Hard Rock Cafe India Blog: August 2012

Band Night: Thermal And A Quarter performing LIVE at Hard Rock Cafe Bengaluru on 6th Sep, 2012

Thermal And A Quarter is a path-breaking band from Bangalore, India.

Thermal And A Quarter (TAAQ) is a path-breaking band from Bangalore, India. TAAQ describes its music as ‘Bangalore Rock’; a sound as unique and layered as the fast-growing city of its birth. Imagine a Phish-meets- Steely Dan-via-Mahavishnu-Orchestra vibe: the TAAQ sound is all that and more. Through the last 15 years, TAAQ has played all over India, completed tours in the United Kingdom, West Asia and South-East Asia, released four studio albums, supported acts like Deep Purple and Jethro Tull, and won awards for individual musicianship as well as overall contribution to ‘Indian Rock’.

Live, TAAQ delivers an unforgettable, immersive musical experience. From packed clubs to arena-size venues, TAAQ’s stellar musicianship, hard-hitting lyrics, and fluid improvised style make every gig unique.

Band Members:
Bruce Lee Mani (guitars, vocals)

Rajeev Rajagopal (drums)

Prakash K N (bass)

Band Night: Indigo Children performing LIVE at Hard Rock Cafe Pune on 6th Sep, 2012

Indigo Children are a Delhi-based duo and have been part of the Indian circuit since 2004. They first found recognition playing pubs and college fests around India. Some of the bigger competitions they won over their first few years include Campus Rock Idols in 2005, the Great Indian Rock festival 2006 and Channel [V] Launch pad.

These competitions brought them Nation-wide attention among the underground rock scene and built the foundations for a fan-base. Indigo Children were one of the few bands chosen to represent India in Singapore for Sutasi, a reality television show, featuring talent across Asia. They were also one of the four bands chosen to record with world - renowned producer John Leckie as a part of the British Council’s Soundpad. As a part of the Soundpad project the band went on a 2 - week tour of the United Kingdom; playing at festivals and venues such as ‘The Great Escape festival, Brighton’ and ‘the Barfly’. The band has also opened for Bryan Adams, Your Code Name is Milo, Freak Kitchen, Intronaut, Benea Reach and Backstreet Boys in India.

The band comprises Sanchal Malhar and Nikhil Rufus Raj, featuring an extended line up for the live act. The band refrains from categorizing their music to a genre but likes to write idiosyncratic vocal pop music.

Mexican Fiesta - Drinks Menu

Mexican Fiesta - Food Menu

Mexican Fiesta at Hard Rock Cafe India: 27th Aug - 23rd Sept '12

Cinco de Mayo is a very popular festival celebrating Mexican culture. It’s also the perfect time and a wonderful excuse to indulge in Margaritas, Nachos, Tequila shots, Burritos and everything Mexican. Such an event is perfect to attract NRIs and Expats as well as our patrons who are well travelled or are looking for something exciting at HRC.

The idea behind this is solely to create a Mexican mood at the café in order to offer a new experience for the people through FUN activities. Two interesting on- ground activities which need a special mention are 'Speedy Gonzalez' & 'Hola Tequila'. One can register online for them and participate in the contest. Speedy Gonzalez is all about making your own burrito. After you prepare this, you have to eat it. The one to finish his burrito first wins. Not only this, the burrito needs to be prepared and presented well by the winner.

Hola Tequila is all about gulping the innumerable shots of tequila in 15 seconds. One has to pay Rs. 500 to enter the contest and if you are the one to take maximum tequila shots in 15 seconds, then the winner gets the same number of tequila shots complimentary.

'Tequila Diaries' is an exciting online activity where our fans would have to share their drunk or intoxicated pictures with us on Facebook & describe that memory. The most likeable, shareable and commentable picture wins the contest. It’s all about creating a Mexican feel as we celebrate Mexican Days in our café. Every Friday, come over to the café wearing a fake Mustache or a Rebozo or a Poncho or a Sombrero or Boots or get your Maracas to avail a complimentary tequila shot.

So join us for a 'red hot' time till 23rd Sept for the Mexican Fiesta celebrations that will leave you with an everlasting memory.

LIVE GIG: The Politik: Tribute to Coldplay in association with Radio One on 30th Aug at Hard Rock Cafe New Delhi

The Politik is a band consisting of five huge Coldplay fans and deliver an energetic and authentic live show. Groove to the music as they play some of the best Coldplay songs like Yellow, Trouble, Viva la Vida and many more. All the Coldplay fans, gear up as the band pays tribute to the legends, bringing them back in their full glory. Watch as The Scientists, with Green Eyes, Fix You

The band aims to bring the music and the vibe of a Coldplay show to venues across India by putting together experienced musicians from top acts in New Delhi.

LIVE GIG: Solder on 30th Aug at Hard Rock Cafe Hyderabad

The Indian sub-continent over the past decade has been nestling an independent music scene, and in 2009 Bangalore gave us SOLDER. Siddarth Abraham, Mark Escottee, Akhilesh Kumar, Joel Rozario and Samson Phillip got together by forces which they now like to call destiny, and started making music almost randomly, and Bangalore saw a band that played their music “Live and Loud” and contributing their two bits to the independent music movement on India.

With a line-up at equilibrium and a defined sound, the gigs and the competitions (runners up Strawberry Fields 2009, Bangalore Winners of Yamaha Asian Beats 2010, Bangalore Winners of Channel V Launchpad 2011) kept coming and with it Solder developed a reputation of being electric, energetic and fun on stage. The Solder show is like one big party, completely informal, with the feel good vibe, bringing the house down with funk, soul, rock and twenty-something energy. And with this passion for music and their ability to connect with their audiences, Solder started winning over fans at every gig they’ve played, and made audiences feel the vibe that they call “Live and Loud”!!

Often described as a unit of five drifters glued together by music, Solder was born with the intent of writing feel good songs, and belting them out “Live and Loud”. Their story started when two friends Mark Escottee and Joel Rozario, who then just disbanded a funk project they were part of, got together over a few drinks (or maybe a few more) and started talking about their music, and the need to start a new music project, which was to be later known to the world as Solder. They were joined by Akhilesh Kumar, a friend from University. Then one day Akhilesh got with him his kickboxing instructor Siddarth Abraham who had fronted a few bands that had their roots in classic rock to the jam room and Sid belted out whatever was written till then in his voice, the voice was awesome, the chemistry was super, and all systems were go, but they still lacked the low end or more commonly called the bass section. This was soon solved when Joel saw Samson Phillip at a local gig and invited him over to the jam room, when he came by we got our very own agent of funk and the line-up was complete. And might we add, PERFECT.

Now with all the varied influences bouncing off each other, Solder slowly created a sound space underlined by groove and layered with vocal melodies and harmonies, accompanied by screaming guitar licks and reverb laden drum sounds.

With their debut album in the pipeline, SOLDER will try and re-create the “Live and Loud” vibe on record, and when it does release we can all play it on loop and smile, and make the world a happy place.

LIVE GIG: Kickstart Freedom: Tribute to Guns N Roses in association with Radio One on 30th Aug at Hard Rock Cafe Mumbai

What places this band a cut above others is their versatility and also their ability to churn up tracks depending on the crowd. Their repertoire ranges from The Beatles To Pearl Jam, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Deep purple , Coldplay, Linkin Park, AC/DC and almost anything in between.

Its time to stop whining…. Its time to stop complaining ….. Its time to break Free

A whole lot of the 60s and 70s, some punk, some Jazz, Some Rock N Roll and a Dash of Metal..

Here’s a band of 4 talented Individuals who, while excelling in their own departments have always been looking for a chance to break away from the ordinary, and free themselves and the audience from normal everyday sounds. More than just a band, some call this the beginning of a movement that promotes free expression of thought through music.

What makes this band extremely versatile is that these 5 musicians blend in to produce a brilliant mix of creativity, style and feel. The band’s influences include almost every genre, right from the Beatles to Audioslave and include Funk, Pop, Jazz, Heavy Metal, Grunge, Alternative and almost anything that you could think of.

Kickstart Freedom’s ability to churn up tracks depending on the crowd is what gives them an edge above the others. Their repertoire ranges from THE BEATLES to PEARL JAM, LED ZEPPLIN, PINK FLOYD, DEEP PURPLE, to COLDPLAY, LINKIN PARK, AC DC and everything in between.

Overall a very tight and entertaining act that is everready with spontaneous compositions and crowd pleasing acts

The Band Members

Cajetan D'souza (Caji)

An accomplished and versatile musician who is equally adept at playing guitars, keyboards and also Bass. He sure is a familiar face at Hard Rock Cafe and other venues, playing with various bands and musicians over the years. Also featured on a few music videos, this talented musician always has loads to offer. Has toured with the likes of Colonial Cousins, Rabbi Shergill and many others

Cassius Fernandes (Cassy)

Cassy is definitely the driving force behind this band and his style and technique are what most aspiring drummers wish to learn. A familiar face in the country's Music circuit, having played with almost every known musician in the country, some of who include Gary Lawyer, Colonial Cousins, Manasi Scott and many others.

Sujit Kumar

Sujit has been singing with various bands over the years. His styles range from the lows of Eddie Vedder to the highs of Robert Plant and always gets the crowd going. His ability to convert any flat surface in the venue into his own stage sure is a treat to any audience. His crazy stage antics and eccentricities are what people look out for whenever the band is on the go.

Adrian D'mello

Always the one, who has his parts completely worked out! This seasoned ‘bassman’ is always happy to get back on stage and Rock the hell out of any crowd. He has been Touring around the world with established musicians like Sonu Nigam and has worked with international acts like Trilok Gurtu.

LIVE GIG: RLA: Tribute to Scorpions on 30th Aug at Hard Rock Cafe Bengaluru

"Music is a higher revelation than philosophy."

A group of like minded musicians came together and thought that they could share their talents to create a musical outfit. No sooner did the notes hit right, there was an events horizon with a sparkling radiance of warmth and a foreseeable longstanding camaraderie.

A few rehearsals were enough to baptize this as, Retro Legendary Act, only to mean that the music that emanates from the souls of these musicians sound rich and logical to one and all.

Endeavoring to typecast this band is futile as there has been an extensive and exhaustive thought put into this taking into consideration the likes and dislikes of the English music loving crowd and songs that would be liked and enjoyed by music lovers from all walks of life.

Saying this, the band is now on the edge of the stage, all ready to walk on, and exhale its energy in a prismatic radiance, but only after the chemistry bonded well after 3 months of strenuous rehearsals.

THE BAND

Vijay – vocalist for the band (powerful enough to be heard in a stadium without mics). Hailing from a rich musical past, Vijay has been delivering music for the musical masses for over 2 decades.

Ritesh (lead guitars) – uses Samick, and Ibanez guitars coupled with a Zoom and Digitek run through a Marshall amp.

Selvin (bass guitar) – uses a Yamaha bass (even belts out great melodies on a fretless bass if required)

Hrishi– uses a crisp sounding drum kit and can thunderstruck with his lightening solos.
Sourabh (keys) - adept at belting out a variety of musical forms. Uses a Korg Triton and can be a killer on the Hammond forms of backups.

- The musical richness of the band and the logically sculpted song list can set the stage on fire with their act and so, Retro Legendary Act can belt out for you numbers comprising of reggae, soft rock, pop-rock, blues, rock'n'roll and even hard rock too….
- Now RLA is also known for their originals. Would play couple of them in concert.

Here’s Retro Legendary Act bringing you the best served musical cuisine to satisfy your music appetite.

LIVE GIG: The Thrillers: Tribute to Michael Jackson on 30th Aug at Hard Rock Cafe Pune

Majorly influenced by Michael Jackson, a young Rohan decided early that he wanted to entertain. And who better to learn from than the king of pop. Rohan has since fronted popular pop bands like Infra Red and Aquaflow over the years and has now started performing his own music too.

Mrudula
• A keen exponent of Bharatnatyam, this expressive performer comes from a family of well – known musicians – Mrudula’s parents are proficient singers, while her brother is one of the
Bollywood’s most sought – after arrangers.

• Possessing a broad vocal range and an even broader array of singing styles, Mrudula attributes her unique delivery to an early initiation into the Carnatic and Hindustani traditions of
Indian classical music. Currently singing with bands namely Sector 8 (Indie rock), Nine lives (English Pop Rock). And Blind Mountain ( Retro )

Sarosh Izedyar: Professional career as a musician began in 1997. He has accompanied musical legends at concerts in India and abroad : Asha Bhosle (1998 to 2006), Shankar Mahadevan (2007 onwards), Shaan (2004 onwards), Dr. L Subramaniam (1999 to 2003) &
Trilok Gurtu (2001 to 2004), also featuring on 2 of his albums. He has performed with many reputed international musicians like guitarists Larry Coryell and Jorge Strunz, drummer Billy Cobham and violinist Jean Luc Ponty.

Joel Crasto: KeysJoel comes across as an unassuming quiet chap until he's behind a keyboard. The young man’s talent has him playing regularly with a plethora of artist as a session’s player for popular bands like Sector 8, 5th Octave, and Blind
Mountain (Retro)

Agnelo Picardo:Perhaps the most talented of the bunch Aggie is a trumpet player, keyboard player, percussions, songwriter all rolled into one. Although his passion is drumming and he is well known in the circuit for playing with bands like Depth Dischordian and And Blind Mountain (Retro) as well as backing up names like Caralisa Monteiro and Rabbi Shergill.

Crosby Fernandes: BassCrosby is well known bassist from the music indie scene having played with bands like Freedom, Vayu and now Paravayu and Blind Mountain (Retro). His playing is versatile and diverse and has no issues providing the backbone for any type of music from rap to funk.

LUCKY ALI LIVE at Hard Rock Cafe: Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, New Delhi

LUCKY ALI’S Band:

Mishko M'ba (Bass Guitar):
Mishko M'Ba is among the cream of French bassists, having worked with renowned musicians such as Ray Charles, Barbara Hendrix, Cheb Mami and Didier Lockwood. He has an exciting, intensely dynamic style, contributing melodic and rythmic structures which are the very heartbeat of Emergence.

Butto (Flutist):
Annada Prasanna Pattanaik (Popularly known as Butto) was born into a musical family in Kiriburu - a hill station, where one can breathe music in its air. It's a small hill station situated in the State of Orissa, India. As a toddler, he was presented with a bamboo flute as a toy by his mother, at the age of four. Since then, this small piece of Bamboo has continued to play an integral role in his Life. As a child, he staged his first solo stage performance when he was just seven. Since there weren't any professional flute tutors to guide him till the age of seventeen, Butto started to experiment the different aspects of flute playing, such as going to higher octave, playing various Indian Classical ragas. As he neared College Graduation (Bachelor's in Commerce), Butto decided to learn the fundamentals of the Indian Raga. Under the expert guidance of Prof. M.M. Patnaik - a renowned Professor of flute in Sangeet Maha Vidyalaya, Bhubaneshwar (Capital of Orissa), Butto learnt the finer aspects of Raga through the years from 1986 - 89. During the years, from 1990 - 92, he went on to learn the refined areas of the Indian Raga - its improvisations and creativity under the watchful direction of Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia who is a legend in contemporary flute playing in India. With enough knowledge to back him, Butto went on to pursue the Sangeet Visharada Purna - equivalent to a Bachelor's Degree in Music and then passed in frist class distinction from Pracheen Kala Kendra, Chandigarh, India. Since then, Butto's professional life has taken him places. He has been touring the world, representing India in many world cultural meets, playing solo concerts, and preceding over workshops on Indian Music in countries such as U.S.A, Denmark, Italy, Holland, Germany, Belgium, Spain, just to name a few. He has been a visiting Professor to the University Of Colorado at Boulder, USA. He has also been selected as a permanent member of International School of Theatre Anthropology (I.S.T.A.) Denmark. He has played for many music albums, some of which have been released internationally. He has also played for many Indian movies - for more than a thousand to be precise, some of which have won National Awards from the Indian Government. Butto says, "I allow music to come through me. While listening to my music, if somewhere it touches your heart I am fulfilled… more than me, the music is fulfilled.

Muthu Kumar (Percussionist):
Muthu Kumar The tabla player , Having trained under Legends Ustad Alla Rakha, Ustad Zakir hussain and Pandit Yogesh Samsi, Muthu has been a freelancing tabla player and lending his tabla accompaniment to musicians from various genres of music ranging from Hindustani classical, karnatic rhythmic ensembles to popular film music, ghazal, fusion, hip hop, gospel, rock etc. In the 15 years of professional tabla playing, Muthu has developed his own unique groovy style which has created a niche for him in the world of competitive tabla playing. Muthu Kumar the Percussionist, With a huge collection of percussion instruments and skills from his travels around the world, Muthu has created his own unique sound with a percussion set up consisting of a cajon, a darbuka, bongo drums, tablas, kanjeera and a wide range of Small effect percussion

Manoj George (Violinist):
Manoj George C, a Bangalore based violinist, got hooked to the violin after being amused by the church choir violinist. He completed the LTCL practical (Licentiate of Trinity College London) from the illustrious Trinity College of Music, London with a scholarship from the central government of India. To his credit is the background score of the Malayalam film “Kharaksharangal” which won the National Award for the best children's film in 2001. Recently he composed the music for a Kannada movie called “Aathmeeya” and also for a famous musical play called” Card Country” by Rabindranath Tagore. He has also composed music for several albums in different Indian languages. He has rendered his talent to jingles and corporate movies for Seiko, Titan, GE, Happy Jam, IT Kerala and Trivandrum Techno Park. He has performed for the opening act for Bryan Adams in Bangalore 2001 with the band “Antaragni”. In 2008, he performed to participants from 107 countries at the opening ceremony of the “World Military Games” held in Hyderabad. He won the 1st Prize in “All that Jazz” a National competition in 1990 and also won gold twice at the University instrumental competition. He has traveled and performed with different musicians and groups all over India, Canada, UK, Thailand, and UAE. Currently, he performs with his own band called “MESMER EYES” , also freelances for popular DJs in India, and a Hindi Rock band called “Vinapra”,. At the moment he is ready with his 1st ever solo violin World Music album called “LOST FOR WORDS” which blends various styles of music like fusion, Indian & Western classical, Arabic, Blues, folk and Trance. As a musician his personal style is experimental with an emphasis on New Age music, and his dream is to "compose more and perform more ".

Subash pradhan (Gutarist / Vocal)
Is a singer/guitar player/songwriter/ based in Mumbai, does independent production work..guitar sessiöns. Did music score as a music director for yet to be released movie 'Amar joshi shaheed ho gaya' composed n produced two songs for t series artist hrish tendon, loves doing live gigs, plays guitar n does backing vocals in the band for artists like lucky ali,mohit chauhan,shibani kashyap. Has his own acoustic unplugged band called 'the wayfarer's in mumbai.

POETS OF THE FALL LIVE at Hard Rock Cafe Pune on 25th August

Finnish rockers Poets of the Fall - singer Marko, guitarist Olli and keyboardist Captain - started out their musical adventure from scratch in 2003. Marko sold everything he had to invest in pursuing the love of his life, music, with his buddies Olli and Captain. He moved into his folks' basement, when he couldn't keep a place of his own any longer. The guys then built a little studio of their own in Captain's living room for the recording and producing sessions, and kept an office in Olli's beat up old car. The result of the recording sessions was a blend of pop, rock, metal and industrial sounds. Later the guys were joined by guitarist Jaska, bassist Jani and drummer Jari.

The band's first single was Late Goodbye, written for the acclaimed computer game Max Payne 2. Reaching millions of people through the game, the song earned the guys international recognition and the first prize at the G.A.N.G. Awards in 2004.

Their debut album Signs of Life went straight to #1 on the Finnish album chart in January 2005, and stayed on the chart for over a year. The next album Carnival of Rust, released in April 2006, also hit the number one spot on its first week, with the debut album still on the official Top 40 chart. To date, both albums have sold platinum in Finland. The third album Revolution Roulette was released in March 2008. It also took the first place on the album chart, and broke the gold record limit in just a couple of weeks after its release. The fourth album Twilight Theater, released in March 2010, sold gold in one week, and made Finnish chart history by giving the band four number one places with their first four albums. 2011 saw the release of the first song and video compilation Alchemy Vol. 1, and the fifth studio album Temple of Thought hit the stores in March 2012.

The singles and videos released from the albums have received lots of plays on radio, TV and the net. The song Carnival of Rust was the most played Finnish song in 2006, and singles like Dreaming Wide Awake and Cradled in Love have spent several weeks among the top songs on national radio and TV. The blockbuster video games Alan Wake and Alan Wake's American Nightmare featured songs from Twilight Theater and Temple of Thought, as well as completely new songs, performed as the in-game band Old Gods of Asgard.

Among others, Poets of the Fall has received the following awards:

- Best Finnish Act at MTV Europe Music Awards 2006
- Best Finnish Music Video of all time in TV2's Musiikki-TV and Best Music Video of 2006 at - The Voice (video Carnival of Rust)
- Two Emma Awards (the Finnish Grammys) in 2005 - the best debut album and the best new act
- The Bronze Muuvi and People's Choice Muuvi 2006 Awards (video Carnival of Rust)
- Best Finnish band at the NRJ Radio Awards 2006
- Commercial Radio Stations' Newcomer of the Year Award in 2005
- Poets of the Fall has toured in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany, United States, Estonia, Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania and India

POETS OF THE FALL LIVE at Hard Rock Cafe New Delhi on 24th August

Finnish rockers Poets of the Fall - singer Marko, guitarist Olli and keyboardist Captain - started out their musical adventure from scratch in 2003. Marko sold everything he had to invest in pursuing the love of his life, music, with his buddies Olli and Captain. He moved into his folks' basement, when he couldn't keep a place of his own any longer. The guys then built a little studio of their own in Captain's living room for the recording and producing sessions, and kept an office in Olli's beat up old car. The result of the recording sessions was a blend of pop, rock, metal and industrial sounds. Later the guys were joined by guitarist Jaska, bassist Jani and drummer Jari.

The band's first single was Late Goodbye, written for the acclaimed computer game Max Payne 2. Reaching millions of people through the game, the song earned the guys international recognition and the first prize at the G.A.N.G. Awards in 2004.

Their debut album Signs of Life went straight to #1 on the Finnish album chart in January 2005, and stayed on the chart for over a year. The next album Carnival of Rust, released in April 2006, also hit the number one spot on its first week, with the debut album still on the official Top 40 chart. To date, both albums have sold platinum in Finland. The third album Revolution Roulette was released in March 2008. It also took the first place on the album chart, and broke the gold record limit in just a couple of weeks after its release. The fourth album Twilight Theater, released in March 2010, sold gold in one week, and made Finnish chart history by giving the band four number one places with their first four albums. 2011 saw the release of the first song and video compilation Alchemy Vol. 1, and the fifth studio album Temple of Thought hit the stores in March 2012.

The singles and videos released from the albums have received lots of plays on radio, TV and the net. The song Carnival of Rust was the most played Finnish song in 2006, and singles like Dreaming Wide Awake and Cradled in Love have spent several weeks among the top songs on national radio and TV. The blockbuster video games Alan Wake and Alan Wake's American Nightmare featured songs from Twilight Theater and Temple of Thought, as well as completely new songs, performed as the in-game band Old Gods of Asgard.

Among others, Poets of the Fall has received the following awards:

- Best Finnish Act at MTV Europe Music Awards 2006
- Best Finnish Music Video of all time in TV2's Musiikki-TV and Best Music Video of 2006 at - The Voice (video Carnival of Rust)
- Two Emma Awards (the Finnish Grammys) in 2005 - the best debut album and the best new act
- The Bronze Muuvi and People's Choice Muuvi 2006 Awards (video Carnival of Rust)
- Best Finnish band at the NRJ Radio Awards 2006
- Commercial Radio Stations' Newcomer of the Year Award in 2005
- Poets of the Fall has toured in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany, United States, Estonia, Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania and India

POETS OF THE FALL LIVE at Hard Rock Cafe Bengaluru on 22nd August, 2012

Finnish rockers Poets of the Fall - singer Marko, guitarist Olli and keyboardist Captain - started out their musical adventure from scratch in 2003. Marko sold everything he had to invest in pursuing the love of his life, music, with his buddies Olli and Captain. He moved into his folks' basement, when he couldn't keep a place of his own any longer. The guys then built a little studio of their own in Captain's living room for the recording and producing sessions, and kept an office in Olli's beat up old car. The result of the recording sessions was a blend of pop, rock, metal and industrial sounds. Later the guys were joined by guitarist Jaska, bassist Jani and drummer Jari.

The band's first single was Late Goodbye, written for the acclaimed computer game Max Payne 2. Reaching millions of people through the game, the song earned the guys international recognition and the first prize at the G.A.N.G. Awards in 2004.

Their debut album Signs of Life went straight to #1 on the Finnish album chart in January 2005, and stayed on the chart for over a year. The next album Carnival of Rust, released in April 2006, also hit the number one spot on its first week, with the debut album still on the official Top 40 chart. To date, both albums have sold platinum in Finland. The third album Revolution Roulette was released in March 2008. It also took the first place on the album chart, and broke the gold record limit in just a couple of weeks after its release. The fourth album Twilight Theater, released in March 2010, sold gold in one week, and made Finnish chart history by giving the band four number one places with their first four albums. 2011 saw the release of the first song and video compilation Alchemy Vol. 1, and the fifth studio album Temple of Thought hit the stores in March 2012.

The singles and videos released from the albums have received lots of plays on radio, TV and the net. The song Carnival of Rust was the most played Finnish song in 2006, and singles like Dreaming Wide Awake and Cradled in Love have spent several weeks among the top songs on national radio and TV. The blockbuster video games Alan Wake and Alan Wake's American Nightmare featured songs from Twilight Theater and Temple of Thought, as well as completely new songs, performed as the in-game band Old Gods of Asgard.

Among others, Poets of the Fall has received the following awards:

- Best Finnish Act at MTV Europe Music Awards 2006
- Best Finnish Music Video of all time in TV2's Musiikki-TV and Best Music Video of 2006 at - The Voice (video Carnival of Rust)
- Two Emma Awards (the Finnish Grammys) in 2005 - the best debut album and the best new act
- The Bronze Muuvi and People's Choice Muuvi 2006 Awards (video Carnival of Rust)
- Best Finnish band at the NRJ Radio Awards 2006
- Commercial Radio Stations' Newcomer of the Year Award in 2005
- Poets of the Fall has toured in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany, United States, Estonia, Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania and India

Band Night performance: Barefaced Liar: Tribute to The Beatles LIVE at Hard Rock Cafe Hyderabad on 23rd August, 2012

Formed in 2002, Barefaced Liar is an amalgamation of the distinct and eclectic musical taste of its members, Akshay Chowdhry (Vocals, Guitars), Sumant Balakrishnan (Guitars, Vocals) and Dushyant Purohit (Bass) .The band is heavily influenced by all time classic sounds of bands and artists such as Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, SRV, Hendrix and Metallica while leaning towards a more modern sound in the style of Tool, Stone Temple Pilots, etc.

Based out of a country and culture that is still embracing the concept of rock ‘n roll and live music , BFL has worked passionately on honing their craft in terms of combining technical skill and quality songwriting and believe that their hard work is ready to be recognized on a global scale. The combination of influences backed by a loaded blues rock driven guitar style that developed over the years, led to a unique east-west dynamic that has translated into complete and relevant songwriting. Over the past few years, the band has done dozens of studio sessions that have yielded positive results. Two of their tracks 'Glow' and 'Mirage', have received International acclaim as 'Semi Finalists’ from the UK Songwriters Contest for 2009 and 2010 respectively.

The band has recently recorded their debut album with producer Zorran Mendonsa and is looking forward to releasing it in November 2010. With a twin guitar offensive, haunting basslines and thumping rhythms, Barefaced Liar is all set to impress…

Band Night performance: Caesar's Palace LIVE at Hard Rock Cafe Bengaluru on 23rd August, 2012

CP is from Bangalore and loves to play live and let others feed of the love. The band has been around since late 2006 and have come a long way as a band and musicians starting out as a kind of a local supergroup playing what was a new sound back then. From funk laced blues with eclectic changes and whacked time signatures to simple tunes that would end up in long jams was what kept the band together and has pushed them to write and do more. Always stepping away from norms like playing covers straight up as they were and also not shying away from less popular covers, the band has had its share of gigs and following around the country.

Despite being a band that kept away from competitions in their early days, Caesars Palace has played a host of gigs over the country including some biggies like headlining slots at Bangalore Habba(2007 and 2012), Eastwind Festival Delhi 2008, Great Indian October Fest Bangalore(2006 and 2007), Independence Rock 22National Finals, College headliners at various colleges like Christ College, Sheshadripuram College, Cathedrals etc and a rather long list of pub gigs in Bangalore(Kyra, Opus, Legends Of Rock, Geoffreys etc) and Mumbai(Blue Frog, Hard Rock Café, Jazz).

The band is made up people who come from very very different musical backgrounds and band histories ranging from metal to jazz to acoustic folk – Kishan Balaji(Galeej Gurus, Extinct Reflections) is amongst the best drummers in the country and has been one of the best in Bangalore for a while. Wilson Kenneth(Moon Arra,Slow Down Clown) moved to bass with CP and has been moving up as one of the mainstays of bass playing on the jazz--‐groove front. Anurag Shanker(Slow Down Clown) is a Mumbai based composer/producer and handles guitar duties for various artistes and genres. Jason Zachariah(Allegro Fudge, Ex--‐Thermal And A Quarter, Parousia) is a teacher and musical prodigy who has always been the first name that comes to mind when someone says “pianist” or “Keyboard player” in the south. Narayanan Nambudhripad(Ex--‐ Wax,Half Step Down) works as a TV show producer at a business channel but is what drives the bands sound to ‘11’ with his cutting yet clean vocals.

After going on a brief hiatus owing to some members of the band moving out of Bangalore, the band regrouped in 2009 and subsequently recorded some songs on their debut EP – ‘Mindfield’(2010,Meteorik Records) which was very well received online and at gigs and has sold about 500 physical copies and many digital copies plus millions of streams on Spotify and Bandcamp. The band also put out a live bootleg of one their gigs at High Spirits in Pune in 2011 for free which was also downloaded in heavy quantities. What the band never stopped doing was writing new music and they are almost through with pre production on their full length debut and should be getting into the studios this summer to track the same. Until then the songs are gonna be played live, so let’s keep those ears up!

Band Night performance: Hellwind LIVE at Hard Rock Cafe Mumbai on 23rd August, 2012

In the immortal words of AC/DC- 'Rock n' roll ain't noise pollution, rock n' roll ain'tgonna die'. United by their love for wailing guitars, pounding drums, leather and the spirit of the 80s, Hellwind is a motley crew of musicians from Mumbai who love to rock n' roll. Hailing from various veteran bands around Mumbai (Demonic Resurrection, Workshop, Spook, Reptilian Death, Albatross, Colossus, Apollonian Quest, Zephyr), the members of the band have trained under the tutelage of the various Gods of Rock and take immense pleasure in showcasing their wizardry before you. So expect the theatrics of KISS, the hooks of DefLeppard, the melodies of Poison, the groove of Van Halen and the banshee wails of Judas Priest. Moreover, since the band is on an eternal quest to turn everything they touch into a riffalicious masterpiece, expect their own spin on popular commercial hits as well.

So grab those tight clothes, put on your make-up, grab a few beers and head down for our show. Because if you look hard enough, the 80s never died...the decade only lay dormant somewhere deep within you. And now, the beast begins to rise again! Rock or die!

Hellwind is

AkshayDeodhar- The Vocal Viscount
Rajarshi Bhattacharyya- The Samurai of Shred
Kiron Kumar- The Creature of Riff Lagoon
RijuDasgupta- Doctor Groove
SahilMakhija- The Demon on Drums

Band Night performance: Highway 61 LIVE at Hard Rock Cafe Pune on 23rd August, 2012

Highway 61 is a "Sufi Ethnic" Rock band based out of Pune. Their music embodies "Music, Expression, Freedom" - a fusion of classic rock with Urdu/Hindi lyrics.

The name 'Highway 61' is a metaphor for finding a road to freedom, with nothing but one's own creativity as the compass. The music resounds with contemporary references and an informed understanding of the two-faced times we live in.

Mohammad Muneem: Lead Vocals/Lyricist has been writing and singing since the age of fourteen.

Rohit Vasudevan: Lead Guitars/Backing Vocals
He is a clasically trained Sitarist. All this apart, he pilots the band's craft during his solos and is a super vocalist in his own right.

Jatin Kale: Lead Guitars
In Jatin, Highway 61 has a Metal-head. His power-packed high voltage solos lend the energy to the feel.

Rahul Majumdar: Bass Guitars/Backing Vocals
Trained in Hindustani Classical Music and Tabla since the age of 4, Rahul has been into music for over 20 years.

Hardik Vaghela: Keys/Backing Vocals
Hardik lends an air of creativity to the band. His fillers, environment fills and keyboard solos make every song complete.

Anant Joshi: Drums
Anant keeps the band tight. A perfect machine on the drums when let loose, his beats give the platform for every song to take off.

Band Night: MRIGYA to perform LIVE on 16th August at Hard Rock Cafe New Delhi

Mrigya ... The instruments of world harmony

An Indian band in global village. Where every member of the audience is a citizen of the world. No matter where he comes from, or what he speaks, he understands the language of Mrigya. This is possible due to the musical diversity of the band which comes together as one unique sound. A sound which rises above nationality and language. A sound which is a culture of its own. A sound which unites the world as one family “Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam”. Our music carries with it people of a variety of cultures and nationalities for its uniqueness in fusing the Blues, Funk, Folk, Latin, Rock & Jazz with Indian Classical. Mrigya created history at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival U.K., 2001, by becoming the first Indian band to get a 5 star rating with the Scotsman - Scotland’s leading daily. Apart from the Scotsman, even the Evening News termed Mrigya's performances as a “must watch”. Mrigya won ‘The Herald Angel Award’, presented by the ‘Herald Newspaper’ for excellence in music, dance & theatre at the Edinburgh Festival, 2002, making it yet another first for an Indian band. Mrigya also received the ‘Tap Water Award’, given by ‘Out of The Blue Trust’, for music promoting communal harmony, at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, 2002.

Welcome to Mrigya .....

Unforgettable Sounds
Indestructible Images
Inescapable Impact

LINE UP
Sharat Chandra Srivastava - Violin / Vocals
Gyan Singh - Tabla, Dholak & Mridangam / Vocals
Indraneel Hariharan - Bass Guitar / Vocals
Sachin Kapoor - Keyboard’s / Vocals
Rajat Kakkar - Drums ‘n’ Percussions
Karan Sharma - Guitars

Guest Artists
Gulaam Qadar - Vocals (Sufi)
Sukriti Sen - Vocals (Indian Classical)

The Members
SHARAT CHANDRA: Sharat started learning Hindustani Classical from the age of 7 from his grandfather Joi Shrivastava, a legend in his own right. Over the years, he has played for a range of artists like Ustad Amjad Ali Khan. Sharat has touched his strings with accomplished international artists like Sting and Talvin Singh. Apart from playing the Indian Classical circuit, he is also a music producer by profession. Currently teaching violin at Gandharva Mahavidyalaya.

GYAN SINGH: An accomplished Hindustani Classical Tabla player with years of dedicated training under the tutelage of his Gurus Ustad Faiyaz Khan & Pt. Suresh Talwalkar. He is associated with Gandharva Mahavidyalaya. Apart from teaching, he is also a sessions musicians.

INDRANEEL HARIHARAN: A Music Producer by profession. He has worked with artists like Shanker Mahadevan, Louis Banks, Karl Peters, Sivamani and Subha Mudgal. Currently working on albums ranging from Drum ‘n’ Bass to World Music. Recently his ablum ‘Yeh Naina’ got released by Music Today. Indraneel just stirs up the groove in you with his funky bass and you find yourself doing what you should, moving to his music.

SACHIN KAPOOR: Again a music producer by profession, he has produced albums with labels like BMG Crescendo. He does a great job painting Mrigya with wonderful colours emanating from his fingers. He has played with different bands and artists.

RAJAT KAKKAR: Drummer and percussionist. The high energy level that he generates gets everybody into the trance of his beats. A die hard music enthusiast, he has learnt under the guidance of his Guru Shri. Ranjit Barot. He has played with different bands and artists over the years including A.R. Rahman’s Independence Day concert in Delhi.

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