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Event organizer Red Ninja to celebrate 8th birthday with mini-music fest
“I learned how to ask for help,” said Nicole Sarmiento, founder and until recently the sole person behind Red Ninja Production, “because before I had a tendency to do things alone.”
Now, she said, she has around 30 people helping her put together the Red Ninja Year 8 Fest, which happens on April 22 at the B-Side in Makati.
Some of the acts that will play at the event, such as Ben & Ben, TheSunManager, Lions and Acrobats, Rob and the Hitmen, and Jensen and the Flips, took part in a press event to launch the affair.
Other acts taking part in the mini-music festival include Fools and Foes, Tom’s Story, Run Dorothy, and Runway Crimes. If any of these acts sound unfamiliar, that is because they are mostly independent acts that have been given a chance to play over the years by Red Ninja, which describes itself as a music management and events organizing outfit.
It was mostly the musicians’ turn to speak about their experience with the production that early evening. Peryodiko lead vocalist Vin Dancel described Red Ninja as a community. “I appreciate the fact that everyone is helping everybody else,” he said.
April Hernandez, the woman behind TheSunManager project, said, “Red Ninja gives hope to up-and-coming musicians who are trying to establish themselves.”
Icoy Rapadas, lead vocalist of Lions and Acrobats, described Red Ninja as a place where musicians share of themselves. Jensen Gomez, lead vocalist and guitarist of Jensen and the Flips, added, “It’s a family.”
Most of the acts at the press event promised new material for their fans and for those who were curious about them. “We’re going to try out new songs,” Gomez said, while Rapadas said that Lions and Acrobats will be ready to announce details of their upcoming record at the event. Hernandez will have an entirely new set for the event, consisting of songs from the project’s new album.
“People should expect good music from a Red Ninja gig,” said Peryodiko's Dancel, who will not be playing at the event as he and his wife will be traveling at the time.
One aspect of organizing such a big event is what goes behind the scenes to make it work. Hernandez, who handled tech matters for the last event and who will be a stage manager for the Year 8 Fest, said that a good sound system is crucial in enhancing the audience experience. “It’s like a domino effect,” she said. “If the band hear themselves well, they perform well, and when they perform well, they make the audience happy.”
She added that team dynamic also matters. “We understand that it’s work and we’re working towards a common goal,” she said, noting that the trust and confidence everyone in Red Ninja has in each other allows them to be frank and candid with each other without harming interpersonal relationships.
Dancel, a veteran of the independent music community, said that there is so much good local music out there. You only have to search online, he said. “Those whom you get to hear online may be playing live [at the Year 8 event],” he said. And Dee Cruz of Run Dorothy summed up the sentiments of those present when she said, “You will lose out on a lot if you won’t go.”
For more information on the Red Ninja Year 8 Fest, visit the Facebook event page. The lineup is still being slowly rolled out. — BM, GMA News
