Rock guitarist, guitar player and session musician, Richard Barber - available for hire for your working band in Oahu, Hawaii

ROCKIN' WITH BORRISON IVY

By Sherry Tenorio

ONCE UPON A TIME IN 2007 [2008 - ed], A FILIPINO, AN INDIAN, AN AUSTRALIAN AND A SCOTSMAN MET THROUGH AN ONLINE AD AND FORMED A ROCK BAND CALLED BORRISON IVY. NOW, THE GROUP IS CREATING MUSIC AND PERFORMING ONSTAGE, GIVING DUBAI'S ROCK SCENE A DIFFERENT YET FRESH TAKE ON MUSIC. NEWBIE? YES, BUT ORIGINAL AND IMPRESSIVE.

Borrison Ivy, one of Dubai's newest original rock bands formed in 2008, is quickly gaining a good foothold in the UAE's music scene. The band composed of Quay Evano on bass, Nikhil Uzgare on vocals, Richard Barber on guitar and Marc McWilliam on drums, are working on releasing an album of all original songs early this year. With so many original compositions in their catalogue, Borrison Ivy are happy jamming and recording their songs in the studio and playing in as many gigs and events as they can all over the UAE.

So far, the band have performed in Dubai, Sharjah and even as far as Ras Al Khaimah. They have played in the monthly 15 Minutes of Fame at Sharjah Wanderers Club, Fete de la Musique at the Madinat Souq, Dubai Motorsports Festival and PEACE Club Christmas Party. Last October 2008, they were the front act for heavy metal bands Nerve Cell and Sun King at the Rock Nation event in Dubai. This year, they are scheduled to perform at the Global Village, Dubai Shopping Festival, and Dubai Bike Week. Moreover, along with other local rock bands, they will be headlining the Mega Rock Nation on March 27.

The band started as an idea of Richard Barber who arrived in Dubai around two years ago after working in Japan as a language teacher for six years. Inspired by his music idols Randy Rhoads and Eddie Van Halen, he felt a growing urge to play, and that urge turned into a desire to come up with original rock songs and put together a rock band.

So, he posted a couple of ads on two Dubai-based websites looking for people to be part of the band he was forming (which [is] named after his two plants "Borris" and "Ivy"). Soon, thereafter, he found musicians heeding his call. A couple of jams in the music studio, membership changes and gigs, and the band are now at ease with their present roster.

Some of the songs in their catalogue and which they have played live are "When It's Over", "Start" and "Just Another Office Job" and many more home demos in their website which they will be playing in gigs and concerts soon.

Four people of different nationalities, different musical tastes, different cultural backgrounds, different experiences, different faiths and beliefs and (at times) quite different world views who met over the internet equal to the sound of Borrison Ivy: original rock music that is cool, catchy, melodic, thumping and lots of fun.

Borrison Ivy is a fairy tale rock group that will keep audiences from everywhere united in rocking to their music.