Wednesday October 15, 2008
Search for raw musical talent
By JEREMY TAN
FOUR more bands have qualified for the national finals of The Global Battle of the Bands Challenge (GBOB) 2008, with a RM50,000 cash prize and once-in-a-lifetime trip to England at stake.
In the third of four qualifying heats held at the Carmen Club, Bayview Georgetown Hotel in Penang recently, Vessel of Worship, Poseidon, Day Seven and Five & Dime defeated nine other bands during a rocking night of live music.
P Funk Factory starts the ball rolling with two instrumental numbers. They will join other qualifiers Lab Rat, Rollin’ Sixers and Single Track Mind (first heat €” Selangor) and The Federated, Hou-dinix and Wynken Delirium (second heat €”Johor) in the national finals, while three more spots are up for grabs at the fourth and last heat in Kuala Lumpur on Oct 25.
Besides the attractive cash prize, the band which emerges victorious in the national finals will also get an all-expenses paid trip to London in December to compete against bands from 38 countries in a two-day music festival where a USD$100,000 cash prize awaits, with the added carrot of the ‘Best New Band in the World’ title.
GBOB Challenge national director Issa Rodriguez-Medina said about 3,000 bands were competing in the GBOB Challenge all over the world, with over a hundred bands signing up in Malaysia alone.
National finalist: Five & Dime's showmanship wins the hearts of judges and audience alike. “All competing bands must be able to perform their own songs live. There are no cover versions, no backing tapes and no TV makeovers.
“The GBOB Challenge is giving music back to its creators. It is a celebration of raw talent over manufactured celebrity,” she said.
She explained that judges were not bound by a standard formula in awarding points, instead, they were encouraged to keep an open mind and judge bands on their potential to become internationally successful.
“Star quality comes in many forms, whether it’s vocal delivery, quality of songs, image, stage presence, originality, musicianship and many other factors. Thus, it is important that judges keep an open mind,” she added.
Smooth player: The lead guitarist of Inersia x showing off his skill with the instrument. The contenders on the night showcased a happy mix of various musical genres, including rock ’n’ roll, rhythm and blues, ska punk, modern alternative folk, alternative acoustic rock, neo classical, reggae, jazz, pop, Christian rock, metal and punk. Some took to the stage in funky outfits.
The crowd favourite, Vessel of Worship, started off in 1997 as a three-piece church band playing small gigs and at functions before gradually expanding to the seven-piece setup which won generous applause on the night.
“Our most important principle is that we play music to please people, to make them happy with our songs,” explained band leader Devan Palmer Batumalai, adding that the band originally came to Penang for a holiday, and thought there would be no harm in joining the challenge.
Chipping in, band member Rufus Aston Bexel said that their secret was believing in themselves.
“Our journey was full of challenges, but we stuck together. We wanted to play mu-sic and we wanted to do it well,” Bexel added.
In qualifying heats, results are determined by live audience voting and a panel of judges.
In the national and world finals, results will be determined entirely by the judging panel.
The national finals will be held on Nov 13 at Planet Hollywood in Kuala Lumpur while the world finals are scheduled for Dec 14 and Dec 15 in London.
RSS
