What To Expect at SulaFest, Mahindra Blues Fest and Eristoff Invasion

David Guetta.

SULAFEST
Where: Sula Vineyards, Nashik.
When: Saturday, February 4 and Sunday, February 5, from 12.30pm to 10pm.
SulaFest, the annual festival organised by Sula Vineyards, is as much if not more about the music as the wine. This year, it becomes a two-day event, with a line-up curated by Lower Parel club Blue Frog, the highlight of which, as you may have heard, is a performance by British-Indian genre-busting, multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer Nitin Sawhney, who tops a bill that’s pretty impressive even otherwise. Blackstratblues aka the blues-rock band fronted by guitarist Warren Mendonsa; New Delhi reggae sound system Reggae Rajahs; Cameroonian Afro-funk bassist Etienne Mbappe; and folktronica singer-songwriter Papon play the first day, Saturday, February 4. Hindi pop-rock group Ankur Tewari and the Ghalat Family; blues-rock duo Soulmate; Sawhney; and Dualist Inquiry aka the electronica-meets-rock project of guitarist Sahej Bakshi take the stage on Sunday, February 5. The gigs are scheduled to start around 4.30pm on Saturday and 3pm on Sunday, but there’s plenty of other stuff to keep you busy, from food (Little Italy, Mainland China, Maroosh) and shopping stalls to grape stomping and of course plenty of booze (not just wine). For details, visit sulafest2012.co.in.
Tickets: Rs1,000 for a day pass; Rs1,800 for a festival pass. Available at Blue Frog, Rhythm House in Kala Ghoda, Furtados in Juhu and Malad, and via bookmyshow.com.

MAHINDRA BLUES FESTIVAL
Where: Mehboob Studios, 100 Hill Road, Bandra (West).
When: Saturday, February 11, gates open at 6pm, and Sunday, February, 12, gates open at 5pm. Call 95949 91124 for further information.
The second edition of the MBF will feature a couple of repeats from last year, but we doubt many people will mind—India’s favourite blues-rock act, Soulmate and legendary guitarist Buddy Guy both return. This time around, Guy will be joined by American pedal steel stalwart Robert Randolph; the pair will close out MBF on Sunday, February 12, on Stage No.3. Saturday, February 11, will feature performances by Mumbai-based blues-rock band Overdrive Trio and vocalist (and son of blues legend John Lee Hooker) John Lee Hooker Jr., who calls his music “2 parts R&B, 1 part jazz and down home blues”, who play Stage No.1, and Grammy-winning, multi-instrumentalist and veteran bluesman Taj Mahal (the stage name is said to have come to him in a dream about Mahatma Gandhi) and his trio, who will play Stage No.3. The day will end with an after-party at the Recording Room (the same venue where Live From The Console is held), where entry will be on a first-come, first-served basis, and the playlist will—but of course—be blues. Besides Guy, the other performers on Sunday include Blackstratblues, Soulmate and Serbian blues-rock guitarist and singer Ana Popovic, each of whom will play Stage No.1. There’s also a meet-and-greet breakfast with the artists at the Recording Room on Sunday—email ganesh@oranjuice.net to register—as a well as buffet brunch in the garden area, where popular Mumbai jam band Something Relevant will provide the entertainment. See mahindrablues.com for further information.
Tickets: Rs2,500 for a daily ticket; Rs4,000 for a season ticket; Rs1,000 for the brunch. Available from bookmyshow.com.

ERISTOFF INVASION
Where: Amanora Park Town, Hadapsar-Kharadi Bypass,
 Hadapsar, Pune.
When: Saturday, March 10.
French superstar DJ David Guetta was originally scheduled to perform in Mumbai as well as in New Delhi and Bangalore but his gig here was subsequently shifted to Pune because of “venue issues”. That the organisers NH7 found it hard to find an appropriate spot in the city to host Guetta, who will headline the 2012 edition of their annual electronica festival Eristoff Invasion, is not that surprising; it was after all the same reason why they couldn’t host The Prodigy in Mumbai last year. What’s more surprising is the choice of Guetta to spearhead the event. NH7 is seen as the country’s premiere indie conglomerate and while The Prodigy may have sold millions of records, they have staunchly remained cutting-edge. Guetta, on the other hand, is as commercial as they come—he is, after all, the man responsible for The Black Eyed Peas’s “I Gotta Feeling”. Still, Guetta’s appearance means that Indian electronica fans can continue to boast that all the word’s No.1 DJs (as ranked by DJ Mag) have played here, from Paul Oakenfold and Paul van Dyk to Armin van Buuren and now Guetta. The organisers though have emphasised that Guetta’s performance is “not a DJ set” but a “full festival set”, complete with all the sound and light production of his gigs at major venues abroad. Opening acts are yet to be announced; visit invasionfestival.in for updates.
Tickets: Rs2,000. Available from invasionfestival.in.