Battle of Bands reveals wealth of talent
KOTA KINABALU: Music competitions can pave the way for youths to stay on the right track, thus preventing them from being lured into the dangers of unhealthy activities.
The recent Hard Rock Café Rising Battle of the Bands 2017 proved just that, as dozens of youths dedicated their time and channelled their energy into something positive, which is to play music.
“We can see how young kids today educate themselves and their peers on the art of music. We can really see their ability in playing music,” Rieno @ Malik Rahman, who is one of the judges for the competition .
“Also, through being musicians, these youths can serve as a positive role model for all the people out there to not involve themselves in unhealthy activities.
“The scope of our local scene here is really huge. This Hard Rock Battle of the Bands is a perfect example of our art scene. It can even be used as a stepping stone for young kids to succeed in their music careers,” he said.
Rieno explained that band competitions such as this are not all about entertainment, but also about sending a positive message.
Rieno, who is also Sabah Cultural Board (cultural event) assistant manager, expressed his hope towards this initiative by Hard Rock Kota Kinabalu and he hopes to see more competitions like this in the future.
Another competition judge, Sharip Zainal said he was pleasantly surprised by The myriad of talents that local Sabahan bands possessed.
“I was surprised that we have plenty of talented musicians in Sabah. What can be seen throughout this band competition is that Kota Kinabalu alone has a lot of talent.
“Their musical styles and skills are so different from what you see from the other bands out there. The style of playing, their rhythm is so different.
“For me this competition has really expanded the talents of our local musicians. It was very hard for us to choose the worthy bands, even during the preliminary heats,” said Sharip, who is an Arts lecturer at University Malaysia Sabah (UMS) and a musical director.
He said that as a music competition judge, his job is to carefully evaluate each musician's skills.
Looking at how they play a particular instrument is not enough, judges have to evaluate every single musical note that has been played by the musicians, he said.
Sharip, who shared his experience of representing Malaysia in an international music competition in Hollywood several years ago, stressed the importance of originality in music.
“When we went to Hollywood to represent Malaysia several years ago, we only went with gongs, kulintangan, gendang and our vocals, but how did we manage to compete with 44 other countries and qualify to the grand finals?
“Our originality is good enough to bring us far in the music industry. Most countries might be playing the same kind of music, for example playing guitars. But we as Sabahans, we have our own gendang, gong and kulintangan. This sets us apart from the rest. This makes us unique,” said Sharip.
Rieno, who echoed Sharip's views, also reminded the young musicians of Sabah to not forget their roots.
“We, the Sabah Cultural Board will always support all types of art in the entertainment industry. However, the most important thing is that we must not neglect our culture.
“We must not leave it behind. This is our identity,” he said.
Rieno also suggested that in the future, young kids should be exposed to more cultural music.
Hard Rock Rising Battle of the Bands Final was held at its premises in Oceanus Waterfront on Wednesday.
Epic, the band that emerged as the champion, took home a whopping US$1,000 and they will also stand a chance to represent Malaysia at the Grand Finals in Hollywood, if chosen.
The final showdown saw Epic tearing the house down with three other bands, that had all qualified to the final by winning and securing the wildcard position.
“Overall, the bands have improved a lot through this band competition. So I was quite pleased with them. But I hope the bands that did not win will continue to do their best.
“We judge the bands based on their originality, vocal abilities, musicianship, whether or not the musicians blend well together, music arrangement and how they connect with the fans,” said local singer cum radio deejay Nera @ Queenera Francine, who was also one of the judges.
In sharing their secret to winning, vocalist Lyne disclosed that all it takes to win is constant practice.
“Choosing the right song for a competition is important. It has to be a song that has an aura. You need the practice, you need the stamina and you must not be nervous,” added Lyne.
Commenting on what Epic will bring to the table in the event that they are chosen for the Grand Finals, Lyne said that her band's originality might just be their secret weapon.
Lyne, who described her genre as rock metal might not look like your typical metal singer, as she wears a hijab, something that is not so common in the metal world.
“Music is universal. I want to show the world that metal is not something that is bad. Everyone can sing metal songs.
“What is the point of listening to sad love songs? It is better for us to listen to songs that empower us, like what you can see from metal songs.
“This genre is about self defence. It is about us standing up to ourselves,” said Lyne.
Also present at the event was Hard Rock Café Kota Kinabalu General Manager Floyd Mervyn Pereira.