An intriguing and extensive six-part web series, ‘Standing By’ is an attempt to uncover and document the history of independent music in India. Through the six episodes and a mammoth digital archiving effort, the series unearths some of the most interesting stories and events that were fundamental to the formation of the now thriving independent music scene in the country. Standing By will be released in beginning on the 13^th of October.

Produced by OML and Red Bull Media House, ‘Standing By’traverses through the decades, through interviews with people who are now household names in the music industry – from musicians and journalists to event organisers and label heads – as well as never-seen-before footage and vintage images. Among the interviewees, of which there are over 100, are musical legends such as Usha Uthup, Louis Banks and Carlton Kitto, journalists such as Jug Suraiya, Naresh Fernandes and Aruna Dasgupta, and some of the best-known names of the current music scene, including Vishal Dadlani, Uday Benegal, Nikhil Chinapa, Rahul Ram, Monica Dogra, Nucleya and Dualist Inquiry.

Beginning with the nation’s independence and the exploration of the jazz scene in the country in 1947, the ‘Standing By’story then proceeds to the ’60s and ’70s and the rise of the beat groups, the mid-’70s to late ’80s with the nationwide spread rock and, later, metal, the ’90s with MTV and the music video explosion and finally to the dance music boom of the present day.

‘Standing By’ – the timeline

To complement the documentary series is a mammoth digital archive, hosted on StandingBy.in, which will comprise an interactive timeline that allows users to explore various stories, events and anecdotes from India’s alternative music scene over the decades. In addition, users will also be invited to share their own memories of artists and events, through stories and photographs, by placing these in the appropriate year on the interactive timeline.

Says Arjun S Ravi, the director and host of ‘Standing By’, “Making this documentary has been simultaneously the most amazing and most challenging experience I have ever had. Produced jointly by OML and Red Bull Media House, this is a project that has taken nearly two years. And this is just the beginning.”

‘Standing By’ – the interviewees

A full list of people featured in the documentary is as follows:

Aberrant, Abhijeet Tambe (Lounge Pirahna), Ambika Muttoo, Amit Gurbaxani, Amit Kilam (Indian Ocean), Amyt Datta, Andreas Nathaniel War (Project Blend Ltd), Anirban ‘Bann’ Chakraborty (Orange Street), Anthony Braganza, Aruna Dasgupta, Ashutosh Phatak, Bashir Sheikh (The Savages), Brian Tellis, Brodha V, Carl Marbaniang (Reed), Carlton Kitto, Cyrus Oshidar, Debayan Deb, Deepak Puri, Dev Bhatia, Devraj Sanyal (Brahma), Dhruv Jagasia, DJ Skip, Don Saigal, Dosser’s Urge, Dualist Inquiry, Electric Plant, Eugene Arnold Jaraine (Adremelech), Fali Damania (Acquired Funk Syndrome), Farida Vakil (The Ladybirds), Fossils, Ganesh Talkies, Gary Lawyer, Gaurab Chatterjee (Lakkhichhara), Gaurav Vaz (The Raghu Dixit Project), Girish ‘Bobby’ Talwar (Zero), Girish Raj, Gopal and Geetha Navale, Guru Somayaji, Jason Manners (Pip of The Fourth Mother), Jayashree Singh (Skinny Alley), Jayesh Veralkar, Joe Alvares (Atomic Forest), Joint Family, Jug Suraiya, Kamal Singh (Hoirong), Keith Wallang (Mojo), Kryptos, Lalitha Suhasini, Louis Banks, Manek D’Silva (Slain), Manoj Pant (Collegium), Matseiwdor War Nongbri, menwhopause, Michael Furtado, Midnight Garden Factor, Miti Adhikari, Monica Dogra, Naresh Fernandes, Neel Adhikari (Neel and the Lightbulbs), Nikhil Chinapa, Nischay Parekh, Nondon Bagchi (High), Nucleya, Palaash Sen (Euphoria), Parvaaz, Plague Throat, Pradyot Deb Burman, Prakash Sontakke, Radha Thomas (Human Bondage), Rahul Ram (Indian Ocean), Randolph Correia (Pentagram), Rangdap, Raxit Tewari (Your Chin), Reggae Rajahs, Reji Ravindran, Revel Souls, Rishu Singh, Robert G Lyngdoh (Mojo), Roger Drego, Rohit ‘P-Man’ Pereira, Ronnie Desai (People), Roy Menezes, Sahil Makhija (Demonic Resurrection), Sajid Akbar, Sanjay Divecha, Sarah and Munbir Chawla, Sherlock Giri (The Fentones), Shomi Gupta, Siddharth Basrur, Siddharth Coutto, Skrat, Skyharbor, Snow White, Soulmate, Su Real, Subir Malik (Parikrama), Superfuzz, Suresh Bhojwani (The Jets), Street Stories, The Circus, The F16’s, The Supersonics, Them Clones, Thermal And A Quarter, Threinody, Tony Das, Tuhin Mehta, Uday Benegal (Indus Creed), Underground Authority, Undying Inc, Usha Uthup, Vachan Chinapa, Varun Murali (Swarathma), Vijay Nair, Vikramjit ‘Tuki’ Bannerjee (Krosswindz), Vinay Venkatesh (Bhayanak Maut), Vishwesh Krishnamoorthy, Vivek ‘Bumpy’ Mathur (Killer Tomatoes).