Grillin' and Chillin' with underground inc

With the current situation of our country, it is little wonder that concerts are hard to come by. Even then, all hope is not lost, as is clearly demonstrated by Underground Incorporated, who celebrated their 1 year anniversary with an “explosion” at Grill n' Chill in Dhanmondi this 22nd. Featuring the bands Germantown, Shade, Soothsayer and Nemesis, the concert drew an enormous crowd, far more than the restaurant is able to accommodate, and it was quite a sight to see most of the show goers milling about on the street.

Underground Incorporated (better known as UG Inc.), is a fast upcoming music-based website. Almost overtaking even the famous Altermetal and Amadergaan in popularity, UG Inc. is one of the more prominent show organizers, and is very supportive of charity. Anyone who has been to their last show “Underground Recharge” will have found this concert to be a smaller slice of the same cake. Though much cannot be said about their sense of timing, this show was just as spectacular as is expected from UG Inc.

First to start were Germantown. “Take it Easy” “Leaving on a Jet Plane” “Sultans of Swing” “Tequila Sunrise” and “Tomar Jonno” (Sumon's version of John Denver's “Annie's Song”) was the gist of their performance. With Samwan as vocals and guitarist and Rafsan on guitars along with Nabil as bassist and Mouri as female vocals, this band gave a truly rocking start to the evening. As the proverb goes, “morning shows the day” and it certainly did for UG Inc, because this turned out to be an electrifying celebration!

Following them were teen sensations, Shade. Almost famous for their song “Dhoar Majhe,” (which is a personal favourite of this correspondent)and receiving equal applause for their new “Nirjonota” , they totally blasted the crowd away with the rest of their song list as well. Being capable musicians, Maher (guitars and vocals) and Shams (guitars) covered “Drive”, “Wish You Were Here” and “One Last Breath” with commendable accuracy and brilliance. Considering the crowd response, this is one performance that MUST be repeated.

Soothsayer, a talented and frequently heard of band, lead by none other than Majed, one of the administrators of UG Inc, with Sameer and Reza on guitars and Turaj on bass, came on next. As usual, their crowd response was fantastic, and hardly doubtful given their spectacular performances of “Kryptonite,” “Let Me Go,” “Nothing Else Matters,” Artcell's “Poth Chola” and very obviously their own compositions “Shesh Kobita” and “Hotta Kore Amae.”

And the very grand finale was given by Nemesis. Needing no introduction, it is enough to say that this performance made the whole evening worthwhile. Few bands here in Bangladesh are as widely enjoyed and loved (especially by the female population!!), and Nemesis enjoys being somewhere on the top of that short list. Understandable then why people were so enthusiastic about the show. An amazing performance was put up with “One,” “Warmth,” “Wonder Wall,” “Onneshon,” “Biborno Sroshtha” and everyone's favourites “New Day,” “Gone” and “Obocheton.” With guitarists Omair and Dio along with Ratul on bass and Zohad, ever and always on vocals, Nemesis topped the evening, and made this one bash to be remembered!

Though not without its drawbacks and faults, the show went on smoothly, and being a celebration, why be a wet blanket on other's happiness? Therefore I say, “all's well that ends well”, and here's wishing UG Inc. all the best for the years to come, and kudos to Majed and Daiyan, the administrators of UG Inc and to Grill n' Chill for organizing a fabulous show!

By Rohini Alamgir

The idea of a platform for young rock-stars could not have come at a more appropriate time than now. Our very own Rock star hunt began this July with Ayub Bachchu coming up with the idea, and Alan Doza of Bitopi putting the thoughts to action.

During the submission period, a hotline was opened and it received about five Thousand phone calls every day. At the same time CDs and tapes started pouring in Bitopi and at the end of the allotted time, eight thousand contestants sent their voices; which then was passed to Ayub Bachchu(AB) for selection. From eight thousand only one hundred and three contestants were called in for audition and from that only thirty-two were selected.

The hopefuls were then taken to Hotel Centre Point for a five day grooming session in which personalities like Nobel, Kaniz Almas, Fuad Nasr Babu, Tinku Afzal Hossain, Tipu etc came in to brief them about their own field of expertise; which included stage act, interaction with crowd, dress up, etiquettes of press meet etc. But one must have noticed that the contestants' taste of wardrobe is challenged as it didn't have any rock flavour.

The D'rockstar will be a 12-episode contest; where 5 sets of 6 contestants will perform in the first 5 episodes and in the 6th episode on December 30 the contestants will be halved. The 7th and 8th episode will feature 8 participants each.

The result round will be in the 9th episode where 6 will be eliminated and 10 will be chosen. 10th episode includes performance of the chosen ten. 11th episode would feature selection and elect DROCKSTAR followed by a gala night.

The judge, AB holds 60% of the points while SMS sums up to 40% of the points.

This system of marking has been designed to eliminate malpractice such as some fraud financing sms bills to send sms to selected contestant. If you want to participate by sms please type the name of the contestant and send it to 3030.

AB mentions that in this competition they are not searching for just a great voice, but the whole package, which includes stage act, crowd connection, feel and delivery.

Some of the contestants we met showed a lot of promise. Some are doing a great job of covering popular numbers, while some others are performing their own compositions. All in all, we have a set of energetic, passionate youngsters who deserve a break, and D'Rockstar is giving them a shot at it, while entertaining the viewers as well.

Conceptualised by AB, managed by Bitopi, and sponsored and co-ordinated by Grameen Phone, this is a laudable venture, and we hope to see more of its kind in the future.

By Taskin Rahman

The sun was about to set.
It was leaning against the western sky, turning a deeper shade of orange with every passing moment.A drowsy afternoon glow filled the rooftop.
I was admiring the superb view of the Sangshad Bhaban and the sky in turns, when suddenly my eyes fell on something. I stopped pacing around and looked.
In front was a tall apartment building. There was a small room on its roof. The outlines of a ladder showed how to reach its top.
Sitting on the steps of the ladder was a young girl wearing jeans. I could make out a ponytail and a pink shirt with difficulty.
Standing in front of her was a boy, I think of the same age. They were talking. It seemed as if the boy was explaining something.
Sometimes gesturing at something, pointing at the sky once or twice...
Taking all this in, I started pacing again.
Against the backdrop of a dim blue sky, the ladder and those two seemed to be out of this world.
What were they talking about?
This big, wide world? The stars? The moon?
Almost everyone can remember being a part of things similar to this...
The bittersweet memories, of long forgotten aari and bhaabs.
On the rooftop, you can feel how big the world really is.
There are so many people you don't know. So many, who might share the same stories, they might be just like you, in a different time and space.
The western sky is now red and purple. The blue of the sky more dark and dim.
I looked again to find the two gone.
A tiny star has appeared, is that the evening star?
Who knows?
Sometimes, you'd give anything to be in a place that's not yours.
Maybe, you'd want to be there when someone sits on the steps of a ladder, and someone else points high, up at the sky, telling you about anything and everything.
And then, you'll hear the call for prayer, more dots will be shining overhead.
You'll smile, and scold yourself.
Softly sighing... ''Grow up''.

By Suranjana Hoque

What is liked or favoured by one may not be good for the other, or may sometimes be injurious. The spirit of this saying is reflected in the line “As many men, so many minds.”

Man has an infinite variety of tastes in respect to food, literature, religion, and even the objective of life.

The food and dress of a European may not suit the people of Eastern countries and vice versa. A farmer earning a livelihood in a cold country needs warmer clothes and more food than his counterparts in warm climes.

Milk, which is considered an ideal food substance does not agree with the constitution of some. Some Hindus eat boiled pork while Muslims abhor it. The Frenchman's taste for frogs may seem barbaric to an Englishman.

There is no disputing the fact that a man's taste for food and clothing is very individualistic, and varies from person to person. Every man has his own particular tastes, and that is why we are not tarred with the same brush as our neighbours.

In the case of religions, the clearest example is that of the Roman Catholics and the Protestants; the latter support same-sex marriage where the former veto this way of thinking.

The God they preach about is the same, but the preachings differ. It is therefore up to the worshipper or follower to follow what suits him, even though this may not agree with someone else. If it suits us, we are to adopt it.

By Rohan Charanji