to your inbox for FREE.

*Email Address

Website

An evening with Linkin Park

“Some music never leaves you.”

Most people can count their favorite evergreen music on their fingers. These are not just your usual favorites. These are those bands you have heard for almost a decade and still sound just as amazing as they did the first time.

Just like any other music fanatic, my bands are those I can count too. Opeth, Dreamtheater, Guns N Roses, Maiden and Linkin Park basically make the top of the list. If you are surprised with Linkin Park amongst those bands there, you’re not the only one.

Back in the India of the 90’s and early 2000’s, Linkin Park was the gateway drug for metal. The gateway drug parallel came when I heard an old college friend of mine initiating a fellow mate into metal by getting him to listen to Linkin Park and then “upgrading” him to Metallica. However, in spite of having heard and covered them all these years, I never had a chance to see Linkin Park live.

It feels like SummerFest organizers have my list of “bands to see”. They brought Iron Maiden (2012), Eagles(2013) and now Linkin Park. Needless to say, I paid the fortune to get a great seat.

The show was just incredible - a great mix of old hits, new material and even some material from Fort Minor. It was good to see a “live” gig with no lip syncing. It was legit Linkin Park. Here is a video from the concert.

Front row video I took of Linkin Park performing "One Step Closer" at Summerfest 2015 in Milwaukee! All rights to this song belong to Linkin Park!

Sign up below to receive our weekly newsletter containing useful tips, and insider stories directly to your inbox for FREE. 

*Email Address

Website

An evening with Ustad Zakir Hussain & Celtic Connection

In this blog post, Nithin writes his experience about the concert that happened in Milwaukee Pabst Theater on March 13, 2015. 

The artist lineup for the concert was: 

Zakir Hussain (Tabla), Rakesh Chaurasia (Bamboo Flute), Fraser Fifield (Flute/Pipes), Jean-Michel Veillon (Flute), Ganesh Rajagopalan (Violin), Charlie McKerron (Fiddle), Patsy Reid (Fiddle), Tony Byrne (Guitar), and John Joe Kelly (Bodhran).

"Being a metal head at heart, Indian classical music concerts was never a great experience for me. Coming from the generation that believes in democratizing music, I always was turned off by the Indian classical music scene where they took the extra effort to ensure the music was beyond the grasp of the common man. 

Needless to say, when my vocalist and wife suggested the Zakir Hussain concert, I was less enthused. However, I have a different view now, since for the first time in a long time, I witnessed technically profound music played with the intent of putting it in the common man's reach. Here is the story of Ustad Zakir Hussain and the Celtic Connection. 

Ever since the Dewarists paired up Papon, Karsh Kale and Scottish music, we always knew that was a good combination. The Zakir-Celtic connection was no different. Starting with a crescendo of the flute ( played by Rakesh Chaurasia) and then Scottish bagpipes, the concert weaved in and out of contemporary Indian classical ragas and the Scottish flair to provide one of the best experiences and inspiration for an upcoming band like us. 

The songs played showcased instrument by instrument with solo pieces on the violin, flute, bagpipes, acoustic guitars and the Scottish percussions. Right in the middle was an amazing solo by Ustad Hussain himself. While it was hard to remember each song, I did remember being drawn into the series of time signature changes that truly showcased the complexity in simple music. 

From a personal standpoint, the only irritation came from people who kept screaming 'Wah!'. I'm not sure when Indian audiences will understand that some performances are to be enjoyed in the silent attention to music the treating it like an Indian marriage band. 

The shining light though is light for musicians like The Cocoknot Theori who try to blend Indian classical music with western genres without murdering either. Ustad Zakir Hussain and the Celtic connection have provided us inspiration by showing us that they believe in the same ideology that we do. 

Now... Back to the studio to put up some plans for this winter's recordings."

Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this post, please share it by clicking the 'Share' button below. You can also, subscribe to our blog updates by entering your email address in the box shown.

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Notes from Yanni's world without borders live concert

We had a chance to witness the legendary pianist, Yanni live in Riverside Theater in Milwaukee in September. Here are some notes from the concert that we found interesting:

1. One of Yanni’s compositions is named after his late mother, Felitsa. 

2. His composition named Nightingale had one of the female singers singing like a Nightingale, literally and figuratively.

3. According to Yanni, his orchestra team is like mini United Nations as every person in the team is from a different country. 

4. One of his compositions, Nostalgia sounded somewhat similar to Darbari Kaanada raga in Indian Classical Music.

5. Yanni talked about the over usage of the word, ‘love’ in English. ‘I love coffee’ and ‘I love that dress’ sounds like ‘I love you’, even though the depth of the meaning associated with these statements are different. Because of this, the word ‘love’ loses its value. For the same reason, in Greek language there are 12 different words for love. Interesting, isn’t it? 

6. Most of Yanni’s compositions are based on positive emotions.

Here’s a glimpse of the awesomeness we experienced in Milwaukee.

Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this post, please share it by clicking the 'Share' button below. You can also, subscribe to our blog updates by entering your email address in the box shown.

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Making a difference through music

“We Are the world, We are the Children” : These lyrics take us down the memory lane, about 15 years back in time when we first heard the album USA for Africa. Ever since then, the concept of playing for a cause has always been close to our heart.

For any band, good gigs are hard to come by - let alone the ones where the promoter was willing to release all funds for a cause. Luckily for us, we were approached by Vibha, a not for profit catering to education of kids in India. A double whammy, for lack of a better word, to play a great gig for a great organization that helps kids back home.

Essentially it was a no brainer - we would open the night in front of an audience 1000 strong and set the tone for a night that would raise the $$$ for a great cause. That is essentially how our association with Vibha Vibe came to be.

In choosing the songs for the night, we wanted to add a different element to our usual stage strategy as well. Given the special occasion, we decided to try something audacious - get a Bharatnatyam dancer to choreograph steps for our progressive metal song. We picked a theme with an author talking to the schizophrenic rendition of one of the characters from his book - an even more bizzare challenge for a solo dance heard . Needless to say, we did hear responses from dancers that ranged from a plain “sorry” to “ Are you crazy? “ …

Finally we struck gold in an amazing dancer named Lavanya who agreed to choreograph the dance and blew our minds away with her visualization of the music. Thus came to be an onstage experience that we would never forget in our lives and something we hope to replicate again in the future.

The opening song for the night was “Jalam” - aptly named for  after its basis on the droughts in many parts of Agricultural India that orphaned many an unfortunate child. We are glad to have raised that awareness and helping people understand how critical the role of organizations like Vibha are.

The night was brought to an explosive close by Mystic India ; an act we have no words to describe. It was talent, planning and execution at the finest. 30 or so dancers let loose on the stage who combined energy., grace and flamboyance to deliver an experience that encompassed every facet of the bollywood experience. Kudos to Amit and his team that made up Mystic India for their hard work and incredible dedication.

A great night all in all with an amazing group of people who turned out and opened their hearts for us and the great cause we were playing for.

View fullsize

The Cocoknot Theori

Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed this post, do subscribe to our blog. You can also, join us on Facebook and Twitter.