Moonraisers
Moonraisers was for me more than a band, a project or even a idea of not only making music, but a way of simply doing things differently in a only profit dictated world! And it took me 100% of my time, my energy, my passion, my priority, my thoughts and for sure, by the way I live FOR music and not FROM music, all money. Over all this time!
Im very aware that, for many people the ending of moonraisers, will be something that will missed! And I'm the first!
That's why i write this to the ones who, not like to understand! But to overstand my décision, to stop making music!
It is also about the whole music business general, but mostly in switzerland, the country who' to supposed to support his culture!
I prefer to stay proud and real for what we have done and achieve with moonraisers, without breaking our self-in-stored rules!
We had quite clearly ideas of how we want to do what, or mostly what we don't want to do! :) To stay in a non-fake line!
And for sure this made many times things not easier!
But thats why i prefer to end the Moonraisers project, before we have to take an direction, that would no longer be in the way we want to do the moonstyle!
Making music with enough musician, to play what we recorded on the songs in the studio! Something that only seams to be reserved to Bands who sold huge amount of cd/vinyl's. Mostly only International Bands had this amount of musicians as moonraisers over a so long a period!
Having a equal sharing from musicians to technicians and crew!
In a way we had a chance to do what we did in switzerland, because we found quickly rehearsal rooms, we could borrow money to buy equipment (even if we had long to pay back!) We could invest to start to produce our own moon style reggae Having Professional surround, the one we also build during the years!
If we was in a less developed country we would have problems to get all this ... but maybe more general cultural support!
But the struggle always followed us!
The moonraisers band need almost 20 years to excuse their self for being so many people on the road! Is much for space, equipment, transport, hotel, food etc etc! But all this problems were only before the concert! After a concert all this was almost never a problem! We had all this time, defend with more or less success, our artistically choices !
In 1992, when we started, there was no swiss music scene! Was no swiss reggae scene! (The 2 only known reggae bands was not interest to having/supporting other reggae bands in switzerland!)
And making music was not an occupation! (is it today?)
So everything had to be done by our own!
I knew that to impose the Moonstyle Reggae (in a time where white people where not really aloud to make reggae music!) will take it's time, in this whole circumstances !
For sure in the first 6-8 years we could not call us as an professional band!
But with 10-14 non payed musicians we reach to make quit professional shows and productions (Albums)!
Almost everything was homemade! But we shape it as much professional as we could, with (almost) all the time no (or minimum) of budgets!
We invest 2 of 3 part of the concert money, into productions.
Almost everybody who presented moonraisers, on the market, in the media, to the promoters or found raising, struggled to sale moonraisers to their professional relations!
Almost from the beginning in the band was a talk about a bad star, a unlucky or other strange things that makes we had to struggle all the time!
There was a couple of big promoters in switzerland (mostly swiss german part!) who looked us doors from the early days , swiss cultural subventions where never something that moonraisers have gotten! (even if over 12 years, every year we try to get something somewhere!)
As example one of the hugs culture Money (to not name it! but everybody make is grocery shoppings with a big M;)) ! is one of the only money you can get for music in switzerland! And last 3 following years, the same label got the main support! And wonder the director of the label, is the president of this culture support! And one more wonder, this label have the first reggae artist who made gold in switzerland!!!
Suisa is, the from the swiss confederation payer organization, that is supposed to give composers their money from songs played on radio or performances.
They mess up numbers and numbers and they are payed over 6000.- each month, each and there are hundred's working there!
They have millions every years to spend from money they don't know to who is! And spend it only to traditional swiss music or already subvention classical orchestras!
Before 2010 you only got money (as composer) from the radio who play when the songs was play-listed on a national radio!
Just as information Yves Larock Rise Up was not play listed in swiss national radios!!! (even with 88 week swiss chart!) And by the way Suisa is not able to know what is played in restaurants, night clubs, local radios etc etc) you are only payed after the songs played in the national radios! The count is quick done!
In switzerland is not the musician who can live from music!!!
(only the one's who work in the official music offices etc)
And musicians are considered less than refugees and the one's who got social support!
If you saw moonraisers posters or got a flyers, you can be sure that 80% was done by our own!
There was almost never an article in any press before or after show of moonraisers even not when we blast up the place! (dreadlocks are maybe nothing for standard swiss family to show)
The only interview i was supposed to give, to the hugest swiss newspaper! I had to refused, because there was not ONE question about music! Only personal stuff (But I'm not a VIP!)
The only support for swiss reggae music in switzerland is the website www.reggae.ch and also the 3 swiss reggae compilations, that broth reggae music to the swiss radio, but this website/compilations we made by our own! Night and night of programming!
Swiss radios did almost not play moonraisers before the Label Swiss in 2004 (exept Couleur3! They supported us with our own composed songs since 2000!) after this the whole swiss music scene got at least a little support! (after law 5% swiss music have to be played!!!)
But to "only" be a accepted band in switzerland you need to be as top as an international bands, that ones are coming with full professional support, to make one or two show a year in switzerland!
For us, without any support, going out of switzerland, was a too expensive operation! (we payed almost every time something when we played out of switzerland!)
We even tried to reduce the amount of musicians, but then the moonstyle was not 100% represented!
For sure as soon we start to sale a few album's, the whole music marked started to crash and i think 70% of moonraisers downloaded music, was for free from the internet!
This could also work longterm, if at least the promoters would give the chance, to all the people who downloaded for free our music, to come to one of our shows!
But for sure if the radios refuse to play the music, the newspaper are not interest and then the promoters will not take the "Risk"!
It is a circle that should at least after a while (20 years?) start to turn!
As i knew from the beginning that Moonraisers was an utopia project that will only slowly gain credibility!
But i though that, after a while with always progressing, we could at least count on a certain support!
But even after 19 years we struggle to finding shows, media coverage, radio plays (on national radios with our own songs!) etc. ect!
And with this for sure you can't get sales, and with this no chart (swiss chart is under judgement!) and with no chart you never come into a circle where you get finally, the right to enter into circle, where you get coverage and maybe the sale and the money to continue to produce albums!
Going out of switzerland!
I think swiss people don't know what kind of image we have out the border of switzerland!
And over border promoters got supported band for less, than a unsupported self produced band, who have to pay the whole logistic, band and crew!
So the game is over even before you can start to play!
So a homemade extension to switzerland was already "mission impossible"!
Even if your goal is just to life from music, without getting rich or at least not paying for it, is also "mission impossible"!
Then we would need allot of money, to continue our utopia project!
Money that would not come from, made by music! If its other money, then our ideologic would not fit with what we try to spread over our music/message!
Music Biz!
The today music BIZ, do not let much place to music or cultural !
Is more about VIP and fame! And if you are not! then you do not music!
Myself i never felt like a singer ... i felt like a musician! I start to sing in moonraisers because we had no singer who could do the job!
For me the vocal was just another instrument in the orchestration of the band!
And in this sense it was surly not easy to promote moonraisers on one side with 10 musicians you have changes and moonraisers was not my solo project to only put myself in all media!
Also in this sense was not an option to make cheep story video clip's, the one would not fit with what we had to present in front of a camera!
Faking was never an option for moonraisers! We select for sure the live videos we posted, and posted only the good ones!
But what we posted out, happen for real in the moment the videos was captured!
I had start prepared a solo project, but for this my only goal was to prepare territories for moonraisers... but this territories are not in the near region and finally moonraisers (17 people on the road!) would not be requested!
For sure this are mostly technical mind explanations, even if they explain already quite enough, why I'm not able to continue!
But after all, is my heart who make the final decision!
Like i wrote already a while ago on my homepage: Music biz to rough for a sensitive soul like mine!
And this is true! In the music biz everything is based on ... everything else than music!
VIP, People, Money, Car's, glimmer, sex, slackness etc etc!
I just wished to do music ... in the last years i made from 1 a half hour to maybe max 10h music a month!
The rest of the time i worked in the offices on finding solutions!
I was told to do this and that and then and if .... and we tried almost everything if it was still under the "moonraisers rules"
I was told we need love songs ....! Well i admit, that love songs was never something that i was able to write!
With the simply explanation, that i think, this is something to personal!
Also to show up and playing the rockstar, was never something that i was really happy to do!
(If i was not on stage!)
I think allot of people need to identify the artist with his creation!
And i think if the people like an artists creation they don't need to like the artist!
An artist is like every other human, with the same problem as everybody!
I like to say: we got all the same position on the throne! ;)))
If the people like our creation, then we did a good job!
I think in the show biz we are there, to sale dreams ....! (dream's or nightmare's)
But to write a good song or to make a good show, don't makes us a better humans!
Today all is focused on the artist and not on his creation!
And this is not how i like to give credibility to my creation!
In a way I'm very proud that we arrived, to be, where we are today, without having failed on the way we want to do, what we want to do with moonraisers!
And a next step up could no longer be achieved, with the non-support we have today and in the way we have done it the last 19 years!
Not with the morality we in-store to The Moonraisers Moonstyle Project!
This is a part of my idea to making music!
And this, is no longer possible for me.
Thats why i decide to quit the music scene and concentrate on other priorities!
For sure i know that all who supported moonraisers passively or actively for longer or shorter and/or found a reason to dream, as occupation, as evasion, the one who could identify them self, with our utopia doing!
It is a sad moment! And i have to admit that it is, not less for myself!
It is one of my hardest, but necessary decision, i had to take in my life!
Allot of people don't overstand why i decide right now to stop it all.
Yes Moonraisers had a band like never before with all very good musicians, performant staff, Technical crew and our long year angel Domi! And and a real good ambient in the band! (the one i hope will find a project to continue to play together!)
We knew how to make music ...! But thats all ...! Today this is not what it counts!
I thank you all from my deepest heart to giving special moments, very special remembering's!
I wanted to tell you a little story about a small natty, who lived behind the nighty light!
Moony: came, told and wished us the best
All i can say is, live from your heart and don't let the mind control your feelings!
Thanks 4 all
Much love
Jaba
