Rewind to 2002. The idea germinated on a train journey from Pune to Mumbai, where I was travelling with Brian Tellis of Fountainhead Promotions and Events, and Michel D’Costa from MTV. We talked about forming a group of like-minded people who loved rock music. Within a few weeks, an exclusive club was born, and on April 19, 2002, it had its first listening session.
Cut to today. On August 22, 2016, some 60 music lovers got together at The Local, Fort. It was the first club night after January 2007. The theme was the same as the first get-together: blues and blues rock. Audio CDs of The Animals and Stevie Ray Vaughan, and DVDs of BB King, Cream and Grateful Dead invited magic. Buddy Guy’s show at the Mahindra Blues Festival last year was another highlight.
Rewind to yesterday. D’Costa had died a premature death much before the first session. Tellis organised it at a cool venue on Waterfield Road, Bandra. Nobody recalls its name, but everyone remembers the great Stevie Ray Vaughan DVD and CDs of blues artistes Coco Montoya, Son Seals and Albert King.
Back to today. Many reunited after years, and others met for the first time. The audience profile was the same. Musicians, music industry veterans, aficionados, event managers, radio stars, advertising geniuses, hospitality experts, filmmakers, businessmen, corporate rockers, PR whizkids, one crazy music journalist… Nobody bothered about backgrounds. Camaraderie filled the air. The music ruled.
Yesterday brings back memories. Members came, members left. Some brought in rock-loving friends, others were discovered through social media networks like Ryze, Orkut or Yahoo. Passion was king, and the bonding was natural. Some offered their residences or music studios. Trafalgar Chowk in Bandra and The Leela in Andheri East gave us great deals. Trivia was discussed, music was shared. There would be random quizzes, and in the pre-Google era, only the really knowledgeable would have the right answers.
Today, people still remember the past. There are numerous Facebook and WhatsApp groups, across genres. Yet, this club has been special. As a true tribute, this week, a session was dedicated to three members who are no more. Gauri Shankar of Septune Music, iconic singer Nandu Bhende, and music lover Ram.
There was variety yesterday. The themes varied. Sessions were dedicated to traditional blues, female rockers, progressive rock, southern American rock, jazz-rock, British folk, 1980s metal, 1990s grunge and alternative. Musicians and bands featured included Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, Rolling Stones, the Who, Doors, Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, Santana, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Velvet Underground, Bad Company, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, and Simon & Garfunkel. There was a screening of Woodstock (Director’s Cut) .
The enthusiasm hasn’t changed today. For various reasons, the big sessions stopped over nine years ago. Though people continued to meet in smaller groups, the venue was a major issue. Then brothers Meldan and Kevin D’Cunha proposed The Local as a venue. Buddies TVN Sridhar and Navin Salian joined me in setting up things. In two weeks, everything was organised. The session rocked.
Yesterday has had its stories, today brims with hope. On his first session experience, Kaveer Shahani of Groove Temple Entertainment said, “It was fabulous to see 60 music fanatics out on a Monday night. Proves a point that physical music may be dead, digital is dying, but the music is alive and kicking, and so are we. Looking forward to the next one!”
Tomorrow, the train journey shall hopefully move to new cities. The dream goes on.
Narendra Kusnur is a freelance music writer
