Interview with Josephine "Banig" Roberto

Interview with Josephine "Banig" Roberto

Being a child star can put a performer in a predicament: being compared to how they were, transitioning into adulthood, and evolving with the times. Josephine "Banig" Roberto started so young she received her stage name from a show host who joked she was the only contestant still wetting the bed. Back with a club hit, she has learned from all points of her journey and shows a life long career can be done with poise and grace.

Halfstack: You competed in talent competitions when you were very young. How did you become interested in music and singing?
Josephine Roberto: Music has always been my one and only passion growing up. Mom and dad were both obsessed with music. My aunt loved to sing and became a singer in her teenage years. Naturally, I wanted to be just like her. The fondest childhood memories were never about playing with dolls and stuff. It was all about getting on stage with a microphone and pretending I was this famous entertainer. That was playtime for me, not knowing that I would actually make a career out of it at a young age. At age 8, I joined a national TV singing competition in the Philippines called “Ang Bagong Kampeon” (it was our own version of Star Search back in the Philippines) where I was also discovered. At 10, I won the International Star Search competition in the US representing the Philippines. Shortly after Star Search, TV appearances such as The Arsenio Hall Show, Super Dave Osborne and many more came in and through these, I got all the opportunities here in the US as a child performer. But all that time I spent as a child performer, it was all still just “playtime” for me. I don’t recall a moment when I didn’t want to get on stage because I was tired or I wanted to play with the rest of the kids instead. Every chance to get on stage I would jump on it because I wanted to be the best at it.

H: Who are your influences and how have they shaped you?
JR: My music idols have influenced me and shaped me to be the entertainer that I am today. I can only hope to be as a great as them one day! Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Tina Turner, Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson and more. I wanted to be able to sing, dance, perform and write so I was obsessed with watching them as a kid. I believe that in order for anybody to become a better entertainer, you have to learn from the best entertainers in the industry.

H: How has your experience as a child phenomenon shaped your music today?
JR:Starting out really young definitely helped me learn about the music industry, whether it was a good learning experience or a bad one. It led me to the music I am doing now. As a kid, there was a lot of hype and excitement with all the opportunities I was getting-- winning the International Star Search, appearing on TV shows, signing to major companies for TV, management, talent agency, and later jumping from one label to another. When it all didn’t pan out as how it was expected of me, I had no choice but to learn how to write and produce and promote. A kid’s gotta learn somehow and I did through the disappointments and frustrations from the past. These experiences led not only me, but also my sister and music partner, Jhoanna to write, produce, promote, manage and more! My music releases now have all been original songs, and I now have a lot of say in all the things that I do, especially when it comes to my music career.

H:How has your writing and music changed over the years?
JR:As a kid, I was expected to belt the Whitney, Mariah classic power songs so in all of my shows, people wanted me to sing these types of songs. As a writer though, I kind of had to go with the industry flow. I started writing songs that may not be that vocally challenging as the power ballads I was used to. Sometimes it’s just all about the “hook”, even if they aren’t my preferred power vocal songs. But when your audience is actually singing to it, then I did my part! But I have to say that my heart still belongs to the timeless ballads that I love to sing!

H: You wrote and produced for Joe Jackson's singer, Crystal. What did you learn about the business and yourself through writing and producing for someone else?
JR:I learned that when writing and producing for other artists, I have to bring out the best in that artist without having them emulate my style of singing. Instead, make them shine by bringing out their own flavor and making it fit their voice and style.

H: You wrote an album in Tagalog. What was that experience like? What has been the response?
JR: My sister and I are fluent in Tagalog. We speak, read and write it. But writing Tagalog songs was harder than we thought! Most of the songs were ballads, but the challenge was making the lyrics fit the melody and making it song-like and not super corny! There is one song that we wrote called “Igalaw Natin”, an upbeat song in Taglish (Tagalog-English) which we released in the U.S. as an experiment to see if it will actually get played in the clubs here in the U.S. Surprisingly, it got some spins on the radio and the clubs! It even got on the charts! Just goes to show you that music is truly a universal language.

H:What's next for you?
JR:I am working on the completion of my album set for release in the early part of 2015! “He Wants To Get It” is the first single and it’s available on iTunes and Amazon. The music video is also out on VEVO. I am looking forward to more concerts and releases in the near future! H: What's the number one thing you'd like people to know about you and your work? JR:Music has always been my passion. Fortunately, I was blessed with a gift that I am able to share and touch people’s lives with, through the songs I write or the performances I do. And despite of all the ups and downs in the biz, I will continue to share it with them however way I possibly can. For more information on Josephine Roberto, visit www.josephineroberto.com or YouTube

Hugh Arnold's Agua Nacida: Serendipity Under the Sea

Hugh Arnold's Agua Nacida: Serendipity Under the Sea

Three years ago, one of the most coveted fashion and beauty photographers, Hugh Arnold, decided to accept no commercial work. Even with his thirty year career working for some of the biggest names, he realized he was not fulfilled inside and decided to change his life. What resulted was “Agua Nacida”, fine art photographs of underwater nudes that explore the journey of woman from womb to womanhood. The book and exhibit at the Hilton Asmus Contemporary that go hand in hand not only capture the unique poignancy and lessons women learn growing up, but encapsulate the themes from Arnold’s personal journey.

Water features heavily in Arnold’s work. “The minute you immerse in water, you have to become yourself,” Arnold explains. “You shed everything. It washes away all the superficial things.” It teaches you to go with the flow. If you jump in the air, gravity brings you down. “In water you can go upside down, suspend there,” he continues, “You can’t force anything. Everything has its own rhythm.”

Arnold learned to scuba dive for the project. His models, Nika Lauraitis, a Chicago native, and Polina Barbasova were trained swimmers. Nika dreamed of a project that combined modeling with swimming. They would discuss what he wanted above water and dive in. The models would come up for air, but Arnold would stay below, creating his own world beneath the waves. As much as they planned, they were able to allow for happy accidents. The girls misunderstood his requests and fought at one point. It has inspired his next few projects. “The person can’t see you. You can see them, but you’re a blur,” said Arnold. “There’s no way to interact.” It was a benefit he felt because he got to photograph the inner person. That inner person shines in the pages of “Agua Nacida”. Meaning “water born,” as you flip the pages you’re left with your gut reaction to the images shot in Fiji and Gozo. They’re stunning and inspire self- reflection. We follow the girls as curious children. You feel and remember the turbulence of adolescence looking at all the bubbles, the girls crashing into the water, feel the impact. It’s littered with quotes about life and water just as you collect quotes growing up, little literary beacons lighting the way, returning you to center. There’s a definite tone shift when she becomes a woman. Everything is quieter. She is sure in herself and her environment. The water is calm and world is larger around her.

The book has a different feel than the debut exhibit at the Hilton Asmus. Step into the gallery and you step into the ocean. It’s warm and encompassing. The energy sails around the room like a riptide. The purity captured in the images relaxes you. You feel refreshed, aware you are a drop in a greater ocean. Agua Nacida runs September 19th through October 26th, with an opening reception with Hugh Arnold September 19th from 5:30-9:00 pm. Books are available through his website, Amazon, and Merrell Publishers.

Frankie Ballard Heats Up Joe's with "Sunshine and Whiskey"

Frankie Ballard Heats Up Joe's with "Sunshine and Whiskey"

Frankie Ballard’s “Sunshine and Whiskey” tour was what Chicago needed on a chilly Friday night. The Michigan native baseball player who would ask his coach if he could take the guitar on the bus (the answer was no) delivered an energy packed show at Joe’s on Weed Street that made them forget about the wet cold and any worries from the week that may have plagued them.

Joe’s is an intimate venue tucked away off North Ave, perfect for acts to bond with fans. Audience members get to make eye contact with performers who sell out larger venues and get a feel for how their music and presence felt when they were performing bars and coffeehouses. Nick Sturms, a Nashville resident and very talented songwriter, opened the show. Frankie took the stage with an assertive presence that jolted the crowd awake. He played three songs in a row to get blood pumping and feet moving. “He’s got a grittiness to him,” someone near me said. Yes. This country music rocked with a power that was not going home quiet.

When I interviewed him, Frankie said performing live was all about the energy and the relationship he developed with the crowd. He over delivered on both. After the high octane warm up, his song “Don’t Take Much” had a haunting, almost menacing air. You could feel the fictional small town, blue collar chins rise and chests broaden behind the words. The eager crowd waited for “Sunshine and Whiskey” and pounced on it as soon as he started, singing it as loud and as clear as he did. Frankie had control of the crowd’s energy at all times. He performed two covers, Johnny Cash’s “A Boy Named Sue” and the Wallflowers’ “One Headlight”. The crowd mellowed and played along with “Sue” and bellowed down memory lane with the Wallflowers, shooting the energy back up. Country Weekly got it right when they called him a “true guitar hero” with “an elegant, supple style of playing rarely seen in these days hard rock country.” From an eloquent solo to decorative riffs that added to the song instead of distracting, Frankie is a very good guitarist. He showed his blues influences opening “Sober Me Up” with languid licks, the type that make you feel drunk and want to lean against someone.

Frankie’s a Bob Seger fan. He almost brought down the house when he dove into “Old Time Rock and Roll”, jumped offstage, got up on one of the bars, walked across it, and jumped down into the crowd. He meandered around the crowd continuing the song. The crowd centered with “Helluva Life.” It’s a song everyone can relate to and make their own. Many of us know “the bad times make the good times better” as the song say, but it’s nice to know someone else does too. Frankie put into words what so many of us feel, showing he gets it. Whether he’s onstage or on a bar about to hop into the crowd, he’s one of us.

Old Crow Smokehouse: Country Oasis on North Clark

Old Crow Smokehouse: Country Oasis on North Clark

After a long, hard day, you sometimes want to escape the city. Stroll down North Clark, Wrigley and all the buildings behind you, and step into a reconstructed barn, where your work and worries are miles away. Old Crow Smokehouse is something you’d find down a dirt road, complete with the welcoming “this is who I am” spirit that is country. It opened last fall for people craving authentic country culture. Its menu features the award-winning barbeque of Chef Tony Scruggs and moonshine cocktails by Ole Smoky Tennessee Moonshine.

The walls behind the bar glow red from lights, warm like a heat lamp on a chilly night (or a Luke Bryan video). Bright and sunny waitresses in sundresses and cowboy boots rushed smiling to tables, checking in on them as if they’d known them forever. We walked to our table to the bass of Scott McCreery. That night we also heard the music of Florida Georgia Line, Brad Paisley, Chase Rice, and Taylor Swift. Party anthems and slower serenades melt your day away so you’re ready for your evening. We sat on mile high welded stools that were very comfy. Among the guests were friends catching up, a birthday party and a first date delighted they had chemistry.

Each table had 3 barbeque sauces: Beer, Vinegar, and Spicy. I live for spicy. I like my taste buds to melt and simmer. This sauce was a nice tongue tickler. My friend, who is not into spicy, enjoyed it, saying it was tangy with a nice burn. I was surprised my favorite was the Beer Barbeque sauce. There was something warm and familiar but also new and different in its tanginess. My Memphis Tacos (pulled pork with crunchy coleslaw in tortillas, laced with the Beer Barbeque sauce) were very good. I also had the Front Porch Punch, one of the moonshine cocktails, served in a mason jar with berries. It was as refreshing and fun as pink lemonade, but smoother. The hand-cut fries were amazing, the perfect warmth and crunch.

The large welcoming dance floor sprawls in front of the stage. Not only is there regular live music, every Thursday there’s Live Band Country Karaoke. The house band plays, you sing. If dancing is more your thing, there are free Line Dancing Wednesdays. Old Crow Smokehouse is a great escape if you can’t get away. It’s fun with the strong undercurrent the excitement. Anything can happen, especially with that tall, dark stranger giving you the eye.
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Cora Vasseur | Culture & Entertainment Blogger

Guitar Hero Frankie Ballard Brings "Sunshine and Whiskey" to Chicago

Guitar Hero Frankie Ballard Brings "Sunshine and Whiskey" to Chicago

I grew up listening to rock and blues music. I’m a recent country music convert and still adjusting to my new identity. Musicians like Frankie Ballard make that transition easier. I knew I could trust him when we talked about his blues influences and he dropped a catalogue of performers he studied. The Michigan native’s voice and tone filled with worldly respect and humble admiration when talking about blues legends and guitar playing. I already respected him preparing for the interview. Fresh out of college he played over 200 nights a year in a 300 mile radius while taking monthly trips to Nashville. That type of dedication is something we all can get behind. If the idea of country music puts up your hackles, you might enjoy Frankie’s music.

If you already like country or just elegant and confident guitar riffs, you’ll like Frankie. He took a break from restringing his guitars to speak with us. Halfstack: When people think of country and country music, many think of the South. What's been your experience coming from Michigan and singing country? Frankie Ballard: Well, I’m from Southern Michigan, see. A lot of people ask me, “What do you know about country?” But as long as there are blue collar, hardworking people there will be country music fans. I grew up listening to it with my dad. It was always there. Wasn’t until I started traveling around that people started saying you had to be from the South.



H: How has it been an advantage?  
FB: I think it definitely gives me a different perspective. Grew up on a lot of Bob Seger. It heavily influence me and not sure a lot of people experienced that the way I did. Enjoyed the rock and roll scene. I think that’s really made a difference. H: "Helluva Life" garnered your first Gold record. How did that feel? What did it mean to you? FB: It’s amazing always imagined what that’d be like, you know. The two words “gold record” makes me think of Elvis. So surreal to have one. I gave it to my parents so it’s hanging on their wall back home. H: You had a little different approach writing this album. On the website, it says, "[w]hat had been missing ...was a blue-collar sense of crafting his own product from the bottom up, of putting his stamp on every step of the process." What was that experience like? FB: I got to make this record the way I wanted to make it. Real important to me. The mixing of the music I think makes a big difference. I wanted to take my time and play a lot of guitar on it. A different way of looking at things. I got with a producer, Marshall Altman, who allowed me to do that. Big difference maker. Really took our time, fiddled around and experimented with different sounds. Really think we made something that sounds different and fresh.



H: Is there an example from the album where we can really hear your stamp?
FB:I think Sunshine and Whiskey, my current single, you can tell production wise. I’m simply playing guitar and we really fiddled around with it. The vibe of that tune. So much of what I think makes that song work is the vibe so that’s a perfect example. Production all across the board is different. The freshness. I had a little different perspective. H: Country Weekly described you as a "true guitar hero" with an elegant, supple style of playing rarely seen in these days hard rock country. Who are your influences and how'd you develop your style? FB: Heavy blues influence like Stevie Ray Vaughn. Then I started looking back to see where Stevie Ray Vaughn figured out his stuff and I found Freddy King and a lot of old school blues guys. You know I went down the whole Lynyrd Skynrd. As a guitar player you really discover all those guitar heroes. Hendrix, Clapton, Led Zeppelin. Went through a whole rock and roll thing, really discovered classic guitar playing. As for the way I play it’s really based in Southern rock and blues primarily.

Ballard in Omaha, Nebraska

H: You're preparing for your first headlining run. How will that be different than other tours? Are you preparing for it any differently? 
FB: On a lot of tours you might get forty-five minutes, maybe thirty minutes to strut your stuff and win some fans. I’m excited to do a whole set, the whole story. Get to play all the songs on the album. Get to have some fun. Play some guitar. Really looking forward to it. It’s exciting but also nerve wracking. You’re the one responsible for getting people in seats. It’s going to be fun though, really looking forward to it. Lot of great rooms. H: What do you love about touring/performing live? FB: For me it’s all about the energy. I love strapping on the guitar, singing the songs, playing with a live band. That energy you get from the stage, that energy you get from the crowd. That relationship that happens. It’s really a lot of fun. There’s no place on Earth you can get that. I really just love being able to rock with the fans.






H: What's your favorite song to perform live? 
FB: I got this one on my album called “Drinky Drink”. It’s really a lot of fun to play. Really upbeat, the tempo is raucous, lot of guitar playing. That’s just a fun one to get people partying. It’s a party song. I’d have to say "Helluva Life", too, because it was my first number one. Everybody knows it. A lot of people come to hear that song.

H: What's the number one thing you'd like people to know about your work and you? 
FB: I take it very seriously. It’s everything to me. For example I’m in Montgomery, Indiana right now talking to you. I’ll be working on my gear all day, sound checks. I’m in the trailer, got my stuff, working, changing strings. I just can’t get enough of it. I just pour everything into it. It’s my whole life and I want people to know that when they come see me. They’re just getting a look into who I am. It’s a lot of fun to be able to share it. So support our Northern brother in a Southern man's game. Frankie Ballard performs this Friday, September 12th, at Joe's Sports Bar. For more information on Frankie, visit his website.