This weekend, there is a lot of action for music lovers in and around the City with the much-anticipated Storm Festival. What started off as a campout music festival amidst the hills of Coorg three years ago has shifted base closer to home to Stormfields, Gonighattapura Village, Sarjapura Hobli. 
With an aim to spread love and respect for the environment, minimise the usage of plastic and discourage the consumption of drugs via the medium of music, the festival features over 40 artistes spread across three nights and two days of festivities on 40 acres of lush greenlands.
This edition will see five stages, namely Plug N Play, World Music, Electronica, Singer-Songwriter and Camp Jam, catering to a variety of tastes. “The response we got in Coorg was phenomenal but we wanted to bring the festival closer to a metropolitan city so that more people could experience it.
We were lucky enough to find a venue that somewhat replicates the untouched beauty of Coorg. Especially for festival campers, the impromptu jams, bonfires and bonding with the artistes will be a highlight,” says festival director Lavin Uthappa.
Some very unique collaboration sets will also be witnessed at the festival – Bangalore rock band ‘Thermal and a Quarter’ performing with renowned flautist Ravichandra Kulur, Shankar Tucker meets Shankar Mahadevan, Lesle Lewis feat Gen X (includes his daughter Divya and the children of Hariharan, Shankar Mahadevan, Kavita Krishnamurthy, L Subramaniam and Loy Mendonsa) and many others.
Other Indian artistes who will be performing include Susheela Raman, Ankur Tewari, Raghu Dixit, ‘Avial’, ‘Swarathma’, Nikhil Chinapa, Nischay Parekh, Abha Hanjur and Vasudha Sharma among others. Some of the international acts to watch out for are Belgian techno producer duo ‘Filterheadz’ and the UK house DJ Eddie Halliwell.
The latest edition will also witness a heavy focus on folk music, especially from the North East with artistes like Naga folk band ‘Tetseo Sisters’ and popular Assamese singer Papon. Another addition for up-and-coming musicians is the ‘Voice of Storm 2014’ talent accreditation programme in association with Shankar Mahadevan Academy, the winners of which will perform at Chasing Storm events and Storm Festival.
Storm Festival will take place from January 31 to February 2. However, on January 31, the site will be open only to campers. For details, log in to www. stormfestivalindia.com
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> Supplements> MetroLife / DHNS – Bangalore, January 30th, 2014
