Can you feel the rhythm?

Text: Sheryl Gonsalves

It all started when musicians Ash Chandler and his wife became partners with Olive Goa, a restaurant which overlooks the ocean. They thought that it would be the perfect opportunity to create a Live Music event. A clever play on words turned ‘Olive nights’ into O’Live Nights. So, the spelling didn’t change and the single apostrophe added displayed the live music element.

On these nights, they have something called the O’Live orchestra where different people can sit in.  Every Saturday there are different bands, vocalists, and artists whose performances make the crowd cheer. Some notable names who had and will perform at this beautiful place are Elvis Lobo, Charu Suri, and many more. Even talent from outside Goa is brought to perform if they are in the State for a vacation. The Saturday nights aren’t an open mic at all. It’s a proper show.

So, would you vibe with this place? The venue is gorgeous. There is a little dance floor area. At some point in the evening, people end up singing along. It becomes a community of people that are into the same vibe at the same moment. In other places the band performing is treated like background music. However, Ash gets up and makes sure that everybody knows about them and they are definitely not background music but the main highlight of the night. Even if someone asks, ‘Can you turn them down?’ they don’t agree as it was advertised as a live music night. Those who book their seats in advance are also informed about the music.

Ash Chandler fondly remembers an incident that happened at Olive: “There are always surprises with the music. Around 3 weeks ago, a band said that they perform more of blues, rock, and reggae, but people kept requesting for Bruno Mars. And guess what? The band said ‘Yeah we’ll do it!’ One guy knew the song, taught the other guys the chords, and they started playing Bruno Mars while everyone went crazy! It was really fun.”

The music doesn’t stop. This event happens every Saturday throughout the year. When the code of conduct was enforced during the elections which meant that they couldn’t be open after 10 pm, the music nights turned into sundowners! Ash revealed: “Those were some of the best evenings we had. It was magical. The sunset is gorgeous up there. There is a community of people now who know that if they want fun live music, they go to O’live Nights.” Once a month Ash himself is the featured artist!

It doesn’t end here. They are planning to launch LOT Nights. LOT stands for Legendary Olive Thursdays. ‘Bachata breakfasts’ is also something on their calendar where Bachata is taught over breakfast!

If this doesn’t convince you to come to Goa for a vacation, I don’t know what will! This State sings through its beauty and different forms of music like EDM, trance, and other vibrant melodies. Music is embedded deep in the heart of Goa.