Strawberry Fields, India’s largest music competition for college and semi professional bands hosted by the National Law School of India University is back with its fifteenth edition of promoting original music in India. The festival, which has been celebrated as an acclaimed platform for grassroot bands, is scheduled to be held on the 25th- 27th of November 2011 at the NLS campus at Nagarbhavi, Bangalore. The entry is, as always, free.
This year Vedic Metal heavyweights- Rudra will be headlining the festival on the 27th of November. For the uninitiated, Rudra is a quartet of musicians hailing from Singapore, which has pioneered and perfected the concept of fusing extreme metal riffs along with Vedic hymns. Formed in 1992, the band has created waves since 1998 internationally, with their unique sound and relentless pursuit of making original music that transcends boundaries. With six albums, critical appreciation, extremely tight riffs and music that incorporates ragas and folk melodies into the pentatonic scale- this is one band that fans in India have eagerly awaited for another show- and fans can catch them live at SF.
Further, for the co-headlining acts- Bangalore’s own Bevar Sea and the Captains of Hook. Bevar Sea is five piece act from Bangalore that has enthralled audiences across venues with music that can be best described as some good old school stoner-doom. Playing catchy tunes, with thick fuzzy riffs, groovy rhythms, melodic solos, and raspy vocals- this is an act that one would not want to miss.
This edition of the show will also kick off The Captains of Hook, old wine in a new bottle, consisting of the former members of Junkyard Groove- with Siddharth Srinivasan on guitars/vocals, Hudstin Fernandez on drums and Craig Maxworth on bass/vocals- the band is looking to get the candor back to rock and roll. Formed four months back, the band has been writing new material and recording since. With an arsenal of new tunes, the trio seems all set to burn that stage.
SF-XV promises to showcase a wide variety of music as well this year, with fifty bands performing from all over the country. For the final list, please check out the facebook page and the website which, over the year, will double up as publicity launch vehicles for bands playing at the show.
This year, the event has several new initiatives lined up as well as intensive branding opportunities for bands playing at our festival- with coverage from IndianRockMP3, the BigM Magazine, Whats the Scene India, cash prizes, equipment sponsored by Reynolds, recording contracts by Logic and Madness Creative Labs and Christortion and the winner getting a chance to play at the finals of Channel V launchpad as well as a multi city tour sponsored by Unseen Underground.
Ultimately though, Strawberry Fields will always be the platform where bands can get a chance to play original music in front of a crowd of thousands and gain critical appreciation for it.
(via IRMP3)