Dischordian Set Out For A Camping Gig This Weekend

Dischordian Photo: Niyati Dhuldhoya

For half a decade now, Indian event organizers have been wooing audiences to festivals and gigs across the country with the promise of not just great music, but also a fantastic vibe. Some festivals such as Bacardi NH7 Weekender have consistently delivered, while some others have found it to be a challenge. The latest in the series of gigs, that hopes to draw audiences who love the idea of attending a gig as much as traveling a fair distance to watch it, is Music In The Great Outdoors. 

The first edition of Music In The Great Outdoors, where a band travels, camps and performs to a limited number of fans will feature Mumbai folk rock band Dischordian. The band will head to Panchgani along with at least 15 other campers this weekend.  “There’s no amplifier and it’s an acoustic gig, so we wanted the size of the audience to be small. We just want it to be about the band, the bonfire and the people,” says founder Sudeepta Sanyal of travel firm The Blueberry Trails, which is organizing the gig.

Dischordian guitarist Howard Pereira says that his band will play a completely unplugged set, which means the guitarist will have to play the loudest compared to the melodicas and saxophones. “Nigel [Rajaratnam, melodica and saxophone player] is in Berlin, so we’ve got Amar [Sukhi, saxophonist], Aggy [Agnelo Picardo, trumpet and percussion] and Garreth [D’Mello, vocalist]. It has a Storytellers [a VH1 showcase of live bands] vibe about it, where we can sit and talk about our songs. We’ll also give a free copy of The Feni Farm Riot to everyone traveling,” says Pereira.

The concept of camping gigs was popularized last year by The Great Gig In The Sky, organized by Mumbai-based travel company Jumpstart Outdoors since October 2011, which also involved sightseeing and other activities in addition to music. Jumpstart Outdoors also prefers to restrict travelers to 30. “It’s not a big event. If it has too many people, then the outdoors won’t be what they used to be,” says organizer Akul Tripathi, adding the fixed fare for every Great Gig is Rs 2,600. Dischordian was also part of the Great Gig In The Sky in April last year in Karjat. “In fact, we [as a band] kicked off the whole music and travel event with them, but with this [Music In The Great Outdoors], we travel further,” says Pereira. 

Mumbai pop rock band Spud In The Box also performed at The Great Gig In The Sky in December last year in Khopoli. Vocalists Rohan Rajadhyaksha and Ankit Dayal, along with drummer Vivaan Kapoor performed to an audience of about 20-30 people. Rajadhyaksha says, “We were chilling with our audience and traveling with them and it wasn’t really a performance. It was more like a jam. People were sharing their thoughts about our music and about the indie scene in general,” says Rajadhyaksha. The Great Gig In The Sky also keeps the sound equipment to a minimum, but encourages artists to participate in other trip activities such as trekking with the rest of the group. 

As for the new weekend camping event, Sanyal hopes that Music In The Great Outdoors  can turn into a monthly event. “I have a few artists in mind, and we might get two singer-songwriters in May,” says Sanyal, “Some want the whole experience, others want to join in from outside Mumbai or drive down to the campsite themselves,” says Sanyal. Meanwhile, Tripathi confirms that the Great Gig In The Sky returns on April 13th, with singer-songwriter Vasuda Sharma traveling along.

Dischordian performs at Music In The Great Outdoors in Panchgani on March 23rd. Tickets Rs 3,900 [with stay, meals from Saturday afternoon to Sunday morning, bonfire, Transport by an air-conditioned bus] and Rs 3,200 [without transport]. Event details here .

More details about The Great Gig In The Sky and Jumpstart Outdoors is available on their Facebook page.