Coburg, the Samba Capital of Europe
From 9th - 11th July, the Coburg Samba Festival will host over 200 Sambistas, hailing from over 8 nations, and a mass of over 100,000 Samba fans from far and wide. This festival is the largest Samba festival in Europe and Samba Masala is proud to be the only band from Asia performing for the festival.
Stay in touch with our progress as we bring you blog entry updates live from Germany!
Live Updates
We've arrived at the Capital!
Tuesday, 29 June 2010
Munich
 After 9 hours of flying and a one hour transit in Istanbul, we finally arrived in Munich! Everything feels different here – the air, the plants, the people. We’re staying at Leonardo Hotel, a small hotel along Heimgartenstrasse. Our rooms weren’t ready when we arrived so we went out to explore the city and have some lunch first.
It’s really exciting here because there’s major World Cup fever in the country at the moment! Everywhere we went there were fan memorabilia like flags, flowers and of course the Vuvuzela. Some of our band members got caught up in the hype and bought Vuvuzela for themselves.
 After lunch, we came back to the hotel for some intense instrument maintenance. It was hard to tune the instruments because we didn’t want to disturb the other hotel guests with the noise. But by hook or by crook we got it done, some in the balconies, some in their rooms with the door shut tight. We are now officially performance- ready! (:
When the maintenance was done, we treated ourselves to a hearty German dinner at a restaurant nearby. Bratwurst, schnitzel and potatoes galore! Then it was time for the Spain vs. Portugal match before getting a good night’s rest.
SMU meets LMU!
Monday, 5 July 2010
Munich
 We woke up bright and early to get ready for our first performance in Germany. We needed to get our hair and make-up done before hopping on the bus to go to the Lugwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU). The school was absolutely gorgeous! It was like a castle. Many of the band members were saying it reminded them of Hogwarts from Harry Potter.
We had lunch near LMU and then proceeded to rehearse in a seminar room. It was strange at first, but the accoustics were great. We found out that we were going to be performing 3 sets - it was going to be a looong night.
While we were having dinner, people were already pouring in to LMU. I think there were a few hundred people on campus that night. We were performing as part of a festival (something similar to SMU's Starry Nite - but much bigger). There was food, beer and many bands performing, the atmosphere was really charged.
 We finally got to perform our first set around 8pm. It was awesome! From the first beat you could taste the energy and excitement of the band. The audience got really into it and they were dancing and cheering for us. There was even a capoeira group who started performing to our music. It was crazy! They were doing flips all over the place and we were feeding energy off each other.
The next two sets got progressively more intense as the night wore on. By the last set, the audience was standing right up in front of us, something our batch has barely experienced before, and they were dancing all the way through the set. We had a lot of fun interacting with the audience up close.
That first performance was unforgettable and we hope it's a sign of good things to come for this trip. (:
World Cup fever!
Saturday, 3 July 2010
Munich
 We didn't perform today but we spent the day with some LMU students who would be coming over to SMU for an exchange semester this coming August. After meeting up with them at LMU, they took us for an extremely long walk through a really scenic park. There was a little culture-shock - there were people sunbathing on the grass! But the place was beautiful and we even watched a string quartet perform in a band stand.
We were starting to wonder when our long trek would finally end when we finally reached a square somewhere in the town.  There was a giant screen and a sign that said "Soccer City" - we were going to watch the World Cup Quarter-finals Germany style!
It was an incredibly hot day, but that didn't seem to dampen the spirits of the Germans who came down to support their country. There was Germany paraphernalia everywhere! Flags, flowers, hats, jerseys and the unmistakable Vuvuzela. When Germany won the match, 4-0, things got even crazier. There were cars driving up and down the streets horning and everyone just paraded down the streets cheering and singing. There were people climbing traffic lights! It was insane fun and definately an awesome exchange experience.
University for Music and Performing Arts, Munich!
Monday, 5 July 2010
Munich
 Our second and last performance in Munich was for the University for Music and Performing Arts, Munich. It was another music festival, similar to the one in LMU. We arrived at the school in the early afternoon to rehearse. It seems all the schools in Munich are beautiful buildings with grand staircases and high ceilings! And there were students practicing their instruments all around the campus, it was surreal.
We rehearsed our set in a field near the school. It was really hot and we had to keep moving from place to place as we got complaints from residents nearby. Nevertheless we got through the rehearsal and we were still in good enough spirits to take a few jump shots against the scenic background.
After a lunch break, we did hair, make-up and facepaint and before long it was time for our first set. The crowd was pretty small but they were supportive. One particular professor was very enthusiastic about our music and he encouraged us all with his kind words. We were motivated by him to put up a good show, and by the end of the last set the crowd was asking us for an encore. Unfortunately, the police did not allow us to play past 11pm so we had to end the night there.
We left the University fatigued but satisfied. We'll be performing at Coburg next!
We take on Coburg City!
Tuesday, 6 July 2010
Coburg
 We left Munich early in the morning to take a bus to Coburg. It was a looong, looong ride down. But we did get to stop at a giant Reebok warehouse which made some of the boys very excited. We also ate McDonald's for lunch and the menu is almost completely different from Singapore!
We took nearly an entire day's journey to arrive at our little inn called Landhotel Altmuhlaue. The place is 18km away from Coburg city and it was so quaint and lovely, everyone was taking pictures of the flowers and houses the moment we got off the bus. The owner was incredibly friendly and helpful and we soon settled in comfortably.
Unfortunately, we didn't get a lot of time to relax and rest after the long bus ride. Half an hour after unpacking, we assembled in the meadow behind the inn and strapped up for practice! No rest for the wicked. (: But we enjoyed ourselves and the weather was cool and perfect for playing. And the scenery was breathtaking! Acres and acres of greenery! Something we don't get to see on our tiny little island.
After a good practice, we packed up and had dinner at the restaurant in the inn. They were so kind that they had prepared a special menu in english for their "Guests for Singapore"! Excellent service. And the food was good too. We're really going to enjoy ourselves here!
Meeting Borel De Sousa!
Thursday, 8 July 2010
Coburg
Today, we had the wonderful opportunity of taking a workshop under the well-respected Mr. Borel De Sousa. It was held in this nice studio at Kongresshaus Rosengarten. Mr. De Sousa was so enthusiastic from the get-go, it was infectious!
 He taught us two songs, patiently going section to section to teach us our individual parts. The songs were amazing! We hope to play them in future. His wife was also there and she helped play surdo and repinique. They are both so talented, it was really an inspiration to all of us! And they had to much passion for the music, they would dance every time we got into the groove.
At the end of the workshop we played our own Samba arrangement for them and they told us that they were impressed with us. It was really motivating to hear that from such experienced Sambistas. Afterwards, he even gave out sheet music to all of us so we can learn alternative grooves to change up the songs we learnt and there were some practice techniques as well. It was an excellent learning experience for all of us.
Festival Day!
Friday, 9 July 2010
Coburg
 Today is D-Day! Finally, after so many months of preparation. We were all so nervous but extremely thrilled. Practice in the morning didn't go to well though. For some reason we just couldn't keep our tempo and play together. We hoped this bout of bad playing wouldn't last till our performance in the evening.
After practice, some sections broke into sectionals while the rest of us headed back to our rooms to prepare our own lunch. Yes, we COOKED. That was an adventure in itself. Most of us ended up cooking pasta since that was the most simple thing to prepare. But it was all good and most of us ate so much that all we wanted to do was sleep it off. Unfortunately we didn't have much time to relax after lunch, we had to start getting our hair and facepaint ready for the festival.
 The bus came to pick us up in the evening to go to Coburg. When we arrived at Schlossplatz,, the place looked totally different! There were stalls every where and it was brimming with so much energy and excitment. We still had some time before our performance so we walked around to look at instruments and watched some other bands. All the bands were so amazing! Some had some really extravagant costumes and their instruments were decorated so beautifully. We were a little intimidated, we hoped that in the midst of all this that some people would pay attention to a little band from Singapore.
Before long, it was time for our first performance. How nerve-wrecking! We encouraged each other backstage and prayed for the best. And when we stepped on stage, it was like magic. It could have been the adrenaline, or the great accoustics on stage, but whatever it was, that was the BEST set our batch had ever played. Some how we kept tempo and the energy was bursting from everyone limbs.  And the audience was INCREDIBLE. There were people cheering and dancing for us. Hundreds of people came down to watch us - it was surreal. Towards the end of our performance, we brought the Singapore flag on stage and waved it around - we had never felt more proud to be representing our country there and then.
We could barely believe it when the set was over. We were on a high. Random strangers were coming up to congratulate us and ask us about our band and find out when our next performance was. Some ladies even asked for our CD (we have none at the moment)! The reception we received was so far beyond what we expected, we were exhilarated.
Now there are just two more days, four more sets, one band, one sound.
Busking in a different kind of town!
Saturday, 10 July 2010
Coburg
 It was a long day today, two busking sets and our last stage set for the entire festival. We were all psyched up when we arrived at Schlossplatz at noon. We had a lot of time to walk around and explore the entire festival today. We watched a lot wonderful bands that really inspired us, and our band did a lot of shopping at the stalls set up just for the festival. We even bought some new instruments for our band!
Before long we had to gather for our first busking set. We performed at Hofgarten. As the bands performing there are rotated, we thought we had to wait for the band before us to finish playing before we started. We did a little parade to our position and then started our set proper. The crowd was as amazing as yesterday, they came up really close to us and some even danced right next to us! Just as our last song was ending, the next band started playing. We were confused - we thought that they were angry at us for eating into their time. But we soon learnt that it was customary for the next band playing to announce their entry that way. We're really newbies to this!
We had a short time to rest before our stage set. We told each other to give it our best as it was the last set we'll ever get to play on that stage. With our hearts pounding, we took the stage again. There were even MORE people than the day before! We had never played to such an enormous crowd before. The audience here in Coburg is mind-blowingly appreciative, they dance, cheer and clap along to our songs. Some even shout "Oy!" with us during Maracatu Shango! We felt so blessed to be on that stage performing to such an extraordinary crowd. We had bitter-sweet feelings about leaving that stage for the last time.
 When we got backstage, the London School of Samba was there getting ready to go on. We were ecstatic! LSS were the ones who introduced us to this festival and we were really psyched to watch their performance. All of us raced to the front of the stage to catch the show. And we weren't disappointed. They were UNBELIEVABLE. Everything about their performance was an inspiration to us. And their break where they "shoot" all the sections down was absolutely brilliant. We were in awe and we definately hope we can meet up with them again after Coburg!
After watching LSS, we grabbed some dinner in the artistes tent before heading out for our last busking set. We were so pumped, we were going to make this last show really count. While we were standing around at Ehrenburg waiting for our turn, Sharan had an amazing idea that would make our performance even more memorable.  After some planning, we dispersed ourselves into the crowd, instruments and all, to watch the band before us finish their last song. They were playing Samba so some of us quietly played along with them on our own instruments.
Then it was showtime. But we weren't even in position yet. The cowbell started sounding off in the middle of the crowd, and the crowd cheered like crazy! We started making our way through the crowd to our positions while playing our instruments. It was insane but so much fun. The set just got progressively more insane, the crowd was wild and we were feeding off their energy! It was like a street party and we were partying our hearts out. Nothing can even replicate how we felt at that moment - we were fearless! We weren't just playing with our hands, we were playing with our hearts and souls.
By the end of the set, we couldn't believe just how many people had crowded into that tiny little street corner to watch us! We were so humbled by the response we got from them. We got handshakes and so many words of encouragement - it was so touching. Our hearts were bursting. Here we were - the little Samba band that could.
And the night didn't end there. Later that night, we were invited to jam with none other than Bloco X! It was crazy! We looked up to them so much and here they were asking us to play with them! It was like a dream. Everyhing was falling into place for us. They were incredible - we had to much to learn from them and their playing. And they were so nice and friendly to us too.
The whole day was just indescribable. Immersing ourselves in the whole European Samba scene is like a dream come true. Tomorrow is the last day - can't believe it's almost over. ):
Parade around Coburg Town!
Sunday, 11 July 2010
Coburg
 Today was finally the last day of the festival. We were all feeling a little sad because it was going to be all over soon. But still, today was the first time our batch had ever participated in a parade so it was still something to look forward to! We got everything ready back at the inn, and all the facepaint and hair styling that couldn't be finished in time we finished during lunch. We had a really rushed lunch in the artistes tent before finally strapping up and moving off to the starting position.
 When we arrived, we still had time to kill so we watched the first few groups moving off. There was so much to see! Samba bands, dancers and capoeira groups! And they all put up a great show despite the intense afternoon sun. It was a real sight to behold, so many colours, ruffles and sequins. Today we went with a tropical theme - we hoped we would be able to stand out amongst all the others!
 Soon it was our time to start. The moment we stepped onto the road, we could feel the sun beating down on our heads and backs. It was rather uncomfortable. Still, the show had to go on. Ben did the call for Samba and we were off! We paraded all through Coburg Town, and it was amazing to see just how many people gathered in the hot sun to watch the parade. The streets were FLOODED with people. There were people on the streets, watching from the windows of buildings, and even from rooftops! They were very encouraging and cheered us on all the way, some even kindly sprayed water on us to cool us off.
 It was really an experience, playing for an hour non-stop, walking all the way! But everyone enjoyed themselves and we all felt extremely accomplished afterwards. We were on a real adrenaline rush when we finally put down our instruments, we cheered and celebrated and took a million pictures! We took so many pictures with people from other bands!
 Afterwards, we hung around the festival and watched other bands performing. We managed to catch Mr. Borel De Sousa's band performing on stage. And of course, they were absolutely brilliant! Later in the evening, just before the World Cup finals, they invited the Spanish and Netherland bands to play on stage together. Then, for some reason, as crazy as it seems, Samba Masala got invited on stage to play with them!  Of course we jumped at the chance! We all played Samba, and every now and then they would call each section to play solo. It was INCREDIBLE and so much fun.
When the jamming session was over, we cleared the stage and they screened the finals there and then on the stage screen! It was really exciting to watch the match with people representing both countries there. There was so much tension, excitement and, of course, drumming going on!
As night fell, after the match ended, some of us met some other Sambistas from other bands at a pub - Bloco X was there! And they asked us to jam with them again!  We joined them in one of the rooms in the pub, and I'm not sure how it started, but we just started to jam there and there! Not everyone had an instrument but we still tapped out rhythms with whatever we had available. It was so surreal. Playing with them was a real confidence booster, and we learnt so much from them - watching and imitating. Some of them even taught us new grooves. Afterwards, we moved to the middle of the dance floor and really jammed proper. We played Samba with the maestro leading us. Everyone in the pub was dancing along with us. It was really a once in a lifetime experience! They were absolutely amazing.
Don't dream it's over...
Tuesday, 13 July 2010
Coburg
It's our last day in Coburg and we're all very sad that our time has come to an end. I don't even think these updates can fully describe just what it was like being here and experiencing what it was like performing in this festival. Living this Samba lifestyle for these few days has been incredible and our entire band is so grateful for it. It's really been an unforgettable memory that has been etched into our heart and we will always remember the euphoria of performing for such an amazing festival and audience. I dare say it's changed our World view. We hope we can one day go back to Coburg, maybe not with the same band members, but the same finesse, dexterity and power. For now, we're going to have trouble adjusting to life back at home - but we're definately going to be working towards bigger things. Watch out World, Samba Masala is coming.
Live in your beat, play in ours!
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