Yamaha Asian Beats Band Competition 2010 – Guwahati Heats

Yamaha Corporation has been organising Asian Beats for a decade and have been successfully able to take amateur bands to international levels. Asian Beats is being held in India for the second time and I happened to be present in 6th and final Heats held on 21st August’ 2010 at Maniram Dewan Trade Centre, Guwahati. The winner of Heats from each region will compete in the National Finals on 2nd September’2010 to be held on Hard Rock Café, Mumbai. The winners of the National Finals will then compete in Bangkok with 12 other bands on 14th Nov’2010. I have listened to a wide variety of sounds, but listening to 16 of them in one day at one place was a treat that we remember for a long time.

The evening started with the performance of the song Panacea by metal band Dementia and set the mood right. Then, came Divine Connection with Little Help. The bassist Mhathung Odyuo seemed to have some divine connection and he was also awarded ‘The Best Bass Guitarist’ award. The mood was immediately changed by some rock and roll by Street Stories to be changed by some Old School Metal by Jorhat band Filharmonix. Then came Shillong Bands – Dwar, Pip of the Fourth Mother (PTFM) and Acid Row with some really good numbers. I was literally waiting for the performance of Stylish band Melodrama and I must say that they did not disappoint me. They also happened to be the Runner Up Band and their band was also awarded the “The Most Stylish Band Member” award. After the powerful performance by Melodrama, Avancer came with a touching number Soldier followed by some earthy sounds by Axis. Axis performed a groovy folk rock number ‘Feel the Beat’. Then came Mizoram Band Cold Embrace with the number ‘Darkness Gone’. Within halfway of their performance, people knew that they are going to be winners. Everything was so good that they also took the awards for ‘The Best Vocalist’, ‘The Best Drummer’, ‘The Best Guitarist’ and ‘The Best Keyboard Player’. The other bands that performed that night were Feathers, Silver Tears, Freddy’s Nightmare, Urchin Greetings and Sinister Gospel. The evening ended by the prize distribution ceremony by the esteemed judges Mr. Ambar Das, Mr. Keith Wallang and Mr. Utpal Barsaikia. Mr. Anjan Bhuyan of Ace Acoustics & Audio Video Solutions Pvt. Ltd. announced the prizes.

It was a great show that will stay in my mind for some time.

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