Guitar virtuosos to unleash their riffs in Dubai

Dubai - Lord of Strings is first-of-its-kind concert in Dubai

There's a good reason for Dubai's music lovers to be excited! A first-of-its-type concert, featuring performances by seven talented guitar players is being held at the Music Room on August 19.
Lord of the Strings is a unique show where Fadi Stanboulieh from Syria, Alaa Al Faqir from Jordan, Tarek Reda from Egypt, Vijay Joseph (aka VJ), Venkat Narasimhan, Vivian D'Souza and Ashish Shetty from India will come together, on one stage, to create a musical extravaganza that is set to thrill guitar fans.
With a cluster of talented players unleashing their best riffs and chops on stage, the man to watch out for, however, on the night will be VJ.
The virtuoso has performed on many big stages including the prestigious Glastonbury Festival. He has also appeared on BBC's Jools Holland show and shared the stage with the likes of Robert Plant and Eric Clapton, The Lama Tree festival and WOMAD, besides touring North America, Europe, UK, Australia, Japan and South Korea with The Raghu Dixit Project.
VJ is excited to perform in the UAE for the first time. "You know, I have friends and family in Dubai, but I didn't know the city has so many talented musicians. I'm looking forward to sharing stage with some of them," VJ said.
While the guitarist is busy perfecting his chops and riffs for his performance, we speak to the brainchild behind this unique gig.
Vinesh 'Vin' Nair, is the frontman for the Dubai rock band Vin Sinners. The singer said he was inspired to organise this show after watching the G3 concert (featuring guitar great Joe Satriani and others) . "Many years ago, I had gone to watch the G3 concert. I was amazed to see all these guitar legends together on one single stage. Since then, I have always wanted to bring a show like this to Dubai," Nair said.
Talking about the line-up, Nair said fans can expect to hear diverse genres. "You will hear some exceptional players. Many of them are members of leading bands, but the guy to watch out for is VJ. He has done some major gigs across the world and has even worked on movies with AR Rahman."
The format of the show is unique. Each guitarist will first showcase his individual talent. Then, for the finale, they will all get together on stage and jam on improvised versions of classic songs. "Each guitarist will play extended solos and interpret the solo in his own style, which is going to be fun," explained Nair.
So is it going to be one loud, headbanging session all night or will there be a respite from the high decibels? "That's the interesting part," Nair retorts. "Not all of them are going to crank their amps up and blast you with their distortion-loaded rock licks. Some of them are also going to perform soothing jazz, blues, funk as well as western and eastern classical music. There's going to be variety. The overall experience will be awesome," he adds.

So is this a one-off concert or can we look for more such concerts in the future? "There will be a sequel to this gig. I have also lined-up an acoustic event later. We have three more events lined-up this year. It's an exciting time for the local music scene," Nair concluded.
Guitar music is here to stay
Guitar led instrumental bands have been around for decades. In the '50s and '60s bands like The Ventures and Shadows had a huge following. Now you have supremos like Joe Satriani (pictured), Steve Vai and Yngwie Malmsteen. Though vocal bands gained prominence with the emergence of pop music, nevertheless, the guitar remains a vital part of any genre. "The guitar never went into oblivion, and from what I have been observing these days, many youngsters are taking to the guitar. This is a good sign. I've seen so many people take to this instrument and develop their own styles. Guitar music has a strong future," Vin Sinners frontman Vin Nair said.
Vin and his 'Sinners'
Vin Nair is founder, lead singer and frontman of the UAE rock band Vin Sinners. The band was formed in 2009 and in 2011, they released their first album An Element of Surprise. The record went on to pave the way for a huge number of shows and a tour of India in 2013 soon after which the band was signed to Universal Music India making them one of the first rock bands in the UAE to be signed to a major label. In April 2014, Vin Sinners launched their 2nd studio album A Mighty Black Box which featured international stars including Blaze Bayley (ex-Iron Maiden) and VJ Joseph from India. Vin Sinners is launching their third album called Resurrection in December this year. Vin is also the founder of Musicians United, a local music platform that promotes talent in the region.

michael@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai