By Keith Pereña

It was a couple of years ago, after my high school Christmas party, when I rushed to a local record store to buy My Chemical Romance’s album The Black Parade. It cost six months’ worth of lunch money, which I clutched in my left as the cashier handed me the black, skull-adorned CD with my right. Getting that hallowed piece of the emo rock movement made me feel like one of the cool kids in school and rightfully so because years later, The Black Parade became known as the band’s seminal album — the one that cemented their fame in the annals of emo rock history.

Continue reading After 6 years, The Black Parade continues to march on →

By Tirtho Banerjee

Wiz Khalifa! Who is he?,” was my honest response.

“Baba… he is a great rapper and has a massive following,” my 22-year-old son quipped, as he told me about the advance ticket he had bought for the ‘popular’ singer’s concert in Delhi.

Continue reading ‘Gee Wiz! Your concert cost me… my wallet’ →

By Ashwani Kumar

Veteran Rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers (RHCP) rolled back the years as they performed their first act at the Arena, the newest indoor venue in the UAE capital.

Continue reading Red Hot Chili Peppers roll back the years in Abu Dhabi →

By Keith Pereña

My friend knows a musician who can lend us a guitar for tomorrow,” my roommate Ksyusha said as our conversation about music turned into a plan for the following day. That same night, drenched in St Petersburg’s summer rain — we pulled out a guitar from an equally-soaked bag and my face lit up as I strummed into a song. The instrument wasn’t much — nylon strings and a small body won’t be heard out in the street but I just chalked that off as a lesson to bring my own guitar next time ’round. I played a total of three songs before we both dozed off for what we had planned for the next morning: Wake up early and perform along Nevsky Prospekt, St Petersburg’s main (read: touristy) avenue.

Continue reading On a Russian street, a Filipino tourist sang English ditties →

By Alvin R. Cabral

It had me at hello, though I can’t exactly remember when that first ‘hello’ was, because, as soon as I came to my senses as a toddler, the only thing I knew was that I was already hooked on it, taking darn advantage of my innocence. I’m guessing any kid as ignorant would’ve fallen as well; I can picture both of us in my son and his encounter with his very first gaming console — eyes wide open, curious to explore the unchartered at such a tender age.

Continue reading An ode to the ’Man who stole my heart (and ears) →

By Tirtho Banerjee

While on the way to school and back, my young intriguing mind would be invariably drawn to an ‘adult’ poster of The Deep at a cinema hall on Rajpur Road in Dehradun. There was also another poster of the Hindi movie Gharaonda (1977), which appeared staid to a seven-year-old’s eyes. However, one of its songs, Tumhe Ho Na Ho Mujhko To, was so full of zing that I often used to hum it (and still do). Sung by Runa Laila, the track holds a timeless appeal. But few know the man who scored the iconic music for it. Jaidev Verma might have won three National Awards in his career that spanned almost four decades, yet he never got his due and his name has slipped into obscurity.

Continue reading Remembering a genius who made music his soulmate →

By Sandhya D’Mello

I have learned to ignore the moods of my foolish soul as it often oscillates like a pendulum between my body and my spirit and tends to find solace in soothing music, and foot tapping beats. The sound of instruments and heart-touching lyrics stir our moods. To think of it, there is a song for every mood, but what you choose to keep yourself in high spirits is a point to ponder on.

Continue reading I groove to my kind of music →