Chambalguy

*DISCLAIMER* [My personal views and experience]  Open mic startups are changing the face of indie-music scene in Pune, India.  

Lately, there have been a lots of comedy stand-up all around. Hundreds of open mic comedy stand-ups events are shared on social media everyday. “Original-Music” on the other hand has been given a somewhat less importance when we talk about pure original content and not cover-music. 

Thanks to the upcoming startups in this field who are striving hard to bring a culture of open exchange of ideas through art and thus encouraging new material and collaborations between artists across different genres. 

If an amateur artist is struggling to find a platform to perform or is not a part of a group then these Open mics provide a beautiful opportunity for them. One can gain a lot of experience and get a proper feedback on their original content through the audience and fellow artists. Open mic culture is new to Indian live scene, particularly providing an opportunity to amateur artists to try a new material in front of an audience, again original content is the [key] here! Open mics are generally not as popular as they should be because they are all about experiments, and people(average listeners) usually like what they have heard before i.e. commercially hit songs and are not willing to listen to the new material with open heart, but that is not the barrier as these open mics attract people who really are serious about art and appreciate its beauty! 

Here are a few open mics platforms from which I gained experienced in 2017. They were really helpful in shaping me who I am. I learned a lot as a naive artist and I feel that I have a lot to learn before I more into a fully professional escape!  

Started in 2015 “The-Orange-Octopus-Records” have organized hundreds of Open Mic events successfully in Pune and Bangalore and given a platform for many stand-up comedians, poets, storytellers, songwriters and musicians. According to them in the near future they plan to bring out a platform, where local artists are accessible to the many ardent music lovers, and are committed to finding a sustainable way to allow them to keep creating their content. 

My experience at their open mics has been very satisfying I met like minded artists who gave me blunt feedback at times and it has been an amazing experience altogether. 

  Platform for Artists or simply PFA is all about collaboration! They have a mission to create “Art together”. You can see a painter collaborating with a musician and a rapper collaborating with a songwriter in their open mics! They are spread across many cities in India. Some of them being Pune, Nagpur, Aurangabad, Ahemadabad, Agra, Indore, Goa, Chennai, Udaipur and Bangalore. 

Jam Rooms in Pune

This list is no advertisement but a list of jam rooms or places I went to in 2017 and what I experienced there!  

1. Rhapsody Recording

I started going to this place during mid June through the end of the year and still counting. Professionalism at it’s best. Never had a bad experience here. One of the best sounding place to jam in Pune. Moreover it is near Magarpatta! It's located in St. Patrick's Town which is opposite to Fatima Nagar. I am never going to forget a few moments which I experienced while I was jamming with my friends at Rhapsody.

There is plenty of space for a 6-8 piece band. But more importantly the way AJ, who's the owner treats the fellow artists.

2. “DivineMusic” 

Situated in a basement of Raheja Midas Basement at MG Road, I spent a few early days of 2017 rehearsing at this place. Quick setup, nice sound and acoustics and the finest hardware. One plus point is while rehearsing at this place there are no distractions because there is no mobile signal in the basement. Just you and your music, which is a plus point in my opinion!  3. MuzicClub

The people over here breathe music. If you want to learn music while living in Pune you have to visit this place! Best learning atmosphere and people of all age groups can be seen here which makes it even more interesting. I went to this place with Matthew John Piper who is a singer songwriter based out of Sheboygan to accompany him on his song “The final hero” on the keys and the experience was surreal. Although I am not sure about the renting of Jam Space but they conduct Sunday Open Jams which are awe-inspiring. 

4. Resonance - The Jam Hub

2018 Reading List 

1. The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell 

2. Never Eat Alone 

3. Blink 

4. The Secret 

5. Brida

6. Pride & Prejudice  

7. The Design of Everyday Things 

8. A Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

9. The Bluest Eye 

10. Veronica decides to die 

11. The Zahir 

P.S. Cringe Pop lovers please excuse.