Dover Terrace: Time stopped at Studio21 on Tuesday evening as three friends stirred up a heady cocktail of songs and stories.

There were tales of travel, political allegiance, history of a nation and relationships, each backed by a song.

Artistes Moushumi Bhowmik, Robert Millis and Satyaki Banerjee covered a range of genres from folk to American murder ballads. The songs were strung together with a simple narrative.

"We just had three or four practice sessions and we were ready to present our combined story," said academic-artiste Bhowmik of Stories in Songs.

Banerjee started the lyrical storytelling with a composition by Lalan Fakir. Seattle-based Millis, who is in the country to work on his book, and radio and record producer Deben Bhattacharya followed with Jimmie Tarlton's rendition of My Blue Heaven. "The original composition is a happy song on homecoming. Jimmie made it sad," said Millis as he went on to narrate the history of the song.

The performers sang many more forgotten songs, reviving them along with tales of their making. Some stories were related to their personal experiences.

Bhowmik mostly sang self-composed numbers, one touching on motherhood and her relationship with her son. A song on mining followed a tale of travel to the North-east undertaken by the trio.

Some lesser-known genres were explained. "Old American blues and ballads came from Europe. The dark side of America was often highlighted through these songs," said Millis as he sang a much-appreciated number.

The performers also presented a song recorded by Deben Bhattacharya on the streets of Varanasi. In between the stories, the performers shared some light moments with each other.

"This evening is more about communication. There are stories at different levels," signed off Bhowmik.

The presentation was followed by adda over a cuppa.