“Whatever happens backstage, stays backstage... Right?”

PRE GIG RITUALby Rizki Maulana

THESPOOL // #001 //

June 2016 //

PRE GIG RITUAL is originally published in JUICE MY June 2016

INTRODUCTIONSome of them are religious. Some of them are superstitious. Some of them simply doesn’t care at all. However, there has to be something similar between all of them. Something which connects them all. Before they enter the stage, before the gates of the hall are opened for public, they all have to prepare themselves, physically and mentally before playing a show.

Inspired by the photographer’s days of being a road-ie and him having Almost Famous as is favourite flick. Rizki ventures around the gig scene of Kuala Lumpur, befriending the musicians and getting to know them personally, when possible. Shadowing them at shows, be it small or big.

This edition will show you the backstage life of musicians that has crossed paths with the photographer. From small unsigned artists to festival headliners.

BIO/STATEMENT// Rizki Maulana// 23// @rzmaulana// thespool@hotmail.com

The Spool is an alias created by Rizki Maulana

STATEMENT

As a teenager who grew up within the music industry of Kuala Lumpur, it is only normal for me to mix my interest (music) with my favourite past time (photography). I provide photography services, covering the scope of concert photography, event photography, studio photography and street photography. When I’m separated from my camera, I’m working for Kyoto Protocol as the band technician.

BIO

Born in Indonesia and raised in Kuala Lumpur, I find photography as an escape from my daily life as an IT executive. Where the streets of KL feels like my playground and the inhabitants are my playmates. I can be found mostly at gigs and concerts, either in the photo pit or in the mosh pit, trying to get the million dollar shot.

i //

"There's no such ritual."

Answered one musician when I asked if he has any. Maybe they call it a routine to make sure it’s going to be a good show. One of the most basic and often seen ritual is the sound check. Like a programmer who does tests and checking before a program goes live, a musician does a sound check a few hours before the gig or even 2/3 days earlier if it's a music festival. Playing a gig without sound checking is like driving a car without JPJ's certification. Yes, it can be done, but you'll never know when you're going to crash

The Trees and The Wild @ Urbanscapes, 2012

1 //

"We don't have a ritual. Everything that’s needed to be done is taken care by our roadies."

You remember the guys working in the background wearing lab coats during the recent Tame Impala show? You guessed it right. They're the roadies who know the musicians' sound by heart, shadowing the artists wherever they go. From tuning the guitar, to setting the amp and configuring effect pedals. They're the unsung heroes of every live music event.

Live Fact’s First Anniversary, 2016

2 //

“We make sure we are surrounded with positive vibes.”

There is no doubt that you can bump into all kinds of people at a gig, be it other musicians, your col-leagues, your ex-band mate, your ex-housemate or even your ex.

“The people we surround ourselves with before a show is important.”

+2db @ TOPKL, 2013

3 //

The Fridays @ Urbanscapes Closing Party, 2016

Some bands listen to their songs over and over again before gig day. They listen to it on their way to work, at work itself and in the car with their significant others to the point where they-the sig-nificant others are so sick of repetition of the same damn songs over and over again. For musicians who haven’t gotten around to record any of their piece, they rely on their demo materials. There are actually bands who only got around to record their music after 10 years such as The Fridays. Don’t get me wrong, for some life starts at 30. And for certain people, life starts at 40 *does the Jehan thing*

4 //

Festival, 2015

“Ada kopi boleh jalan. Macam KO PI GO. *laughs* I don’t even know the guy, is he someone famous?”

Contrary to popular beliefs, the backstage of a gig isn’t pretty at all. Musicians do not get all the booze they can get to quench their thirst. Even if there is, it usually comes off their own expenses. Sometimes, not even coffee is served.

Water is the best that some promoters can do. The term sex, drugs and rock-n-roll does not exist. Drugs backstage exists, but I’ve not seen someone getting a blowjob backstage yet. I wonder if there’s a musician who includes it as a pre-gig ritual.

Pastel Lite @ St Jerome’s Laneway

5 //

Sometimes the ritual isn’t done in the physical world. It is sometimes in the mind of the musicians themselves.

You can always go to a band’s holding room and spot one particular guy- this one guy who diconnects himself from the rest of the room and put his mind on airplane mode. As the rest of the band members are cracking jokes, smoking up and quenching their alcoholic desires, you can see him as quiet as he can be.

Shouldering the hopes and expectations of the fans is indeed a huge responsibility.

Hujan @ Urbanscapes Presents:Hujan x Bittersweet, 2016

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Prayers itself is a dying ritual which is rarely seen. The only two bands who I’ve seen praying before the show are Hujan and Bittersweet. Maybe musicians pray at home before the show. Maybe atheism is catching up. One of the prayer sessions I’ve witnessed ended up with the frontman leading the band and the crew to a group cheer, where they chanted the spelling of a Malay word “P-U-K-*!”

Hujan @ Urbanscapes Presents: Hujan x Bittersweet, 2016

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“My ritual is just being there two hours earlier.”

A manager’s key role is to make sure that everyone shows up early. No the key phrase here isn’t on time, the key word is early.

If you give a Malaysian a specific time, they’ll show up half an hour later. It’s no surprise that musicians call time can be as short as 15 minutes - thanks to them coming late or a slow agonizing death of 6 hours like what Kyoto Protocol had to endure during Versus season 2.

Ili Farhana and Liyana Fizi @ Goodvibes Festival, 2013

8 //

Whatever the ritual may be, once their names get yelled across backstage by the stage manager, the artists are left with only their songs and a crowd to please.

Thank you for entertaining us

Hujan @ Urbanscapes Presents: Hujan x Bittersweet, 2016

9 //

For donations:Maybank

162227369070 Rizki Maulana

“Whatever happens backstage, stays backstage... Right?”

THESPOOL // #001 //

June 2016 //