‘15 Stories’ unfolds unprecedented concert with 15 artistes

Many in the audience thought actor Imtiaz Barshon was there to see the show, until he took to the stage and let them rediscover him with a different identity as he started singing. On Friday evening, people rediscovered the versatile actor as a singer, songwriter, and musician at 'Yamaha Music Bangladesh presents 15 Stories', the second gig arranged by The Song Writers' Collective (TSC). Imtiaz has been well known for his leading roles in films like "Unoponchash Batash", "Nishwash", "Ora 7 Jon", "Kaiser" and other web series.

Not only was Barshon rediscovered, people also rediscovered the talented guitarist of the band Firoz Jong, Samin Yasar, as a singer-songwriter. They got introduced to fresh indie faces like Maruf Mia and Aung at the gig that took place in the city's Yamaha Flagship Center at Tejgaon.

With the tagline "No covers allowed", as the singers sang their own compositions, the event turned into a session of creative freedom, uncensored backstories and cosy chitchats. The '15 Stories' brought together different generations of musicians, from fresh varsity-going indie singer-songwriters to well-established renowned singer-songwriters. They shared the stories of their journeys, inspirations, and tales behind the songs, as well as got an opportunity to extend their networks in the indie scene. Joy Shahriar, renowned singer-songwriter and music producer, said, "Here we got the indie musicians of different ages and generations who have captured their time and emotions in their songs; we also did that in our youth – this event is helping bridge between these generations."

Joy Shahriar, who was present from the very beginning, after listening to actor Barshon's unreleased track "Tomay Jokhon Mone Pore", decided to produce and release it from his label Aajob Records. He said, "We have talked today; I will produce the new track of Barshon, which will hopefully be released soon."

The show started with guitarist, composer and drummer A K Rahul, who was later accompanied by Pehnaz Upama on vocals for the song "Acid Ke". The show was hosted by the co-founder of TSC, Sadi Shahnewaz, who happens to be the Editor of The Daily Star's Arts & Entertainment, and vocalist of Old Dhaka Diaries. His hosting skills made the show lively, letting the performers speak out their uncensored thoughts, experiences, stories and raw emotions.

After Rahul's performance, came up Maruf Mia, a fresh indie face who writes, sings and plays folk-fusions. His seasoned folk voice, exploring from high pitches to groovy low notes, complemented by his acoustic guitar, was a warm starter that prepared the audience for the insane indie evening ahead.

Gradually, songwriter-singers, including Muhib Faysal Lincon of band Olik, Tanzir Shuddho of Apekkhik, Aung from Dhaka University, Samin Yasar of Firoze Jong, Rayhan Islam Shuvro, R Bashar Lisan from Lisan and The Blindmen, Rodoshi Isfar Fatemi, Pehnaz Upama, Mumtahina Mehzabin Afrin of False Cassette, Ishmamul Farhad of Shunno, Imtiaz Barshon, Aseer Arman and Joy Shahriar made their performances.

Samin Yasar, who also played guitar with Aung, Lisan and Joy Shahriar was a bit nervous before his debut performance as a singer-songwriter, but the way the audience paid their attention to his songs gave him the comfort of doing his own numbers. While talking to The Daily Star, he said that he loved the overall arrangement. Mentioning the roles of Sadi and Ishmam, he emphasised the importance of musicians as organisers standing up for other musicians.

With the super melodious performance of "Uff Chitkar", Aung held the audience spellbound through his vocal works and classical twists. For him, this was a new opportunity in his 13 years of practising music, where he felt pretty comfortable being able to share his stories.

For both Rodoshi and Afrin, this gig felt different, as they were not only able to sing their own way but also able to share their thoughts, behind-stories and interacting closely with the audience was something they don't get to do often. Rodoshi performed her unreleased track, "Shohorer Bristy".

Afrin, who has recently been featured in Coke Studio Bangla on "Long Distance Love", also performed "Bhul Somoy", which is about meeting the right person at the wrong time.

During the performance of Imtiaz Barshon, the atmosphere got a bit gloomy for an instant as he became a little emotional while sharing the backstory of "Tomay Jokhon Mone", a song that talks about people we have lost. However, the atmosphere was restored in his second song, and people were mesmerised by his vocal prowess. About the gig, he exclaimed that it was simply awesome and he couldn't help but get involved with this initiative.

The audience enjoyed the whole gig like a cosy backyard 'adda'; they sang along with Aseer Arman and Joy Shahriar and stayed late till Joy stopped the show with his very famous "Shotti Bolchhi" at around 11:30 PM.

The Songwriters' Collective (TSC) is an initiative by Sadi Shahnewaz and Ishmamul Farhad that aims to create a collective platform for the independent songwriter-singers promoting their compositions to a larger audience. The first gig under this initiative took place at Aloki, in August this year.

Photos: Abrar Faiyaz Niloy