For Andrew Ngullie, Abemo Enyie, and Thejove Medeo the road to musical excellence has taken them from childhood hedonism of the glam rock of the ‘80s, to being called some of the first true rock instrumentalists these side of the region.
Guitarists Ngullie, Enyie, and Medeo are rightly considered three from the earliest school of the classic rock in Nagaland. They have played with some of the finest musicians of their generation in the region and taught novices into becoming some of the finest Naga guitarists today.
They will choose the best out of the more than 70 bands from across Nagaland, India and abroad. They are the judges and selectors tasked with choosing the best bands to perform in the Hornbill International Rock Contest, 2014 edition to be held in Kohima this December.
Andrew Ngullie: Hailing from Lakhuti village in Wokha, he is considered one from among the first generation of shred guitarists in Nagaland. A man given to the highly technical sensibilities of performance rock and the brutal musical artistry only the guitar can demand, he has played with some of the best rock and metal musicians in the region during the ‘80s to early ‘90s. The guitarist’s foray into music began with a band called Gleam Beast (1986-1987), and several other bands before forming Scarlet Idol (circa ‘90s), one of the earliest rock bands from Nagaland to win a national competition title, in Delhi, in rock performance.
As his message to young musicians, Ngullie says, “They must work hard – and practice a lot. I want them to explore and not get stuck in one genre and get drunk in that genre. We should be able to play any type of genres.”
Abemo Enyie: Enyie, a bassist par excellence during his heydays, is a well known name face among rock musicians, particularly bass guitarists, in Nagaland. The native of Phiro village in Wokha was one of Patkai Christian College’s classical guitars Ensemble that performed in the US in 1994. He started out as bass man for a rock band called Deep Free way back in 1987 – interestingly with Andrew Ngullie – before teaming up to form the rock group Tribal Instinct. It is said that Thejove Medeo used to bunk from school to watch the band perform. Enyie currently teaches bass guitar in Dimapur’s School of Rock and has mentored some of the most well known bassists in Nagaland today.
“I see lots of young talents. Due to technology today, we have everything on the table. But they need to dig to the roots of music. They need to get started from the basics,” the father of two says, as his message to younger musicians.
Thejove Medeo: Younger, but no less accomplished as his immediate colleagues on the judges panel, Thejove Medeo is a name any rock guitarist in Nagaland would append to. The guitarist started off at 9 years with the guitar as his inspiration. By the age of 15 years, the lead guitarist was already with a band called Straight Ahead before playing with college rockers Tedium and later Divine Connection. The reticent Medeo, who hails from Thipuzu village in Phek, then joined Tribal Instinct, the rock band of his fellow judges and the one for whose cause he bunked classes! He is currently a guitar teacher based in Kohima.
The father of one has a message for young musicians and is unequivocal about what young musicians must pursue: “Be humble and be open to suggestions; be open to criticism and be disciplined. Don’t always bask in past glories.”
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