Take five musicians passionate about rock, add an ever-changing list of guest artists and some classic rock numbers and there you have it, Xirka Rock. Ramona Depares catches up with some of the movers behind the ultimate rock party.

Way back in 2010, a number of Maltese musicians got together to bring some of the most well-loved rock classics to an eager Maltese audience. Four years down the line, Xirka Rock keeps growing. Today, core members Peter Borg (guitarist with Red Electrick and with Ira Losco), Wayne Camilleri (guitarist with K.O.I. and Big Band Brothers), Raphael Tonna (drummer with Red Electrick), Chris Curmi (bassist with Airport Impressions) and Mark Kram (piano/keyboards with Fakawi and Trania) are joined by an increasing list of guest artists, all eager to take the music to the people.

And now, the Xirka is back in the spotlight as one of this year’s main acts at Earth Garden festival. With both established names and up-and-coming artists set to join the core members on stage, the vibe looks set to be a fun one.

We just love performing the songs we grew up listening to, and the songs which inspired us to pick up our instruments

This year’s guest line-up is set to include names like Mike Spiteri, Ira Losco, Ludwig Galea, Pawlu Borg Bonaci and others, with classics such as Queen’s I Want to Break Free, Clash’s Should I Stay or Should I Go and The Beatles’ Helter Skelter guaranteed to get the crowd moving .

I caught up with some of the Xirka Rock movers to learn what makes them so passionate about the initiative.

Xirka Rock 7 – Best of Xirka and Wood-stock Special takes place on Friday at Earth Garden, Ta’ Qali.

www.facebook.com/XirkaRock


Peter Borg

Peter Borg. Photo: Max PhotographyPeter Borg. Photo: Max Photography

Xirka Rock is basically a live rock concert. The core band is accompanied by different musicians for each song on the set list. The set list typically focuses on cover versions and the singers invited to take part hail from all sectors of the local music scene.

Why do we do it? All five of us love rock and we just love performing the songs we grew up listening to, and the songs which inspired us to pick up our instruments in the first place. Individually, we all have our separate projects, but Xirka Rock gives us an outlet to enjoy performing in a context which is less stressful than what we are used to with our main projects.

Although a level of criticism has been levelled towards Xirka for focusing on covers rather than new material, in reality all five core members are active contributors to the Maltese music scene, even when it comes to creating new material.

We all write, record, perform and put together events based on our individual projects, so I don’t feel that there is anything wrong in putting together a few cover events per year. People enjoy them and the guest singers are promoting themselves, which in turn will lead to promotion for their original projects, if they have any.

Not everyone involved in the local scene agrees with this approach, but I am also a strong believer in the saying “live and let live”.

Moreover, this year we decided to also offer an opportunity for emerging artists to showcase their talent. The idea came about in a brain-storming session while we were choosing the singers for the seventh edition.

We decided it was about time to give the new names a chance. Xirka Rock has become quite established as a brand, so we felt that giving an upcoming artist a chance would be the right thing to do.

In order to make the process as fair as possible, we decided to launch a competition where upcoming artists submitted a video of themselves singing their favourite classic rock tune. The video with the most ‘likes’ on Facebook won – simple and fair. The winner was Rebecca Spiteri, with her spirited rendition of Def Leppard’s Pour Some Sugar on Me.

Xirka Rock will perform on Satuday at Earth Garden, Ta’ Qali.


Chris Curmi. Photo: David DP AttardChris Curmi. Photo: David DP Attard

Chris Curmi

Xirka Rock’s popularity has a lot to do with the absolutely incredible live experience it offers. There is a huge catalogue of really upbeat dancing tunes; beautiful, funky, improvised jams... basically it is one of the the biggest live rock shows you will see in Malta. We always get the best names on board and this helps.

Right now we are still excited as we have just announced the winner of the competition for the new artist. The hype on Facebook was at an all-time high and the videos were being shared and re-shared. It’s fun to see Facebook being taken over by rock... and by Xirka Rock. We’re looking forward to sharing the stage with Rebecca, as it promises to be a unique experience.

 

 


Mark Kram

The main idea behind Xirka is the revival of classic rock themes through live performances. We like to involve a variety of top local musicians, and the event serves to bring together a number of people from the music scene who otherwise would not get on stage together.

It’s also a great way for veteran rock fans to get to meet their old buddies in the same environment where they would have met last, many moons ago.

The response to our concerts is always very encouraging; our first gig four years ago attracted a crowd made up of old and young rock enthusiasts. They continue to follow our gigs and really motivated us to produce these events in different venues and occasions.

Since then, our following has diversified. It seems that people can’t get enough of Xirka, and it’s not limited to the rockers.


Wayne Camilleri

Wayne Camilleri. Photo: McCarthy’s PhotoworksWayne Camilleri. Photo: McCarthy’s Photoworks

Keeping in mind this concert is catered towards an Earth Garden audience, we opted for a Woodstock theme because it is very much in sync with the festival atmosphere.

The idea is to include a number of songs from the legendary Woodstock concerts. As for surprises, Xirka events are well-known for their spontaneity, so surprises are always to be expected. We’re always glad our energy rubs off onto the audience and this often translates into some seriously fun improvisations.

The choice of musicians plays a big part in creating this vibe. The concert is literally a gathering of some of the top names in Malta, and we always try to get singers from every genre to perform. In this way, we know that we are hitting different sectors of the scene, and the audience appeal is wide-ranging.

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