Goa has unquestionably been a huge hub for music for all of India. Artistes of repute have long since descended to the shores of the state in order to connect with Goa’s spirit and love for live music. In keeping with this, Goa will play host to an event with a cause on October 30 and 31, 2015: Goa Rhythm & Blues (#GoaRnB) music festival, an endeavour being undertaken by Genesis Foundation. The two-day music festival will bring together some of the best-known bands, artistes and musicians all under one roof, performing to an audience before the backdrop of the Sinquerim coastline at Vivanta by Taj-Fort Aguada. Proceeds from the event will be directed at a fund-raising attempt to support 15 critically ill underprivileged children. Genesis Foundation’s flagship event, the Kasauli Rhythm & Blues Festival, is one that has been garnering support over the course of its four editions. The line-up of the Goa leg of the music festival includes The Aviv Pereira Project, Herman Abreo Blues Band, Divine Raaga, Shilpa Rao, DJ Sun, MoonArra, Ministry of Blues, The Doors Perception and Soulmate. In totality, they will represent an array of genres, such as pop, rock, Sufi, fusion and Bollywood. Prema Sagar, the Founding Trustee of Genesis Foundation, said, “In our quest to connect with more people and get them to support the cause of critically ill children, we are always trying to create more touch-points. And what better way to connect than music! Goa Rhythm and Blues Festival is an extension of our efforts to create a platform to string together a meaningful cause with young artists. We have some incredible talent taking the stage, performing to give 15 underprivileged, critically ill children a chance at life. It warms our hearts to see our partners, supporters, musicians and attendees come together and pitch in for the cause. We want to make it an annual property like Kasauli Rhythm and Blues which has been completely successful in all its four editions.” One of the artistes performing at the festival is popular DJ, Sun. Over the years, he has played at various indoor and outdoor festivals sharing the stage with some of the biggest names including Ajja, Astrix, Protonica, Atmos, Perfect Stranger, Hilight Tribe, Major 7 and XNoize, amongst others. Performing on the first day of the festival, the DJ said, “I am elated to play at the inaugural edition of the Goa Rhythm & Blues festival organised by Genesis Foundation. The line-up is stellar and includes some of my personal favourites. What makes it even more special is that the festival has been organised in order to support the treatment of critically ill, underprivileged children. Goa has always been a place close to my heart, a place closely associated with rich culture and great music. I am looking forward to this one.”
