Ray Manzarek was possibly one of the most innovative musicians to come out of the psychedelic ’60s. It was his unique skill on the keyboard that shaped much of the sound that The Doors created. From providing a strong bass section to the music using his organ, to creating complex, engaging soundscapes that characterised their visceral, ethereal music, Manzarek was instrumental to the band’s rise. Manzarek was the understated genius whose ideas made sure the music was never overshadowed by their charismatic vocalist. Unfortunately, Morrison’s tragic (life and) death put an end to the dream but it never put an end to the music that Manzarek created. This is my tribute to him.

1. The Doors – ‘Moonlight Drive’
The Doors have a great number of songs that could have appeared in this list. This is the only song that is featured here because it was the song that started it all for Manzarek and Morrison, when the duo met on a beach in California and Morrison sang these lines for Manzarek.

2. Ray Manzarek – ‘Sunrise’
Manzarek recorded his version of Carmina Burana with Phillip Glass, among others collaborating with him on it. Listen to ‘Sunrise’ off the album below.

3. Echo & The Bunnymen – ‘Bedbugs And Ballyhoo’
When Echo & The Bunnymen were recording their third album of the same name, they decided to rope in Manzarek to contribute on this song. It’s pretty cool and the start has this signature Manzarek sound that is unmissable.

4. Ray Manzarek and Roy Rogers – ‘An Organ, A Guitar And A Chicken Wing’
In 2011, Manzarek collaborated with Roy Rogers to release a bunch of recordings as the album Translucent Blues. This song is the album closer and is a traditional blues jam, just the way we like ‘em.

5. Ray Manzarek – ‘The Whole Thing Started With Rock ‘n Roll And Now It’s Out Of Control’
The title of Manzarek’s second album was a mouthful but the music still shone through and the title song is probably one of the best odes to the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll. Thank you, Ray Manzarek, and keep on playin’ that good old rock ‘n’ roll.

Check out previous editions of Five at 5 here, and stay tuned for more picks from NH7, Monday through Friday.

Wacken Metal Battle India leg announced
The 2013 edition of the Indian leg of Wacken Open Air’s Metal Battles is set to take place over June, awarding one Indian metal act the chance to play Wacken Open Air 2013, which takes place from August 1 to 3. Interested bands may register for the battles on the Bangalore Open Air website, where they must provide a link to their MySpace/ReverbNation/SoundCloud/Facebook page. The deadline for entries is June 10. Shortlisted bands will compete at zonal battles, and the winners of these will battle it out in a semi-final in Bangalore on July 5. Two finalists will compete for a slot at Wacken Open Air at the Jeff Hanneman stage of Bangalore Open Air, which takes place this year on July 6. Last year, Mumbai metallers Zygnema won the Wacken Open Air Metal Battle and secured a spot at the legendary German metal festival. This year, the heavy lineup at Wacken features Anthrax, Lamb Of God, and Meshuggah, among many others. You can read more about the full lineup for this year’s edition of BOA here. Check out the schedule for zonal battles below:

Register!

Evilution, Bangalore, announced
It may be the off-season, but Bangalore’s metal gigs are going strong. Evilution takes place on June 2 at Bangalore’s Ion Bar and features a six-band lineup. On the bill are local thrash act Threinody, Mumbai horror metal group Albatross, Bangalore death metallers Dark Desolation, doom metal act Djinn & Miskatonic, thrash act Neolithic Silence, and heavy metallers Bhoomi. The evening-long gig kicks off at 5.00pm. Tickets can be bought here. Check out a poster below:

Something evil this way comes

That’s all the news for today. Stay tuned for more daily editions of the Quick Fix.

Listen to Zedd’s latest from his Soundcloud page, a remix of Empire Of The Sun’s ‘Alive’

The three city-tour will kick off on Friday, May 31 in Delhi, and end on Sunday, June 2, in Mumbai. Tickets for the three-city tour are currently on sale through BookMyShow and prices vary as per the city. You can purchase your passes for the event here. Check out the tour dates and venues below.

Tour Dates:
May 31 – Kitty-Su, New Delhi
June 1 – Geoffrey Lawns, Bangalore
June 2 – Pleasuredome, Mumbai

And, check out a poster for the tour.

Photo from Rukes.com

Also playing the festival are some of India’s best blues and blues rock acts, at the foremost of which is Mumbai group Blackstratblues. The act, fronted by guitarist Warren Mendonsa, are currently readying an album, and you can check out a preview of ‘Folkish Three’, off the album, below (review here). Blackstratblues are also scheduled to play a set at the Escape Festival of Arts and Music in Naukuchiatal this weekend.

The lineup for An Ode To The Blues also features Mumbai blues act Overdrive Trio, who are a regular fixture at blues festivals around the country, such as the Mahindra Blues Festival and the Indigo Blues festival (pics from the 2012 edition). Also playing at the festival are Bangalore electric blues act Hoodoo Gas, one of the newest blues acts to hit the Bangalore circuit. Local veterans Ministry Of Blues have featured on the first edition of the festival, and they return this year with their high energy set. The final act on the lineup are Bangalore group The Chronic Blues Circus. The finale for the night features an all star jam.

An Ode To The Blues takes place at Counter Culture, Bangalore, on June 8 from 5.30pm onward. Early bird tickets can be bought here and are priced at Rs 700 for regular tickets and Rs 3,500 for VIP tickets.

To participate, send in your poster designs to kvlt at nh7 dot in. And check out the first official NH7 & Blue Frog presents The Scene (v2.0) poster below.