‘Scalpel’… ‘Swab’… ‘Plectrum’… (silence) ‘PLECTRUM!’ Meet Dr Joel Coutinho, reputed orthopaedic surgeon specialising in  complex bone problems for most of the working day, but that’s just the day job. Give this guy a Fender Strat, plug it in, juice it up and Doc JC is our man on rhythm.

A loping bass run breaks in. Inspired by Jaco Pastorius but nourished by classic rock, ladies and gentlemen, on bass – Sanjeev Jha, insurance veteran who spends most of his day analysing risk and slings on a trusty four-string after dark.

Just feel that bass drum throb. Say hello to Tony Godinho, veteran drummer with any number of bands in India, as well as Go Africa here in Oman and the director of his own modest business.

Check out that riff. On the axe, George the IT expert – for those of you who didn’t know it till now, his talents go way beyond a qwerty keyboard.

And finally people, put your hands together for our frontman, Tarun Kunzru – the man on the mic when he unravels his CEO tie and turns it into a bandanna. People are you ready to rock?! A one… a two… a-one-two-three-four…

When stress is getting them down how else would a group of professionals unwind on a hard day’s night (yes, they have been working like dogs). Between the five of them, decisions that save lives, save data and make millions are made. These guys needed to find some way to release the pressure. They found it in Jabal Rocks.

Pain is the one emotion that dominated in my first meeting with Dr Joel. But don’t get the wrong idea - I was seeing him in his doctor’s avatar. Before putting my health in his hands though, I had thought it prudent to google my doctor. While findings indicated that his medical credentials were above board, there was this one picture that piqued curiosity.

There was Dr Joel in front of a microphone and it certainly didn’t look like he was delivering a paper at some medical seminar – unless he was doing a particularly enthusiastic rendition of ‘your hip bone is connected to your thigh bone and your thigh bone is connected to your knee bone’. We probed a little and found that the good doctor, and indeed, Jabal Rocks rocks!

The next time we met was at the Lazy Lizard on a balmy Muscat evening. Joel and Sanjeev recounted their story. It all started one Friday afternoon at Sanjeev’s house. Joel and he were strumming guitars and singing when Tarun dropped by and joined them. It sounded pretty good so they put the word out for a drummer. Along came Tony with his decades of proper band experience. The addition of drums meant that they had to go electric and pretty soon they had their first gig at a friend’s place.

The show was good but they realised they needed a good lead instrument. In walked George the guitarist and Jabal Rocks were ready to roll. Their repertoire of 50-60 songs does not belie their age. These guys are talking classic rock, with a playlist that covers Deep Purple, Steppenwolf, the Doors, the Eagles, et al. The only aberration was a version of Mehbooba, a Hindi song which they rocked up in their own style. Apparently it went down quite well so they are thinking of pulling out the plugs and getting a bit more experimental. But at the end of the day it’s all about having a good time.

Sanjeev says, “We love our day jobs but we love this too and it shows. It’s very infectious.” Joel agrees, “The important thing is we love what we are doing and I always believe that if you enjoy what you are doing people sort of get into it,” and he adds with a laugh, “If Mick Jagger can do it why not us?”

 The next time we met was at Tarun’s house where the band usually gets together to jam. Despite nothing being rigged up they play a few numbers. The guitars aren’t amplified and the drum kit, well, it doesn’t really matter what shape it’s in. When Tony starts playing you realise that he could make even a couple of pots and pans sound good.

There’s clearly a special dynamic between these guys. As Sanjeev says, “All of us are quite busy in our day jobs and then when we get together it’s just a different bunch of people. Sort of like going back to college or school. And the great thing is it’s not a job or a competition for us. It’s just fun.”

Joel believes there’s nothing like music to relieve stress. “I play golf but this is a different dimension.”  George might be a Santana in the making but when asked to step up to the mic during the shoot, his eyes widened with the sort of fear most people express when confronted by a hairy eight-legged creepy crawly. But he allows our recorder near enough to say, “Jabal Rocks is all about doing something you are passionate about and really enjoy. There isn’t the kind of pressure you face with work It’s an opportunity to let your hair down and not really worry about anything.”

Till date Jabal Rocks have played some twelve gigs mostly for friends, and are always open to invitations. There is no remuneration asked for, the only condition being that classic rock fits the bill.

Tarun gets back to us to say, “Music is purely a balm for the soul. My job is a fair mix of what I love to do and what I have to do, however, with music and Jabal Rocks I only focus on the activity at hand and there is no have to do element.”

There are also no ego clashes here. No Richards and Jagger, Tyler and Perry or Gallager and Gallager thing going on.

Sanjeev says, “Tarun drives the band. Tony keeps it tight. George is one of those classically artistic guys. Joel’s talent for us, is his enthusiasm, his excitement and his confidence. Tony and I will be fretting about music, George will be fretting about sound, Tarun will be fretting over lyrics but Joel is the most confident, coolest and the most enthusiastic.”

Doc JC had turned up wearing a tie after a long day at the clinic but within a few minutes of strumming that guitar the guy looked as relaxed as someone camped at Woodstock. For beating stress, music seems a pretty good way to go.

And if you need to seriously unwind, Jabal Rocks is looking for a keyboard player. Rock on!