Bands in Goa are in their element when all over the country and even around the world the band scene has dwindled down to duos and solo acts. One big reason perhaps is that Goans insist on a full band performing at weddings and events. Bands like k7 are leading the way with spectacular live performances never seen among Goan bands in the past. These bands deliver high energy performances.
Veteran musician Colin D’Cruz said, “Goa is now a brand for live music. Corporates are now inviting Goan bands for events even around the country. The same holds true for destination weddings. Goan bands have more destination weddings in Jaipur than in Goa. I am going to Canada in July and will hopefully pave the way for more bands to visit Canada and America, two territories which have not been explored as yet. It is used to musicians standing behind the mike singing and standing in one place. Today there is showmanship by the musicians.”
Another long time veteran musician who has seen it all is Jurgen Pachecho of Double R. He said in the30 years he has been in the business, he has seen it all. He said in an earlier age he had gone solo and there were fewer bands then. But now that was not the case. With so many bands now in the business across various price points he said it was all about quality. There was something he said for everyone. Corportaes, he said, wanted Goan bands because they could play everything. Sing in different languages and corporates prefer them because of their diversity in music. And corporates, he said, were willing to pay for quality. Jurgen said, “When I get an inquiry, I quote my price and it is agreed. Over a period of eight years, we have developed a name and they know what they will be getting. We have our shows on our youtube channel. Everything is documented now. Earlier it used to be a gamble. Now everything is in black and white. We have over 400 videos.” The band has played in countries as diverse as Muscat in Oman and in Tanzania. They have played in cities like Nagpur, Indore, Hyderabad, Cochin. He said the fact the Goan community was all over the country and the world helped.
A band that has a name in the business is K7. Ambert D’Souza, the lead singer, was more than willing to talk about the business. He said they would perform regularly in Goa and in other parts of the country. He said, “After the Covid crisis most of the restaurants hired solo or duo’s to cut costs. Five- piece bands were not feasible because of the rates. Restaurants do not prefer Five-piece bands unless
it was for a big occasion. We sing in Konkani, English and Hindi. We get corporate and destination weddings. We have performed in Bengaluru and Mumbai. The clients know what they are getting so they don’t negotiate.”
Another band that has developed a brand for itself is Black in White. Edmund Gomes said they put on a performance that was visually and sonically electrifying which gets to the audience. He said they have been like that from the start. He said, “We don’t do it purposely but it is natural. We just play music. We can’t explain the formulae but we play every gig and give it our best. With regards to our showmanship we leave it to the audience to decide. We have done shows in Goa, across the various states and outside the country. Corporate clients call us regularly. We performed in Dubai and Bahrain recently. It was a private wedding party and it was not a Goan wedding. We mostly cater to non-Goans. There is no negotiation of rates, we get what we want.”
Crimson Tide has been in business for a while. Edwin Braganza the lead singer and leader of the band said they would get calls from the rest of the country and occasionally from parties beyond the border. They were regular at corporate shows in Delhi and Mumbai. He said the band had the ability to get people on to the dance floor and make them groove. He said, “ We sing in Hindi, English, Konkani and Portuāguese. Hindi helps in corporate shows. Now a lot of youngsters are taking to music, there is a lot of money in music circles. Business is now around the year. In the monsoons we perform in pubs in Goa. It is good now.”
Another band called Ambassadors did a lot of work before the Covid crisis than lost momentum and then split due to the market conditions. They are now slowly and steadily finding their way back. Boney Dias, the singer in the band, said people now wanted to see characters . He said, “This holds true on stage too. People want to see artists with stage presence, a personality and it is the same in music. If you are good at what you are doing and good on stage, you will get more bookings. We played in all the major music festivals. We had also sung the theme song in the 2020 Carnival before we broke up and lost momentum.” They were now looking for gigs in Goa and abroad.
Versatile is the word that comes to mind to describe the next band called Uzo. Axel D’Souza said the Six-piece band could sing in English, Konkani, Hindi, Spanish, Portuguese and Turkish. They were performing all over the country for corporates., weddings and at Goan community events outside Goa. He said, “We try to stay updated with the latest trends and try to bring something new on stage every year. We performed at the Oktoberfest and the Vamos Carnival in Sinquerim. These places have large stages and we try to bring something new to the act on such occasions. We have a you tube channel and we record everything. We do not bargain. The corporate bargains and they sometimes agree or they just leave.”
The importance of putting up a show or having some drama on stage was highlighted by Sergie Godinho. A member of the band Pure Magic, he said everyone had their own style. Earlier it was just about playing the music but now people wanted a show. He said, “We are a 30-year-old band, earlier it was bell bottoms now it is all about narrow pants. Everything keeps changing. It is all old wine in new bottles. At the end of the day it is all about the music.”
The music matters for sure but in the present age, its presentation is important and that is where Goan bands seem to score in these tough times.
