Music to pave way for an AIDS-free Sikkim

JUKE BOX, NIGHTMARES, DEATH SQUAD, DAMAGERA, AND FUZZY LOGIK IN THE FINALS OF THE RED RIBBON SUPER BAND CONTEST
ANAND OBEROI
GANGTOK, 01 Feb: Red Ribbon Super Band Contest is one platform which has brought together different generations of rockers from all over the state to perform on one stage. Who would have imagined that a young death metal band would emerge from a remote village and jam with big names in the rock n roll circuit here? This is what makes this competition one of the biggest rock fests to ever hit the state.
Red Fest is an initiative of Sikkim State AIDS Control Society [SSACS] to reinforce the messages on HIV and AIDS among the younger generation. 63 bands from across the state had participated in the contest out of which 10 bands made it to the semi finals at the Namchi Municipal Hall on 30 January.
In what turned out to be one of the toughest times for the judges, five top bands from the state were selected to fare against each other at the finals scheduled for later this month.
According to Uday Rai of Serenity Home which is also one of the organizers the five bands selected for the Grand Finale of Red Ribbon Super Band contest are Nightmares, Death Squad, Damagera, Fuzzy Logik and Juke Box from Gangtok and Death Squad, a death metal band from Namchi. It may also be added that Juke Box is the only band that has a female vocalist.
“According to the judges, the quality of performances is going up with every song of every round. Like one judge puts it, “the talent we have seen here is tremendous. With a little guidance and dedicated practice every band can be up there with the greats.” adds Uday.
The judges for the competetion comprised of eminent personalities namely Albert Gurung, Surja Solomon Rai, Diwash Rai, and Donald Lepcha.
He also says that competitions such as these should be an annual affair which will take the message of an AIDS-free society to the regional and then the national level. He informed that are invited for the finals to be held in Gangtok for which the date and venue will be decided soon. He added that the finals will also be an event which will have veteran bands from the state performing to pay tribute to Late Stephen Namchu, a local hero who had music in his blood.
With ‘Juke Box’ performing the composition in their classic rock style and Damagera doing the number in their “happy metal” [a term they use for the death metal they play] version, the crowd could not help but asking for more since the bands gave justice to each and every number they belted out.
Speaking to NOW! Siddhartha from Damagera said that they played their self compositions “Pristine” and “Damned for Eternity” which was well received by the audience. He added that Sikkim has never seen a bigger fest than this which has brought both veterans and new comers together on one stage.
Similarly, Dominic from Juke Box which has two members for whom this was the first performance said that no one actually needs drugs and alcohol to enjoy or play great rock and roll music. “I am pretty sure that this fest is trying its best to clear the misconception amongst the youth that music goes well with substances of abuse. The message that music is a drug in itself has gone through and we will take it as an achievement if we are able to convince even one youth from refraining from these social evils through our music,” he explains.
The semi final was a great show with all the bands giving it their best shot. The judges also commented on the new trend amongst the local bands which was to play their own compositions rather than covers. “Just a Phase” a song with the lyrics given by SSACS was also a treat as the music changed from band to band who performed the song as per their own genres.
What also makes the competition a perfect platform is that the message of an AIDS free society and awareness on drug and alcohol addiction is also being highlighted through the different bands that performed to a packed auditorium.
Sharing his views on the competition, Khituk T Lepcha who drove all the way from Gangtok to witness the semi finals said, “I am very happy and proud that we have such talent within our small state. MTV has held a similar competition at the national level which had around 200 bands participating and here there are 63 bands only from our state, this shows that we have the talent which has to be molded through programmes such as this.”
It may also be mentioned that Red Fest is being implemented in three stages namely, the Positive intervention in Schools, The Red Ribbon Super Band Contest, and Red Five open football tournament. Red Fest has been organized by SSACS in association with Hope Foundation, Serenity Homes, Recovering Users’ Network (RUN), and Sikkim Network of Positive People (SNP+). Nayuma Television and 93.5 Red FM are the official media partners of Red Fest. The audio-visual department is being managed by MAARK Pictures, Gangtok