Between theLines

Lyricists take centrestage during Singer Songwriter Nights at a city cafe.

While it is not unusual for the city bars and lounges to hold band performances,Singer Songwriter Night held at High Spirits Café,Koregaon Park,every second month stands out for bringing lyricists to the fore. The property is dedicated to lyricists and their works while musical instruments take a backseat. Khodu Irani,owner,High Spirits Café,says,This has given an opportunity to song composers to showcase their work and share their melodies. The event started as an experiment over a year ago. Looking at the response,we started hosting it every two months on a Sunday. This also gives a different experience to the musically-inclined people visiting the café.

Unlike full-fledged band performances,Songwriters Night has songwriters present their songs minus any musical instrument,barring strumming the guitar occasionally. Several musicians attend the event to keep themselves updated with the current trends in music-writing, says Irani.

The next show,to be held tomorrow will see artistes such as Nikhil D’Souza,Siddharth Basrur and Alisha Pais performing their original compositions on stage. The most exciting part is that the show has minimal sound arrangement; its more focussed on melody and lyrics. The audience will get to hear music without the flamboyance of elaborate accompaniments, says D’Souza,who has previously sung for movies such as Anjaana Anjaani,Crook and Jannat 2. D’Souza will sing some of his English songs of the ‘alternative pop’ genre.

Basrur,from the band Goddess Gagged,is all praises for the Songwriters Night. The event strips the song of all its decorations to present the bare minimal, says Basrur,who has been writing lyrics for the past 13 years. His debut album Chasing Rain that features alternative rock tracks will release in a few months.

In the past,the Songwriter Nights has featured the likes of Pais and Jordan Johnson to a large crowd. The general audience that attends gigs want to be entertained and dance to the beats of the music without paying much attention to the song. This show demands guests’ attention to the singer’s work and is a good space for the musicians to compare various kinds of music, says Irani.

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