MUMBAI: Popularly known as GIR, one of the most sought after music events – Great Indian Rock, is back. Running from 23 – 25 October 2009 in Delhi, Pune, Bangalore and Kolkata (check http://greatindianrock.com/) the festival promises to feature some of the best acts – national and international. Sponsored by Seagrams Fuel and Co-sponsored by Nokia, the festival gets even more bigger with its new additions like the ‘Rock Connects’ which gives the Indian rock bands an oppurtunity to go a step ahead.
Unlike a competition, ‘Rock Connects’ is a band showcase that aims to expose some of the best Indian bands to international promoters. The delegates attending this event are senior promoters and booking agents from Norway. Rock Connects will give the delegates a glimpse into the Indian ‘rock’ music and give them an opportunity to see which acts may be worthwhile for promotion in their country. The showcase will also create networking opportunities for Indian music Industry professionals.
The fest will feature 12 of the best Indian bands like Indigo Children (New Delhi) Inner Sanctum (Bangalore) Bhayanak Maut (Mumbai) Boomarang (Aizawl), Cynical Recess (Kolkata) to name a few – one lucky band will be selected to play at a major festival abroad. “All bands who are a part of GIR will be part of the showcase,” says Shahswat Gupta, a member of GIR’s organizing team. Some of the bands featured for this showcase will be Parikrama and Themclones.
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The previous years, GIR has seen some of the most well known international artistes from the likes of Jonas Hellborg, Shaun Lane, John Myung, El Caco, YourCodeNameIs: Milo, and Enslaved. Last year International acts like Satyricon, Sahg, and Freak Kitchen were well received.
As far as the headlining acts go, this year international bands like Benea Reach (Norway), Intronaut (USA) and Solstate (New Zealand) are set to take the stage. Unfortunately, Mumbai will miss the fun, as its not on GIR’s roster this time.
