The GUIDE caught up with Retro Legendary Act vocalist Vijay Joshi and quizzed him about their upcoming tribute to iconic band deep purple
The GUIDE caught up with Retro Legendary Act vocalist Vijay Joshi and quizzed him about their upcoming tribute to iconic band deep purple
City-based Rock band Retro Legendary Act (RLA) will be presenting Deep Purple Night, a tribute show to the Rock band. RLA was formed in 2005 and is famous for playing covers of legendary Rock acts. Their upcoming performance will see them do a rendition of classic songs like Smoke in the Water, Child in Time and Highway Star. 
RLA is a five-member band comprising of Vijay (vocals), Ritesh (lead guitar), Anil (bass), Hrishi (drums) and Saurabh (keyboards)."We grew up idolising Deep Purple and consider them as our gurus. Their compositions are not just rhythm, vocal, or lyrics based but are instead full of melodies. There is a proper synchronisation of all the key elements. Their compositions are complicated, yet poignant, melodious, and definitely soothing; which is a rare combination to achieve," states Vijay.
RLA is known to play covers at their performances but they also boast of 10 original compositions which they recently performed in front of a live crowd that loved it and asked for encores.
However, the band remains skeptical about the future of Indian Rock. "Name one band that has made it big in the global arena by playing original English Rock music. Everything ends with launch of an album, or a video on some music channel. Playing covers is also tough as people come in with a degree of expectation and a total rehash of earlier stuff won't help. We have to creatively bend the songs a bit," emphasises Vijay. He feels that the onus lies on music companies who are still not ready to market or promote Indian bands in a scale that can put them on a global platform.
The image of Rock music is also shrouded in ignorance and most think of it as a "loud" form of music. "For many, Rock music is nothing more than shouting, but it is actually letting out of emotions. Unlike pop, which is reduced to monotonous love songs, and Jazz which has a typical pattern, Rock is still more creative and innovative. It's about getting five people up on the stage and having fun," adds Vijay.
Like Deep Purple, RLA has also witnessed core group members like Vatayan and Sameer walking out of the band. But it didn't really affect the band's morale. So, what are their future plans? "We are all in our late 40's, well-settled in life, coming from different professional backgrounds and are here to enjoy more than earn money. Currently, we will keep performing at different venues and might think of launching an album in the future," ends Vijay.
On: March 11, 8.30 pm onwards
At: Hard Rock Cafe, Koregaon Park.
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