Rock for Peace & Harmony

Rock n’ Roll has often been wrongly associated with drugs and alcohol, but this has been on the mend at least in Sikkim, where for the past few years, people working with rehabilitation and treatment have used music as a medium to spread the message of a drug and alcohol free society.
In a similar initiative, Mirakai Rehab of Aho in East Sikkim under Drishya Foundation and the Yargey Association of Tatangchen (YAT) are all set to woo rock n rollers by organizing a rock concert on the theme, “Peace and Harmony” at Guards Ground, Tatangchen on 02 October, Gandhi Jayanti. A strong focus of the show will be on spreading awareness against substance abuse.
On stage will be Still Waters, one of the premier bands of the state who will also be giving new artists a chance to perform on stage alongside them. And the programme that starts at 4pm sharp will not just have rock music to spread the message on the ills of substance abuse, there will also be other events lined up for the audience like a bodybuilding show by members of SSBBA, dance and cultural performances by students and a cat walk by teenagers from the locality.  
Entry to the event is free for all and the show has been supported by Café Live n Loud, Ladakhi Depo, Red FM, Nayuma Television, Sikkim Distilleries, Good News, Royal Plaza and the Cultural Affairs & Heritage Department.

Gangtok Metal Band releases debut single online

IT'S YOUNG, AND IT'S METAL
GANGTOK, 24 Sept: They play metal, are all 16 years old and are even managed by a fellow teen. What is more, as Kushan Kaybee the manager of Twisted Carol, a metal band from Gangtok, conveys, “Fans and peers have called the song a complete package of raw emotions and recommend this versatile track to all types of music listeners and not only metal heads.”
He is referring to the debut single of the band, “This war is mine (The Beginning)”, which was release over the weekend. The song, Kushan informs, is about “being forsaken, having faith and coming back with vengeance.”
But enough of the marketing spiel, check out the credentials for yourself- the song is up for download and listening at www.reverbnation.com/twistedcarol1. You can find the lyrics video on Youtube or our facebook page: www.facebook.com/twistedcarol1.
Twisted Carol consists of Thinlay aka Crow Valentine as the vocalist/ lead guitarist, Keshav Retribution on rhythm guitar and Pratik Rai who is the bass guitarist, all from Tashi Namgyal Academy. The manager if from Taktse International School.
The band is open to live performance gigs within and outside Sikkim and can be contacted at kushan.kaybee@gmail.com or 9609878462.

Namchi metal band ‘Dream Diabolic’ win the Shimla Winter Rock Fest

NAMCHI, 12 Jan: The rise to success has been relatively rapid for the five members of heavy metal band ‘Dream Diabolic’ of Namchi. After winning the ‘Rock-O-Phoenix’ Band competition at Guwahati in 2009, the band continues its winning streak with a win at the ‘Winter Rock Fest" Competition which was held on 24 December 2011 at Shimla’s Ridge hall.
Although a relatively new band, the five musicians that form Dream Diabolic have been playing together for some years in Namchi now. High school friends, Rahul Rai (Vocals) Phurba Sherpa (Guitar), Tashi Lama (Bass), Nima Sherpa (Keys) and Nimesh Pradhan (Drum), started playing together and producing original material a year ago.
Speaking to this correspondent, the band members informed that after winning the Guwahati ‘Rock- O-Phoenix’ the members had to take time off to concentrate on their studies. After a gap of almost two years the band members got back together, working hard to finally win the Winter Rock Fest at Shimla.
They further informed that they also want to perform for the people of Sikkim and are scheduled to play at the Metal Evolution Fest at the TNA auditorium, Gangtok on 28 Jan as a guest band.  They will also be performing as a guest band in the ‘Summer Fest’ at Shimla on 20 June.