Video Interview and more information about Pacific Break Winners 2008 - 26 Roots

[Stacey King]

26 Roots

The winner of Radio Australia's Pacific Break competition was 26 Roots, from Santo, an island in the north of Vanuatu.

A year ago, they were just eight unemployed guys with no real direction.

But then music gave them direction, and the community here got behind them, raising money for modern musical equipment so the band could record what turned out to be their winning song.

In just 12 months, 26 Roots progressed from using toy instruments and homemade drums to recording their first song.


Watch video and interview all about how they began and went on to win the Pacific Break 2008 Competition - 26 Roots

Tania Nugent: Band leader, Edmond, is getting the group together. This morning, 26 Roots will have their last rehearsal at home on Espiritu Santo before collecting their prize as winners of the Pacific Break Competition - to perform at Vanuatu's biggest event, Fest'Napuan, in the nation's capital, Port Vila.

Chris Boe, vocalist and percussionist: It's my first time to go to Vila and it's my first time to see Fest'Napuan.

David Nalo, band mentor: We'd already planned to get to Fest'Napuan and we said let's try this maybe we could win a free trip, and so they recorded their first ever song, these guys first ever recording, they'd never done that before.

Band leader, Edmond Maken: Mifala i fom lo sins we mifala jas smol. Kam antap tugeta. Afta mifala I interest lo musik, interest lo musik, after mifala i tingting lo fomim wan grup we bae neva separetim mifala wan de. (We formed when we were small, we grew up together. Then we became interested in music and through our interest we formed a group that would never separate.)

Tania Nugent: It was under this banyan tree on December Twenty Six that they decided to form their band. 26 Roots is named after this date and the band still meets here before every rehearsal.

David Nalo: The Banyan tree has got a lot of significance in our culture. It's always a place of spirits, always in our myths and legends. We call it the nambanga. It's also a place where we meet.

Tania Nugent: Not far from their tree, the group practices in the garage next to David's house. He got involved with the band a year ago.

David Nalo: I've been in music for a while, for 10 years now and thought I'd take a break from it and came back home to find music at my doorstep.

Tania Nugent: Tell us how difficult it is for a band from a place like this to be heard and to even get recorded?

David Nalo: Well the minimum salary is about $80 a month I think, and an instrument will cost about 3 times that, at least. We've had to raise a lot of money, lots of activities, we organised sports tournaments. The other side, everybody here sings, draws, carves or plays an instrument, everyone.

Edmond Maken: Mifala i intrest planti nao lo reggae musik,ies, mo mifala i stat praktisim ol narafla kaen stael blong music olsem blues, ska music, funky music. (We are interested a lot right in reggae music. And we have started practising other styles of music like blues, ska music, funky music.)

David Nalo: We're going up to the bush to get some kava. We need kava to drink when we get to Port Vila because Port Vila kava is no good. Santo kava is good.

Almost all the band has spent a night behind bars for various reasons. Alcohol is always a... you know, like any other community anywhere else with youth, there are lots of negative influences.

It's all been an experience for them because they've been learning about their own culture as well, getting the tam tams, the local percussions, into the music is all about education for them really. How to work their music and not take it just as fooling around but it's a job for them.

Chris Boe: Everyone one of us didn't have a job and we think music can give us what we need.

Tania Nugent: Kava is traditionally drunk at sundown, when people meet to talk. This evening under the nambanga, it's the band's committee meeting - the parents and members of the local community who support them.