: A “Speedbanding,” is that something you can imagine as speed-dating for musicians, Ms. Bläß?
Sabrina Bläß: Yes, you can really imagine it a bit like that. The difference is that participants at the entrance are handed colorful cards, for example blue for drums or red for vocals, so you can see what the musicians bring to the table.
: And then they come together and get to know each other?
Bläß: Exactly. There is a short moderation by the actor and musician Maciej Tyrakowski, who came up with the idea for the band contest. He moderates a Q&A session. Then the open part begins, where people can form bands together.
All winning bands of the last five years are still active today
: And then they rehearse for 48 hours together and write two or three songs that they perform on Monday evening?
Bläß: Yes, that is an intensive time that these bands spend together. The set ends up lasting 15 minutes. That means, if they are punk bands, there can even be a few more songs.
: Who participates? Are these people who are already active in the music scene and play in other bands? Or also newcomers?
Bläß: These are completely different people. There are individuals who have not yet gained stage experience, who have been playing their instrument for a few years but aren’t sure how to start, how to begin, how to find a band. But there are also people who work professionally in music, who bring decades of experience, but simply want to try a new instrument or a new genre.
: Therefore the contest fits well with the work of their association Musikszene Bremen. Because it’s also about networking and helping to organize rehearsal spaces and performance opportunities?
Bläß: Exactly. It is important to us to unite and make visible the interests of the music scene, which are very diverse, and to bring people into dialogue with one another. Even though Bremen has a relatively small scene, there is always this clique-formation here as well. It is good and important to create your own space and to feel safe. But we see a great opportunity to broaden that horizon and to play with musicians who come from a different genre or who are older or younger.
In the interview: Sabrina Bläß
35, works for Musikszene Bremen e.V. and the Lagerhaus cultural center and is involved in promoting the local music scene.
: Do the winners of the contest then play at the Overseas Festival?
Bläß: Yes. That started off as simply our association’s summer festival. We put two crates of beer on the ramp and a grill, and one or two bands played. It grew bigger, and today it is an institution. This year we celebrated 15 years. We have two large stages and, thanks to a collaboration with the architectural firm next door, also a small Secret Stage. Over the weekend, more than 25 bands from Bremen play there.
: And the bands that came together through the Shortband Contest: do they stay together or is it more short-term?
Bläß: All the winning bands from the last five years are still around today. The funny thing is: The idea was to meet for a short, intense period and see what happens, without it having to last. But in the end, that intense time does bond people a lot as well.
