IT'S JUNE AND IT'S TIME TO ROCK

With just a 'Saarang' from IIT Chennai, a 'Deepwoods' from Madras Christian College and a sprinkling of other cultural festivals in and around Chennai, the live music scene in the city was not anything to rave about. But come the Summer of 99' and things took a right about turn. June Rock Out - a month long salute to rock from Vineyard Centre set the ball rolling for Chennai's rock fans.

In a span of four Friday nights, 8 bands performed live to satisfy the starved rock fans of Chennai who flocked into Vineyard centre. And it wasn't going to be just a one evening miracle for Chennai's rock fans. They were in for a whole month's dosage of pure rock. The bands that rocked were Moksha, Baa Baa Browne Sheep, Burn and Juravi, the Vineyard Band, along with Molotov Cocktail, Armageddon and Apocrypha as the opening bands.

That was 1999 and what happened then, changed the history of Chennai's music scene forever! June Rock Out proved to be a paradigm shift on how rock music can be enjoyed without being accompanied by drugs or alcohol. A year later JRO 2000 was set off with a grand launch by Music Director Sandeep Chowta of 'Mast' fame. The launch event turned out to be a chance for a lot of musicians to reconnect with each other, what with Sandeep himself picking up the guitar and jamming with some of the top musicians present on the occasion to create some amazing music.

The event followed the coming weeks with top bands like Moksha, Grasshopper Green, Funky Bodhi and Mercury Rising along with opening bands like Molotov Cocktail, Joose and Armageddon. Every Friday in June last year saw more than 300 head bangers rocking at the Vineyard Centre. But the best was in store for the last day when Moksha and the Vineyard Band rocked an audience of more than 500.

Its June again and it's that time of the year when 'Rock' reigns in Chennai. JRO 2001 has been the buzzword among the rock fans of Chennai. The main sponsor for this year's event is Pepsi and the show is being produced in association with Unwind Music - a music company.

JRO 2001 launch featured some of Chennai's top musicians like David Pascal, Keith Peters, Neil Mukherjee among others with a special performance by Donald Mattingley playing the blues and Moksha. 'The show must go on' and with a badge promoting clean fun, the Vineyard Centre is yet again in the forefront of the music scene in Chennai. As one of the fans put it aptly "Heard of the Monsters of Rock - Donington Park? JRO is what I call an affordable Chennai edition!"

The proceeds from the concerts will go towards the 'Acts of Mercy' community service wing of the Vineyard Centre.

Related Links

Wood & Zero at the June Rock Out

Molotov Cocktail and Orion's Dream at the June Rock Out

JOOSE at the June Rock Out

NO IDEA and Moksha at the June Rock Out

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