Duo from Goa wants to shake up Indie music scene in Mumbai

Two months ago, a quaint restaurant called Watson's in Goa played host to an artiste who goes by the name Dot. Seated in her little corner, fingers poised over the keyboard, the wispy young singer asked, "So, does everyone have a drink in their hand? Because the next song is called Alcohol!" She then launched into a quirky melody - reminiscent of Regina Spektor - lighting up the room with her original composition.

Aditi Saigal aka Dot.'s performance in Goa

That gig was put together by a two-man team from Goa called Songs from the Attic, and was attended by over 200 people. Why is that unusual, you ask? Because a few years ago, nobody in Goa cared about singer-songwriters; the likes of Dot (whose real name is Aditi Saigal). Tomorrow, the duo comes to Mumbai with Well Kept Secret, the line-up of which will be kept completely hush-hush until the day.

(Back row, from left) Sheldon Abranches and Nathaniel D'Costa with the members of Paperboat

Back to the beginning
Sheldon Abranches and Nathaniel D'Costa, both in their late twenties, are the duo behind the initiative. Having grown up in the idyllic state, they moved to Mumbai a few years ago. While Abranches took up a job at a digital agency, D'Costa started working as an artiste manager. "We have always been interested in music. So, when we moved to the city, we started attending gigs, and soon, we were also hosting intimate jam sessions at our tiny apartment in Bandra," says D'Costa.

Sheldon Abranches (right) with Goan singer-songwriter Kristian Bent

Not long after, in 2014, they collaborated with one of their favourite watering holes in the area, The Den, to allow them to curate a singer-songwriter night at the venue every month or so. "That's when Songs from the Attic was born. We started out small. And just when it started picking up, I moved back to Goa to work with an NGO," he adds.

Abranches followed him back home last year, and they decided to revive what they had started in Mumbai. They helped Kristian Bent, a singer-songwriter from Goa, launch his first album, an event that generated enough buzz in the tiny state to show that they were there to stay.

Work in progress
"You might think that the concept would work in a place like Goa, but Goan musicians are conditioned to learn the music of others. Even at restaurants or weddings, you will hear them play covers. The audiences, too, are comfortable listening to tunes they can sing along to," explains Abranches.

This, the duo shares, has made their journey a difficult one, with several of their first few gigs going nearly empty. D'Costa says, "We wondered what we were doing wrong. We're getting artistes like Kanchan Daniel all the way to Goa, but why does no one want to come see them perform? The problem went deeper than finding the right venue and performer."

A bulk of their time since has been dedicated to reaching out to a potential audience and exposing them to more indie music from within Goa and beyond. Things are changing slowly, shares D'Costa. With several urban dwellers making Goa their home, the audience they now receive is more diverse. "Seeing that there are takers for this kind of non-mainstream music, a lot of venues, too, are now opening up to us," he says.

Bombay Dreams
What can we expect from the secret gig they have planned for Mumbai? They say they intentionally chose not to highlight the line-up, because they want people to focus on the music, which will be a mix of funk, upbeat jazz, live electronica, and experimental pop. "Well Kept Secret is here to stay. We will be curating gigs across venues in the city every month. The idea is to showcase underground music," says Abranches.

He adds, "We put a lot of thought and effort into ensuring that we create the right look and feel for each gig, and we also make sure we pay every artiste. So far, we have made no money from this. We're doing it purely for the love of music."

On: October 15, 9 pm
At: antiSocial, Khar West
Log on to: goo.gl/hEJ4xG
Entry: Rs 350