A CGF Indieology Special
drafted by the CGF peace and order committee
approved by the CGF board
The Cebu Guitar Festival is happening again this weekend - tonight in fact. With an event of this magnitude, a million things needs to be planned out, and if possible, down to the last detail. And with the organizers also performing, it becomes doubly challenging to run the event smoothly and as flawlessly as possible.
And as Murphy's Law states, "If something can go wrong, it will." This might sound a bit negative but it pays to have a little risk management on the side too. That being said, the organizers would like to ask for a little cooperation (a lot, actually) from the performers.
Nobody likes rules but we most often need them to get things in place and in order. Better safe than sorry.
Rule #1 : NO "rock stars" allowed.
In Cebu, the "rock star" label has been commonly phrased to connote musicians that tend to exude a tinge of arrogance in important occasions such as the CGF. Rock star, a tag being synonymous to extravagance and abusive lifestyles somewhat brings a negative clout among local producers. The CGF hopes to deliver talent - NOT ATTITUDE. Period.
Rule #2 : PLEASE be on time.
Not only is it ethical and professional, punctuality is also showing respect for other people's time. Just a tip, the performers are scheduled evenly -from the first to the last parts of the show. So this rule also applies to the audience and fans. More information about the schedule HERE.
Rule #3 : If a performer is late, then he/she is LATE.
To support the above ruling, bands or guitarists are adivced to show up an hour before their schedule. This is to allow better flow of the program considering the time constraints and the increased performers this year. Simply put, this rule says that if you're late then you're late - you cannot perform in another performer's schedule anymore. Need more explanation? The organizers just cannot simply adjust the schedules even after the official show.
Rule #4 : The On-Site Band Coordinator is the person in charge.
He/she will be the band sitter - to assist the musicians with their gears - gig bags, guitars, etc. A technical form shall be issued to fill up.
Rule #5 : Please please please TUNE THE GUITAR OFF-STAGE.
Nothing beats a properly tuned guitar!!! Period. Check your cables too. Looking good is good but Cebu Guitar Fest would rather showcase talent than looks. So try to lessen down your vanity and be professional instead.
Rule #6 : All bands are given 30 mins per time slot (except for special cases).
That's 5 mins. set-up, 15 mins. play and 5 minutes wrap-up. The math may be off but the extra 5 mins are contingencies alloted for fixing gears (and maybe fixing your hairdo too long on the stage). This is the 30-minute rule.
Rule #7 : Watch out for Al Pacino
Heaven and hell forbid it but if your band goes wary and exceed the 30-min rule, a silent muscle man shall approach you on stage, recites a spell and summons the devil to take away your mojo. CGF peeps don't want that. They don't want this muscle man to come near the stage and give you that Al Pacino look. So respect the 30-min rule and think about the other bands that will be playing after you.
Rule #8 : The On-Site Band Coordinator is the person in charge again.
After your set... look for the On-Site Band Coordinator. Just do this last rule and you'll be fine.
To end...
Cebu Guitar Festival and its organizers are all in this event for ONE thing only - to play priceless music.
Showing posts with label outpost. Show all posts
Showing posts with label outpost. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Starting Up A Band
A friend is putting up a new band. His last update was that he has three musicians who expressed their interest. He added that what he’d like to do first was to start off with cover tunes and then move up to songwriting before finally recording them. Sounds like a good plan.
I got an email from him a week ago. He was asking for help. I wasn’t really sure what he wanted me to do but I suppose he was asking some inputs on how to start his new band (or whether his plans would work). This is probably the most difficult question I’ve ever been asked of. I didn’t know exactly what to say.
In all tasks, the most challenging part is usually the first few steps. But then, those steps lead to another series of steps leading to another first step and so on. One time I consulted Mr. Junks Muaña, one of the owners of The Outpost, on what I need to do first when putting up a business. He simply said “Just start with whatever you have and you will learn from there. Everything else will follow.”
I’m still hanging. All of a sudden, it got me thinking - if I were to start up a real live band today, what should I do first? What should I next? What do I need to get myself from point A to point B. Barred by these preliminary FAQs, I allowed my mind to teleport to 1990, the year when my first band in college was formed.
My selective memory showed me images of a laundry room (our practice studio for a time), a karaoke, two acoustic guitars, and a wooden box. Just like any start up band, we didn’t have any money and our options were only limited to these tools so we decided to improvise.
We would plug the microphone jack into the karaoke and the other end into one of the acoustic guitars. The amplified strings would serve as our bass. There were four of us - Blair Kriekenbeek, Antonio Mesa (Oniot), Mitchello Simbajon (Mich), and me.
I insisted that I play the bass. Oniot was still new to the 6-string instrument and at that time couldn’t get the notes right. Later, Oniot and I decided to change places (today he’s one of the finest bass players I know). Mich sat on the box and provided the beat. Blair, with his strong and powerful baritone voice married with that good diction, became the musical voice.
We tried jamming (still with improvised tools) in other places like Mich’s aunt’s house in Maria Luisa village. Sometimes we would just hang out at the “Bukid” (yes for those who grew up with us during these years, you know where this place is) and all we would do was talk, play, talk, play, write, talk, play, write, and beer.
Our little sacrifices and late night sessions lead us to Las Piñas recording studio wrapping up the very first ditty Blair, Mich, and I wrote together. The song was “Desolate” and we called our band The End. Our song enjoyed heavy rotation in Y101's airplay back then.
Today, with the many great and talented bands sprouting like weeds in a playground, the challenge is steeper and the goals are higher.
I guess my college band worked because we all share the same passion. We all wanted to do the same thing. Apart from that, Blair had a fetish for high standards. One time he said, “I will not play on stage or sing a new song if we feel we have doubts about it.”
It all started with me looking for souls who may be interested in making good music with me. Now I’m thinking… if I were to put a band together today, how will I do that? Where do I start?
I guess an important thing to look into is not to look too much on the skills of a potential band mate (although this is a huge plus). Me? I usually look more on the level of interest and the personality (and someone that understands discipline). Skills can be developed and when that happens, talent will surface.
What makes a good band is not how good the musician plays. A good band comes when there is the understanding that one musician is not any better than the other. Good music is made because each musician allows their personalities to merge.
Music is an extension of one’s personality. There is greater output when every musician in the band listens soulfully to what the other member is playing. We become better musicians with teamwork. Everyone must compliment each other. We become a great rock 'n' roll band when we start understanding the benefits of a collective effort. That’s how I think a good band is formed.
In any start up band, there are no clear-cut rules. But there’s always the drawing board in your head. A vision of what you need to happen, how you would like it to happen, and what you would like to see happening in years to come.
I guess the next thing to do is stay firm with that vision of your band and keep an open mind. Oh and keep your music as honest as you can – meaning keep it close to your soul.
I got an email from him a week ago. He was asking for help. I wasn’t really sure what he wanted me to do but I suppose he was asking some inputs on how to start his new band (or whether his plans would work). This is probably the most difficult question I’ve ever been asked of. I didn’t know exactly what to say.
In all tasks, the most challenging part is usually the first few steps. But then, those steps lead to another series of steps leading to another first step and so on. One time I consulted Mr. Junks Muaña, one of the owners of The Outpost, on what I need to do first when putting up a business. He simply said “Just start with whatever you have and you will learn from there. Everything else will follow.”
I’m still hanging. All of a sudden, it got me thinking - if I were to start up a real live band today, what should I do first? What should I next? What do I need to get myself from point A to point B. Barred by these preliminary FAQs, I allowed my mind to teleport to 1990, the year when my first band in college was formed.
My selective memory showed me images of a laundry room (our practice studio for a time), a karaoke, two acoustic guitars, and a wooden box. Just like any start up band, we didn’t have any money and our options were only limited to these tools so we decided to improvise.
We would plug the microphone jack into the karaoke and the other end into one of the acoustic guitars. The amplified strings would serve as our bass. There were four of us - Blair Kriekenbeek, Antonio Mesa (Oniot), Mitchello Simbajon (Mich), and me.
I insisted that I play the bass. Oniot was still new to the 6-string instrument and at that time couldn’t get the notes right. Later, Oniot and I decided to change places (today he’s one of the finest bass players I know). Mich sat on the box and provided the beat. Blair, with his strong and powerful baritone voice married with that good diction, became the musical voice.
We tried jamming (still with improvised tools) in other places like Mich’s aunt’s house in Maria Luisa village. Sometimes we would just hang out at the “Bukid” (yes for those who grew up with us during these years, you know where this place is) and all we would do was talk, play, talk, play, write, talk, play, write, and beer.
Our little sacrifices and late night sessions lead us to Las Piñas recording studio wrapping up the very first ditty Blair, Mich, and I wrote together. The song was “Desolate” and we called our band The End. Our song enjoyed heavy rotation in Y101's airplay back then.
Today, with the many great and talented bands sprouting like weeds in a playground, the challenge is steeper and the goals are higher.
I guess my college band worked because we all share the same passion. We all wanted to do the same thing. Apart from that, Blair had a fetish for high standards. One time he said, “I will not play on stage or sing a new song if we feel we have doubts about it.”
It all started with me looking for souls who may be interested in making good music with me. Now I’m thinking… if I were to put a band together today, how will I do that? Where do I start?
I guess an important thing to look into is not to look too much on the skills of a potential band mate (although this is a huge plus). Me? I usually look more on the level of interest and the personality (and someone that understands discipline). Skills can be developed and when that happens, talent will surface.
What makes a good band is not how good the musician plays. A good band comes when there is the understanding that one musician is not any better than the other. Good music is made because each musician allows their personalities to merge.
Music is an extension of one’s personality. There is greater output when every musician in the band listens soulfully to what the other member is playing. We become better musicians with teamwork. Everyone must compliment each other. We become a great rock 'n' roll band when we start understanding the benefits of a collective effort. That’s how I think a good band is formed.
In any start up band, there are no clear-cut rules. But there’s always the drawing board in your head. A vision of what you need to happen, how you would like it to happen, and what you would like to see happening in years to come.
I guess the next thing to do is stay firm with that vision of your band and keep an open mind. Oh and keep your music as honest as you can – meaning keep it close to your soul.
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