Rock Street Journal
Encyclopedia
Rock Street Journal or RSJ is a monthly magazine
covering the rock
scene in India
and South Asia
. It was started in January 1993 in Allahabad
by Amit Saigal and Shena Gamat Saigal after they realized the lack of support system for Indian rock musicians. The magazine has grown in popularity ever since and is now published from Delhi
. It organizes the yearly Great Indian Rock Festival (GIR) to promote original music of new and upcoming rock bands in India.
as platforms. According to Sam, "The community was large and strong but very fragmented at the same time. When we thought about this, we decided to come up with RSJ which would provide news about rock music anywhere in the country." And thus RSJ was born to bring a sense of community among these struggling musicians, the first issue published from Allahabad in January 1993. It was initially planned as subscription-only magazine. Amit promoted the magazine in college festivals but only sold a handful of subscriptions at that time. The magazine has grown substantially since then, and has a circulation of 1, 42,000 copies per issue.
, including desi
rock bands from elsewhere in the world. The website also contains the official forums frquented by thousands of Indian rock fans.Currently boasting of a registered database of over 40,000.
Over the years RSJ changed the over all approach to the content and now covers an array of varied music and concerts. The magazine also regularly does free CD releases every month.
The latest initiative however is the Breaking Boundaries Split EP series which features music from across the globe and renowned bands. The first edition featured Textures, New Way Home and Indian metal legends Bhayanak Maut, Scribe and Undying Inc.The second edition is rumored to feature bands like Tesseract, Fell Silent and hardcore band Norris from Canada.
. It is usually held in Delhi in the month of February, in the 11th year of GIR; Norways biggest Black Metal Act Enslaved were headlining. In addition, RSJ has organized several other concerts including the Concert for Tibet in 2003 in Dharamsala
, and the Brotherhood of Rock in Shillong
.
RSJ has also conceptualised and executed events like the Pubrockfest and RocktoberFest which are now regular events in Delhi, however the PubrockFest went national this year going to 7 cities and with over 30 gigs in all.This year the Pubrockfest is bigger going to 20 cities with 60 gigs and also features two international artistes from Australia and Canada respectively.
2007 also saw the inception of a new festival called LiveAlive - Experience Jazz, Blues and Beyond, this festival focused on music like jazz, blues and other experimental music.
Every year in November, Jazz fans in Delhi get a treat in the form of The Jazz Utsav which is organised by Capital Jazz in association with Rock Street Journal, the Jazz Utsav features some of the biggest acts in Jazz from across the globe.
Over the years the number of festivals have grown and the key festivals that RSJ does are
1. Great Indian Rock
2. Live Alive
3. Pubrockfest
4. Rocktoberfest
5. Global Groove
6. Jazz Utsav
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
covering the rock
Indian rock
Indian rock is a genre of popular music in India that incorporates elements of Indian music and mainstream rock and is often topically India-centric. While India is known for its northern and southern classical music, the Indian rock scene has produced numerous bands and artists...
scene in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
. It was started in January 1993 in Allahabad
Allahabad
Allahabad , or Settled by God in Persian, is a major city of India and is one of the main holy cities of Hinduism. It was renamed by the Mughals from the ancient name of Prayaga , and is by some accounts the second-oldest city in India. It is located in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh,...
by Amit Saigal and Shena Gamat Saigal after they realized the lack of support system for Indian rock musicians. The magazine has grown in popularity ever since and is now published from Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
. It organizes the yearly Great Indian Rock Festival (GIR) to promote original music of new and upcoming rock bands in India.
History
Amit Saigal and Sam Eric Lal used to perform in a band called Impact in the 1980s. They realized that there was no support system in place for new and upcoming rock musicians and bands in India. They only had college festsCulfest
A culfest or cultfest is an annual event organized by colleges in India.-General format:Most college culfests last from two to five days...
as platforms. According to Sam, "The community was large and strong but very fragmented at the same time. When we thought about this, we decided to come up with RSJ which would provide news about rock music anywhere in the country." And thus RSJ was born to bring a sense of community among these struggling musicians, the first issue published from Allahabad in January 1993. It was initially planned as subscription-only magazine. Amit promoted the magazine in college festivals but only sold a handful of subscriptions at that time. The magazine has grown substantially since then, and has a circulation of 1, 42,000 copies per issue.
Features
RSJ regularly covers professional and college festival concerts throughout India. It also publishes reviews of new music albums, new bands,old bands and everything that falls under the gamut of the Indian and the international rock scene, they also publish reviews of Indian Bands along with extensive reviews and interviews of International bands. Its website has an extensive database of over a thousand rock bands and musicians hailing from the Indian subcontinentIndian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent, also Indian Subcontinent, Indo-Pak Subcontinent or South Asian Subcontinent is a region of the Asian continent on the Indian tectonic plate from the Hindu Kush or Hindu Koh, Himalayas and including the Kuen Lun and Karakoram ranges, forming a land mass which extends...
, including desi
Desi
Desi or Deshi refers to the people, cultures, and products of the Indian subcontinent and, increasingly, to the people, cultures, and products of their diaspora. Desi countries include India, Pakistan, Bangladesh...
rock bands from elsewhere in the world. The website also contains the official forums frquented by thousands of Indian rock fans.Currently boasting of a registered database of over 40,000.
Over the years RSJ changed the over all approach to the content and now covers an array of varied music and concerts. The magazine also regularly does free CD releases every month.
The latest initiative however is the Breaking Boundaries Split EP series which features music from across the globe and renowned bands. The first edition featured Textures, New Way Home and Indian metal legends Bhayanak Maut, Scribe and Undying Inc.The second edition is rumored to feature bands like Tesseract, Fell Silent and hardcore band Norris from Canada.
Concerts and Music Festivals
RSJ organizes the Great Indian Rock Festival each year showcasing the best among upcoming talent in rock and roll in the Indian subcontinent. The first GIR was in 1997 in KolkataKolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
. It is usually held in Delhi in the month of February, in the 11th year of GIR; Norways biggest Black Metal Act Enslaved were headlining. In addition, RSJ has organized several other concerts including the Concert for Tibet in 2003 in Dharamsala
Dharamsala
Dharamshala or Dharamsala is a city in northern India. It was formerly known as Bhagsu; it is the winter seat of government of the state of Himachal Pradesh and the district headquarters of the Kangra district....
, and the Brotherhood of Rock in Shillong
Shillong
-Connectivity:Although well connected by road, Shillong has no rail connection and a proper air connection. Umroi Airport exists but has only limited flights.-Roadways:Shillong is well connected by roads with all major north eastern states...
.
RSJ has also conceptualised and executed events like the Pubrockfest and RocktoberFest which are now regular events in Delhi, however the PubrockFest went national this year going to 7 cities and with over 30 gigs in all.This year the Pubrockfest is bigger going to 20 cities with 60 gigs and also features two international artistes from Australia and Canada respectively.
2007 also saw the inception of a new festival called LiveAlive - Experience Jazz, Blues and Beyond, this festival focused on music like jazz, blues and other experimental music.
Every year in November, Jazz fans in Delhi get a treat in the form of The Jazz Utsav which is organised by Capital Jazz in association with Rock Street Journal, the Jazz Utsav features some of the biggest acts in Jazz from across the globe.
Over the years the number of festivals have grown and the key festivals that RSJ does are
1. Great Indian Rock
2. Live Alive
3. Pubrockfest
4. Rocktoberfest
5. Global Groove
6. Jazz Utsav