Connect the Dots : Blue Frog, De Innovatives, Eastwind and John Lakey

Hey, this being my first post on the blog, i'd like to comment on a few things that i have noticed over the past two years.

First i'd like to talk about something important that affects the entire music community in Mumbai : the opening of the Blue Frog club in Lower Parel.

For those of you who don't know, Blue Frog(www.bluefrog.co.in), situated in an old mill building at Lower Parel, is a nightclub/restaurant/studio that is exclusively designed for live music performances, complete with a stage,lights, spacey projected visuals and a top-notch sound system; a rarity in Mumbai.

Five years ago, not many people would have believed that it would be possible to watch internationally acclaimed musicians every week. The night-time-live-music 'scene' being dormant, these same people would have been pessimistic of even the possibility of a place like this to exist. However, things have changed.


Since The Rolling Stones came to India a couple of years back, a number of touring artists have paid a visit for large scale concerts - Sting, Iron Maiden, The Scorpions,Sepultura. Beyonce Knowles, 50 Cent and Shakira came to India at the height of their popularity - this is rare in India - only The Police, Michael Jackson and Bon Jovi toured here when they were at their peak. The bulk of the other touring acts are '50-plus' or 'oldies', so to speak. A number of large scale music festivals like 'The One Tree festival' have gained momentum and funding and along with that a decent sized fan base. The event companies realized that the so called 'market for music' in India is yet to be explored and it is commercially viable to bring big name artists to India and also to hold nationwide rock competitions like Channel V's Launchpad and DNA's Campus Rock Idols. RollingStone magazine had a spectacular launch with their first issue in March. All in all, there are some big spenders spending big bucks here. Good. However, this is not what this post is about.


With the internet boom in India, a lot of young musicians got instant access to music, videos, guitar tabs etc. that previously had to be got from 'abroad' by a relative or friend..it was a laborious and expensive procedure and not many had access to it. The same applied to high quality musical instruments as well.

You had to buy a Gibson Les Paul in the United States or in Singapore, which was most likely the case. Just recently, Gibson officially launched in India.

Furtados, a music shop in Mumbai (www.furtadosonline.com) now has almost all the gear you need to play any kind of music - They even have a wide range of Latin Percussion instruments, trumpets, woodwinds and Steinway pianos, not to mention the guitar effects processors which almost every entry level guitarist in Mumbai has (note: After ten years of playing, I still dont own one - why eat fine cuisine with ketchup - i have a nice guitar, so i'd rather not spill any sauce on it).

Point is, that many players are emerging all over the country who can afford the easily-available and relatively cheap gear, listen to the music and watch the bands they like without having to go through any intermediates.

Check this out if you dont believe me(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3J3EdEHQ6A), its a clip of a Chandigarh band called De Innovatives (http://kroomsa.com/bands/de-innovatives.htm)- they are quite fantastic. These guys, who obviously come from a Hindustani classical background have actually done it - made actual Indian Rock entirely by themselves. These guys have even set up their own studio. Here's another thing - now you can get hi-end recording gear too without having to worry about things like servicing and warranties.

So, people are buying instruments, using the same to play live or to record with their newly acquired home recording gear, putting this up on the internet and fast upgrading their skills and musicality by downloading instructional videos. But whats the bar - what is the standard - what do these people want to achieve?

Let me give you my experience with this Blue Frog club. 'STR' is fortunate enough to be at the right place at the right time. We got a shot at playing there and most of the band have now become regulars at the place. We have seen Bela Fleck, DJ Logic - some of our favourite musicians, and Sara Tavares and Mango Blue - of whom we never would have known, all in a span of a few months and in an intimate up-close setting.

Now, we fall into the aforementioned category. So who's to say - in a few years there could be a number of STR's and De Innovatives out there.

An actual indicator of the strength of a music scene anywhere in the world is the regularity or frequency of live concerts and more importantly the regularity in attendance. If there are more like us in town, which im pretty sure of, in a few years we'll see more young local bands aspiring to play at a Blue Frog type place, which will totally be a positive boost on this indicator and also will raise the bar for bands - you dont want to go and play in a place like that if you aren't competent enough - you'll get exposed and get fucked.

At the Eastwind Festival(www.eastwindfestival.com) , I noticed that all the Indian bands raised their game and did high quality shows. Was this because of the magnitude of the event and the high standards in organization? Probably.

I can draw an assumption here - with serious venues and serious events emerging, the bands automatically become more conscientious of their work.


So, to sum it up, the people who are internet, computer and music savvy all over India, bands, DJs and performing artists now actually do have the necessary 'platforms to showcase their talent' ( the most frequently used and most ultimate cliche ever has now become a reality), while setting themselves high standards because the venues/events merit it. Indian bands can finally become world class and some are already on their way.


No wonder John Lakey (producer - Radiohead) was in town today checking out some local bands at the British Council.