He was about to sip his beer when several people who were seated nearby approached him.
As he stood, it was clear the celebrity in the house was none other than Karamjit Singh.
The lanky professional rally driver, a household name who earned the nickname Flying Sikh, is an ardent rock fan – from the likes of Deep Purple to Pearl Jam.
In fact, the music genre has been his morale booster before every race.
“It’s been my habit to listen to rock music, some Deep Purple or even Led Zeppelin, before any race. It’s my way of getting in the game,” said Karamjit.
“I grew up with these bands and continue listening to rock. And no, rock is not dead.”
Eager to prove this point, Karamjit teamed up with Thrive Talent and Darrel Pierre Holdings to organise ‘The Rally Thru the Valley of Rock Series’ with “Race One” featuring five bands organised last year.
The event continues at Hangover in 3 Two Square, Petaling Jaya this year as Race Two sees 12 bands paying tribute to rock gods every other Saturday. There will be two laps this year – Lap One featuring six bands started on Feb 23 and will end on April 27 while the other bands will jam in Lap Two from June 15 to Aug 24.
The other bands include The Goodflerz, Fab’s Brew, Project Net, Kaya and Classic Rock of Mine.
“The tributes mirror a rally race. Music and rallying are my greatest passions and what better way to infuse them.”
“Judging by the number of bands that are eager to play, rock is far from dead. The music is still widely accepted and we’re even seeing a young crowd enjoying the genre.”
Karamjit said there were plans to organise a rock concert at the end of the two laps.
“It’s a build-up to something bigger … a concert perhaps some time in October.”
Shiva Balan from Thrive Talent echoed Karamjit’s view that the genre is still accepted, evident from the many bands keen to be part of the ‘Race’.
“We had to put a stop as they just kept coming. And this is good for the industry,” Shiva said.
“Other outlets have also done something similar as such gigs are a crowd puller. It just shows that there is acceptance for such music across the board,” he added.
The Electric Church is scheduled to pay tribute to Eric Clapton tonight (from 8.30pm). For further information, kindly call +6012-3350405.
