There's nothing stopping the iconic karaoke nights at Bandra's Soul Fry, which are now online thrice a week. We joined in to share tunes
The online karaoke session in progress
If you happen to walk down Pali Mala Road on Monday or Thursday night post 9 pm, chances are that you might be able to catch a few notes that emanate from a karaoke session at Soul Fry. Tempted, we too felt the urge to follow the sound about three months ago, and we stepped into a lively session; actually a chorus of people singing and cheering each other at the karaoke night at the popular Bandra hangout. What sets this particular session apart is the careful curation by its owner Meldan D'Cunha, who takes in requests from his seat next to the console, and the dollops of encouragement, mostly from his wife Glynis, seated at the family table. By our third visit, we were being greeted as family, such that we were able to overcome our stage fright, as we tried out a few songs.
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It's this same warmth and homely vibe that D'Cunha is bringing to Mumbaikars in lockdown with online karaoke sessions. All you need is a device with the Zoom app and another (laptop or phone) where you can play a karaoke version of the song you want to sing on YouTube. And of course, the code for the meeting on the Zoom app from D'Cunha.
The writer joins in
Armed with all three, we joined in from home for their Thursday session at 9.30 pm, and were pleased to notice that 12 of the regulars had logged in, including the D'Cunhas. We joined in in the middle of a song, after which we are welcomed by the group. Before we got caught in the loop of talking about the latest updates, the next person who's ready with a song begins to play.
A live karaoke session at Soul Fry
A few things to keep in mind — it's best to select mute while a performance is on as there are fewer chances of you interrupting it, and there's no window for feedback. Three songs in, and we faced our first glitch when we tried to sing — we used the TV and firestick to play the song and the laptop for Zoom. But the laptop failed to pick up the sound, which is why, for our next song in half an hour, we attempted to play it on the phone, and that worked far better for the simple reason that the speaker is much closer. There were no further snags, but it's important to ensure you are connected to the WiFi. Even though there are some connectivity glitches with people's respective mediums (three out of 12), we ended up singing our hearts out and feeling some of the familiar Soul Fry vibe.
Call 9820282522 to join
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