India’s first Blues festival to kickstart in Mumbai
By IANSFriday, February 4, 2011
MUMBAI - Music aficionados and specially fans of blues are in for a treat since a Blues festival is set to roll out here Saturday onwards.
Mahindra Blues Festival, being organised by the Mahindra Group, is a two-day weekend festival and will take place at the Mehboob studios. It will feature International Blues stars like Buddy Guy, Jonny Lang, Shemekia Copeland and Matt Schofield.
The festival will also feature home grown talent like Soulmate from Shillong, Saturday Night Blues band from Kolkata and The Luke Kenny Mojo Jukebox from Mumbai, amongst others.
“Our tractors sell in large numbers in the Southern part of the US, especially the Mississippi delta - the birthplace of the Blues,” Rajeev Dubey, President, group HR and corporate services and member of the group management board, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd said in a statement.
“Transplanting and exchanging cultural themes enables a better understanding amongst world communities. The Mahindra Blues Festival is a step in that direction as it connects communities in the US with the people of Mumbai,” he said.
“Blues became the vocabulary of people who did not get their lives on a silver platter, those who were disenfranchised, those who had to endure strife and suffering. This struggle resonates with the people of Mumbai. When Mahindra was deciding on a city for the festival, it was obvious that the Blues belonged to Mumbai,” he added.
The Mehboob studio, where the festival will play out this weekend, has been designed specifically to create a Blues-like atmosphere, with three separate stages for multiple concerts and sessions with the artistes.
Tickets to the festival are available at www.bookmyshow.com.
