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RockNation | |
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Genre | Rock, Heavy metal |
Location(s) | Winter Garden, Hotel Ruposhi Bangla, Dhaka International Convention City Bashundhara, Dhaka |
Years active | 2013–present |
Founded by | LiveSquare Entertainment |
Website | rocknationfest |
RockNation is a series of rock and metal festivals organized in Bangladesh, regularly starring eminent rock and metal bands of the nation. The first RockNation event was held on at Winter Garden, Hotel Ruposhi Bangla, Dhaka on April 12, 2013. [1] Six more RockNation events have taken place since then, including one in Sylhet. [2]
The first RockNation concert was held on April 12, 2013, and it starred the talents of Warfaze, Cryptic Fate, Arbovirus, Nemesis, Shunno, Band Lalon, Chirkutt and Jon. [3] RockNation II took place on September 20, 2013, with the addition of rock band Indalo and thrash metal act Powersurge as new additions to its lineup. [4] RockNation III added metal bands Aurthohin, Karnival, Mechanix and Minerva to the lineup, taking place on December 6, 2013, and featured a centrally positioned stage. [5]
The fourth episode of RockNation, titled RockNation: Overload, took place on April 19, 2014, marking the addition of Bangladesh's most famous progressive metal band Artcell and alternative rock band Black to the lineup of RockNation. [6] RockNation: The Revolution of Rock, was the last chapter of RockNation to take place at Winter Garden, and featured a radically different lineup, featuring newer rock and metal bands like AvoidRafa, Echoes and Owned. Smaller-scale concerts featuring fewer bands also took place at various Dhaka venues under the RockTown [7] and RockCity [8] banners over the course of this year as preludes to the main RockNation events. [9] [10]
The sixth chapter of RockNation, RockNation: Resurrection, [11] took place on April 3, 2015 [12] at the International Convention City Bashundhara, Dhaka, [13] and heralded the return of Bangladeshi hard rock band Vikings [12] after a decade-long hiatus, [11] alongside the other regular performers of RockNation. [1]
2016 marked the beginning of the RockNation Tours program, [14] the first episode of which was held on February 5, 2016 at the open-air D Building Ground of the Shahjalal University of Science and Technology in Sylhet, [15] featuring Warfaze, Artcell, Vikings, AvoidRafa and Powersurge from Dhaka, [2] with the lineup further augmented by the addition of Sylhet's own metal bands Nongar, Psychotron and Rim. [14]
RockNation is well-known for its innovative stage designs and signature fire-based art direction, which is prevalent in all of their visual and printed communications, ranging from its posters to the original introductory and showtime animations which are displayed at the venues over the course of the show. [11] [14] The series is also noted for their whimsically shaped tickets, which have ranged from simple two-dimensional polygons to a three-dimensional cube. [16]
Ayub Bachchu was a Bangladeshi rock guitarist, composer, singer and songwriter, who was the founder of the Bangladeshi rock band Love Runs Blind and earned success as the lead singer and the lead guitarist of the band. He is considered as one of the greatest singers of all time in Bangladesh and a pop culture icon. He was one of the pioneers of Bangladeshi pop music.
St. Joseph Higher Secondary School, also known as SJC, is an American Catholic higher secondary school in Asad Gate, Mohammadpur, Dhaka, Bangladesh, regarded by some as one of the greatest colleges in Bangladesh. In 2023, St. Joseph was awarded the 'A+' grade by Bangladesh Government. It is a mono-ed (boys') school offering education from Third grade to Twelfth, with pupils averaging 8 to 18 years of age. The school is a single-shift (morning) school with over two thousand students. In 1965, the college relocated to historical Asad Gate near Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban under the jurisdiction of the Mohammadpur Thana, and was dedicated to St. Joseph, the father of Jesus Christ, being named St. Joseph Higher Secondary School.
Cryptic Fate is a Bangladeshi heavy metal band formed in 1993 in Dhaka. They are one of the pioneers of Bangladeshi heavy metal music. Since 1993, they have released four studio albums and several singles in mixed albums. The original lineup consists of singer Iresh Zaker, guitarists K. Sarfaraz Latifullah and Waheduzzaman Khan, bassist Shakib Chowdhury, drummer Farshed Mahmud.
Aurthohin is a Bangladeshi rock band formed in Dhaka in 1998 by Saidus Sumon, Tonmoy Rahman, Ponir and Rumi Rahman. They are considered to be one of the pioneering bands in Bangladeshi alternative rock music. The band was seen us revolutionary within the rock scene in Bangladesh and played a huge part promoting rock/metal music in the country by supporting underground rock/metal bands in Bangladesh. They have released 8 studio albums and also have appeared in some mixed albums. Though they were formed as a rock band they have experimented with genres like progressive metal and groove metal. Sumon's interests in slap bass also led the band's sound into funk-rock. Aurthohin currently holds a trio lineup of Saidus Khaled Sumon (Bass), Mark Don (Drums) & Mahaan Fahim (Guitars).
Powersurge is a Bangladeshi thrash metal band formed in Dhaka, Bangladesh, in 2006. They are one of the pioneering thrash metal bands in the country, and is part of the "East Bengal extreme metal scene". The group came to public attention in 2007, after becoming the winner of D-Rockstar II, a rock and metal hunt talent show.
Saidus Salehin Khaled Sumon, popularly known by his nickname Bassbaba Sumon, is a Bangladeshi rock singer-songwriter, bass player, composer, music producer and founder of the Bangladeshi rock band Aurthohin. He is the band leader and spokesperson of Aurthohin since the beginning.
Arbovirus is a Bangladeshi rock band formed in 2001 in Dhaka. They have released four Studio Albums, one EP, and twelve singles through various mixed albums.
Stentorian is a heavy metal band from Bangladesh formed in early 2001. Stentorian released one commercially successful album, Protimuhurtey, in 2005 and several commercially successful singles. Their most popular songs include "Adrissho Juddho", "Bishonno Adhaar", "Bidrohi", "Jolosrot", "Anubhuti", "Mone pore na" and most recently "Chhobi". Stentorian is regarded as one of the pioneers of the underground heavy metal music movement, which re-energized heavy metal in Bangladesh in this current decade. Stentorian is most notable for being led by Bangladeshi rock vocalists, Torsha Khan and Tanim Sufyani.
Artcell is a Bangladeshi progressive metal band formed in 23 October 1999, by vocalist and riff guitarist George Lincoln D'Costa, lead guitarist Ershad Zaman, bassist Saef Al Nazi Cézanne and drummer Kazi Sajjadul Asheqeen Shaju.
Bangladeshi rock music, or Bangla rock music, is a style of music in Bangladesh that is derived from British and American rock music, mixed with the Bengali classical and Adhunik musical styles from the 1960s. The genre was introduced in the 1960s by a few bands who began developing a distinctive rock sound. Bangladeshi rock is commonly divided into two categories: East Pakistan rock, and Bangladesh rock. From the 1970s to the 2000s, it was one of the nation's most popular musical genres.
Warfaze is a Bangladeshi heavy metal band formed on 6 June 1984 in Dhaka by Ibrahim Ahmed Kamal, Meer, Helal, Naimul, and Bapi. They are one of the earliest heavy metal bands in Bangladesh. The band had numerous line-up changes since 1984 and since its inception, the band has released seven studio albums, one compilation album, and several singles. They have experimented with numerous sub-genres of rock and heavy metal over the years.
De-illumination is a Bangladeshi metal band formed in October 2006 in Dhaka. Their debut album অনিবার্য (Inevitable) was released in 2010.
Raef Al Hasan Rafa is a Bangladeshi singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known as the former drummer of rock band Aurthohin and metal band Cryptic Fate. He's also member of metal band Severe Dementia, Kral and The Joint Family. He is the founding member of the rock band AvoidRafa.
Warfaze is the debut album by Bangladeshi heavy metal band Warfaze. Warfaze is the self-titled debut album of pioneer Bangladeshi Heavy Metal band Warfaze. It was released from Sargam in 1991 in cassette format with a later CD release in the late '90s. The CD was also re-released by Sargam in 2008. The album featured hits like "Boshe Achhi", "Ekti Chhele", "Bichchhinno Abeg", "Shadhikhar" etc. and during that time, this sound was unheard of in the Bangladeshi band music scene.
LiveSquare Entertainment is an entertainment company originating from Bangladesh, founded in 2007 by entrepreneur Nafis Ahmed. Its services include festival management, artist management, global bookings and tour management, and production and sale of party lifestyle merchandise and original art creations LiveSquare has organized many festivals featuring local and international artists, and for the deployment of high-profile Bangladeshi artists such as Shironamhin, Chirkutt and Band Lalon to international festivals in Sri Lanka and Norway.
Severe Dementia is a Bangladeshi metal band formed in Dhaka in January 2004. Their initial name was 666. They are considered to be one of the first death metal band from Bangladesh. They are a pioneering band of the East Bengal Extreme Metal scene. Their EP Epitaph of Plassey is widely regarded as one of most influential death metal record in Bangladesh.
Ibrahim Ahmed Kamal is a Bangladeshi guitarist, songwriter and producer. He is the lead guitarist and the founder of the heavy metal band Warfaze. He has been the band's guitarist and composer for three decades.
Bangladeshi heavy metal or Bangla heavy metal was originated from the evolution of British and American heavy metal bands of the 1980s. Bands like Iron Maiden, Metallica and Megadeth have had the greatest influences on Bangladeshi heavy metal musicians. Other 1970s bands to influence are bands like Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and Motörhead. The first bands to play heavy metal in Bangladesh were bands like Warfaze and Rockstrata. The most prominent era for heavy metal movement was between the early 1990s to early 2000s. Warfaze, Rockstrata, Aces and in Dhaka are often considered as the "big four founders of heavy metal". Other 2000s metal bands are bands like Artcell, Aurthohin, Cryptic Fate, Powersurge, Mechanix, Metal Maze, Vibe and Stentorian. Alternative bands like Nemesis, Arbovirus and Black also played some alternative metal songs over the years. Warfaze, Artcell and Aurthohin together are the most popular rock/metal trio of Bangladesh.
Sheikh Monirul Alam Tipu is a Bangladeshi musician, known as a rhythm composer, drummer, lyricist, and music producer. He is best known as the co-founder and Band Leader of Warfaze, a popular heavy metal and rock band from Bangladesh. Tipu has been with Warfaze for a year since its formation in 1986, providing drums play, percussion play, and rhythm composition for all eight of the band's music albums. He is also known for playing in the band “Pentagon” and “Winning” which garnered huge success. He served as the General Secretary of Bangladesh Musical Bands' Association (BAMBA) until November 2020 and has since held the position of Vice President which he still holds currently. He is also a Business Entrepreneur who is running an Advertising Agency named Carnival in Bangladesh. He was also the Partner & Production Director of Ektaar Music from 2001–2005. Later, he received an invitation from the National Skill Development Authority (NSDA) which is a Bangladesh government agency under the Prime Minister's Office responsible for developing policies to build a skilled force for different sectors of labor. Afterward, in 2018 he was given the prestigious role of director for the Creative Media Industries Skill Council Limited (CMISCL) which is an affiliated organization of the NSDA, that was reestablished in 2021. In 2020 he started a record label called Loy Records which was launched officially in December 2021 with the prime intention to promote and cultivate young talents of the country whilst encouraging them to find their own path through music so they can represent their country internationally. On 10 December 2021, he started his new journey with his own record label called "Loyy Records"
Vibe was a heavy metal/alternative rock band from Dhaka, Bangladesh. It was formed in 2001 but is no longer active since 2007.