With the onset of the monsoon, live gigs are moving indoors. We speak to a few of the city’s buzzing music venues about their plans for the season
Singer-songwriter and guitarist Bhrigu Sahani with his band at antiSOCIAL
Hail the singer-songwriter
ANTISOCIAL's calendar features a mix of solo musicians as well as electric live bands. They are known for hosting theme nights like LadiesFirst, an initiative to promote female singers. This monsoon, they are aiming to take their game one notch higher. "Like the SOCIALLive, which is done to promote the best live bands in the country, we are planning to start a specific series for singer-songwriters across the country," shares Vivek Dudani, the programmer. "Since our listeners have been open to rock bands as well as hip-hop and afro/baltan sounds, I am confident this will work out too."
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Vivek Dudani
At Rohan Plaza, 5th Road, Ram Krishna Nagar, Khar West. Call 65226324
Small is big
They recently changed their name from Tuning Fork to The Habitat to accommodate their new plans. "We will be adding a larger room; the current space thus, will serve as a venue for smaller gigs," informs co-owner Balraj Singh Ghai. "This monsoon, we plan to include more open mics to enable growth and promote local talent." Some of the interesting acts on their calendar this season include Folk Masti (a folk/fusion group) and IblinkWhenIThink (an electronic duo with a gritty take on pop music).
Balraj Singh Ghai
At Hotel Unicontinental, Road Number 3, Khar West. Call 9833358490
Go Hindustani
The intimate space, started by filmmakers Karan Talwar and Michaela Strobel, Harkat Studios has a special theme for the monsoon. "We want to dedicate the season entirely to Hindustani classical music. Hriday Desai, the sarod player, enthralled listeners last week. Our next concert will be with vocalist Sriparna Chatterjee," shares Strobel. All concerts at this venue are acoustic. "No microphone, no amp and just pure music. I believe our intimate settings and comforting environment work really well in this season," she says.
Michaela Strobel and Karana Talwar
At Bungalow No. 75, JP Road, Aram Nagar Part 2, Versova. Call 9819682673
Hey, Mr DJ
Though built around the Rastafarian theme, Raasta also welcomes singer-songwriters. But, this season, they plan to go all out with their electronic talent. "We plan to have a spin-off contest between DJs. The winner will get to play at the Waves Festival at BITS Pilani in Goa," shares Joy Singh, one of the owners. "There will be performances by internationally renowned acts, including Aneesh Gera, Nipun Divecha and Common Unity," he adds. The venue will also host DJ Proof, a well-known electronic artiste from India, next week.
Joy Singh
At 4th Floor, Rohan plaza, 5th Road, Khar West. Call 8655000811
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