Item details
Item ID
MW6-107
Title Interview with Ben Kepas, Malaytown, Rabaul
Description Tape#2: Musical experiences and Journey of Ben Kepas (Continued) - Side A only (Side B blank)

Ben Kepas was known as father of music of Rabaul and played all band instruments (steel guitar, ukelele, keyboards, drums but was a lead guitarist.
He have been a member of various bands namely Tremors, Devil Strangers, Molaches Revival, Apple Sun, Beachcombers, Rasterman Vibrations and guest guitarists with other Rabaul bands in Pila Zack Mates, Outcast band, Unbelievers.
Besides the various studio recordings with bands, he had his own album in 1983 with his own style of tropical islands sounds.
Ben also worked with studios with Kuanua, Pacific Gold, Chin H Meen where he played the various instruments for bands recording their albums and worked as sound engineer with studio multi-tracking recording equipment.
Ben was also involved with visiting musicians from Solomon Islands, Fiji and other parts of PNG. His music is mostly rock and roll, blues and reggae styles for covers and local Kuanua, Buka and Tok Pisin songs amongst others.
At the time of the interview, he had decided to move on from performances and studio recording work have a break from the music scene and also a way to give other musicians an opportunity to pursue their own journey. He still prides himself as "papa blong musik"in Rabaul with his popularity as a PNG musician.

(Steven Gagau, February 2020)
Origination date 1993-02-16
Origination date free form
Archive link https://catalog.paradisec.org.au/repository/MW6/107
URL
Collector
Michael Webb
Countries To view related information on a country, click its name
Language as given
Subject language(s) To view related information on a language, click its name
Content language(s) To view related information on a language, click its name
Dialect
Region / village Malaytown, Rabaul, East New Britain Province
Originating university University of Sydney
Operator Nick Fowler-Gilmore
Data Categories historical reconstruction
Data Types Sound
Discourse type interactive_discourse
Roles Steven Gagau : data_inputter
Michael Webb : interviewer
Michael Webb : researcher
Ben Kepas : speaker
DOI 10.26278/733X-T717
Cite as Michael Webb (collector), Steven Gagau (data_inputter), Michael Webb (interviewer, researcher), Ben Kepas (speaker), 1993. Interview with Ben Kepas, Malaytown, Rabaul. MPEG/VND.WAV. MW6-107 at catalog.paradisec.org.au. https://dx.doi.org/10.26278/733X-T717
Content Files (2)
Filename Type File size Duration File access
MW6-107-A.mp3 audio/mpeg 30.1 MB 00:32:54.700
MW6-107-A.wav audio/vnd.wav 1.06 GB 00:32:54.680
2 files -- 1.09 GB -- --

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Collection Information
Collection ID MW6
Collection title Music in Rabaul, Gazelle Peninsula, ENBP and New Guinea Islands Region (ca. 1950s - 1990s)
Description Recordings of a wide range of music in Rabaul 1950s-1990s covering areas of the Gazelle Peninsula of East New Britain Province and the New Guinea Islands Region. This collection was the PhD research work by Dr Michael Webb focused on music of Melanesia in the Pacific. This collection was located as a result of PARADISEC's 'Lost and Found' project and digitisation was funded by the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language.

Note: This video recording on Item MW6-012 labelled Queens Birthday Singsing, Rabaul in 1993 was unable to be digitised due to poor quality of tape so deleted from collection.
(Steven Gagau)
Countries To view related information on a country, click its name
Languages To view related information on a language, click its name
Access Information
Edit access Steven Gagau
Michael Webb
Zephyr Pavey
View/Download access
Data access conditions Open (subject to agreeing to PDSC access conditions)
Data access narrative
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