The Big Gig Exclusive: What to Look Out For

[newsheader]

Big Gig Exclusive is an opportunity for an ethereal experience with the rich variety of music to be heard coupled with Landour’s grandeur.

The Big Gig Exclusive: What to Look Out For

Its countdown time till Big Gig Exclusive takes place in Mussoorie, and we hope you have April 19 pencilled in safely in your events diary. Before you go attend the gig here’s a quick preview to make sure you’re up-to-date with whatever happens at the festival so that you do not miss out on anything.

The Highlands:

Landour is a cantonment town in old Musoorie, away from the weary bustle of the city, yet alive in its cosmopolitan atmosphere. The town possesses a curious history, being an old British cantonment, and a settlement place for American missionaries which has added to its charm with folk-indie music being a key part of the local flavour. Come April 19, Landour will fill up with the sounds of this folksy festival all day long, with eight bands from diverse backgrounds coming to perform here for the benefit of the festival attendees.

The Performances:

Prateek Kuhad ft Nikhil Vasudevan

For Big Gig Exclusive Prateek will play with Nikhil Vasudevan, who is part of the Delhi based band Moonshine, known for their jazz-funk intonations. Singer-songwriter from Delhi, Prateek Kuhad has come a long way from the dim pubs of New York. Prateek fits into the image of a shy singer-songwriter perfectly, his breezy pop-folk numbers settling comfortably in your indie playlist, yet standing out at the same time. Prateek said about their upcoming performance at Big Gig Exclusive, “What we want for Big Gig is for the sound to be as big and full as possible. I will be on my guitar and Nikhil will be on all kinds of percussion. We’ll be playing some new songs that are going to be released as a (yet unnamed) album later this year.”

Mame Khan Manganiyar

At the Big Gig Exclusive Mussoorie , eminent folk and sufi singer Mame Khan will be performing with a troupe of eight folk musicians from Jaisalmer and Jaipur, and they call themselves the Mame Khan Manganiyar. Mame Khan, known for his riveting folk music, with the range and power of a true Rajasthani folk singer’s voice will give the audience a glimpse of world music. The audience of Big Gig Exclusive Mussoorie  will be privy to their performance, one of the major attractions of this Himalayan music festival where they debut. Mame Khan sings folk and sufi songs rendered by Pakistani and Rajasthani sufi proponents such as Mira Bai, Kabir, Lal Shahbaz Kalandar, Bulleh Shah and Baba Ghulam Farid, while giving them a touch and rendition of his own. He has toured all over the world, from Africa, the Americas to the Middle East and Europe.

Dhruv Visvanath

In his own words, a “… solo percussive acoustic guitarist…” Dhruv Visvanath is a one-man band. One of the most looked-forward-to acts in this one-day festival, Dhruv is no stranger to the Himalayas, his last EP “Cosmic Dawn” was in fact inspired by a visit to Leh. Dhruv will be playing with his band The Dhruv Visvanath Trio at the festival, and Dhruv says how his stance of playing with the band varies from when he plays on his own, “With my own music I’m very introspective and personal and with the band I’m very energetic, not just to the audience but the other members of the band as well. It is a very different sort of feeling.”

Run! It’s the Kid

The maverick indie-folk outfit Run! It’s the Kid are a part of the one-day music fest as well at Big Gig Mussoorie. The four-piece band comprises Bhairav Gupta, Danik Ghosh, Dhruv Bhola and Shantanu Pandit whom count The Lumineers, Bombay Bicycle Club and Dry The River as some of their inspirations.

Raagleela

Delhi based Raagleela is a fusion band with a difference, and are set to perform at the much-awaited Big Gig Exclusive festival. Raagleela uses elements of blues and jazz to their base of classical music to produce a fresh sound that has made people sit up and take notice of this five piece band comprising of Sarthak Chawla  on the keyboards, Niloy Ghosh Dastidar on bass, Sarthak Joshi on Guitars, Sarthak Pahwa on percussions and Vaibhav Ahuja on drums. Inspired by Anoushka Shankar and Prem Joshua equally they expertly mix Hindustani classical with jazz and blue overtones, funk and psychedelia.

The Okies

Husband-wife duo Abe and Bethany Okie have a longstanding relationship with music. Abe was a church musician in Atlanta, GA, USA,  and Bethany performed on musical theatre stages around the city. A good mix of classic rock and folk music (the Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan, Neil Young variety) drew Abe to music, and more recently he’s immersed himself in indie artists like Sufjan Stevens and Arcade Fire. Bethany began with Broadway tunes and jazz standards, but nearly everyone who heard her sing said, “That voice was meant to sing country music”.

The Lyres

Yet not out of school, these young prodigies of Mussoorie’s own Woodstock have a jazz combo, the choir consisting of vocals, bass, piano, guitar, drums, trumpet, trombone and saxophone, under the direction of Lindsay Boyd, Chris Rhatigan and JP Milligan. The jazz band is a seasoned performer, having performed overseas as well as in the country.

The Bootleg Browns

Blues band The Bootleg Browns have diverse musical styles and influences which come together to create a combination of blues based rock music with a hint of funk and a dash of soul. Driven by their united love for the blues, the band is heavily influenced by the sounds of The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, CCR Deep Purple, Stevie Ray Vaughan and a host of other artists. The band members comprise of Andrew on the drums, Darab on bass, Ady on the vocals and rhythm guitar and Prateek on lead guitar.

Besides music:

The one day festival will be a gala with an eclectic collection of food stalls and shops to add to the festivities. The Purkal Stree Shakti, an organisation that works towards community development and women empowerment in Dehradun, will put up a stall at the venue too.

 In case you haven’t yet, we recommend a trip to Mussoorie this weekend to and celebrate spring with some good music.

 (Passes available for Big Gig Exclusive at Rs. 1500. To book your tickets for Big Gig Exclusive, click here. Alternatively call Rokeby Manor at +91-135-2635604 / 05 / 06 for pre-booking your passes. For more information on the festival, visit their homepage here.)

[newsfooter]