Details

Latitude

-4.267175

Longitude

152.19

Start Date

1993-04-19

End Date

1993-04-19

Tape#1: Barike, A Bot Song and John Balasam Side A Studio recorded guide track of Barike Band on song "Odina - Yu wokim wonem long mi" and singing of "A Bot" song. Side B Interview with John Balasam conducted at Malaytown, Rabaul. John was born to parentage of Buka, Bouganville and Namatanai, New Ireland in early in late 1930s'. His father worked for a German shipping business owner, Dr Kineri who employed him as a boat captain shipping copra produce to Rabaul from New Ireland. The family then moved to Rabaul where he was employed by Dr Kineri in plantations in Gazelle Peninsula and were settled in Rabaul where John was bor, John's background in music was in stringbands with a Buka group called Chebu. John went on to form Team Chebu who performed in Rabaul Town and villages of Gazelle Peninsula. Typical performances were from evning till morning where there would be alternate stringbands playing for entertainment which was typical events in the Gazelle Peninsula. They style of music as 5 Key, Spanish and Blue Mountain. John learnt from his father and used magical powers from traditional ways from Buka in attracting crowds in liking the music and women for having relationships. Team Chebu disbanded and members joined electric bands so John did not continue playing stringband music. The bands were with the Lesly family who lived in Malaytown who later were in a number of bands like Apple Sun, Vibrations then to the Barike Band. (Steven Gagau, June 2019)

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