Striking The Right Chord
|Viewing Party Unplugged|
The iconic residential area of Karama, located in the heart of the sunny city of Dubai, is well-known for its hustle-bustle which springs from its busy fish market, alluring fashion stores and popular South Asian restaurants. This area is also home to a band — Viewing Party. The group came together in February 2019 and struck the right chord; its humble origins rooted in a simple desire to establish a cohesive, collaborative unit of artists who could produce music for others to enjoy.
The group started their journey with spectacular performances at weekly open-mic nights (For those keen young performers out there— yes, the lively city of Dubai hosts a flurry of exciting open-mic nights!). Determination led Viewing Party to discover music networks and other groups they could perform with and learn from; and this opened their doors to a brighter future. Since then, the band has performed at prime locations, such as the Jazz Pizza Express at DIFC, Tribec Restaurant, Stars and Bars Sports bar, and the famous McGettigans. What do they play? Their mainstream covers include Can’t Stop (Red Hot Chilli Peppers), This Love (Maroon 5), Sk8er Boi (Avril Lavigne), House Of The Rising Sun (Animals).
Bentic Sebastian, one of the members of the group who plays the synthesizer, explained that the name “Viewing Party” was shortlisted among other amusing names like “Matchsticks”, “Stargaizu”, “Kasha and Friends”. The name “Stargaizu” was initially suggested because of the group’s common interest in stargazing during camping nights.
Viewing Party consists of some very young, vibrant, brilliant and enthusiastic musicians. Having known them from school years, and watching their band grow, I see them as a great source of inspiration, fun and memorable times together. I can never forget my mini ad-hoc jam sessions with them. I’m really looking forward to getting an opportunity to having some great sessions with Viewing Party again.
What amazes me is just how diverse and inclusive this group really is. The band comprises of members from all across South Asia, where each individual brings with them a unique set of talents, capabilities, means, potentials, ideas and interests, complementing one other, into weaving a multi-coloured patchwork quilt. All strive towards a common goal — to create pleasant and enjoyable music for all.
Aside from their outstanding music, each member also brings a diverse set of skills and competencies — their technical talent includes fields ranging from Engineering to Economics. Their individual hobbies cover a range of interests across the spectrum — from photography and interior design to dune bashing in the silky desert sands. Their day jobs include a span of activities such as retailing, relationship management, software development, data analysis and construction.
Although as employees they are occupied throughout the day, they still find a way, because they have the will, to meet up to jam once or twice a week, putting in hours of practice to showcase their outstanding performance at various star venues. Some fantastic juggling of all their daily roles — as employees, as family members and as members of a trendy music band. They seem to have found the perfect work-life balance as they juggle all their roles — pursuing their passion while at the same time staying connected. In fact some of these performers are exceptionally skilled at playing not just one but a variety of instruments — adding extraordinary value to the team as a whole.
Unfortunately, due to the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis, the band had to pause jamming sessions as well as halt performing for their fans. But the band has found a way around this crisis — they’ve taken the route of virtual collaborations by passing on music covers and recording various instruments and voice layers. Their composition will be released soon, making it their first virtual performance since the COVID-19 crisis! Literally, a “Viewing Party” — This should be really thrilling!
The secret behind such great teamwork and unmatched synchronization, as Bentic explains, has to do with “expanding one’s listening repertoire” and “being able to stretch beyond self and being open to all ideas”. He said, “You don’t need to be an excellent individual player to form an amazing band”. After all two plus two doesn’t always equal four — many factors come together to strike the best chord— it’s all about collective effort. Teamwork, collaboration, and synchronization, feeding off each other’s energy, and giving each other moments to shine in a live performance are just a few.
From studying together in a classroom, to open-mic nights and eventually big-stage performances, this music group has gone far and will be headed further and faster.
They certainly have struck the right chord.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you: Viewing Party.
Feel free to follow them on Instagram at:
@bentic.js
@lazyeyedone
@nathan.f.rodrigues
@kashafernandes
@darrencaranha
Photo Credits @kinaneisaac26 (Kinane Isaac)
This article is purely my opinion and does not represent the opinions of any person, group, website or firm.
