Last weekend, I was invited for an indie music gig in
Bengaluru. And it was special. And to know why it was special, let me give you
a brief info about yours truly. I was born and have been brought up in Goa, but
my roots are from Karnataka. And although I have roots from Karnataka, I had
never been to namma ooru Bengaluru
until last week. Now I don’t really have a reasonable answer for the ‘why not’s
or the ‘how come’s of that; I am just happy that it happened. Better late than
never, isn’t it?
So the gig in question was a competition of sorts of indie
bands organised by Aloft Hotels in collaboration with MTV and was held at
Aloft’s Bengaluru property in Cessna Business Park in Bellandur. Speaking of
the property, apparently the brand believes in delivering a fresh approach to
the traditional staid hotel landscape and hence does things a little
differently by offering a tech-forward, vibrant experience and a modern style
design. And it is practical design that we are talking about, because on the
day of the gig, the hotel lobby transformed itself into a massive stage! I
don’t know how they did that.
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Now I ain’t an authority on technical matters of music, but I
did make some observations as I watched the top 5 indie bands (technically just
four, as the fifth one was a solo rapper) battled it out with one original
composition and one cover. Some were good, some were average, but having lived
in Goa all my life and having had a healthy exposure to the bands in Goa,
nothing impressed me. Nothing against these four bands, but I think Goan bands
are hugely underrated. I think this state has produced some of the finest
musicians in the country and unfortunately most of them do not know how really
good they are. The likes of A26, Tidal Wave, Alcatrazz, etc can kick some
serious ass with their music and their raw on-stage energy.
But credit where its due – the aforementioned four bands
presented their original compositions – songs that THEY had written and music
that THEY had composed. I think that is one area that most bands in Goa have
been shying away from. Or maybe they have been composing originals, but not
many people know about it. In that case, perhaps there is a need for these
originals to be marketed well and to be put ‘out there’ for the consumption of
the masses.
Coming back to the gig in question, the winning band walked
away with $10,000. But according to me, what was more precious, was the
opportunity to perform in front of a judging panel that comprised of studio
heads and record label bosses. And when giving the post-performance feedback to
the bands, some of them even expressed a desire to work with these bands. Regardless
of whether they actually work with the bands in future or not, I think this
kind of exposure and money is great for upcoming bands and puts them in a
situation where they can really make their music reach the audiences that they
want to connect with.
The next time I happen to be a part of a gig like this, I
would most definitely love to see a Goan band up there! Fingers crossed.
