Knocking on Dylan’s Door
A concert titled ‘78 Years of Bob Dylan – A Tribute’ has been organised at Phoenix, The Astor in Kolkata today, on 13th June featuring three singer-songwriters as well a film screening
Bob Dylan is undoubtedly one of the most celebrated singer songwriters in the world for all time. His poetry and the ease with which he addressed socially relevant issues plaguing world society has inspired countless number of young and old people the world over to pick up the guitar and strum it while telling the contemporary world’s story mingled with one’s own.
Today, three singer-songwriters in Kolkata come together at Phoenix, The Astor, to sing his songs albeit with their own twists, and in some cases, complete re-interpretation. This is part of the Thursday Jazz Encounter weekly concert series held at the bar in collaboration with Smoke Inc.
The artists are Arjun Kar, Durjoy Choudhury and veteran musician Rahul Guha Roy. Arjun Kar hails from Habra, km from Kolkata and has now made the city his home. He is the definition of a struggling musician who has the guts to actually go the entire way. He took to the streets to busk to earn a living and is fighting tooth and nail to survive so that his music survives. Harmonica hanging on his neck and a guitar lugged around his shoulders, a bearded young man can be seen and heard telling his tales, which are real flesh and blood, unlike scores of other singer-songwriters who sing songs but don’t really have anything to say. He plans to release an album soon for which he needs money. He has resorted to social media to generate money through crowd funding and if a good Samaritan does donate, it’ll be for a worthwhile cause.
Arjun Kar
Durjoy, an old face in Kolkata’s music scene, was heard capturing minds with his band Bee and the Buskers which sadly broke up in 2016 after a six year stint. They released an EP ‘Epilogue’ post break. Though he kept up appearances at cafes and bars as a lone man show, he focused more on entrepreneurship with a video series called Friday Night Originals. The idea is to record original songs of independent artists and put them up on their YouTube channel. The Kolkata branch’s fifth season has been shot while FNO has spread wings to Mumbai and Chiang Mai, Thailand and Melbourne, Australia. Efforts are being made to expand to Pondicherry, India; Dhaka, Bangladesh and Johannesburg, Sotuh Africa.
Durjoy Choudhury
Coming back to Durjoy’s music, he has started anew with a band named Murphy’s Paradox. They recently released a single titled ‘Dreams in Technicolor’ and plan to release a five song eponymous EP later this month.
The last man on the roster is the oldest and the best. A one-man-show by himself, Rahul Guha Roy is the last living embodiment of rock n’ roll in the city. Whether he is playing with Cassini’s Division or in his own project, Rahul wins crowds with ease. The vibrant energy bouncing off him is infectious to say the least. And he doesn’t sing covers; he actually re-interprets songs in his own way. So if you find reggae version of ‘Knocking on Heaven’s Door’ suddenly infused with a little bit of soukous African music, don’t be surprised. Just let go and enjoy yourself.
Rahul Guha Roy
The concert will also be accompanied by the screening of a film called ‘If Not For You – A Bob Dylan Film’ made by Vineet Arora and Jaimin. A cover charge of Rs. 400 is applicable for patrons inclined to enjoy the night.
