SECOND ROUND OF THE RED RIBBON UNPLUGGED CONTEST AUDITIONS COMPLETE

All auditioning bands from South and West Sikkim through to quarters
JORETHANG, 27 Jan: All the 11 bands from the South and West districts that participated in the second auditions of the Red Ribbon Unplugged Contest 2012-13 held at Karfectar, Jorethang on 26 January are through to the quarter finals of contest.
Red Ribbon Unplugged Contest is part of Red Fest – II under the Multi Media Campaign sponsored by the Sikkim State AIDS Control Society (SSACS), an annual awareness festival involving youth that is held in various locations throughout the state.
All the 11 bands who were either hardcore rock bands or solo artists with classical backgrounds amazed all present including the three judges, SK Pradhan, Albert Gurung and Niki Rai here at Karfectar here which was also a day when the entire nation celebrated the 64th Republic Day.
The venue saw participants from as far as Daramdin and Soreong who enthralled all with their musical antics and talent. The bands showcased genres that ranged from Nepali folk, classic rock and fusion during the auditions. The auditions hosted many epic performances that were either original compositions or rendition of songs by legendary bands and artists like Deep Purple, Fire House, Nirvana, Coldplay, Indian Ocean, Smokie, CCR, John Mayer and Lynyrd Skynyrd.  
The judges who will be judging the contestants during the two-month long contest were so impressed by the performances that one of the judges even saluted a band called ‘Death Toys’ who he claimed was a band that would surely be pioneers of the fusion music scene if they continued in the same way. The band it may be recalled actually fused traditional Nepali instruments like ‘basuri’ and ‘madal’ with classic rock.
Acoustic duos like ‘Casitel’ and bands like ‘Crazy Guns’ along with ‘Lightening Volt’ also received tremendous appreciation for their original self compositions, “Jack in Cage,”  “When you Don’t Care” and “Warriors of Sikkim” respectively. All these originals were based on the theme of HIV/AIDS.
With this year’s Red Fest divided into two categories, one being the open drama competition and the other being the music contest, SSACS is promoting AIDS awareness through two of the most important mediums to fight the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
It may be informed that this is the third consecutive year that the multi media campaign is being organized here in the state and the second year that the Red Fest musical contest is being held. The contest, open for all and without any registration fees, saw a participation of 63 bands during last year’s competition.
This year, SSACS has transformed the Super Band Contest into the Red Ribbon Unplugged Contest 2013 with an aim to reach out to aspiring youth not only doing heavy metal and rock music but also unplugged acoustic, classical, blues and folk in Nepali and Hindi as well.
It may be further informed that the Red Ribbon Unplugged Contest kicked off on 19 January with the first auditions or the North and East districts held at 31-A Studio. A total of 43 bands had registered for the auditions out of which 20 bands were selected for the second round which is the quarter finals.

The quarter finals scheduled for 03 February at Bo’ Lounge (Morf), Adampool is a must go concert since all the 31 bands selected after the auditions are sure to headline the competition that has a prize money of Rs.1 lakh for the winners along with 50,000 and 30,000 respectively for the second and third runners-up. The winners also get to choose between the cash prize or getting their album recorded at Viacom Studio, Mumbai and a video album directed by local film maker, Prashant Rasaily.
The amazing musical extravaganza has been a melting pot and an annual platform where the most talented and aspiring artists from the remotest parts of Sikkim and neighboring hills get the most deserving platform.
The shortlisted bands from South and West districts are Gravity, Yodes, Fical Race, Lightening Volt, Innocent Hooligans, Divine Intervention, Roll Heads, Death Toys, Kandarva, Castiel and Crazy Guns so be a part of the Red Ribbon Unplugged Contest 2013 and ‘let Music Pave the Way’.