Across genres and generations
Rockers have competitions such as the World Battle of the Bands to establish a name for themselves. But local musicians in other genres have for years turned to the SoundBase Festival Acoustic Band Competition as a way to kick-start their careers.
Launched in 2000 and organised by the Tom Lee Music Foundation, the SoundBase Festival has become a battlefield for amateur musicians to show off their talents.
Many musicians and indie groups such as Canto-pop girl band at17, singer-songwriter Louis Cheung and rockers Whence He Came have participated in the annual competition, which aims to foster an appreciation for and development of acoustic music in Hong Kong.
Tonight, 20 finalists will compete at the Ko Shan Theatre in Hung Hom for the best individual performance award and the best original song prize. Defending champions the Joves are set to perform their original number, Master, written by vocalist-guitarist Jovelyn Fuego.
Born into a musical family in the Philippines and raised in Hong Kong, Fuego didn't pick up a guitar until 2004, when her father died.
In 2006, Fuego partnered with bassist Chris Collins - who received the award for best individual performance last year - and formed the Joves.
'It was quite fun last time. I wasn't expecting to win,' says Fuego, adding 'we don't expect to win this year either. I'm just doing it for fun because it's fun.' She wrote the song, Shoebox in the City, that won them last year's award.
'The level [of the competition] is really good. They are absolutely a great band and playing great stuff,' Fuego says. Participating bands should show more identity and personality in the contest, she says. 'The idea of being in a competition and to impress the judges is to show your personality and style that are uniquely yourself.'
The trio Clementine and the Band and the five-piece AMS are also competing tonight. Led by vocalist-guitarist Jonathan Wu, who won the gold and bronze prizes in 2005 and 2006 respectively, Clementine will present their melodic and catchy number To the Ones I Miss and Love.
The competition is an opportunity for up and coming musicians to boost their careers.
For instance, the at17 duo, Eman Lam Yee-man and Ellen Joyce Loo, took part in the first SoundBase competition and gradually became one of the most popular local bands.
Punk rock drummer Jackal Ng Hon-bong thinks the contest is a great opportunity for musicians and bands playing music other than rock to showcase their abilities and works. 'There are a lot of [sound] effects when we play rock. However, when you play acoustic music, there are no effects to cover up your weaknesses. You can only rely on your technique and you have to be really skilful,' says Ng.
'After we took part in this competition, we were clearer about the level of our technique.'
Ng, a regular at the annual event, says unlike in other competitions organised in the city, the age range of participants in SoundBase is wide. 'You can find musicians as young as 10 years old and veteran players in their 60s and 70s in the competition. You can also find bands playing genres from folk to country, blues, jazz and pop,' says Ng.
SoundBase Festival 2008 Acoustic Band Competition, tonight, 7.30pm, Ko Shan Theatre, 77 Ko Shan Rd, Hung Hom, Kowloon, HK$70 Urbtix. Inquiries: 2737 7603
