| Description |
Tape#1: Music Background, Experiences and Journey of Ben Kepas from 1970s to 1990s'
Side A & B:
Ben Kepas was born on 30th December 1953 at Kerevat, ENB Province from mixed parentages with father of Bouganville and New Ireland provinces and mother of Ambonese, Indonesia and East Sepik Province.
His musical interest and development started at the age of 5 years where his exposed to his uncle as a musician (father's elder brother) which had influence for Ben's passion for music at an early age. He played instruments of guitar, accordion, bandjo, mandolin and on occasions Ben will access these instruments to try out his abilities to play them. His father then bought him a guitar so his guitar talents and skills further developed.
When growing up in Rabaul during his childhood years to teens, he was aware various leading and pioneering musicians in the mixed race community like George Kasi, Phillip Tabuchi, Paul Cheong as wel as the indigenous community mainly from Matupit Island who had early exposure to musical instruments and genres that were introduced to Rabaul. These local musicians included Ephraim Tami, Ephraim Bakut and Mangut family.
Ben Kepas started as a musician in Kavieng with the band, New Ireland Drifters playing the guitar on string band to electric power band as lead guitarist. The band's music styles were 5 key and 3 key with a Buka influence due to his parentage.
He moved to Rabaul in the 1970s' involved with string band competitions then focused on power bands later. He joined the Ex-Tremors formed after original Tremors band moved on as the lead guitarist. As the band was based in Rabaul town, the demand was to be performing the music of country western and rock and roll to suit the residents and modern taste of contemporary music.
Ex-Tremors had a rapporteur of songs from from popular groups of the Beatles, Chuck Berry, Credence Clearwater Revival and others and they were popular performing in clubs, halls and functions such as Crusaders Club, Pioneer Hall, RSL Club, Kambiu Club and others.
At that time there were also other power bands in town such as Devils, Cats Squirrels, Winterwood, Bendalaros mainly with the Chinese mixed race and local bands such as Tsunamists, Brown Eagles.
Ex-Trevors in the mid 1970s went on tour to perform in North Solomons (Bouganville) mainly at Panguna and Arawa mining town. They return to Rabaul then the band broke up due to mismanagement issues despite a successful tour. Various notable band members or musicians that were involved with Ben's musical journe were Jack Nima, Richard Tarek, Joe Kameta, Donald Lessy, Daniel Biang, Frank Lou, John Wong, Levi Graham, David Kepas, Michael Lessy, William Kepas, Fabian Tadoi.
Other bands he was involved in include Reserve band, Pila Zeck Mates, Devils, Apple Sun, Rasterman Vibrations and Molachs in Rabaul and Beachcomers in Kavieng.
The managers he had been involved with in various bands Nason Palom, Junias ToKilala, Eddie Schultz, Michael Woo. Most of the experiences with band management has always been not good in terms of payments for their performances to sustain them as musicians so they kept on breaking up and forming new bands with either own instruments or brought be new managers.
Successful recording of albums and labels by bands 1970s-1980s have been with Apple Sun (NBC) and Rasterman Vibrations with (EMI NZ). Again despite high incomes from royalties of sales, returns were still not realised to the benefit of musicians.
Ben shared that women bands were not popular and the music industry and in Rabaul and Gazelle Peninsula was male dominated. There were only 2 known female Tolai string bands were ML Daughters of Bitakapuk and Cousin Ladies from Vunadidir. There were known female musicians in mixed race bands like Rita King and others.
The Tolai Warwagira events attracted string bands and power bands in NGI and NG Mainland due to winners prize money ranging up to K500 in the 1970s for 1st prize award.
Ben describes the music developments in Rabaul from his experiences in performances and recordings as enriching having to work with other musicians with town with the mixed race community, from other known PNG artists and local Tolai musicians of his musical career in the 1960s to 1980s' and emerging ones from the early 1990s'.
(Steven Gagau, June 2019) |
| Cite as |
Michael Webb (collector), Steven Gagau (data_inputter), Michael Webb (interviewer), Ben Kepas (speaker), 1993. Interview with Ben Kepas, Malay Town, Rabaul. MPEG/VND.WAV. MW6-015 at catalog.paradisec.org.au. https://dx.doi.org/10.26278/J7ZV-P118 |
