Details

Latitude

-4.304335

Longitude

152.196

Start Date

1993-06-28

End Date

1993-06-28

Tape# 1: Musical Backgound and Journey of Rokus The Kid and Joan Niut. Side A: Livai Rokus known as "Rokus the Kid" was born in August 1978 and at time of interview was 14 years old. Rokus comes from Tavui No.2 village near Nonga in a family of 9 with 5 brothers and 3 sisters. He was attending Boisen High School and made his first studio recording as a musician when he was in Grade 6. Rokus was mentored by popular Rabaul musicians Patti Doi his cousin and Kanai Pineri also from Tavui. Rokus was amongst other teenager musicians who rose up to recording their own albums and songs with Pacific Gold Studios (PGS) and Chin H Min (CHM). The other popular young musicians were Henry Kuskus and Charles Kivovon. Rokus was motivated by musicians and bands Kanai Pineri, Patti Doi, Barike, Telek, Painim Wok and started composing his own songs and became vocalist and wants to focus on drums rather than other instruments in guitar or keyboards. He has variety of songs in Kuanua, Tok Pisin, English and other languages like Bakovi, West New Britain. His songs are mainly stories and growing up experiences as a teenager and not songs about adults experiences. He was involved in making video clips for the songs mainly in Port Moresby and his future aspirations is to be main vocalist of a band after completing his high school education. PGS owner Greg Seeto had planned that Rokus be a member of a new Junior Barike band. Side B: Joan Niut is a female musician born in 1967 and comes from Viviran Village, Toma. She was taught by her father as inheritance in her early childhood to be a traditional Tolai "tena buai" which special powers of composition of song and dance. The skills and talent are only with selected few in Tolai society and their influence with cultural practices and traditional music knowledge is through various Tolai song "kakalai" and dance "malagene" teaching performance groups in the village communities. Joan's interest with her composition ability moved on to contemporary music where she self taught herself playing the guitar leading to recording her album with variety of songs in Kuanua, Tok Pisin. The songs recorded in band music and instruments range from traditional dance songs like "pinpidik, vutung, libung, parpari" to storylines of everyday life and experiences. After her first cassette recording she is moving onto the second album at the time of the interview. (Steven Gagau, September 2019)

Sources