The international melody-masters of renown – Lil Red & the Roosters.
- Simply The Blues, pharmacy Mumbaiâs unique roots blues festival moves into its 4th year
- Simply The Blues is the only blues festival in India that spans multi-city gigs. In this edition, it spreads its roots across 4 cities in India â Goa, Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore
- The first edition in this year, kicks off with Franceâs most popular blues band – Lil Red & The Roosters led by singer / songwriter / percussionist Ms. Jennifer Milligan
- The gigs connect the sounds of modern blues to its roots music, through the âwashboardâ â one of the most unique roots blues instruments. The washboard debuts for the first time ever on the Indian live music stage
- Upcoming editions will see more cities added to the tour
As legendary American bluesman Willie Dixon said â âThe Blues is the roots, the rest is the fruitsâ. September 24th saw the 4th edition of Starkonnect Event & Promotionâs pioneer blues festival Simply The Blues, spreading its roots to Goa and making its way to the cityâs favourite music venue – Sol de Goa Hotel, Nerul, Bardez, Goa.
Big band sound got a minimalist twist, with multi-award winning French blues band Lil Red & The Roosters. Jennifer Milligan took centre-stage, with The Roosters comprising multi-award winning guitarist Pascal Fouquet and the charming Thomas Troussier on blues harp. Together they complimented her soulful voice, creating an electric blues band in a serious ârootsâ blues format.
Blues music lovers got a chance to enjoy the groupâs refreshing sense of humour, with their originals bringing the 40âs and 50âs blues, and rhythm and blues into the present day. Jennifer Milligan has the voice of a diva, walking voluptuously from Bessie Smith to Janis Joplin. An authentic storyteller with a voice sometimes serious and sometimes sweet, and an unshakeable smile, she holds the rhythm with a light snare shuffle or washboard scratch. Multi-award winning French blues guitarist Pascal Fouquet shines in this intimate setting, agile fingers gliding over the strings of his guitar, always searching for the perfect sound, where you can hear every nuance of his 40 yearsâ experience. 2012 King of the Chug winner French harmonist Thomas Troussier plays from his heart and soul. Theyâre warm and inviting and their music is inspired and innovative.
The band connects its modern sound, to the roots of the blues, with Jennifer playing one of the most unique ârootsâ blues instruments â the washboard, an instrument never heard on a live stage performance in India.
The opening band for the night was Hermen Abreo Blues Band with Hermen Abreu on the Blues Harmonica and guitar, Carlos Gonsalves on percussion and drums, Shayne Ballantyne on guitar and Joe Ferrao on bass.
Blues with a spirit full of hope and joy that may just inspire you to get up and boogie!
About Simply The Blues
An initiative of StarKonnect Events & Promotions, Simply The Blues has spread its wings to blues fans across India. The dream of its promoters Anil Mehta and Joyce Arora, to give this beautiful genre its rightful place in the live music event space in India, has slowly taken shape. Blues is no more considered a niche music form. A younger audience is slowly recognising that their idols in modern music such as Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Elvis Presley, Eric Clapton etc, have their roots in the blues, and are eager to experience the blues. An increasing number of young musicians across India are taking to playing the blues. Simply The Blues has been creating this awareness for the past 3 years through its various platforms. In its 4th year now, Simply The Blues, brings the Blues to your doorstep, with a multi-city tour across India. This is a format no other blues festival in India has created so far. This tour sees Simply The Blues, associating with partners across various cities, who believe in providing a quality live music experience to their guests.
Event website: www.simplytheblues.in
Simply The Blues (Goa) : Sol de Goa Hotel, Nerul, Bardez.
Simply The Blues is proud to have Sol de Goa Hotel, Goa partner with them on the multi-city India tour. Sol de Goa has made a name for itself in recent years as one of the top music venues in the state, providing delightful, soul-stirring, out-of-the-box musical entertainment and innovative performances that are often a first for Goa.