Jay Manickadas 
Citizen

A curated two-month virtual gig to encourage independent musicians

Independent musicians who play at small gigs, parties and weddings have not had any events in the past two months. To encourage and support such singers, Jay Manickadas, a musician from the city, has come up with an online concert series called Riffbook.org.

migrator

Chennai

“Even if all the entertainment mediums like film production, TV shoots, etc, resume in a couple of weeks, it will take a long time for indie musicians to get back on track. There are a lot of independent musicians in Tamil Nadu and many are facing a huge financial crisis because of the lockdown. So, when I suggested a virtual curated concert series to a few such musicians, they were happy to be part of this. As shows around the world are on pause, it’s more important than ever to support the artists and acts we love. This can also be music movement,” says Jay.

Instead of not just inviting local artistes, he has also managed to bring in well-known names like Ric Fierabracci, Matt Bacon and Padet Netpakdee. “Ric Fierabracci is an American bassist who has toured and recorded with artists like Yanni, Shakira, Sir Tom Jones, Bradley Joseph and Nancy Sinatra. Padet Netpakdee is a sought-after Asian guitarist and Matt Bacon is a classical guitarist. We also have Suresh Peters joining the virtual gigs. If you see the line-up of musicians, we have a mix of popular and struggling artistes. Initially, I had planned the concert for a week, but after getting a good response from a lot of musicians, I have planned the shows for the next two months,” he shares.

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