Featured in our Pnoi 2 is Cromwell Ojeda! Cromwell is featured in City Times, an entertainment tabloid of Dubai’s Khaleej Times. Here is how the interview goes…
Cromwell Ojeda of co-founder of The Blacksheep Production based in Dubai
Cromwell Ojeda, 25, is a designer and the co-founder of The Blacksheep Production, an underground event company. City Times catches up with him to get an insight into the underground rock scene in Dubai
EVENT MANAGEMENT COMPANY, The Black Sheep Production, have been instrumental in reviving the underground rock scene in Dubai and its co-founder Cromwell Ojeda has been the driving force behind it. Here, the Filipino rocker talks about his early days, what it takes to pursue your hobbies in the emirate, his upcoming event and more.
There was an album and a song by one of the best rock bands ever, Faith No More, that went: Introduce yourself…
Well, my name is Crom I came to Dubai at the age 10 in 1994 from the Philippines after my parents settled down here. At 18 I couldn’t be under my parents Visa anymore so I went back home for college. It was a little chaotic at first because compared to here everything was so free, plus I didn’t know what I was going to be. I wanted to be an astronaut, a doctor, a soldier, a cowboy… Then I started taking a course in physiotherapy because that was the closest thing to train to be a doctor. Those studies ended for me when we had to dissect a frog with no gloves on… I mean, I love nature but I don’t like being in it to that extent.
Fair enough. So what was your next move?
I ended up taking up art as many of my uncles and friends are artists and as I already had a small T-shirt printing business. I did apparels for bands and children at school. I studied web design. Then I came back to Dubai in 2003, got a job and met up with my former high school band, Sandwash, and joined them again as bassist. We started playing in bars again, recording an album, which we have been doing for two years, as being in a band in Dubai is not that easy. We need to work hard to be able to sustain our hobbies, especially if you want to take your band to another level.
You also play in other bands on other instruments. How does that work?
It’s funny. Back home I was originally a drummer, but there was no way for me to set up my kit in an apartment here. So I needed to pick up the guitar. I learnt that and then when I met Mike again from Sandwash, he asked me if I can play bass, and I said: ‘sure.’ Because if you know how to play guitar, you can definitely have an idea on how to play the bass. And being a drummer, I have a backround of the rhythm and groove, so it was easy for me to pick it up. So I play bass in Sandwash, with whom we play punk/grunge/rock, more on the groovy side. I also play bass in Concast and with them music is more like New York hardcore. And in Dangwa I play drums and with them we play thrash-metal. One night I played three times in a row and I wouldn’t recommend that, ha-ha.
You are the co-founder of Blacksheep. What is it exactly and how does it operate?
Blacksheep is a production/event/design brand, and it’s more like a movement and a social gathering. And we basically do events once in a while because we want to contribute to the community. We give underground bands and other artists here a space, a platform to showcase their talent. And whatever happens after that is up to them. Blacksheep is not a band management for now, it’s about building up a creative community here in Dubai. Our next gig will also feature a graffiti versus by the members of Brownmonkeys and PinoyStreetPlan. It’s gonna be ill!
It takes a lot of heart and soul to do be a part of this movement as most of these bands don’t even get paid, right?
Right. On a general basis we don’t. And it is a big risk to do these kind of events in Dubai, because you have to rent everything for the night, even musical instruments, and if no one shows up, you’re in quite a debt. But as a consequence these nights are not about the hype. These nights are really raw. Just plug and play. We set up, play, make it as raw as possible and have a good time. It’s a lot like how it used to be at CBGB’s in New York. It’s the spirit of the night that makes the event outstanding.
How do you promote your nights?
Word of mouth, socialising, guerilla advertising. Talking to people who share the same interests. Musicians, photographers, art directors, filmmakers, writers etc. But it’s not about finding a crowd of 500. It’s about finding people who are interested in these nights and not those who are there for the hype.
To put it decently: are you rockers ‘popular’ with girls?
Unlike in the Philippines where girls are more free to expose their feelings, here they are kind of limited and tamed. Of course, there are after-parties but that is a different matter…
You’re covered in tattoos and have long hair – are you the black sheep of the family?
Ha-ha. I come from a very formal, Catholic family, but my brother and I grew up listening to rock music and drifted away a little bit. But that doesn’t mean we’re bad. And at the end of the day, this is my body, I can do anything I want with it. We only live once. And at the end of it, you can’t take any of your belongings with you. My skin is probably the closest to the fortune that I can take with me.
Visit blacksheepproject.multiply.com for more info on Blacksheep Production.
citytimes@khaleejtimes.com
Recent Comments