Storm music fest spreads wings, may go abroad

Coorg (Karnataka), Feb 2(IANS) After two successful editions in the misty landscape of Napoklu here, the Storm Music Festival might become a bi-annual affair, and one edition each year may even take place in international shores, says one of the festival directors.

The event could happen in Coorg itself, but at a different location here, said Lavin Uthappa, managing director of Liquidspace Entertainment, the organisers of the two-day music fest.

Talking about the plans, Uthappa told IANS: "We are not really keeping the same venue next year. The person who has given us the place is into tea plantation, so obviously he would think about himself too.

"We have seen about seven locations in Coorg, also spoke to other states which have the facility of managing a music fest. It could also be in the north region, and of course, if we get offers from international market, we might end up doing one in India and another one abroad."

The event is a melange of adventure, camping, ecological awareness, late night campsite jams and handpicked music from across the world.

Uthappa, 39, says the primary idea behind the fest is to promote the independent music scene in the country.

"My point is to bring all artists from across the country - from Delhi, Goa, Mumbai and everywhere else, to come together and promote Indian music globally. If I am bringing that cultural mix, I am doing my bit of showcasing the culture to world," said Uthappa.

The idea of Storm festival is to explore independent music. Not specifically fusion, but anything that can promote Indianness. I personally like sufi music, but there are many people in India who get into rock music comfortably.

"My vision is to take this fest to different level. Ideally, I would like to purchase land and make that Storm specific," he added.

Day two of the fest's second edition saw musicians and bands like Astitva, Lagori, Swarathma, Papon and the East ndia Company entertaining the audience with their fusion and folk offerings.

The crowd is also looking forward to see the jamming up of singer-composer Shankar Mahadevan and popular fusion band Indian Ocean at the grand finale. This is the first time that two powerhouses of the Indian music industry are collaborating for the grand finale of the fest.