The Jack Daniels Annual Rock Awards is a mere two weeks from now and in its ninth edition this year, patrons at the event shall be enthralled by performances by four of the six bands nominated for the Best Band Award. And there’s brilliance in the diversity of bands that shall be performing at the event on February 21, 2014- while Tough On Tobacco shall be playing an alt-rock set, Coshish shall play material from their progressive rock album “Firdous,” The Lightyears Explode shall be adding in with a set that is their essential alternative indie/punk sound, all of whom are from Mumbai, and finally, Delhi’s Adil & Vasundhara, who shall play their take on jazz fusion.
The Lightyears Explode.
From Left- Aaron Carlvalho (drums), Saurubh Roy (guitars and vocals) and Shalom Benjamin (bass)
Photo: Monisha Ajgaonkar
What is also very interesting this year is the vast spread across which bands have been nominated this year. After all it is the only award show in the country that facilitates largely Indian indie talent. While the Best Band category has the above mentioned artists, it also features nominations in indie-alt rockers Sky Rabbit and pop act Nischay Parekh. The Best Song category includes Nischay Parekh’s Ocean, Siddharth Basrur’s Rain, Sky Rabbit’s Maybe Is Open Tonight, Tajdar Junaid’s Though I Know, The Bicycle Days’ Conundrum, and The Lightyears Explode I Am A Disco Dancer. The Best Album category features five of the six artists from the Best Band category, and involves Adil & Vasundhara’s “Ampersand”, Coshish’s “Firdous”, Nischay Parekh’s “Ocean”, Sky Rabbit’s “Where”, Tajdar Junaid’s “What Colour Is Your Raindrop”, The Lightyears Explode’s “The Revenge of Kalicharan”, and Tough On Tobacco ‘s “Big Big Joke.”
And then there is the metal section of the awards, since the genre itself is so abstract compared to the music in the other categories. The Best Metal Band category includes Kerala thrash legends Chaos, Mumbai black metal connoisseurs Cosmic Infusion, Mumbai’s death/thrash outfit Devoid, Bengaluru’s alternative metal act Heretic, Mumbai death metal proponents Reptilian Death and finally, hardcore progressive metallers Reverrse Polarity.
All in all it’s going, to be an intense night with the who’s who of the independent music scene of the country, especially Mumbai’s, and if you are a fan of the local scene, you have to find your way to this awesome night of awards and performances!
- The Ninth Jack Daniel’s Annual Rock Awards takes place on February 21, 2022 at Mehboob Studios, Mumbai. Entry by invitation only. Vote for Best Band, Best Song, Best Album and Best Metal Band here.
