Catch some a capella and acoustic tunes at Rolling Stone Stage this weekend

Charan Singh Pathania. Image: Courtesy of the artist

Continuing to showcase India’s upcoming musical talent, Rolling Stone Stage has so far treated the crowds at R-City Mall, Ghatkopar to acoustic rock and folk music by various artistes. This weekend’s edition of the gig series will feature A capella and beatboxing group Aflatunes, an acoustic set by the Anand Bhaskar Collective, solo musician Vivek Date and singer-songwriter Charan Singh Pathania with his band.

Anand Bhaskar wrote most of his music as a solo artist before forming the Collective in September of 2014. The band is hoping to tap into a new audience at R-City Mall and expand their fanbase. Says Bhaskar, “I think it’s unique of Rolling Stone India to organize this sort of thing in a mall setting, which is a newer audience for us. We’re hoping that the larger number of people there will like our music, suggest it to their friends and expand our fan base that way.”

The band also has a unique set list prepared for this performance. States Bhaskar, “We’re planning to play our debut album Samsara in its entirety along with another original song we’ve just written. Since we’re playing an unplugged set, I think the violins will be the highlight of our set. Oh, and we’re also going to play our rendition of this really melodious Bollywood song from 1958. I don’t want to reveal too much, so you’ll just have to hear it at R-City this weekend!”

The Anand Bhaskar Collective. Image: Courtesy of the artist

Charan has already made a name for himself as the guitarist for Mumbai metal band Providence, but he hopes to break out of that mould with his band’s gig at RS Stage. Says Charan, “It’s so refreshing for me to get out of that ”˜metal’ zone for once and play my own stuff. I’ve always loved Bollywood songs and have written and produced my own Hindi songs, so my solo material with the band is going to pick up from that and be more mellow. We plan to play five to six originals including a rap track I just came up with, but I think we’re going to attract the audience with some Bollywood song covers first.”

Rolling Stone Stage will take place at R-City Mall, Ghatkopar on May 16^th and May 17^th from 7pm onwards. The first day will feature Aflatunes and the Anand Bhaskar Collective, and the second day will feature Vivek Date and Charan. Event details here.