(From left) Ritoban, Jivraj and Bachha at Open Mic in association with t2. Picture by Rashbehari Das

Open Mic in association with t2 on March 26 was a five-hour marathon for musicians and music lovers, featuring 20 bands, duos and solo artistes.

The evening started off with Class XII students of St Xavier’s with their band called GANG. Vocalist Anish De led the way as the group, which wants “to do a little bit of everything”, performed two soft numbers. Band number five, alternative/grunge quartet Notion Sickness, got a nod from host Neel Adhikari for the cool factor of their name, and the first-timers charmed the crowd with two originals Trying and Till I’m Gone. For Radio Activity, which played John Mayer’s Come Back To Bed and Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Pride And Joy, it was the first time on the SPE stage, too. “We were hoping for a good show and it was!” smiled Mekhola Bose, the 17-year-old drummer. The playlist included Jason Mraz’s I’m Yours, Eric Clapton’s Wonderful Tonight and Bryan Adams’s Summer of 69.

Amongst Open Mic regulars, Dinesh Gopalan and Akshay George belted out Oasis’s Wonderwall, while Ayan pulled a Dylan double with Don’t Think Twice and Just Like A Woman. Repeat performances also featured Funk Zone and Exception.

Jivraj, Ritoban and Bachha played the “impromptu and experimental” Strange Women From Mullick Bazaar and an instrumental version of The Blue Pill, by Ritoban’s other band, Absinthe. “The whole event has become smoother and it’s a lot more crowded than the first time, which was when I last participated,” said Pink Noise drummer Jivraj. Music director Prabuddha Banerjee also kicked up a storm with his Oscar Lopez Latino piece followed by Killing Me Softly. “I wasn’t prepared but I wanted to come because I haven’t ever been to Someplace Else before, other than for shoots!” said Prabuddha, who performed on stage after 10 years. “Scouting is one of the major jobs in our profession, and I liked quite a few people.”

The last Friday of April will see a Closed Mic event, which will feature the best of all the Open Mic contestants. “There will be possibly seven to 10 performers doing four songs each,” said Neel. But because of popular demand from regulars and participants, April will also host an Open Mic evening. Watch out for the big one!