They used to be a
regular feature in every restaurant or pub in Goa. A band performing covers of
popular English songs or the occasional Bollywood hit. This was something that
was unique to Goa. Yes, there were outlets in Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru where
live music was provided but they were in select outlets. In Goa it was
considered par for the course. It added a certain pizzas to the evening.
Everyone had a good time and left later in the night. Then the Covid virus made
its presence felt and then all hell broke loose. Restaurants were shut and
scores of jobs across the hospitality industry were lost. And yes, the music
died down too. Quite a few musicians who survived on their gigs at restaurants
were left with no option but to look for jobs in other professions. Some bands
broke-up because it made no sense to stick together when nothing was happening.
It was a miserable two years. Many musicians survived on their fast depleting
savings and others had to depend on the government for some help.
Now the restrictions have been loosened
and clubs, pubs and restaurants are open. Has this meant bands have more
opportunities to perform in front of an audience in a restaurant or bar or has
there been a change with restaurants now hiring individuals to entertain the
patrons. The economics of the business have certainly changed. Restrictions may
have eased but the crowds are still missing. Locals are still staying away from
the outlets for fear of contracting the virus or it’s variant. Yes, the
domestic tourists are still coming in but many are here for the weekend only.
This has forced the hoteliers to opt for solo performers.
Agnelo who is a singer and has a band said
due to the lockdown, cost was still a very important factor that made any
decision. He said some of the restaurants had taken solo performers and others
were ok with duos. He said “I have a band and some of the members are now doing
solo assignments because they need to earn money. Perfectly understandable I
would say. Of course when assignments turn up, they then give up the solo work
and come back with the band. Things are slowly and steadily getting back to
normal and will soon be performing a lot more as a band.”
Gregory Fernandes is a singer and a guitarist who has seen the
hard side of the industry. He has a business on the side which helps him earn
money. He said “I have gigs on Saturday and Sunday but it is not easy to get
them. I lost six to seven parties in January due to fears over the virus. I
have not played in a restaurant and have stuck to private parties. You earn
better and less hassle”.
Another solo entertainer is Paul Po who has a job and has
managed to survive because of that. He said “It is difficult to get jobs
because there are so many musicians and everyone’s competing for the same jobs
and they are paying less. I am happy with what I am doing. I can survive but
the same can’t be said for the others.”
Anslem Viegas is a solo performer who has now taken a break from
performing in restaurants due to his private gigs. He said “I have gigs all
over the place and am doing ok and able to survive because of this. I have an
assignment at a restaurant on a Sunday but that’s a regular assignment. I know
many musicians who are struggling to survive. It is still very tough.”
Sherise d Souza who sings jazz and other genres in Goa and
Mumbai said the restaurant scene was slowly picking up in Goa. Restaurants said
they were sticking to solo artists or duos to keep costs low because people
were still not coming in large numbers. She said “People still fear another
wave which will cause even more damage. Restaurants have suffered much in the
last two years and are slowly dipping their toes so to speak when it comes to
hiring entertainers”. She said as part of a band they were not customising
based on the budget of the customer. She said that was the only way to survive
in these tough times. Sherise said just like customising content based on the
preference of the audience, they were now doing the same when it came to the
number of entertainers for an assignment.
Colin D Cruz, a seasoned musician, said it was a global trend to
hire solo musicians. He said “I began playing professionally in Mumbai on hotel
resident band contracts. In those days all starred hotels had at least one
resident band, many of them hosting three to four bands too. Towards the turn
of the millennium things went downhill for live music. Hotels in Mumbai decided
they don’t need bands, a solo singer with a laptop worked just as well. It had
nothing to do with cost cutting, it had everything to do with global trends.
Hotels around the world did away with live bands. I moved to Goa as it was
either live music or dead music for me. Goa has turned into a global music hub.
Most of the venues may have just solo or duo acts but there still are many
venues supporting full bands. Goa is the last haven for live music”. Always
ready with an interesting take on the situation. For a partygoer like Conal
Lobo who would party late into the night on a Saturday, it was better to be
safe than sorry. He said it would make sense to go out when it was all clear
rather than now when the variant was still going around causing heartache.
Perhaps
it will still be sometime before everyone goes back to partying or singing or
playing an instrument with gusto. Till then it will make more sense to exercise
some prudence.
