Mrigya

BLUEfrog, Mumbai

Mrigya played at BLUEfrog, Mumbai on Thursday, April 15^th

15^th April at Blue Frog saw the stage set for the fusion band Mrigya. They combine varying influences like jazz, funk, blues etc and produce a sound that renowned percussionist Fazal Qureshi (chief guest of the evening for the Mumbai launch of Mrigya’s album ‘The Composition of World Harmony’) aptly phrased as ‘a new sound’.

Mrigya at BlueFROG

The 7-member band started off with some mellow strains on the violin that heralded their original ‘Ganga’. Right from the first note, it was evident that Mrigya belongs to a truly rare breed; a fusion band where each member is phenomenally talented in his own genre and all these genres actually merge into a coherent whole. Once the song peaked in a magnificent violin solo by Sharat, the class act that is Mrigya had proven itself. Next came a deliciously chirpy little tune that grew into their composition ‘Pahari Funk’, followed by the beautiful sufi composition ‘Ali’. But the favorite for the night was their next track ‘Procession’. This piece of genius (aimed at religious harmony/unity) began with Sukriti (Hindustani classical) mouthing verses from the Rigveda. Next, Qadir Bhai followed with Muslim religious verses while the Rigveda continued in faint strains in the background. This somewhat serious composition with darker undertones went on to really capture the audience. Mrigya was also joined by flamenco dancer Sharmini for a song where Qadir Bhai’s mischievous vocals had everyone in splits.

On the flip side, while the Blue Frog has fantastic sound, the stage was somewhat too small to accommodate a band the size of Mrigya, particularly when Sharmini joined in. Also, Mrigya could consider experimenting more with their vocals; ‘Scottish Moors’, for example, had the audience cheering its heart out when other band members also joined in to make a moving vocal experience. More of this could be incorporated into their songs. Overall, however, the musical genius that is Mrigya is truly one to watch out for.

Hanging Gardens, Mumbai

Seher & Shor Bazaar played at Hanging Gardens, Mumbai on Saturday, April 17^th

Seher at Hanging Gardens

A beautiful Saturday evening spent with some good live music at a picturesque venue; what more can one ask for? 17^th April 2010 was just such a day, when two good rock bands Seher and Shor Bazaar played at the Hanging Gardens in Mumbai. The evening was kicked off by Seher with an original ‘Sirf Tum’. Seher, which plays songs (mostly soft rock) in the good ol’ Rashtrabhasha, was a fairly decent band with five members on stage. The opening track was followed by another song titled ‘Huve’. The mellow music appealed to the crowd and Seher managed to rouse a good bit of applause especially with their last song, which was faster than their previous tracks. Although the small stage limited mobility somewhat and the acoustics were not of top quality, overall it was a good set by Seher.

Shor Bazaar at Hanging Gardens

Next came Shor Bazaar, and completely stole the audience’s hearts. The five-member band walked onto the stage and spent a long time checking sound, giving away little strains of music here and there which hinted at their brilliance. And once they started playing in earnest, they went all out; amazing music, some really smart (and different) Hindi lyrics and a killer stage presence were all part of the package. They even interacted with specific people in the crowd (including some foreign nationals, who were seen hugely enjoying themselves despite not comprehending a word, as lead singer JD pointed out) and made sure everyone had fun. Songs like ‘Rasili’, ‘Pagli Ladki’, ‘School’, ‘Jaisalmer Express’ and their very own version of Javed Jaffrey’s ‘Mumbhai’ were played. The overall effect of these really good musicians and performers is best summed up by the words of one lady in the audience, “They are so wonderfully talented. Especially that boy (vocalist JD). They will go very far.” Amen to that, and many thanks to both Seher and Shor Bazaar for a thoroughly enjoyable evening!

Café Goa, Mumbai

Spook played at Café Goa, Mumbai on Wed, April 21^st

Spook at Cafe Goa

What would you expect from a place named Café Goa? Aesthetics, mellow lighting, chilled beer, good food, and – some great music! Alternative band Spook provided the perfect setting to this place in Bandra on Wednesday 21^st April, at an evening organized by Bombay Elektrik Projekt.

Spook is a relatively new five-member band with Akshay on vocals and rhythm, Clavell on violin, Anis on keys, Sonam on bass, and Zain on drums and percussion. The band played an acoustic set without drums, and were still really tight, which is commendable in itself. The music area was full long before the band was done with the sound check, and it was evident that Spook has a fairly loyal fan base already. The set list for the night was a healthy mix of covers and originals. Some of the covers were the Superman song ‘It’s not easy to be me’ (extremely well done) and Greenday’s ‘Time of your life’. The originals included ‘Screwdriver’, ‘Imagine’ and ‘Funky Monkey’, which was a merry song about their bass player. Another original ‘True’ with some great vocals was very reminiscent of Pearl Jam, while the violin was exceptionally memorable in ‘Crayons’. In fact, much of their music has a great Pearl Jam-esque chilled-out-merry-happy feel to it, so it comes as no surprise that the band counts Pearl Jam as one of their influences. The extremely interactive band also had a lot of jokes going, and altogether, Spook set a great tone for the evening.

Hanging Gardens, Mumbai

ToT & The Mavyns played at Hanging Gardens, Mumbai on Saturday, April 24^th

Tough on Tobacco at Hanging Gardens

Yet another great Saturday evening event to revive Bandstand Culture, starring Tough on Tobacco and The Mavyns on 24^th April at the Hanging Gardens. First on stage was Tough on Tobacco, the musical genius/prodigy that is the offspring of artistes from Helga’s Fun Castle and Zero. This band has a completely different sound from most artistes on the Indian music scene, with a rare and brilliant reggae feel, especially the vocals. Soulful originals like ‘Yahweh’, ‘Do what you gotta’, ‘Alone’ (this one was especially good, and is not included in their already-released album, hope to see it in their upcoming one) and ‘Love Love Love’ had the audience completely into them. Their last song ‘Wonder’ had a more powerful beat, and they signed off on a great note. The Indian music scene will definitely have to keep an eye out for this rising star.

ToT was followed by The Mavyns, who are a four-member band with a very refreshing blues/jazz Beatles feel. They played some very happy tunes (one of their songs is even called the ‘Happy Song’), dedicated a song to their guitarist’s hair and even had some people in the audience dancing. The vocalist Vivek (also on keys) dished out some decent vocals. The entire evening had a ‘let’s go to Goa’ feel about it, courtesy both ToT and The Mavyns. A big smile and an ‘It’s all good’ is probably what these bands intended to leave their audience with; they definitely succeeded.

Article by Akshata Bhat