What a Week: Andrew Alamango

Sunday: Rehearsals all morning. At two broke off for a quick lunch somewhere nice, we like Café Ole for a snack. At the moment we are rather concerned abut what people are expecting from EtnikaFe. We have to live up to their expectations and after last year’s success they are definitely expecting something really good.

Met Sharon Sapienza in the evening: she normally lives in Spain but at the moment has so e friends over in Malta and decided to host a dinner. Very, very enjoyable.

Monday: The first thing on my list this morning: running after sponsors, a very important part of organising any event! Then, of course, there are the technical requirements to take care of: making sure that the sound system is OK, there is enough seating, whether the stage is OK…. all the logistics of the show, in short! The first EtnikaFe show last year was at the Opera House in Valletta and enjoyed great success: this year we are putting up an enhanced version, we have more of an identity. The project has a strong social value, it tries to raise awareness of folk music. We’ve been told that EtnikaFe has put Malta on the map when it comes to folk music and we’re very proud of that achievement. This year you can expect general Mediterranean sounds as well as pure Maltese ghana, flamenco… the whole shebang.

Off to rehearsals at the Alegria Studios in the afternoon. We are thinking up the actual repertoire for the show: in fact since we decided on having EtnikaFe in August it hasn’t been much of a summer. There’s just so much to do, including meeting journalists, the people who will be taking part etc…
Tuesday: I’m living in Valletta, which is lucky as all the relevant institutions are within a five minute walk away. Not to mention how great it feels to wake up to a lovely view of the Grand Harbour! First thing on my timetable is breakfast at one of the lovely cafes in the city and then it’s off to get various errands done. At the moment I have a little office at the Malta Tourism Authority to work from and this makes things easier.

Today I meet some people who are taking part in the show, including L-Izgej, who sings a particular type of ghana. And later on it’s off to another interview: the PR aspect of such an event takes up a lot of time. As does sitting in front of the computer sending requests! Not that I’m complaining, it’s such a satisfaction when you actually achieve results. Last year it was more difficult as we had to start everything from scratch. I must say that the standing ovations at the end of each show made it all worthwhile.

Certain sponsors have finally confirmed, we’d been waiting for their answers all week. Very important rehearsal tonight, the first real major one actually. Rather tired in the evening, but still time enough to drop by at Il-Forn, in Birgu. I’ve been going to this place for a while now, it’s like an art gallery-cum-bar-cum-café rolled into one. Speaking of Birgu, I’d love to do the gig there next year. Certain places deserve the prestige of performance and Birgu is one of them. The history, the architecture, the aura… I’m sure it’s one of the most appropriate places for EtnikaFe to happen. Of course, Mdina – where we’ll be having the show next week, in Vilhena’s courtyard – is just as special.

Wednesday: Most of my days are now spent with Francesca (Cikka) Grima and Andrei, the other two-thirds of the EtnikaFe trio. Andrei and I are working on rather a lot of musical ideas at the moment. We have finalised our posters and flyers, they’re really looking good, the logos as well. I’ve been to the printers and everything seems to be moving.

Trying to work out deadlines for publicity and all the other zillion things that must be done. We definitely like to play to full houses! I remember that last year we were so high at the end of the show: the crowd really felt the collective music. Because you have to remember that EtnikaFe is not just about one musician, or one type of music. It’s a collection of various people and various styles and the end result is unique.

At the moment our social life is suffering somewhat, because the only thing that’s on my mind is EtnikaFe! Not that I stay at home during the evenings. Tired as I was I found the time to go to Bedouin Bar, a friend of ours works there and we had a great time. It’s nice to relax at the end of a long day, although by next week it will probably be so hectic that I can forget all about relaxing!

Thursday: A real easy day, mostly because we managed to accomplish a lot during these past few days. Spent some time focusing on the numbers and their order, which took up most of the afternoon. Every single number represents something specific and we want to have a good idea of what we’re working on.

Evening – Bedouin Bar again, we’re becoming quite the regulars there. And I had some cause for celebration today: the bank has finally approved my bank loan for my place in Valletta. Met up with some old friends, gave them my good news and generally passed a very pleasant evening.

Friday: Had an interview with one of the journalists early in the morning. Checked my emails and then went off for lunch to the Sicilia Bar – a good time was had by all! Had a short rehearsal and then went off to get the promotional material out. Had quite a lot of running around the island actually, distributing tickets, handing them to the people, putting the posters up…

Went back home and decided to cook a bit. I do enjoy cooking every once in a while and I love good food, of course. Then it was off to the classic wine festival which was being held in Valletta. The Upper Barrakka Gardens were particularly pleasant in the evening. I have lots of friends in Valletta and it was nice to spend the evening there.

Saturday: Went for a swim in the afternoon. As always, I chose one of the most secluded places, I don’t like sharing a beach with masses of people. Manikata and Fomm ir-Rih are favourites. The rest of the day was pretty much the same as the rest of the week. No quiet weekends for now, I’m afraid.