Goa’s love for music knows no bounds. Through the decades we’ve seen it all. Our parents jammed country and rock and roll hits by Englebert, Buddy Holly, and Ritchie Valens, we grew up to the pop sounds of Ricky Martin, Shaggy, and Britney, and today, our kids are grooving to the EDM stylings of The Chainsmokers, David Guetta, and Major Lazer. Somewhere in the mix was some good ol’ classic rock, but that genre of music was thrown to the fringes. A select few did and still do blare Guns N’ Roses, Deep Purple, Iron Maiden, and AC/DC, but somehow, Goa never really collectively got on board – but a group of Goans that call themselves ‘Born To Rock’ are looking to change that by injecting the state with a dose of Girish and the Chronicles.
1000 shows and counting
For the uninitiated, Girish and the Chronicles (GATC) is an Indian hard rock and heavy metal band from Gangtok, Sikkim, formed in 2009, by singer-songwriter and vocalist Girish Pradhan. Presently based in Bengaluru, Karnataka, GATC is a five-member band, known for their electrifying live shows. With over five years of touring under their belt, the band has played over 1000 shows in India and abroad making them the only band from Sikkim to have ever traveled or performed overseas and across the country at such a large scale.
Keeping rock alive
Listening to Girish and the Chronicles live and on record is a surreal experience, one that can only be described as a haunting tribute to Guns N’ Roses. The parallels between the two bands are hard to ignore, especially once you hear Pradhan’s soaring vocals, akin to a young Axel Rose, while Suraz Karki channels his inner Slash, complete with frizzy hair and Gibson Les Paul. Their debut album ‘Back on Earth’ released n 2014 on Universal Music Group saw a culmination of over a decade of writing and performing original music in and around India. This was a project that came to fruition after completing a year-long tour in Hong Kong and South Korea. Prior to that, they represented India in the Sun Cane Skale Music Awards Festival in Montenegro, Europe in 2010, winning a silver trophy for their single ‘Yesteryears’.
Girish and the Chronicles will be performing in Goa at Gawin’s Restaurant and Pub, Verna, on Sunday, March 17. The gig is being organized by Born To Rock, a non-profit co-volunteered, honorary group, comprising of people from various professions in the state who are hell-bent on keeping rock and roll alive and kicking in Goa. ENTRY IS FREE. Check out their live performance of Yesteryears at Music Mojo season 3 below.
