It’s raining gigs this World Music Day

World Music Day (June 21) is just around the corner and the city is out to give you more than just a fair share of music

It's raining gigs this World Music Day

World Music Day (June 21) is just around the corner and the city is out to give you more than just a fair share of music. Choose from shows across genres with artists from across the country and across the globe and douse yourself in the spirit of the rhythm.

Lend a hand out to music
Take a different plunge this time and head to a concert titled the Handshake concert. In its fourth edition this year, the show aims at promoting music through non-profit concerts with an emphasis on artists from Nagaland. The line-up for the evening includes Grammy Award winner and the artist who invented the Mohan Veena, Pt. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Soulmate, a Shillong-based band that draws its influences from the genres such as blues, soul, rock 'n' roll, funk and rock, Melodrama and Divine Connection from Nagaland, percussionist Anuradha Pal who draws her influences from different styles of music and has been associated with fusion bands in Mumbai, Chennai-based band Sathya and K Sathyanarayanan who holds a Limca record for being the youngest Indian to pass 4th grade keyboard examination under Trinity College. Also, part of the evening will be popular performers in town, Swarathama, Naga folk artistes Khrukusolu and Vetolu Lohe. The emcee for the evening will be musician and actor Luke Kenny.

At Chowdiah Memorial Hall, Malleshwaram
On June 21, 6 pm
Log onto www.rattlenhum.com

Sample music all the way from France
World Music Day in town arrives with a French flavour with the jazz and electronica band Betty Argo as part of the ongoing Fete De La Musique by the Alliance Francais de Bangalore. The band initially came together with artists Lena and Arnaud who had just completed their education in jazz. Musicians Samuel Strouk and Jeremie Pontier soon joined these power packed performances and the band came to be called Betty Argo. The sound of the band is laced with the influences of rock and reggae with a typical French touch. They are constantly in the process of developing their existing sound and are going to be in town to give Bangaloreans an experimentally unique World Music Day.

At i-Bar, The Park Hotel, MG Road
On June 17, 8.30 pm
Call 25594666

Soak in a two-day long festival
Even though The Big Junction jam isn't exactly here to mark World Music Day, the timing does the trick and takes up the revelry by a few notches. This one is for true lovers of music and will give you two days of live acts from morning to night. While ten headlining acts from across the country will take centrestage, 30 other semi professional bands will introduce you to some experimental sounds, the kind you haven't heard before. The line-up spread over two days includes bands like city-based Swarathma, Evergreen (alternative rock), Agam (Carnatic rock), Paradigm Shift (Raaga rock), Beat Gurus, Ministry of Blues, Kryptos (metal), Black (post grunge rock), Sulk Station (pop, electronica) and many more. While music is primary, it is not the only agenda of the festival, food, art and even stunts form a part of the celebration. Bakers and chefs from different city institutes will showcase their talent in the form of new cooking styles and recipes. A live version of the TV show Headbanger's Kitchen is also one of the highlights. A group of women called Agni Pariksha will display their ease with fire and show you a host of dare devil stunts.

AT Nalpad Pavilion, Palace Grounds
On June 18 and 19, 10 am to 11 pm
For R 500 for one day and R 800 for festival pass
Call 9844161266
Log onto www.buzzintown.com