Tag Archives: Summertime

Day 3 of The GoMad Festival 2013 at Fernhills Palace, Ooty

It was a beautiful Sunday morning in Ooty and happy people in colorful attire strolled about while others lay in the grass, looking up at the blue sky. The Shakey Rays were the first band to play the Calaloo stage which turned out to be a bane. The sound was completely messed up as the start of the gig delayed was delayed by an hour. The Shakeys, who we were really looking forward to, had massive sound issues throughout their set. The long-delay also meant that there were only a handful of people who stayed back to watch them perform. Those who did were treated to some tracks from their sleeper-hit debut album Tunes from the Big Belly – Im Gonna Catch That Train. Queen bee on the radio etc. The trademark harmonies though were missing (again, thanks to the terrible sound) and so was the bands enthusiasm. They sleepwalked through the rest of their set which also included an interesting yet-unreleased track called Animals Dancing. We cannot stress how eagerly we await their sophomore album!

An eclectic act from Trivandrum, Vidwans early slot on day 3 meant that they didnt have a huge crowd around when they began. That made no difference to their enthusiasm as they played a setlist filled with infectious grooves and excellent melodies. While they took a song to warm up, ‘Ellaelo’ had the sparse crowd jumping and dancing in no time at all. The percussion section especially the Thayil lent a very interesting touch to Vidwans sound. ‘Thaiyae’, a women empowerment song was pulled off nicely, a great arrangement adding to the overall vibe of the song. The pick of their setlist was ‘Kaithola’, a folksy song with a really catchy hook that got the audience singing along as well. Anoop Mohandass vocals were top notch while the other lead singer Neha Nairs voice sounded a bit strained. The drum and percussion elements were strong when required and understated and just right otherwise, the bass work eminently enjoyable and a strong keys and guitar section created a full, rich sound. The last song of their setlist was a dubstep infused number with a great jam section with the thayil. All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable act that could have done with a little more of an audience.

Virginia Martinez, a blues singer from the faraway land of Uruguay was a rather bizarre interlude on the Calaloo stage between The Shakey Rays and Emergence. Putting together a temporary band that included the spectacular Mishko Mba on the bass and Aman Mahajan on the keys, she performed a set of blues standards such as ‘Summertime’, ‘Hoochie Coochie Man’ (Girl in Ms. Martinezs rendition), ‘House of the Rising Sun’, ‘Master of the Universe’, and ‘Superstition’. The lack of a guitarist however, made the sound a little hollow.The standout aspect of the act was Mishkos bass solos and how he made up in places for the lack of a guitar, especially on ‘House of the Rising Sun’. Aman Mahajans solos were great, but nothing spectacular. The drum work though was rather muted and disappointing. A rather annoying aspect of the set was Ms Martinez annoying talking over the solos and otherwise (although one might attribute this to cultural differences), especially apparent when the superb guest violin bits of Karthik Iyer were drowned out towards the end of the setlist.

Bevar Sea, Bangalore based Doom-metal outfit unleashed their brand of old fashioned Black Sabbathy Doom & Gloom upon the unsuspecting audience. Being the only Doom band on the lineup, we guess they are the first Doom band to perform in Ooty. As oxymoronic as Doom Metal in Ooty may sound, Bevar Sea did an amazing job with the time they had reminding everyone once again that they were Bevar Sea, and so were we. ‘Smiler’, the track that got the crowd banging their heads, was followed up with a doomy rendition of Pink Floyds ‘Astronomy Domine’. Not only was it much heavier but frontman Ganesh also threw in some deft modulation work using a Korg Monotron. Adding Doom elements to a great psychedelic song can yield amazing results. ‘Where there is smoke, There is a pyre’ was a faster than usual song punctuated throughout with some great drum fills by Deepak Raghu. They ended the set with crowd favorite ‘Abishtu’. Ganesh, consummate in his white Saint Vitus t-shirt jumped down from the stage to let crowd members yell the infamous Oy Abishtu chant into the mic. Some badges were thrown to fans and we were also informed that the band would be entering the studio to record an album come mid 2014. That is something to look forward to.

Inner Sanctum, in true Inner Sanctum fashion managed to galvanize a sleepy Sunday crowd into moshing and mayhem. Vocalist Gaurav Basu, in true Gaurav Basu form, ran around the stage whilst trying to (unsuccessfully) avoid the electronic equipment strewn on the floor. Drummer Abhinav Yogesh, in true Abhinav Yogesh style sported a Gojira t-shirt and absolutely nailed every blastbeat through their 10 song set. It was exactly the Inner Sanctum set that everyone expected and for that we were thankful. Also, some Inner Sanctu\m/ stats from Ooty:

Number of moshpits: 3

Walls of Death: 1

Number of times motherf***er was uttered on the mic: 27

Adopting a clean, no-frills sound setup, Emergence sang multilingual pop songs advocating the use of organic farming and the advantages of growing your own food. Bassist Mishko Mba was clearly the star of the band as he, with his lovely bass tone dazzled the relaxed crowd at the Blubaloo stage.

Lagori’s set began with Ni Re Sa a powerful song that is optimistic and sings of hope. This was followed by Darbari an old-timey piece made wonderfully contemporary with a catchy riff and a great solo. Through their performances of Duniya re and Pardesi, the crowd participated by singing along and tapping their feet energetically. However, what really got them riled up was the bands self-titled piece, Lagori! Even a stranger to the Indian music scene will tell you that professionalism has always graced every performance Lagori has ever given.

How can you go wrong with an electric violin, really? As soon as violinist Bala Bhaskar played the first few notes on his beautiful sounding instrument, everybody stood up and took notice. Sounding like a cross between a Carnatic violinist and Dream Theater, their fusion prog-rock was high-energy, intense and tight. One small grouse with the programming though. Immediately following Bala Bhasker on stage were Carnatic rockers Agam who have a very similar sound.

The legendary Agam occupied the stage next, and wasted no time after the soundcheck to start things off with Brahmas Dance. Their second song, The Seventh Ocean starts out with a great riff and switches mid-way to another. Listening to this one was like being on a rollercoaster, complete with all the turns and twists and the temporary melodic lull that one should not get used to too quickly. As they progressed to play Dhanashree Thillana, you could tell that nothing could go wrong with Agam. Particularly fantastic was a little match between Harishs vocal acrobatics and Praveens follow-up response with excellent guitar playing. The to-and-fro went on for a while, and then the song resumed to end on a particularly ecstatic high note. However, what truly grasped the listener in awe was Agams performance of Rudra an obeisance to Lord Shiva the Destroyer. The piercing riff matched the mood of the evening, with some brilliant lighting adding to the reverence brewing in every listeners mind.

Tritha Electric hasn’t played at too many festivals but going by their energetic performance that was belted out to an expectant, packed crowd, one would be convinced that they totally should. Needless to say, Tritha has an amazing voice and looks nothing short of a goddess on stage. Their out of the ordinary performance was quite a different experience – a queer amalgamation of Bengali lyrics and a danceable groovy music makes this band quite a treat to watch live.

The blazing sun was a mellow crimson as the darkness slowly began to engulf the surroundings of the Fernhills Royal Palace. Distant notes of ‘Ek Omkaar‘ made the evening unbelievably magical and enchanting and a lonely star shone bright as we were drawn to the Calaloo stage. Sonam Kalra and The Sufi Gospel Project induced a dream-like experience with the beautiful sound of the sarangi, tabla and of course Sonam’s ethereal voice. Their own version of ‘Hallelujah‘ followed as the crowd let out a collective sigh. The slow realization that the evening and three days of the festival was about to end made us slightly melancholic and there was a sudden urge to drink in every detail.

Parting is indeed a sweet sorrow. 3 days of music, arts and dance were coming to an end. Rather aptly, Veronica Nunes and Ricardo Vogt – a ridiculously good-looking pair, were bringing proceedings to an end with their intimate, samba-jazz stylings. Veronica on ukulele and vocals complimented Ricardo who played guitar and occasionally sang. Thier music had a Joao Gilberto feel and it mesmerized the crowd who had gathered under the cool, blue lights at the Calaloo stage. While their set mostly consisted of originals they also did a delightful cover of Sergio Mendes popular Mas Que Nada. A fitting way to bring the curtains down on MAD .

Dressed nattily in white and black formal attire, The Ska Vengers mingled with the crowd and the venue looked as though it had been infiltrated by genial members of the MIB! But as soon as they got onto the elevated stage, the picture fit. Belting out song after song, the image they carefully cultured through the process of the show was powerful and lasting. They looked like snazzy harbingers of social change, pointing out the difficult truths and gently gibing at the inconsistencies in society with their complex lyrical style managing to look cool throughout.

Day 3 of The GoMad Festival 2013 at Fernhills Palace, Ooty

Photo Credits: Parizad D

Shobna Dance Company -When Shobana, ResulPookutty, A.R Rehman, Shabana Azmi, Konkona Sen Sharma, Radhika, Nandita Das, Prabhu, Milind Soman and Surya along with world class musicians, technicians, come together in a production it has to be a spectacle in every way. Story of the Blue God was re-told in a two and a half hour musical titled Krishna. English dialogues were used to reach out to a wider audience. Music from classical Carnatic idiom and Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam movies was strung together to again give the story a pan Indian feel. Exotic sets and multimedia presentation created different landscapes as the story moved from Vrindavan, Mathura and finally to the battle ground of Kurukshetra. Not only were classical dance forms like Bharatanatyam, Bharata Nrityam, Kuchipudi, Odissi used but folk movements were also incorporated to add the flavour of village setting. Excellently trained dancers under the able guidance of Shobana braved the chill winds of Ooty to put a show which was a visual and aural treat . Dancers in exotic costumes and beautiful make-up effortlessly moved across the stage in kaleidoscopic patterns. Events in the story were linked with dialogue passages which were sometimes aesthetic especially those which expressed the divine love of Radha and Krishna but at other times they were loud and garish. The group sequences- be it the joyous dances or the battles between Krishna and his opponents were excellently choreographed, extremely well-co-ordinated and rehearsed. Shobana did complete justice to the character by bringing out both the strength and subtlety of a multi-dimensional icon like Krishna.

Photo Credits: Parizad D

Why should a story that has been told so many times be presented again? Because Krishna is a icon who is difficult to understand as he is a combination of contrasts. One has to revisit His legends again and again in order to understand the hidden meanings between the different episodes which seem like a play at a superficial level. Shobana in an interview with Yogesh Pawar expressed “ there are only certain facets of him that appeal to people. They take the aspect they feel most comfortable with and leave out the rest. While children love his stories about the butter thief, young adults harp on the sringara aspect. In fact an attempt is made to often strait-jacket him into the role of the eternal Romeo of sorts.But once you delve deeply into the subject, all this takes on spiritual connotations. It was rather difficult to unshackle Krishnas image from His popular forms. It is indeed a challenge to encapsulate the spirit of this philosopher, teacher, negotiator and lover in a production.”

By,

Sohan Maheshwar, Uday Shankar, Rohan Arthur, Purva Dhanashree and Priyanka Shetty

WTS Crew

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Day 1 of Indigo & Blues – International Jazz and Blues Festival at Palace Grounds, Bangalore

Rohan Arthur

May 2012 will be remembered as the month when Bangalore had a much needed overdose of the Blues. The ten-day Ode to the Blues Festival with film screenings, busking and concerts conducted all around the city was followed by the (unimaginatively titled) Puravankara Indigo & Blues International Jazz and Blues Festival a week later. The line-up looked quite delicious, with the likes of Van Wilks, Bobby Whitlock and Blackstratblues promising to dish out a surfeit of sweet blues music that is music to the soul.

Day One of the festival featured The Chronic Blues Circus, Groove #3, Overdrive Trio and The Van Wilks Band. The arrangements at the venue were replete with blue Nilkamal chairs, tables with spotless white tablecloths, uniformed stewards and ofcourse, the stage! The stage was nothing spectacular, so to speak, and the lighting arrangements were leaning towards Spartan (for an event of this magnitude). I was lurking around in the hour before twilight, looking for artists doing their last minute sound checks, but could find none. What came as a pleasant surprise was that the proceedings started a few minutes after 6 p.m., just as promised! This was a novel experience, but the downside of it was that the crowd had not yet poured in as expected. Perhaps they assumed that the show would start at least an hour late, as is usually the case at music festivals.

Chronic Blues Circus was the first band to take to the stage. The band is headed by, as described by a friend, the “Amitabh Bachchan of the Indian Blues Scene”, Mr.Peter Isaac on the harp, guitar and vocals. They opened the proceedings with an upbeat instrumental version of John Mayall’s ‘So Hard to Share’. The 7-note bass cycle served its purpose of hooking the (still sparse) audience into a lull. This was followed by their own ‘Indian Blues’ with Miriam on the vocals and then Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Killing Floor’ which was opened by a rasping rally call of ‘Let’s Go’ by Peter. Ananth Menon and Venkatesh Subramaniyam (Venky) took turns to show us what they could do with their six strings, through the protracted complementing licks.

Venky then went on to introduce the next song, called ‘Woman’, written by Peter way back in ’93. The song was appropriately wistful and cynical in places and this was confirmed somehow with the two part vocal harmony. Another original, ‘Sweet Nicotine’ followed, which seemed to fit better with a theme of love-making and heartbreak rather than having anything to do with tobacco. I say this with due respect and a hat tip each to Ananth and Venky for their wailing, perfectly tremolo-ed leads. Owen Bosen, the otherwise self-restrained bassist took over the vocals for the next song, and just when I was thinking whether anyone else in the band could also sing, first Venky and then Ananth polished off one verse each.

Despite being wowed by the band members’ singing prowess, one could not help but notice the fluctuating vocal levels. This was the only distraction, the sore tooth in an otherwise perfect little set. True, managing sound for a band which has five lead vocalists is a challenge, but for an event of this magnitude, it should be easily doable. Palace Grounds is an open green area and is bound to have a swarm of mosquitoes in the evenings, something that could have been avoided by probably sanitizing the area before the show.

Owen was back on the vocals for ‘Money Talks’, with his Knopfler-esque nonchalance, that beguiles the talent and experience that stand behind it. Ananth Menon’s pearl-blue guitar told many stories that evening, and really stood out as something that would be remembered for a long time to come. The songs that followed were ‘Win n’ Lose Blues’ and ‘Ulsoor Lake Blues’, both originals. The latter is, obviously about Ulsoor Lake and what it stands for in Bangalore’s past and present.

The refrain call of ‘Stop giving me waste’ was sort of half-wasted, considering the audience was only half-full. This was my favourite from the set, both for the message that it carried and for the classy execution. Mukut Chakravarthy was quite the demon on the keys, wincing and jumping off his seat in time to the magically achieved coda. Despite the overly booming bass levels and the fluctuating vocal levels, The Chronic Blues Circus, for their part, managed beautifully to present one melodious blues sound.

Groove #3 was the next, and I was impressed all over again with the promptness hardly five minutes after the previous band had vacated the stage, the next set was kicked off in style! May 18^th incidentally marked the Chennai-based band’s first anniversary, and hopes were high for something special that evening. After the opening instrumental, frontman Benny Dayal appeared on stage in his curious wool cap and introduced the band to us. The first song was an original called ‘Baby You Got Me’. The sheer capacity and range of the vocals hit me almost immediately. It is very rare one comes across a vocalist who has got so many things right, even down to the showmanship. Napier Naveen Kumar’s slap bass for this ditty rightly justified the “Groove” in Groove #3.

Bob Marley’s ‘Get Up, Stand Up’ was up next, but it took a while for the audience to identify the song. This was thanks to the long lead and bass intro, and it wasn’t until Benny started with the lyrics that anyone could’ve guessed the song. Old jazz standard ‘Summertime’ followed, but this time in the funk/jazz style. This rendition by Groove #3 has become rather a phenomenon on YouTube but I have my reservations about tampering with the jazz standards. Yes, I am a purist, guilty as accused. If I were to imagine this to be some other song, then I would say I was rather impressed with the meaty groove and the arpeggio-ridden bass line. If I were to put the feeling in words, well, on one side, this version sounds rather “happy” for ‘Summertime’. On the other side, I was impressed by the walking bass line, the staggering guitar licks, the slippery keys and the brutal snare-belting. I was sold when Benny pulled a kazoo out of his pocket and let it rip for a few bars.

The next song was an original called ‘Nowhere to Run’, purportedly about “getting trapped in love”. The staccato one-note introspective soliloquy, that forms most of the verse, did not impress, nor did the unimaginative chorus. The song really was saved by the breaks – the chunky chord work on the keys and the guitar lead caused the song to finally admit to the remorseful, regret-filled lyrical content. Stevie Wonder’s ‘Superstition’ was up next, which, curiously, had Leon James playing the slap bass on the keyboard and Napier just playing the semi-muted root notes on the bass guitar. The meat of the song was rather like a quick march, and the break-aways were the 80s style organ sweeps and Benny wailing in full belt, causing the happy marriage of “soul” and “groove”.

Another original called ‘Don’t Let Go’ was up next. The perfectly timed rests were enriched with music, and the song urged the audience to “stay funky, keep it right”. From the whole set, this song really stood out as the essence of Groove #3’s funk/jazz sound. This would’ve been the last song on the set, but the crowd clearly wanted more. After confirming with organizers, the band agreed to give us one more song. Just as I was beginning to jump with joy, I realized they were going to repeat the only lackluster track from their set, ‘Nowhere to Run’. This unfortunate choice for the encore was my cue to scuttle off to indulge in the sumptuous free snacks that were on offer. I must pause here to give two thumbs up to the organizers and my compliments to the chef.

Mumbai-based Overdrive Trio took the stage next, with Adrian D’Souza on the drums, Vibhas Patil on the bass and Sunny D’Souza on the guitar and vocals. This time, however, there was a slight delay allowing for Adrian to set up his own drum kit. I tried to get a peek at it, but it was mysteriously hidden behind a mountain of stage amps. The band opened with an original, ‘You’ve Got Me Tripping’. With its minimal lyrics and maximum overdrive, the song sent the audience tripping. The sound guy was still struggling to get the bass levels right, but I suppose we had just decided to give it up for a lost cause. Another original, ‘Long Distance Blues’ followed. Sunny’s guitar patch for this one sounded so fuzzy that it had an almost organ-like tone. Adrian D’Souza has been one of my favourite drummers and he surely didn’t disappoint. The 2-minute drum solo with the rumbling toms was as impressive as any other and one could spy members in the audience intelligently trying to keep time with the abstract clashes and thumps.

A quick change of tuning, and the band played another original titled ‘The Mid Life Blues’. Sunny’s vocals and guitar lead spewed desperation and anger as did Adrian’s drum rolls. Vibhas’ bass line walked all over the choppity-chop-chop guitar riffs to present an excellent and gratifying listening experience. At one point, Adrian jumped clear off the drum thrown HALFWAY through the roll, which itself then went the other way to emphasize the angst and the helplessness that was intended for the song. Richie Kotzen’s exquisitely crafted ballad ‘Remember’ was lined up next. This version was slowed down even more than the original, with longer wails emanating from Sunny’s guitar, giving the song an almost Gary Moore-like sound, creating an active, engaging conversation between the vocalist and the guitar.

Next in the set was Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Purple Haze’. I have never heard a version like this one before. The original song was all about swagger, but Overdrive Trio’s rendition had so much more tear-jerking soul in it. I will carry that coda in my heart for a long, long time to come. Just as Sunny announced that this was the last song from them, and was saying his thanks, the crowd went wild with cries for more. Even I had forgotten that Van Wilks was playing next, and would have had Overdrive Trio play forever. A quick nod from the organizers, and then they did oblige the crowd with a rendition of Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Foxy Lady’. My first witnessing of the Overdrive Trio had left me in an admiring daze, and I was already making promises to never miss another show by them. What is it with Mumbai and blues trios? Overdrive Trio’s positively incandescent performance would be complemented the next day by another blues trio from Mumbai, the Blackstratblues. But more on that in the Day 2 review.

Santosh Gnanakan, popularly known as RJ Saggy took the stage next to introduce the headlining Van Wilks Band, and also to do some justified promotion for Radio Indigo. Saggy also helpfully pointed out some members of the Bobby Whitlock Band and Coco Carmel, who were rubbing shoulders with the audience and drinking in the blues stupefaction. Also in the crowd were the boys from Blackstratblues.

Van Wilks strutted on to the stage with two friends in tow: Dave Ray on the bass and Nico Leophonte on the drums. Van Wilks is a world-renowned blues guitarist from Austin, Texas. He carries the Texan swagger and an easy humour with him. Seeing this easy-going natural stage baby, one could hardly guess that he is a cancer survivor, an inductee into the ‘Texas Music Hall of Fame’ and has a state wide official ‘Van Wilks Day’ celebrated every November 6 in Texas. It was clear that sparks were going to fly that evening in Palace Grounds, despite the problems with the sound and the mosquitoes, both of which were hurriedly brushed under the mental carpet in order to drink in the experience fully.

The opening song was ‘Secret’ which won the crowd over from the very start with its cheeky lyrics. Van’s fretwork for this song set the expectations quite high for the rest of the set. Another thing that stood out was the amount of fun the three boys were having on stage. Sadly, this failed to transfer completely to the audience, who were too comfortable in their Nilkamal chairs and too busy munching hors d’oeuvres. Sure, there was this small number of revelers who were dancing unabashedly right in front of the stage. The next song was ‘Stone Cold Day’ which incorporated hammer-on overdrive tones with a groovy bass line to create an exciting blues song.

‘Mama Talk’ followed with its heavy, almost hard rock intro. The faithful crowd in the front went berserk for this one. The experience would have been perfect with some nice stagelights, but sadly this was not to be. The lead section had Van Wilks affectionately patting the guitar with his strumming hand which produced an unholy beautiful sound while Dave’s bass licks kept the song on its burning track. The next song was ‘Temporary Love Affair’ with Van Wilks introducing the song as: “I may not be a lawyer but I can damn sure get you off with this one.” The song is an honest and not-too-humble confession of the singer’s love for beautiful women.

‘Dialtone Blues’ was a high reverb dreamy song with a spaced out lead and cleverly disguised bass and drums that created an aura of a lucid dream with eerie sounds. The shocking, crashing coda with the fast strumming bass (something I had never seen before) snapped us out of the reverie and ready for the next song. ‘I Know (You Don’t Love Me No More)’ was a regulation Texas blues song with a 4/4 time and a catchy meaty riff. The lead had lightning fast licks and squeals that reached high up to the Heaven. ‘Goin’ to See My Baby’ had the “on-the-road-so-long” theme which is one of the favourites among blues song writers. This song, however, also incorporated the Texan swagger and thus created a nice stylish little ditty.

The next song was ‘Without a Word’, a blues ballad. This is my favourite kind of blues music, and I was rather looking forward to the trip. I wasn’t let down. That could have been BB King playing on stage. Only, it was the smiling Texan, Van Wilks playing the guitar lead and transforming it again into a Blackmore-esque squall. This song sent me tripping! There was a big green praying mantis on a chair next to mine, and it seemed to be swaying with the music. The two of us probably made a circuit of Saturn and Jupiter while Dave took over on the bass lead which was played in the higher frets. The sound was exactly like the guitar lead, except in lower octaves. This could go on forever, everything else forgotten, just the sweet sweet music washing down all around us. Sadly, the end was inevitable, a song has to be time-bound, and therefore, come to a halt.

The next song was a complete paradigm shift into a pumping fast British Blues style number called ‘Stiletto Blues’. All hands were in the air in answer to the booming bass drum, and finally, the audience forgot about the chairs and the snacks and were on their feet, dancing. At the end of the song, Van said that he had “beaten the guitar out of tune”, so had to change it. The band then wrapped up with ‘Bleedin’ for You’ and ‘Boystown’. The latter offered a Texas-Mexico mish-mash sound that somehow gelled very well together. If you’ve heard anything by the band Tito and Tarantula you will get my drift. However, these two songs were somehow not half as impressive as the previous ones. Or perhaps I was still tripping from ‘Without a Word’, so failed to notice anything going on. The band looked justifiably exhausted after their adrenaline splashing set, and so, the music had to stop.

Van Wilks and his band had exceeded all expectations. One can only hope for more tours to India, with more of that healing, uplifting Texas Blues. I got a chance to meet Mr.Wilks backstage and I asked him about the experience of playing in front of an Indian crowd, to which he said, “It is not very different from playing back home. Music is the same language in Texas as in Bangalore.” Hats off to the man for having tackled my childish question with an unassailable truth!

And so, Day One of the Puravankara Indigo and Blues International Jazz and Blues Festival had come to a close. All around, one could see people walking around in a daze that can only be caused by an overdose of the Blues. I reminded myself that there would be more awesomeness to follow the next day with Adil and Vasundhara, The Saturday Night Blues Band, The Blackstrat Blues and Bobby Whitlock and CoCo Carmel. This indeed proved to be the “unadulterated blues rock experience” as promised by the organizers.

Rohan Arthur

Rohan Arthur is a Photographer + Writer at What's the Scene who enjoys all music that does not involve growling/vomiting into the microphone. Rohan is the vocalist of a blues rock band and also manages another folk rock band. At every given chance, he runs away to the jungles, which he believes are his home.

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Day 1 at The Mad Festival at Fern Hills Palace, Ooty

Sharanya Nair Sharanya Nair Sharanya Nair Sharanya Nair Sharanya Nair Sharanya Nair Sharanya Nair Sharanya Nair Sharanya Nair Sharanya Nair Sharanya Nair Sharanya Nair Sharanya Nair Sharanya Nair Sharanya Nair Sharanya Nair Sharanya Nair Sharanya Nair Sharanya Nair Sharanya Nair Sharanya Nair Sharanya Nair Sharanya Nair Sharanya Nair Sharanya Nair Sharanya Nair Sharanya Nair Sharanya Nair Sharanya Nair

The Mad Festival sprinted into its first few hours, admitting a respectable amount of people into the sprawling venue on a beautiful Thursday morning; at this point, there was only a hint of rain on the horizon with people (rather than the sky) rumbling warnings of possible rains.

Post the invocation, things kicked off at the smaller Callaloo stage with Vayali, a bamboo orchestra. Comprising a number of bamboo drums and flutes, one expected some good energy from these musicians from Kerala. However, their choice of songs wasn’t the most inspiring, and having the sparse crowd right at the beginning of the festival didn’t help matters either. We would’ve loved to see some more traditional stuff from these guys instead of picking up common, run of the mill material, as well as some more energy with the bamboo.

Across the venue, past the Mad Bazaar, old-school metallers Kryptos had the misfortune of opening the festival at the Blubaloo stage to a very limited audience. The sparse crowd, which had certain members from Indian Ocean in their midst, were treated to an unsurprising setlist consisting of concert favourites such as ‘Heretic Supreme’, ‘Revenant’, ‘Mask of Anubis’ and a few other tracks from their latest album Coils of Apollyon. Kryptos are no doubt accustomed to playing to packed crowds at Kyra but they did a fairly good job of trying to keep the energy levels high. Nolan was mostly tongue-in-cheek on stage as they launched into their closing number – ‘Descension’. Unfortunately, they slightly messed up their signature number – though you couldn’t really blame them for exhibiting some lethargy on stage.

Over at the Callaloo stage, Groove No. 3 took the stage right after Vayali, and showcased a brand of funk that one has come to associate exclusively with Chennai. Featuring some stellar vocals courtesy Benny Dayal, these guys pulled off some nice grooves, with some tight drum and bass playing. The crowd, sparse at the beginning, built up through the show. Save for Benny though, the stage presence was lacking. A funk band should not have their bassist sitting down for the duration of their set, especially with bass lines and music with as much groove as these guys. ‘Nowhere to Run’ was a clear stand-out, although their set was a tad disappointing on account of the number of covers in it. Among the covers though, the funky rendition of ‘Summertime’ stood out. The next time round, an all original set would be a welcome change.

While Groove No. 3 occupied the smaller stage, Yodhakaa – a 7 piece-band that blend contemporary rock with Carnatic classical music – were initially scheduled to open the festival but their late arrival bumped Kryptos to the top of the schedule. They played after Kryptos instead and their set included the ‘Jnyaanam’, a song with a really groovy bassline that is arguably the band’s best. What really makes the song is the male-female vocal harmony throughout the track. They also performed ‘Shwetambaram’, which is another track from their eponymous debut album. The song moves from a sombre piece featuring slide guitar to a more upbeat one dominated by a classical guitar solo. Yodhakaa were extremely tight during their entire performance even on their new song- ‘Adhrijhadam’ – which featured a Cajon solo. Their music perfectly complimented the signature 2 p.m. Ooty weather. They closed out their set with ‘Jataa Kataa’, a song from the Ramayana that was sung by Ravana. Bandleader Darbuka Siva is a multi-instrumentalist and musical genius when it comes to songwriting. Their music (on the album and live) is crisp, catchy and rich and they deserve to be heard more. A hurried walk to the Callaloo stage takes us just in time to catch the much-touted Motherjane.

Motherjane has never really been the same since longtime vocalist Suraj Mani and guitarist Baiju departed the band. They’ve soldiered on nevertheless, with new vocalist Vivek who manages to sound exactly like Suraj. Their setlist played out like a greatest hits record but with the fizz taken out. Their performance was quite flat and it got monotonous very soon. New guitarist Santosh can really shred and his classical piece on the ‘Maktub’ intro was fantastic but his solos seemed little rushed. It also didn’t help that almost every Motherjane song follows a similar verse-chorus-verse-guitar-solo-chorus format. ‘Broken’ and ‘Mindstreet’ got some sort of response from the crowd more due to familiarity than any sort of energy from the band on stage. ‘Soul Corporation’, ‘Maya’, ‘Fields of Sound’, ‘Walk On’ etc. were few of the songs they mechanically played before finishing off their set with ‘Karmic Steps’ and ‘Shhh..Listen’. Ironically, not too many people did.

Swarathma played at what must be an unusual time slot for them, bang in the middle of the afternoon. Kicking off with what has become a crowd favourite, ‘Ee Bhoomi’, the energy one is so used to seeing at a Swarathma gig was missing somewhat, Vasu Dixit’s vocals not at their exuberant best. The first couple of songs had something off on the mix on the PA, with the bass drum too high, the guitar levels too low. ‘Ghum’ was executed well and ‘Topiwalleh’ brought some of the energy back, the levels seemed much better than before, and despite a major glitch with the PA, including a couple of seconds of shutdown, the band began to draw some more energy out of the still sparse crowd. ‘Koorane’, featured some Huli Kunitha (Tiger Dance), costumed actors, who seemed to take away from Swarathma’s already impressive stage act rather than add to it. Swarathma did bring some of their awesome energy back for the end, with ‘Pyaar ke Rang’. The little tete-a-tete between Amit Kilam of Indian Ocean and Vasu Dixit also provided some comic entertainment. The ghodi, so much a part of the Swarathma act, was missed though. All in all, Swarathma didn’t disappoint but didn’t exactly blow people away either.

What followed was a close to two hour delay thanks to an incessant pitter patter of the rain. While organizers rushed around, mainly trying to keep things dry and, well, organized, people huddled near the food stalls and other forms of shelter; several even braved a stall with a magician in it! The stall kept the small crowd thoroughly entertained (and dry) and the magician watched with unabashed amusement as they tried to make sense of his various magical paraphernalia and failed repeatedly to the steady stream of self-conscious giggling.

Two hours seemed to pass quickly though, and World Music aficionados Moon Arra were finally taking to the Blubaloo stage. As the cameras hovered around importantly like lumbering giants in the twilight haze, members of the audience who’d run for cover to dignified (the Fern Hills palace) and undignified (Mad signboards serving as makeshift umbrellas) places returned to the eaves of the stage to the ever-welcoming MoonArra (“We don’t mind the rain if you don’t!” said a hardly phased Madhuri). While it strikes us as unfortunate every time we see them live that Moon Arra’s stage presence leaves something to be desired, they never disappoint by way of their music. Madhuri’s vocals are the perfect juxtaposition to the clean, smooth lines that Prakash and Jagadeesh carve with their respective instruments. After a few songs from their album Indian Accent, we realize that this is the perfect segue back into full-fledged performances at the festival after the rains. As a fan for life of Mr. Sontakke’s pitch perfect genius, we bristled when a passerby casually opined – “This Skinney Arra is not bad, man”. Persevering against the urge to strike said passerby, we focused instead on the meager compliment in that statement and re-immersed myself in the dulcet tones of the vocalist. The band didn’t have much of an audience to play to, with pockets of people watching from various angles – but it was borderline acceptable what with the rain pouring a damper on events.

Skinny Alley, over on the Calaloo stage, was quite the interesting act, clearly intent on keeping with the times. Fans of their earlier releases, such as 2003’s ‘Escape the Roar’, were treated to a wholly different rendition of some of their signature tunes. Gyan Singh’s basslines, a heavy dose of electronic embellishment, combined with Jayashree Singh’s vocals, layered at times with a harmonizer, figured prominently throughout their set. A big draw for several Skinny Alley fans is Amyt Datta’s guitar playing, and the audience at the Mad festival weren’t left too disappointed with some great albeit very different sounds coming out of his guitar. We would’ve liked to see some actual harmonies though. Highlights from their set including their opening track, were ‘Woman Who Is Me’ and ‘Used to Be Mine’. Skinny Alley managed to surprise a good portion of the audience, pleasantly and otherwise with their current sound. The visuals in the backdrop, however, at times seemed out of place with the music being played.

The Raghu Dixit Project trundled onto stage and was one of the few bands who had a sizeable audience already gathered during sound check, pushing and shoving for prime place near the barricade. During any of his shows, it’s mandatory to show some love or Raghu makes sure he points you out and jocularly shames you into having some fun. His shouts of “Puma! Too cool to dance?” or “Madam! You can send sms to your boyfriend later” into the crowd did just that. Turns out that heckling the crowd makes them, (even people further back from the stage, far from the singer’s eagle eye) begin bouncing in real or faked enjoyment. Such is this band’s infectious enthusiasm and Raghu’s powers of persuasion. ‘Masti ki Basti’ (particularly loved the flautist’s section on this song) and a brand new Kannada song – the melody to which sounded suspiciously familiar – warmed the crowd up for their last couple of songs ‘Lokada Kalaji’ and ‘Mysore Se Aayi’. Raghu made sure to mention that the band was playing in front of the queen (you know which one!) later this month, which was met with the appropriate amount of cheering and smiles of national pride.

It has to be mentioned that the crew from Cobalt were thorough professionals and utterly immovable when it came to the timing allotted to bands, big or small, after the downpour that affected the scheduling for the day. It’s a testament to their will that they persevered and said no to crazed TRDP fans screaming “One more” repeatedly. Once again, we tip our hats to the people behind the scenes!

And so we move on – with Raghu Dixit’s surprisingly nullified by the distance between the stages, Soulmate came on at the Callaloo stage in their usual sedate, unfussy manner, with Tipriti looking spiffy in a vested shirt ensemble. The air was now carrying a slight nip that made the atmosphere crackle with electricity – mostly static, thanks to the woolens being whipped out. The weather and the general mood would have turned been elevated into a higher experience if the band had decided to play ‘Sier Lapalang’, their usual opening number. But the audience was more than happy to settle for ‘Smile at Me’. Barring the slight over register of guitars that was fixed post haste, the band had a flawless run. Rudy’s slide on the intro to ‘Sunshine’ and his solo later gave the song amazing punch, outdone only by his laidback, easygoing vocals. What was an absolute shocker (that really shouldn’t have really been a shocker considering the talent this band has) was the fact that Tipriti’s voice sounded shot to hell when she spoke into the microphone between songs. But, we’d have betted unrealistic amounts of money that no one could tell from her singing voice that she had any trouble at all. She made it through the entire set like a trooper, hitting those high, loud notes and even maintaining that dreamy guttural quality that is so typically hers now. Soulmate’s lyrics aren’t a complicated battlefield of metaphors and hidden meaning but then that begs the question, why do they seem so gosh darned perfect? Our song pick of the set was definitely ‘Set Me Free’. They’ve got the performance of this song right down to an art form.

At the Blubaloo stage, the lull in the wake of the boisterous Raghu Dixit welcomed The Electric Konark Band, which was quite frankly an unknown quantity for this reviewer. While the band as a whole didn’t strike a bell, the individual members were illustrious enough to generate the right amount of interest in the right amount of people. Their tagline – “Going Electric with integrity” served to remind us of reading about the genuine feeling of regret from fans and some in the musical community of the 60s at the tumultuous switch from acoustic to electric, this while the latter genre was still in its infancy. The band inaugurated the set with a meaty guitar-driven melody (thanks to the immensely talented Konarak Reddy) – notes bent to Indian classical that were merged into a Western scale backdrop. When the tabla and the bass (Rzhude David) came in and sparred through the mid-section of the song, we knew what we were about to experience was one of a kind. The first song ‘Mango Ripples’ was a masterpiece in timing, precision and technicality. Unfortunately, due to the rain-related delays, a visibly (and audibly) peeved Konarak Reddy groused that the band had only five more minutes to play and didn’t waste any more time on talking.

On a side note, while it was apparent that we were in the presence of some seriously talented artists, one wonders how long the attention span of an (and stress on this) average listener would have to be for him to be able to be completely immersed for the duration of a ten-minute, non-vocal song. Some members of the audience were soaking in the music at the very front while others allowed themselves to be distracted by conversation, clearly taking a breather, in the wake of an energetic Raghu Dixit performance. Either way, it was a true pleasure to watch the maestros play off each other and genuinely enjoy their time on stage.

The Kabir Project, an eclectic bunch of musicians that take inspiration from the works of Kabir, was a breath of fresh air. While the crowd watching wasn’t particularly significant in number, those who did stay back to catch this eclectic act who performed after Soulmate were treated to some delightful interpretations of the 15^th century poet they take their name and inspiration from. There were some nice harmonies incorporated as well, mixing nicely into the set up they had. Thanks to the rain earlier that day and the subsequent scheduling constraints their set was curtailed into a short, albeit, refreshing one.

The last act of the evening was Indian Ocean on the Blubaloo stage. Despite a reduced set time and a plethora of sound issues including the rain earlier in the day ruining the mixer settings and their sound check, Indian Ocean sounded brilliant on the PA. Their setlist was short, crisp and rather energetic. ‘Bondhu’, from 16/330 Khajoor Road, their last album with late singer, tabla player and percussionist Asheem Chakravarty, a poignant track, drenched with emotion was probably the pick of the night for this writer. Evocative, the track showcased Indian Ocean at their melodic best. ‘Maa Rewa’, ‘Bandhe’ and especially ‘Kandisa’ got the crowd singing along and completely involved with the act, and displayed exactly why Indian Ocean are so revered in the independent music scene in the country. If we had to pick a crib, it would be that the band tends to stick to the staple crowd pleasers at the festivals. All in all, a thoroughly engrossing performance, that highlighted Indian Ocean’s professionalism despite the major glitches with the sound, and one that brought the first day’s action to a rousing close.

The chilly Ooty air did nothing to deter large groups of people from lingering at the lawns near the Blubaloo stage as they soaked in the after-effects of a smashing day filled with too many good acts to pick from. After all manner of cat calls and one liners being screamed into the night (from “We want more!” to “Free smokes!”) in vain, the remnants of the audience began their journey home, leaving the warm glow of Fern Hill Palace to stand guard over a venue that had in its first day been branded indelibly into our memory.

Sharanya Nair

Sharanya is a 'writer' and an 'editor'. You know the type. She loves her music too much to share.

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The News live at Kyra Theatre, Bangalore

Aditya Vishwanathan

What better way to end a long weekend than by watching a band that you like play a ninety minute set? Sunday evening saw The News perform at Kyra to a sizeable audience. A large part of the crowd consisted of the band members’ friends who were ready to root for them through the evening. The News is Gitarthi on Lead Vocals, Ankit on acoustic guitar and vocals, Nitin on bass, Raghav on the keyboard and Prasanna on drums.

Taking to the stage before 9:30 p.m., Ankit performed an introductory Mahaganapathim of sorts in the form of ‘Will not Rain’ to inaugurate their show. The rest of the band came up on stage and they kicked off the show with a song called ‘I Knew Love’. Gitarthi, with her powerful vocals, started off very well; although, the band seemed a bit nervous, causing a couple of hitches during the song.

Just when it seemed as though it would be a mellow evening, they started ‘Sunrise’ with a crisp, Carnatic influenced riff. The rest of the instruments kicked in with a good thump. The song later broke into a jam of sorts with each person taking a solo. The bass in particular was extremely groovy throughout. It was great to see the chemistry that the band shared on a completely off-time rhythm signature.

With the crowd pumped up, Chaitanya, their session guitarist, joined them for the song, ‘Together’. The song was a ballad of sorts, with Chaitanya playing a few licks over the rhythm. It was a pleasant shift from the energy that preceded the song.

The power-packed ‘Shell’ was up next, which was one of my two favourite songs from the evening – featuring stunning bass and drum work, with the guitar and keys doing a marvelous job in the melody section. Kudos to them! ‘Shell’ was followed by ‘Ode to the Sun’ that was again a calm song, with the drums kicking in halfway through. The drummer lacked intensity -an element that would have made the song a complete package. Nevertheless, they recovered and quickly shifted to the last song of the first half of their set.

‘Summertime’ was a single that they had released a few months ago. With its catchy and quick bluesy riff, the crowd was waiting to hear the song live. What transpired was a little disappointing; the song was played at least two times faster than the studio version, the drumming sounded a bit sloppy and the keys weren’t audible. Although Ankit played a marvelous jazz run during his solo, I’d still recommend the studio version.

The band returned from their break with ‘Park Inn’, which was a complete change from the kind of songs they had played earlier. There was great chemistry between the members of the band and Raghav did a very good job on the keys. ‘Small Talk’ was up next, with the band performing an outro-turned-intro and starting the song. The bass was very loud which helped accentuate every note that was struck. It’s the kind of song that you’d want to listen to while driving a convertible on a highway.

A conversation ensued between the band members and after much discussion and “Are you sure?”, they decided to perform a cover since the crowd seemed a bit lost. ‘Roadhouse Blues’ was the song they chose and let me just put it this way; it was like an avatar of The Doors that you’d never want to listen to. After a few moments of unpleasantness, the band played a song called ‘Let it Shine’. Chaitanya returned to play another solo that was spot on. He didn’t overplay or underplay, rather, did a fairly good job out of it. Prasanna kept the groove going with a subtle beat and the song was very tight.

‘Time is on Your Side’ was up next. This was my other favourite from the evening. With perfect vocal harmony by Gitarthi and Ankit, they should have ideally concluded the evening with this song. The band wrapped up with Mahavishnu Orchestra’s ‘You Know, You Know’. Their performance was very tight, with Chaitanya on lead guitar again. The band took to the off-time signature like an alcoholic to his brandy! However, Nithin’s attempt at aping Dave Matthews’ signature scat proved to be disastrous. Ankit finished with a solo outro in the form of ‘Sunrise II’ which ended the weekend with an “awesome” branded on it. It was a splendid way to sign off.

Aditya Vishwanathan

Aditya Vishwanathan is a creative photographer from Bangalore. After being actively involved with multiple bands in the music circuit, he now documents gigs in and around town. In his free time, he loves to play with kids while listening to an old Michael Jackson album.

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Infusion at Alliance Francaise de Bangalore

Infusion: To incorporate a thought or process. Alliance Francaise was the place to be on Friday night if you felt like some smooth jazz. The lineup for the night was Frijo Francis on Piano, Dominic Yesudas on Bass and Victor Francis on the Drums. I had heard only the best reviews about the band and was looking forward to watching them live.

Since I arrived a bit late, (unfashionably) I walked right into the jazz standard ‘Summertime’. It started off with a funk drum beat leading right into the song motif headed by Frijo. The first thing that struck me was the actual ‘sound’ they had – the perfect feel for swinging jazz with the dynamic modulations. After a really crazy piano solo, they switched lanes to move into a jazz/swing beat and recovered the funk for the ending.

Up next was ‘Softly, As In a Morning Sunrise’, another classic. I have to mention that Dominic works with an acoustic upright bass. It’s a beast just to handle, but the man toys with it with majestic ease. He’s got those smooth bass lines that lay the groove down hard! If you’ve heard some Miles Davis or John Coltrane, you will know that the double bass has an identity of its own. Frijo dropped out on the piano; Victor kept to the hi-hats and let the bass solo lead the way.

The band didn’t really chat or converse with the crowd between songs, so the songs were flowing fast and thick. I assume the next track was an original; Dominic switched to the electric bass, and after a catchy intro, a neat little bridge section opened the canvas to a wild wicked frenzy with Frijo picking up his Yamaha Keytar. The man has fingers that move like precise metal type bars, leaving in its wake, hundreds of notes on the piano that pant out of breath in exhaustion.

Another original track followed, very edgy and dissonant. It brought on another mood to experiment with, which is pretty much how they function on stage – with not a rigid form but an experiment with varied styles, individual brilliance and synchronized hits. There is a bare structure that exists, a simple concept that is steadily built upon, played with, teased and made richer.

Victor Francis is Calmness and Peace personified -even in the midst of thunderous drum rolls and tricky beat syncopation. A true veteran of the beat, he is a pleasure to watch for learning the nuances of jazz drumming.

Up next, was a jazz staple out of which these guys seemed to make an awesome salad! Horn Sections weren’t necessary; Frijo simply turns them into trills on the higher register. A funky ‘Watermelon Man’ in a neat tight package. After a couple of cycles on the motif, we headed down into another Keytar frenzy. There were a lot of ‘Guitarist wank squeals’ on his Keytar and electro-synth tones that whipped up a storm onstage.

After a massive applause, the audience yelled out for an encore. The boys returned to stage with ‘Take 5′. All in all, the band leaves a lasting impression of a Jazz band that delivers a powerful show of innovative renditions and strong original material.

We caught up with Sandeep Mukherjee of the band after the show who gave us some insight into the creative process of the band. He said that the improvisations arise from the unmatchable chemistry they share as a band. He also added that it is when music passes from instrumentalist to instrumentalist that they add their twist to it and it turns out into something more interesting than what they begin with. Sandeep also mentioned plans to help musicians with establishing an Academy to teach the finer aspects of Jazz.

Fidel Dsouza

Fidel Dsouza is a Journalist/Editor at WTS

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Vasuda Sharma Farewell Tour at The Blue Frog, Mumbai

As I made my way to the Blue Frog on Sunday evening, I was clearly still recovering from the effects of the power-packed previous night at B69. It was the second leg of Vasuda Sharma’s farewell tour that I was headed for and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, given that I’d never watched Vasuda live in concert before, and that her initial claim to fame was being a part of the group Aasma, a product of Channel V’s ‘Pop Stars’ project. However, her more recent foray as an independent artist, combined with the stellar lineup of guest artists and supporting band for the night, had certainly roused my curiosity.

Admittedly, I’ve had my reservations in the past about the Indipop genre and the whole ‘Popstars’ concept in general, but I decided not to let any of that cloud my perception of today’s event. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the gig did in fact begin punctually at 9:30, precisely as I was informed.

Vasuda looked great as she took the stage along with her supporting band for the evening, and was greeted warmly by the crowd. There was already a fairly decent turnout, and I was quite sure that it would increase as the night went on. Accompanying her was Vinayak Pol on drums, Denzil Mathias and Alex Rintu on guitar, Crosby Fernandes on bass, and Nigel Rajaratnam on keyboards.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries with the audience, Vasuda kicked off the set with two very well composed originals, followed by a cover of Maroon 5’s ‘This Love‘. Her voice had a pleasant tone and she clearly possessed superb vocal control.

The first of the guest artists was Parsheen Irani, who came up on stage to join Vasuda for an upbeat cover of Michael Jackson’s ‘The Way You Make Me Feel‘. This was followed by a cover of ‘Never Really Loved You Anyway’, originally by The Corrs, along with Geetanjali More and violinist Yogesh.

The crowd was now well and truly in the groove, and were clearly enjoying themselves. Vasuda’s fellow Aasma singer Neeti Mohan then joined her to do a cover of The Dixie Chicks’ ‘Ready To Run‘, getting the country feel spot on with the inclusion of the violin and with Nigel playing the flute.

Sangeet Haldipur, also of Aasma fame, was the next guest artist, and showed some incredible piano skills on a soulful solo that was accompanied only by Vasuda and Nigel’s mellow backing vocals. The songs so far had been interspersed with each of the artists sharing a moment and saying a few kind words about Vasuda, contributing significantly to the feel-good vibe in the place.

It was the perfect time for the pace to pick up, and with charismatic guitarist Ravi Iyer joining in for a cover of the Joan Jett classic ‘I Love Rock n’ Roll‘, it certainly did. The next song, a rendition of Janis Joplin’s ‘Summertime‘, saw Vasuda demonstrate some exceptional vocals and an extended solo by Ravi Iyer, showing all of his skill and versatility, with Zain Calcuttawala stepping in to play the drums.

Keeping up the tempo was popular RJ and The Works’ vocalist Mihir Joshi. Dressed in a black suit, Mihir belted out an energetic cover of James Brown’s ‘I Feel Good’, and with the very talented Rhys D’Souza on saxophone, the entire ensemble sounded perfect. Rhys stayed on for the next song, an impressive rock n’ roll original by Vasuda called ‘All Night Long’, with the dynamic Jaspreet Singh on vocals.

The two originals that followed were for me definitely the highlight of the evening, with Sheldon D’Silva joining in on bass. The long instrumental interludes allowed each of the musicians a moment in the limelight, with some wonderful solos including an organ mode keyboard solo from Nigel, a guitar solo by Alex, and a show boarding extended bass solo by Sheldon, who completely blew the audience away with his brilliant creativity.

Vasuda paid tribute to Alanis Morisette with a dark rendition of ‘Uninvited‘, following which she was joined by the last member of Aasma, Jimmy Felix. The two of them sung a cover of Bon Jovi’s ‘In These Arms’, as Jimmy improvised on the chorus to say goodbye to Vasuda in his own unique way.

All four members of Aasma now got together on stage to sing their hit single ‘Tumse Hi Pyaar‘ and did a fine job of it. (I for one, was quite glad that it wasn’t the awful ‘Chandu ke Chacha’ that they’d decided on performing on The Blue Frog stage!). And finally, Vasuda invited all the guest artists on stage, as they went on to sing the INXS classic, ‘Life Is A Highway’, quite perfect for the occasion.

All in all a fine show, and there are a few points here that I’d really like to emphasize. The sound was absolutely brilliant. With an ever-changing lineup of musicians and instruments, never once was the sound imbalanced, and The Blue Frog certainly lived up to its reputation in this aspect. The organization was spot on. Again, with an ever-changing lineup including intermittent exchanges and tributes between artists, I’d imagine it to be a logistical nightmare. Kudos to the organizers and to Vasuda’s managers, Dream Makers Entertainment.

Finally, the music. The aspect of this gig that I was most impressed with was the quality of music, covers and originals alike. It’s probably not always easy playing a song or a set with a group of musicians that isn’t a regular band, but watching this lineup, you’d never know that. Kudos to Vasuda and the rest of the band for holding the show together over those two hours and I wish her all the best!

Arjun Sathe

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