New Stage for Emerging Musicians

Live music at cafés is nothing new in Bangladesh. There have been such events in Bangladesh at eateries, with some cafés regularly hosting performances. Cuppa Coffee Club, The Stage and Thirty3 Lounge are some of the examples. I went to The Farmer's Market at Gulshan 1 with a few friends last Friday and enjoyed one such musical evening, rightfully named “Acoustic Jam Session at The Farmer's Market.”

When we walked in, Amid Hossain Chowdhury was on the stage doing a sound check. For those who don't know, Amid was one of the top contestants on “Bangladeshi Idol”, and is a brand ambassador of SATV. Alongside Amid was a group of independent musicians who meet and perform occasionally, coming up with different renditions of various popular tracks. 

It wasn't Amid who opened the show though; it was Noshin Ahmed, a young musician and a student of North South University. She performed an acoustic version of “Hotel California”. Amid took the stage next, and the two talented vocalists took turns in performing for the rest of the evening. Amid covered Enrique Iglesias' “Hero” and I must say it was almost as good as the original. It was followed by Eagles' “Love Will Keep Us Alive.” 

While Amid was still performing, I got to chat with Noshin. She told me that gigs like these were not for a professional gain, but rather passion-driven for her. “Performing at such events gives me a complete personal satisfaction. This doesn't feel like anything extra-curricular; it feels like I'm living a dream,” she said. “It only adds to my versatility as a person.” She then went on to perform George Michael's “Careless Whisper” and Imagine Dragon's “Radioactive” – both covers went well with her soothing voice.

Before he ran back to the stage to perform some acoustic mash-ups, I asked Amid about the benefits of the gigs at eateries as opposed to other platforms, since he has had experience in that regard. “Well, the gigs in cafés provide a different type of exposure. Let's say a music producer happens to be eating at a café when he comes across a lovely live performance. Who knows, he might take the performers under his wings,” Amid said. He added that the monetary incentive, however little, worked as an inspiration for budding artists to pursue their passion, and the interaction with a different type of crowd helped them grow as musicians as well. 

The amiable owner of The Farmer's Market, Srabonti Ali, informed me that the restaurant organises live musical performances every Friday evening. “The idea is to create an overall enjoyable environment for our guests, where they can have a good old Bangladeshi adda alongside fresh meals and live music, and also to offer a platform to young musicians to demonstrate their talents.”

We took off a little earlier than planned; however, I'm glad that I could be there that evening. If the musicians at a gig can understand the mood of the crowd they are performing for – in a café, the outcome can be outstanding. And that's what happened that evening, with Amid, Noshin and their friends jamming to create a perfect ambiance on a cool spring evening under the open sky with good food and equally good music.