Missing blueFROG in Mumbai? Here's how you can fill the void

When the tiger steps out of the jungle, its inhabitants feel secure. They are no more in danger of falling prey or losing out on meals. Humans, known for being self-centered, have turned over a new leaf. These days, they stand up for their allies.

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The story is analogous to Mumbai's perfect competition-like structure among performance spaces. The mecca of live music in the city, blueFROG, shut down last week. But there are other venues in the city that help independent musicians and all of them have the highest regard for the cult music venue.

It is like losing a family member, we're told. Though they hope to escalate economics in order to generate revenue, prayers for the big brother's return isn't fictitious. Here's a sound check of four such spaces that offer good sound, attentive crowd and reasonable rates; it's all we need, do not we?

Pushkar Joshi

The Little Door
The name sounds miniscule but there is a split-second gap between the tiny entrance and the chic interiors. "Nikhil D'Souza, Vasuda Sharma to Ankur Tewari - they all used to play here five years back," recalls co-owner Bhuvan Narang, who opened the Lokhandwala space in 2012.

Currently, gigs have slowed down due to logistics issues but Narang, with much alacrity, promises to rope in a sponsor to regularise them. "You need to pay artistes, for their food and beverage," he reveals.

Mumbai-based band Eargasm during a gig at 3 Wise Monkeys

"We have all the provisions (back line, speakers, mixers) in place," adds Narang. Due to space constraint, he prefers to hold three-piece bands or a four-piece group, if they are on an acoustic set with preferably V-drums or a cajon. Talking about blueFROG, he says, "Let's accept it, I will not be able to hold a Lucky Ali or a Raghu Dixit gig at my place. My stage is for young talents. Even when blueFROG was in full bloom, our Tuesday acoustic nights continued for three years."

3 Wise Monkeys
A perfect blend of sports, karaoke and live music - the pub beside Khar railway station is what The Beatles would have called Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds. Why? The dark tavern-kind setting with dim lights and a television screen at the back of the stage sets the mood for a mellow Classic Rock trip. Bands and singer-songwriters have been playing here for almost three years. Even they never considered blueFROG to be their rival.

The band Hook cheering up the crowd at Lighthouse Cafe

But at the moment, the management is trying to advertise their gigs better. "We decided to up our game by hiring an experienced gig programmer to market the shows better. We will have a monthly roster of bands, stand-up comedy shows and sports screenings; there are also talks to bring in bookmyshow (for the tickets)," says owner Sunil Thakur, who set up the space in 2012. The hostelry flaunts two divisions, one exclusive for football matches.

However, the sound system is incredible. "The main reason for the good sound could be the wooden interiors. As a music enthusiast, I would pick a live gig any day to karaoke and football matches. But as an owner, I would pick karaoke - that's our bread and butter. We do it twice a week and it is the best time to meet single people in the city," laughs Thakur.

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Tuning Fork
The venue in the same stretch has been programming interesting artists over a few months, and their in-house studio and mixers completes the menu for the musicians.

Singer-songwriter Rajesh Ravi, who had a brilliant time with his set here, explains, "We need at least 10-20 such venues for us to exist. The gigs should be more about the artiste than drinks. The management should ensure people come primarily for the music. If that happens, even we will constantly push ourselves to satisfy the listeners and justify their cover charge."

The Little Door opened doors to live music in 2012. Pic/Sameer Markande

However, this place is relatively new. It started four months back and the gigs flowed in from June. There is no monetary promise made to the artistes but what they receive is an asset.

"We provide studio time to the musicians. For example, if you play here for 90 minutes, you get to use our studio for your recording purpose for those minutes," says programmer Meghana Bhogle. Talking about future plans, she says, "Now that we are a little known and three months old, our aim is to get slightly bigger bands to come and do unplugged stuff."

Lighthouse Cafe
Lighthouse Cafe (LHC) completes the Khar trio on the same stretch; Bollywood to Pearl Jam - they dole out all genres calling artistes from multiple backgrounds. A drummer, who would prefer rolling up a groove locking with the bassist, will also feel at peace here.

Guests enjoy their beer during a performance at Lighthouse Cafe

Pushkar Joshi (drummer, Hook) likes Grunge but when his band performed here, his talent with the cajon won hearts. Nonetheless, Joshi believes crowd-funded gigs could be the future if live scene needs to be perked up.

"Open air crowd-funded gigs could be a great idea to revive the music scene. Many international festivals follow that model; one needs funds to put things in place. There will be no better feeling than 'My bit of contribution made it happen'. It's a give-and-take equation," says Joshi, adding: "It is unfair to compare pubs, each have their own charm and crowd." LHC started last year and apart from the Rock music nights on Wednesday, it has plans for Bollywood nights and plays.