We live in a land that is in a state of
flux. This state has spread itself across the board; from fronts that are
social, to cultural, to especially political. But while the latter is constant,
and has hardly ever changed over the last 56 years that Goa has governed
itself, the former aspects are more concerning. One particular area that can,
and quite frankly should, be questioned is the state’s musical development, or
possible lack thereof.
Goa is no stranger to making its own
music, having historically produced some eternal originals. It is the home of
the mando, the dulpod, the brass bands and the
serenaders; and in many ways, these styles influenced the production of great
work. Some of these pieces and their masters include Ligório da Costa, who
between the years 1864 and 1900, wrote a ballad of dedication to his wife, Rosa,
through the iconic piece of Goan musical mastery, ‘Tambde Roza’, C Alvares’ soulful compositions ‘Molbailo Dou’ from the Konkani film ‘Amchem Noxib’ released in 1963 and ‘Claudia’ from the 1966 film, ‘Nirmon’, and Lorna and Chris Perry’s
contributions speak for themselves. However, there is a reason that the dates
seem so long ago. It is largely down to the fact that (to the naked eye) in
more recent times, the balladeers and bards seem to be in smaller numbers than
before.
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In 2015, Goa saw a change come about in
certain ways, on the musical front. Vince Costa’s debut album, ‘Saint &
Sinner’, made its way to the general public, which, gauging from social media
reactions (and also personal opinion), gave Goa a sense of pride. Vince became
an unspoken warrior for the cause of local music. But as is the case with many
things Goan, the buzz that should have given other singer-songwriters impetus
to take a leap of faith, died down. But Vince believes that it doesn’t mean
that there is a dearth of talent, but rather, that they are in the shadows,
just waiting to emerge.
“It would be erroneous to think that in
a place like Goa, with immense musical talent, songwriters are in short supply.
My guess is that there are probably many closet writers with aspirations,
waiting for the right collaborator, mentor, producer, stage or opportunity to
take it forward. Putting yourself out there as an artist is a scary thing and
leaves one in a vulnerable position, but there’s no stopping the brave and
determined to succeed. We will have to be patient and wait till the troubadours
decide to show up, sooner or later,” Vince elucidates, having been down the
production path himself.
Having belief in yourself to do
something greater, and taking a plunge into the unknown, is perhaps one of the
scariest things imaginable. And Gretchen Barretto, an absolute powerhouse of a
vocalist, has managed to do just that. Barely in her twenties, the popular
singer decided to take the bold step of putting mainstream music behind her… all
so that she could work on her own music and how she chose to represent her work.
Gretchen shares her experiences and
voices her thoughts on where an upcoming original artiste struggles, saying,
“It’s a little bold for me to make a statement outright, owing to the fact that
I’m still in the process of my original debut. However, I think that there are
certain factors at play here. There are artistes that have great potential, but
there is no way for them to put their work out there. Funding plays a major
role in this regard. Another drawback could be a lack of venues that promote
original music. If there were a few such establishments, it would be a major
game changer, I believe. I think that things are on the up though. The last two
years have seen gigs come up that have promoted a lot of live acts, and not
just electronic music.”
Juggling between his ‘day job’ as a
dentist and his passion for music, Varun Carvalho has managed to represent
himself in album form with reasonable success. Varun has, over the years, put
out three albums – ‘I Gotta Go Home’ in 2009, ‘You Walk Alone’ in 2012 and ‘Dii
Teka – The Album’ in 2016. He has yet another album in the works, set to be
released in October this year, the working title of which is ‘Feel The Moment’.
He has certain views as to where one huge area of change is required.
“I think that a major issue lies in the
mind-set of aspirational musicians. I use the word ‘mind-set’ because I believe
that the process of developing your own sound is internal, while replicating
someone else’s work in the form of covers is external. When working on original
music, you have to train your mind to process things differently and introspect
on what it is that you long to create. I think another major factor is
over-education in a musical sense. One needs to learn the basics, and then
explore the rest on their own. That’s how I believe that sound evolves,” he
shares.
The feeling amongst the song-writing
community is that there is a wave of change coming; that there is a movement
that will enable a few discerning individuals to get out there and make their
music felt. One hopes that this is indeed the case, as it will perhaps finally
put the local musical train back on track.
