'Wanted Yesterday' all set to go retro in Mumbai this weekend

Wanted Yesterday, the blues band formed by admen Rajeev Raja, creative consultant DDB Mudra; Subhash Kamath, managing partner, BBH India; and Prabhakar Mundkur, CEO, Percept/H, is set to perform its next gig at the Blue Frog in Mumbai on Saturday, March 10.

Raja is the flautist, Mundkur is the lead guitarist and Kamath is on the rhythm guitar. All three are vocalists as well. This Saturday's performance will also see Tala Faral on keyboards and saxophone, Kenneth Rebello on the bass guitar, and Hitesh and Cassy Fernandes (on drums) as a part of the band.

As is known, Wanted Yesterday has conducted several live performances in the past, including one at the Blue Frog in 2009 on the occasion of the felicitation of the Indian winners of the NY Festivals awards.

The band gets its name from a cliché describing the often-unreasonable deadlines in the ad world, that is, 'This is wanted yesterday!' Since the band chiefly plays music from the

'60s and '70s, the name also serves as a cheeky description of the kind of music it revels in.

Generally, the band dips into covers of famous songs by JJ Cale, The Beatles,

Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan and The Allman Brothers, and a variety of classic blues and rock numbers. But instead of being a usual tribute band, it attempts to bring in a unique interpretation of these songs with spontaneity and variety.

Kamath tells afaqs! that work is underway to launch an album of Wanted Yesterday soon. "Yes, we may cut an album soon. I have written three songs, Rajeev has made some compositions. For us, the journey has just begun, and there is potential out there for such kind of music," he says.

With a Saturday night retro theme, this weekend's performance hopes to bring the young audience back to retro music. "Thankfully, youngsters today believe it's about the love for the music, and not so much about genres of music. There is less snobbery in them as compared to the earlier generations in that age group. For today's youth, it's about experimentation and listening to what they love and enjoy," explains Kamath, on the key target group for this kind of music.

The show is being promoted extensively on Twitter and Facebook, including an event page on Facebook where posters of the band's performance have been put up, inviting people to attend the performance. Also, the band's members have sent out invites to ad agencies and media houses, with a request to put up the posters on their office notice-boards, and asking them to spread the news.

"We certainly hope the youngsters in the ad industry come rolling in to taste this performance," says Raja, jokingly adding, "We're not so much targeting the wise, old admen!"

The plan is to play well known blues, classic rock and R&B songs.

The last performance by the band was at Bonobo in Khar, to a small, cosy room full of about a hundred people.