10 Apr 2021  |   05:17am IST

Will the music die yet again as Corona plays its tune

Another wave and the number of cases have increased, this has led to a perceptible drop in the number of people visiting restaurants. This should be a matter of worry for musicians who could be at the rough end of the stick again after enduring a very rough time during the lockdown

Ajit John

These are not the happiest

of times. The virus has taken a hold over the psyche of the people. There is a sense of trepidation that has settled amongst the people. Everyone has suffered in one way or the other. The musicians of Goa have suffered a great deal. When the lockdown was imposed the lives of musicians turned upside down. From earning from gigs that were scheduled every week, they were reduced to twiddling their collective thumbs at home. Months later after members of the hospitality industry urged the government to allow them to open up, the hotels and restaurants slowly started opening up. Over a period of time, they booked musicians to come and perform. No, the old days were not back again but a start had been made. More and more musicians were hired and it looked like the situation was slowly improving. And then the virus decided to reappear with a vengeance. More cases were registered in the state and more importantly in the source areas ie Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru to name just a few.

The sense of fear has returned. There is a reduction in the number of guests at restaurants many of whom are usually from these places. That usually increases pressure on the bottom-line. Any restaurant would then think of reducing expenses which could mean the entertainment.

For musicians like Antonio Nunes of Archies this could not have come at a worst time. He said “Bookings have been very slack. People are scared to attend weddings. No one really knows what will happen. If we go into a lockdown, then everything will go for a toss. I don’t have any bookings now. The ones I had have been cancelled or postponed. I have bookings now only during the Christmas season. Rates have already been reduced. Now restaurants prefer to have small gigs. Not sure if customers will turn up. Earlier they knew what to expect but now, no. If Monday is full then the next day will be empty. So they prefer a small band that comes cheap. We are also a seven piece band which means we need a certain amount to make it worthwhile.”

For Alison Gonsalves a popular artist in the south, the changing scenario has not affected him as yet in any way. While gigs at restaurants have taken a hit, he is still able to get gigs at weddings. And yes he is still able to quote his old rates. He said “Earlier I would get five to six gigs a week from restaurants but that has now reduced to two or three. With regards to weddings, some of them ask for a discount explaining that it is a much smaller gig. This situation I expect will get worse before it improves.”

Seby Pinto of Forefront said they had performed at Bay 15 earlier in the month and it was packed but as they went around to other restaurants they could see a visible drop in attendance. He said “People are scared. We are not focused on getting gigs at restaurants now but on snapping contracts for weddings. We have five this month and thankfully no cancellations. We are very careful, we stay on the stage and no one is allowed on it apart from the Emcee. We have to earn and take care of ourselves”

Renowned musician Colin Dcruz said he and his band had been grounded for a year and had resumed in February thanks to online gigs. He said “I love the vibe of a live show and online is a pain. I play at the Patio on Saturday and The Olive on Wednesday. Both places are full. I have been streaming my music on various platforms which earns me decent money and think that will keep me alive now. Not being able to perform live will be painful because I think, if the numbers increase, there will be yet another lockdown.”

DJ’s had emerged as an attractive cheaper option for restaurants after the lockdown. DJ Reonin said he was getting gigs as normal and nothing had changed. He said “In some places rates have reduced and in others places it has increased. The increase in the number of cases could cause problems, let’s hope for the best.”

Sadly its bands like Lace that has been hit very hard. Laury Pires said that since the carnival they have had only one gig. He said “We had six to seven gigs cancelled and we had weddings receptions cancelled. We have a few bookings in December. It is going to be very hard.”

However in these tough times, one needs perhaps a strong mentality to survive. Chrystal Farrell one the leading vocalists in Goa said they were now focused on travelling and doing gigs nationally. They had just one constant gig at Cohiba every week. She said “We do a lot of weddings all over the country and now this wave has resulted in cancelations. We have gone back to the drawing boards. We are practicing. Yes, we did 4 shows in the last two days, two of which were online. We have a big event with Amazon next month online. We are reinventing ourselves. Not being able to go on stage and performing is depressing. With the rise in the cases, fewer people will come in. we intend to attack the online market aggressively. We have to adapt with the times.”

One can only hope the musical talent in the state is up and waiting to rock and roll once this virus is completely under control.