Return of The Blue Turtle

It was truly a trip down memory lane for both the band members and the audience as The Blue Turtle took the stage on January 5 at The Southern Deck, Benaulim, doing their first gig in over 25 years.
Considered as one of Goa's noted rock bands in the 80's and 90's the group which consists of Vernon Velho(HOD, Neuro Surgery Department and Professor, JJ Group of Hospitals) on the drums, Kevin Vaz (Miami, USA) on the keyboard, Edwin Fernandes (New Delhi) on the guitar, Simao de Goa (interior designing)on lead vocals, Ashley Rodrigues on guitar (Dubai) and Avril Rodrigues on the bass (Dubai) performed hit tunes from Def Leppard, Whitesnake, The Scorpions, Santana etc.
"While we are now spread across the globe, it was in July last year that all of us happened to be down in Goa for a function and we decided to get together and see whether the chemistry still existed between us and if we were still on the same page," recalls Ashley. The group rehearsed for around three hours and also did a small performance at The Big Tap, Baga. "We realised that the passion was still there and began planning on how we could come out and do a bit more music," says Ashley. As he was celebrating his 25th wedding anniversary, Ashley and the team decided to do their 25th anniversary gig around the same time too. And thus the Southern Deck gig fell into place. The band was supported by Pure Magic (live) and DJ Ross D.
Speaking about how the band first came together, Ashley narrates an interesting story. "I was down with the flu in the hospital and happened to be listening to some music when my brother Avril and Edwin walked in. They liked the music and suggested that we try playing it too. The very next day we picked up our guitars and began to play a bit and soon noticed that there was potential there and roped in our other members," states Ashley. "Apart from Edwin who had already been playing in a band, for the rest of us we were starting out for the first time."
And the band began in earnest with practices spanning almost 14 hours a day. "We rented out a flat in Navelim and practices non stop. The focus was there our priorities were straight and the whole thing was an amalgamation of ideas and talent," says Ashley. The band steadily acquired a name and also got a lot of encouragement from established bands like Rock Machine. "We used to be pretty active on stage and always insisted on a ramp. Many a times while we were moving around we used to even kick each others tables," says Ashley chuckling, while recalling fond memories. "The craziest thing was that we didn't have any gear at that time, as not much was available in Goa. We used to practice with an old speaker."
And over the years, rock music hasn't really changed, believes Ashley. "It's just that other music has evolved and taken over the genre. However, I believe that rock music will return in a big way with a new breed of talent," he says.
As for their band, while all of them are busy with their respective careers now, Ashley promises that Goa will see more from The Blue Turtle in the future.