Junkyard Grooves, Them Clones & No safe word perform this 23rd May ’09 at the Bucks Theatre, YMCA, Nandanam as a part of the Rolling Stones Summer Festival.

There’s an offer of JYG’s album 11:11 (bootleg) free CD with the Rs 150 per ticket.

Check more of their other tours here.

The Music Season (Margazhi Mahotsavam) have begun and the schedules can be found here.

Via – Ram’s abode.

12 years after Madras was rechristened to Chennai, we still find people (including yours truly) who have changed for the most part to using Chennai in formal/informal, oral/written communication forms. But every now and then, analogical to the unstoppable urge to use our mother tongue, we use the word Madras.

There are a lot of things Madras. What I am about to talk about here in Madras String Quartet. Led by VS Narasimhan and joined by several artists at different points in time, this is one of the finest quartet style orchestras aimed at bringing harmony between Western Classical Music and Carnatic Music.

If you will, please try the album Resonance by MSQ. It’s a treat to listen to.

Listening to the Mambalam Sisters one evening, I was struck with inspiration – why not visit them? I was in See-people-when-you-can mode for a few weeks, and this interview was the result of that mental state (eh?). Chatting with them was surprisingly easy; my preconceived notions of uptight musicians stuck with their art was rather thrown out the window. What was more, they were eager to share things with me too.

As I push the gate open in a quiet street in Mambalam, the sound of music falls upon my ears, a young voice beginning the slow, steady ascension into the higher reaches of music. Twilight is falling around the tree-covered house, and I witness a scene of domestic clamour as I step in. A young girl is busy practicing music for the evening, while others run around with their homework, or eager to play.

Though everything else may appear shallow and repulsive, even the smallest task in music is so absorbing, and carries us so far away from town, country, earth, and all worldly things, that it is truly a blessed gift of God.

- Felix Mendelssohn

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I was more than excited to get a couple of passes for the Live Life concert that ARR was performing on, on Saturday, courtesy of the Marg Construction group. I have travelled quite far to catch a good concert and Rahman has been evading me for a bit too long. It was good to catch up with his performance, live, right here in Chennai.

This is essentially going to be a post to “seendify”, all those who didn’t make it :)
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If you are anywhere near the Elliots beach, go visit the Chennai Sangamam. Actually, if you are not anywhere near Elliots beach, move your posteriors to somewhere near Elliots beach, and then visit the Chennai Sangamam. It’s only on for 2 more days.

I had a blast today, sampling Virudhunagar kotthu parotta and drinking Jil Jil Jigal Dhanda. But the real fun was when the music started. 2 hours of exhilarating street art, from Silambattam, Therukkoothu, and Singara Melam (Chendai Kottu) and even some Jazz Carnatic electronica from Susheela Raman.

The Therukkoothu from Thiruvannamalai was hilarious and took some earthy digs at contemporary society. It featured Lord Yama, a comical man who is about to be taken by aforementioned for a ride on a buffalo, and strangely enough, Veerapaandiya Kattabomman as well.

Let me present a sample dialogue from that street play.

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I have been thinking for a long time whether to invest my money on CAS – Conditional access system or DTH Direct to Home television . Been missing some nice cartoon channels for my son.

Very recently I had been to my native place (Thrissur, Kerala) and checked out the number of channels in the Television. Whooping 100 and odd channels, Including the pay channels at a price of about 150 INR (Indian National Rupee) per month. Where as we pay 100 INR with limited channels and excluding the PAY channels. (some channels purposefully blocked due to competition, some times)
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Here is a simple review of my latest and greatest gadget, the MICROSOFT ZUNE…!
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Took me a while to get my thoughts in order about all the events I had attended/heard about, and give a precis of what exactly happened during Madras Week 2007. Most events were interesting, some were repeats, while a few were outstanding. Be warned, you’re in for a long post.

In the beginning, it was a gathering of a few like-minded friends who cared a great deal about the city. Then, it grew to a series of meetings. More came to know of what transpired during these sessions, and signaled their interest to join. In 2006, it exploded into existence as one of the most happening occasions – and now it is the premier event of Chennai, eclipsing all else in August to the point of exclusion, with more than 60 events happening all over the city, put together by a number of organizations and Chennai-lovers. Le Madras Week, 2007.
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Chennai’s fans of classical music have a treat coming their way. Courtesy, a fund raising concert organised by Tamil Maiyam. An evening in the company of the enchanting vocal cords of Bombay Jayashri and Shubha Mudgal. At the Music Academy, on August 30 at 6.30 pm.

For more details on the event click.