Our Correspondent
KOHIMA, DECEMBER 4
Legendary guitarist Kee Marcello, who is best known as the former guitarist of ‘The Final Countdown’ hitmaker Swedish rock group Europe, has arrived Kohima Friday evening with his band and will be performing at the Naga Heritage Village, Kisama on December 5.
“The last time I performed in India was in 1989 in Bombay (now Mumbai) with Europe,” Marcello reminisced while addressing a press conference following his arrival at the Blue Bayou, Kohima. Europe was touring on its ‘Out of This World’ album then and was touted as the Band of the Year in India.
Now with his own band called the Kee Marcello Band, the guitar legend will be performing for the second time in India and the first in Nagaland, and this time for a noble cause. The organizers of the December 5 show have roped the band in for the cause of the differently abled, wherein the entire proceeds of the concert will go towards financial assistance to support selected group of persons with disabilities from 11 districts of Nagaland.
The band members – drummer Tim Brown, guitarist Jason Banks and bassist Wayne Banks including the legend Kee himself are reportedly involved in voluntarily teaching and playing for children with special needs in Sweden, imparting music therapy. Marcello, it was learnt, has also helped ADHD children with the proceedings he earned from a reality show amounting to 100,000 Swedish Krona.
”This is a great cause and we support it,” the band says.
When asked about their take on the current music industry particularly the rock genre, the band members were quick to reply that the scenario has become different today, with the advancing technology and the internet and the system that has been adopted by the radio especially in European countries. Towards this, they feel it has become hard for young musicians to get into the industry.
When asked about his relationship with Europe’s frontman Joey Tempest, Marcello said it is “almost non-existent” as Joey lives in England and he (Marcello) has moved back to Sweden. “The last gig we did together was on the Millennium night in 1999,” he said. Marcello brushed away the possibility of a ‘Europe reunion’ in the future.
On the impending show at Kisama, Marcello said the band is looking forward to play for the Naga audience and to hear Naga singers as well.
Before he joined Europe, Marcello was a founding member of Swedish glamrock band called Easy Action which became the first Swedish act to ever sign a US major label deal, even before the legendary ABBA. Later, he joined the rock band Europe in 1986 and went on to record 2 multimillion selling albums with the band. After he separated with Europe in 1992, Kee has released four solo albums and he has, throughout his career, written and produced for other artists with multiplatinum successes. He is also an author, who made his debut with his autobiography ‘The Rockstar God Forgot’.
The band will be performing at Kisama as part of The Coming Generation’s Magnificat Fiesta. The Magnificat Fiesta is said to be an annual Pre-Christmas Extravaganza to magnify God’s presence within the family and the society. This year, the event is being held to support differently abled persons selected from 11 districts with assistance from local NGO The YARD, with a view to motivate the differently abled community in Nagaland.
The show is scheduled to begin from 5.30 pm on Saturday evening and will have MLA Kuzholuzo (Azo) Nienu as the chief guest. Besides the Kee Marcello Band, other highlights of the evening will include honouring of differently abled persons, and opening acts by Naga artists.
