Wishing you a Happy New Year 2012!

BeaRockr.in wishes you a very Prosperous New Year 2012, and we thank you so much for your continued support and participation with us, as we strive to bring out the best in Rock Music every year, full of News, Reviews, Discussions, Videos, even bigger Contests and much more. This New Year, we'll be coming up with an all new improved look, many more editorial sections and more contests too, but our prime focus as always will be Music at its best!

Have a Rocking New Year,
Editor-in-Chief,
BeaRockr.in

Looking to buy or sell your Music Gear online? Read on!

Well, every musician dreams of owning some quality musical instruments for his own satisfaction, and with such expensive dreams, its probably difficult to make them a reality. I myself wanted to get a nice Guitar pedal and sell my old one, but the one I liked was out of my budget! So I considered getting a used pedal instead.

I felt so happy when I accidentally happened to browse olx.in and thought to blog about the same too. OLX is a free online online platform of classifieds. It has been touted as the next generation of free online classifieds and it does stay true to that as well. It provides a simple solution to the complications involved in selling, buying, trading, discussing, organizing, and meeting people near you, wherever you may reside. OLX is used in over 96 countries in 40 languages.

All listings at OLX are so well organized and filtered, that its really a pleasure to browse through various commodities one may need with ease as per your budget. I was looking for a pedal under my budget, and it just took me a few seconds to reach my desired result page having tons of second hand pedals posted by various users, along with detailed images as well! And the best part is: Whether you are a buyer or a seller, the site is completely FREE! Incase you don't know why OLX is, its a classified platform where you can design colorful ads, control your trading activity and even view it in your local language as well.

So, if you ever think of selling your gear and you wanna do it the perfect way for free, or you are looking for some good used instruments that suit your budget, head over there right away!

Classic Rock Music 2011 at a Glance

So folks, its time to say goodbye to another glorious year for Classic Rock Music 2011, although with sadly some of the biggest passings too.

Here are some 2011 highlights at a glance in view of Classic Rock :

Passings:

• Clarence Clemons
  The "Big Man" was a member of E Street Band from the day it was formed in 1971. 

• Gary Moore
  Blues rock axeman had a successful solo career after a six year stint with Thin Lizzy, beginning in 1973. 

• Bert Jansch
  Jimmy Page, Neil Young, Paul Simon and Donovan are just a few of the many who cite guitarist/singer/songwriter Jansch as one of their primary influences. 

• Last, but certainly not the least, a special mention to the iCONIC Steve Jobs, who revolutionized the music listening experience by the iPod, that's become a household name in all forms of music. He has also been honored with a special Grammy this year. “He took technology and turned it into art, becoming a key player and leader in the entertainment world, particularly music, and changing the way we all use the Internet and consume music, TV, movies, books, graphics, and more,” the Recording Academy said.

Reunions/News:

• Super Heavy
  Mick Jagger teamed up with Dave Stewart, Joss Stone, Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley and composer A.R. Rahman to record a multi-genre, wide-ranging album that turned out to be brilliant as expected! 

•  Pink Floyd: The surviving members of Pink Floyd reunited at Roger Waters show in London after so many years! Check this out. 

• Guns n Roses, The Beastie boys and Red Hot Chilli Peppers got inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

• U2 named the highest earning tour act of 2011 grossing a whopping $293 million, followed by Bon Jovi.

Vanaprasta's Healthy Geometry: A BANG ON debut!

Vanaprasta, in Sanskrit, means the study of geometric shapes, sizes and patterns. But here, we are talking about a Psychedelic/Indie/Post-Grunge/Alternative band all the way from Los Angeles!

Their line up includes:
Steven Wilkin - Lead Vox/Keys, Collin Desha - Guitar/Keys/Background Vox, Taylor Brown -Bass/Keys/Background/Vox , Cameron Dmytryk – Guitar/Sampler and Ben Smiley – Drummer/Percussion .

While the Los Angeles based quintet might have borrowed the name from the ancient Indian texts , the music they create is not even  remotely close to any sort of Indian music . But that’s not a bad thing . The LA based quintet are causing a stir in world of indie with their fresh approach to the indie sound. They don’t restrict themselves to just indie , they mix it with healthy doses of psychedelic , post grunge and some alternative, which can only be a damn good thing . Their debut offering ‘Healthy Geometry’ is an eclectic album , which has broadened the definition of indie .  Their sound can best be described as a mix of psychedelics of The Mars Volta with the Kings of Leon post grunge/southern tinge. It’s definitely one of the acts to look forward to in the future. With a debut album as good as this…… things do look great for these guys.

The album begins with a mellow, psychedelic track ‘Nineequalsnine’ . This song is a stoner’s paradise due to its healthy mix of ambient soundscapes with psychedelics and samples . Steven owns this track due to his incredible vocal delivery . It’s my favorite track from this album. Next up is ‘Minnesota’ , which begins with a psychedelic intro but progresses into a more of an alternative chorus . It also has a post grunge influenced middle section. The band really shows it’s varied tastes and influences in this track. ‘Self Indulgent Feeling’ has a feel good factor to it . Right from the intro till the end , the track is a delight. This track is where the band displays it’s indie credentials. This track is Steven’s best performance in the album. ‘Supernumerary’ is most notable for it’s use of psychedelics and samples to create a sound which is highly reminiscent of The Mars Volta. But a post grunge middle section is something which the band completely owns.

‘Healthy Geometry’ is their most well known track, due to it’s music video(which you should check out, if you haven’t already !). This track is very energetic, definitely one of the best tracks in the album. ‘G-‘ is the most aggressive song in this album , with the band descending into controlled chaos , post the guitar solo. Steven screaming, Collin and Cameron going all out in the sonic attack which has Ben slamming the skins and Taylor creating a really tight bassline to gel it all together , is the high point of the album. ‘Don’t Go Home’ is an all out indie track. It’s a welcome break from all the aggression. ‘Come On’ uses sampled tunes in the background along with the keys to good effect. It’s one of the mellower tracks in the album. Their album ending track ‘Crushing Ants’ is one hell of a track , displaying all of the band’s influences. One can hear indie, psychedelic, post grunge, alternative in a single track. It’s definitely the magnum opus of this album. That’s probably one of the reasons why it is the longest track of this album, clocking at almost 6 minutes long. A great track to finish the album with. All in all, it’s an amazing album . With most bands in the indie scene venturing towards more of a pop rock/alternative sound , ‘Healthy Geometry’ comes as a fresh breath of air to the indie scene as whole.

Go……. listen to it, if you still wanna believe that indie is not dead!

Coals to Newcastle: The Movie!

Band: The New Mastersounds
Genre: Funk/Jazz
Line-up: Eddie Roberts - Guitars , Simon Allen -  Drums , Peter  Shand  - Bass , Joe Tatton – Hammond Organ/Keys , Rob Lavers – Tenor Sax, Flute .

When I first chanced upon the ‘Coals to Newcastle’ DVD, I was like ‘Whoa! A funk-jazz band from Leeds!’. Now, you see, Leeds exactly isn’t the place where you would expect a funk-jazz band . New York, New Orleans, London … maybe, but Leeds wouldn’t cross your mind. But England’s finest funk-jazz band is from Leeds. In fact, not only Britain’s, but for the funk-jazz scene worldwide . This bunch of 5 guys making music, music that is not from their country  but still being able to make it their own is what ’Coals to Newcastle’ is about .

The documentary starts with the explanation of the impact of Leeds College of Music on the music scene in Leeds . By offering the first Jazz degree in Europe , it attracted many talented players from England and to some extent , worldwide . For those who don’t know , Leeds College of Music is THE college from where many talented players have passed out , including the rock fusion guitarist Tom Quayle(finalist of Guitar Idol 2009) . Since England didn’t offer a non - classical degree before Leeds College of Music , it attracted most of the people interested in Jazz music . And because of this fact , Leeds has a strong Jazz/Funk scene , not recognized as much as New York or London , but pretty strong nevertheless .

Eddie Roberts (formerly 3 Deuces guitarist), is the brainchild behind The New Mastersounds . Simon Allen , who has an unorthodox playing technique(often referred to as the ‘open handed technique’) , was approached by Eddie himself ‘coz he thought that his drum playing was fluid and perfect for funk . Then the documentary progresses to show how they get Peter Shand(amazing bass grooves !); Joe Tatton (according to Eddie , they had trouble finding the ‘right’ keyboard player ‘coz all of them were ‘all over the place’ ! Joe was the perfect fit for their type of music, subtle, yet incredible improviser ). Their camaraderie is very strong , especially among the 2 forts of the rhythm section i.e. Peter & Simon , who are actually best friends . Infact , Simon goes on to say that he would feel comfortable in any band as long as Peter is there with him . These guys know each other so damn well that even if, onstage, any one starts a new riff or a groove , they would follow it tight & perfectly complement each other .

The documentary is a little bit personal too , for example ; Simon explaining why he didn’t wanna have kids before he was successful  , Eddie missing his kids while on tour , Peter’s inspiration to play the bass and Joe’s reluctance to be on tour for a long period . The introduction of Rob Lavers into the band line-up was later on into the band’s existence , which infused new life into their music . Rob’s tasty phrasing of the notes complimented very well with the band , a fact openly said by Simon , who states ‘At first , I didn’t quite understand the reason why Eddie took him in the band , but by the 3rd gig with Rob , I started to get it and I liked it ‘. The band had been playing around in England and Europe for a while , spreading their brand of Funk/Jazz at various Jazz Festivals . The invitation from The House of Blues, New Orleans is their moment of glory . British dudes being invited to America to play American music surprises the group (in a good way , of course !); in the words of Eddie ‘its like sending coals to Newcastle’ and hence, the inspiration for the documentary's title.

Despite of the fact that it cost the band a substantial amount of money to get to the other side of the Atlantic, the group decided to tour New Orleans . A friend of them in New Orleans allows them to stay at her place , eliminating the accommodation problem . New Orleans is depicted in a true light , showing the after effects of the Hurricane Katrina , their colorful culture , the incredible Jazz festival and the warm people present there . Clips from the House of Blues gig are shown , which , according to the band had the best sound . Then , there are the gigs at the Blue Nile ,which have them jamming with a host of talented musicians (Brian Jordan, Adam Deitch, Jonathan Batiste, Ivan Neville).  And there’s the porch gig , THE most EPIC gig in the whole documentary! A gig on the porch of the friend’s house …. people start  dancing to the band playing on the porch . With an introduction by Ready Teddy (comic old man , I say), jamming with Stanton Moore (of Galactic fame) on a track; a dancer (eye candy :P) on stage during one of their tracks , it turns out to be their most fun gig in Orleans . The band’s music have them earning respect from their contemporaries  and praise for their approach of keeping instrumental solos minimal in their music & instead focusing more on the music arrangement.  All this documentary lacks is a live set which, in my opinion, should have been there to complete the circle. A live set accompanied by this documentary would have been satisfying for the music lover who wished to see the band in action for a whole gig, but all in all , me thinks that this is a cool documentary . Right from their time in Leeds to the tour to New Orleans, it’s well documented.

Watch this documentary, if you still believe that there are artists out there who are making music, for the music, not for the money.

Hope to see a live DVD in the future !