Shillong, Aug. 26: The musical jamboree, Bacardí NH7 Weekender, will be back in the hill state for the third consecutive year in October where 36 international and Indian artistes and bands will perform.
From three-time Grammy-winning guitarist Steve Vai to Shillong's very own Rudy Wallang Guitar Jamboree, the "happiest music festival" will begin in Meghalaya before travelling to Pune.
The festival will be held in Meghalaya on October 27 and 28 while 43 bands will feature in Pune from December 8 to 10.
Bacardí NH7 Weekender is being organised for the last seven years and the festival has seen 468 artistes perform 1,042 sets over 21 editions. This includes 139 international acts from 23 countries and 329 acts from 17 Indian states.
Vijay Nair, the chief executive officer of Only Much Louder, the organisers of the festival, said: "The line-up is one of the most important aspects of the festival. Fans come to the festival for the experience and the artistes they love, but leave the festival grounds having discovered new favourites. Over the last three years, 70 per cent of the artistes have played at the festival for the first time. That is something we are always on the lookout for - new talent and new music!"
Apart from Steve Vai and Rudy Wallang, the Meghalaya line-up includes aswekeepsearching, Avora Records, Baiju Dharmajan Syndicate, Bhayanak Maut, Blackstratblues All Stars, Dewdrops, Divine, Dualist Inquiry, Faridkot, Feyago, Goddess Gagged, Hriday Gattani, Indian Ocean, Kamakshi Khanna Collective, Karsh Kale Collective, Khasi Bloodz, Lateral, Mosko, Parvaaz, Paul Dempsey, Polar Lights, Rhythm Shaw, Ritviz, Skyharbor, Tali Angh, Thaikkudam Bridge, The Ganesh Talkies, The Local Train, Triau Trackx, When Chai Met Toast, Yesterdrive and Zygnema.
According to a statement, for metal heads in Meghalaya and Pune, one of the most innovative bands, Textures - the iconic Dutch metal band who have inspired a generation of new rockers - will be performing their final show in Pune. The band returns to the festival, having played to an adoring audience in Pune and Calcutta in 2013.
Starting his career transcribing music for the legendary Frank Zappa, Vai has learnt guitar from the very best - Joe Satriani. He was also part of the Satriani-headed G3 Live Guitar tour. Vai designed the first commercially produced seven-string guitar, a fixture with metal bands today and is known for designing the extraordinary triple neck guitar. With over 15 million albums in sales, Vai is considered one of the most gifted guitar players of the generation.
The Rudy Wallang Guitar Jamboree is a unique curated set by renowned blues guitarist Rudy Wallang.
In this jamboree, Rudy will be collaborating with other top guitarists from the Northeast including Arenlong Longkumer (Nagaland), Ztpa (Mizoram), Gytartha Phukan (Assam), Uttam Sharma (Manipur), Cornelius Kharsyntiew (Shillong), Sonam Lachungpa (Sikkim) and Takar Nabam (Arunachal Pradesh).
