2 Years And Counting - Musikadbokasiya (08.22.2020)
I think my first contact with Karen was way back in late 2018. She had a gig at the defunct Ocean’s Telephone Co. in Taguig and contacted me as a media partner. It was farther than where I prefer my weekday gigs but I still went because I wanted to give support and to discover new bands. After that, both At The Back MNL and JLE Music gave each other support and helped each other grow.
What started with a launch at Tomato Kick in 2018 now has 5 bands managed, more than 30 gigs hosted, more than 50 events partnered, 12 members, and 2 years in existence. I was able to catch up with Karen Tausing, founder of At The Back MNL, to ask about the prod and what it means to make it to 2 years old.
JANLOR: How does it feel to have your prod celebrate 2 years of existence?
KAREN: I am really happy. Doing this fulfills my heart. Kaya I think ‘di kami napapagod kasi this is what we love. 2 years is so damn long for a small live events music production na small lang ang number of members we are 12 (active and inactive members). I can’t even believe na for 2 years we have produced 30+ live gigs in different venues around Metro Manila and even outside of it. 2 years. This is truly an achievement for us 12. We have gained enough connections in the underground industy and more importantly, friendships. We became friends to some music artists. We even became friends with strangers na ‘di naman namin kilala personally, na most of the times pumunta lang dahil sa artists na ininvite namin. You know, 2 years gave us this and I am so proud of what we have become now and what we can still do in the coming years.
J: What's your secret to surviving for 2 years? Because running a prod is no joke.
K: I think the key is the respect we have towards our co-prod members. We understand each and everyone’s level of prioritization or commitment sa ATBMNL. Yes, we are not operating full time here, we are just volunteers kaya I don’t put pressure on them. We understand if a member can’t commit his/her time due to personal reasons. I highly understand that. We raise each others morale here kaya ansaya saya pa din kahit nahihirapan na kami physically sometimes.
Basically we don’t have a secret. We are just doing same thing other music production does. Like other live music production our undying passion to the OPM fuels ATMBNL.
J: What are your post-pandemic plans for the prod?
K: So far, we’ve got no plans in line after this post-anniversary special. Given that the whole world still going through pandemic, we think it is better to stay focus muna on our own lives. Safety first. We can still do this after all the shit happening. Also also, expect us collaborating with our prod friends! We love to support.
Few can match up to the experience and accolades of At The Back MNL, who are celebrating their 2nd Anniversary with an online event - Musikadbokasiya. Like the title implies, the event won’t just be your run-of-the-mill online gig. It will also have guests speakers to talk about current issues: mental health, human rights, mass promotion, and the Anti-Terror Law. These talks will be intertwined with the band performances.
Speaking of performers, the line-up is a showcase of At The Back MNL’s diverse roster - Pure Mind Quiet Heart, Bita and The Botflies, The Creatures, Sebastian Kidd, and Chiquerella. An online gig may not be ideal but having recorded performances does give the bands another advantage - creativity. Bands were given full creative control over how they want their set to look which is a far cry from the same stage set-up at every gig.
The event will be a 1-2 hour pre-recorded event will be posted at there official Facebook page. See you then!