Stasera mi butto -

Loss di gean

The first edition of "Stasera mi butto - Loss di gean" took place in 2009, but the idea of organising an event of this kind had already been circulating among the members of the Music Club Board for a few years. Being almost all musicians, we knew how difficult it was, if you are not already 'famous' and maybe not even too 'good' (it can happen...), to find opportunities to perform. "Stasera mi butto - Loss di gean" (aka "Tonight I give it all") was born with this goal in mind: to create a musical event open to all artists, with no age restrictions, in which we want to give those who are passionate about music the chance to be heard, performing on a real stage, in front of a real audience and using professional technical equipment. It was with this motivation that we embarked on this journey, with many doubts, anxieties and, why not, hopes. The first edition was enough to understand that the idea was the right one: more than thirty members, including bands and solo artists, and a lot of interest in the initiative, especially from young people. Since that year (2009) there has been a continuous, constant and also somewhat impressive growth in membership (more than 50 members, including bands and solists, in the last editions), interest, appreciation and technical-artistic level. We as Music Club have also had to keep up with this growth, multiplying our commitment, work and effort and constantly updating and adapting the competition formula. A formula (or format, as we now say) that we have nevertheless tried to keep as faithful as possible to the original basic ideas: openness to all, free of charge, multi-ethnicity and total bilingualism, professional and always cutting-edge technical support. The basic regulatory structure has basically remained unchanged: - an initial "selection" phase (initially called "casting", then "free session") which allows access to the final evening ("final show"), where people compete by presenting a song. - There are two competition categories: "solists" and "bands", to which the "original" category was soon added to highlight the many authors of their own music. - The final ranking is decided by a jury of experts and the public (with our "applausometer", which has become very popular over the years). Already after the first edition we realised that the "casting" (which lasted one day and took place in a small rehearsal room) needed to be implemented: the groups came from far away to propose a single song in front of the MC board, and many of them would not be admitted to the final evening: too little! Therefore, in the following years, the casting was extended and spread over several days (three weekends, in the last editions!), until it became a real small concert, with half an hour of free performance on a real stage, with an adequate sound-light system and audience for every candidate ("free session", precisely). But the competition was growing; and with it the artistic level of the contestants (some were simply astonishing). Every year we too had to raise the bar: in terms of equipment, lighting, prizes, budget, guests, time, graphics, publicity and sponsors. In short, commitment. Two elements, in all these years, have not been implemented: - the jury, simply because its level of competence and authority has been very high since the first edition (by the way: thanks again, guys...). - the theatre, i.e. the dear old Haus Unterland. The structure soon proved to be rather inadequate in terms of capacity, acoustics and logistics. But it was the only facility available and we put on a brave face as long as we could. - Incidentally, we think it is high time that Egna got a real theatre, where the cultural activities of the village can be carried out safely and efficiently. And so we come to 2018, when, at the end of the tenth edition, we looked each other in the eye (rather tired, in truth) and immediately realised that perhaps we should take a break. The event had become too big for a small group of former young people. It was difficult to manage commitments, fatigue, space and responsibilities. And so, with much sadness and melancholy, we said, stop. It is now time to take stock, and ours is absolutely positive. We are proud of what we have done, especially because we have seen our goal come true: to create "bridges" between artists (especially young ones); to bring bands out of their basements and put them in communication with other groups, of other genres, other languages, other cultures, other regions, other ages. In ten years, on the stages of 'free sessions' or 'final shows', we have seen the birth of artistic collaborations; the creation of new groups; the merging of different musical experiences; and even the blossoming of romantic relationships. All this is gratifying and makes us happy. Mission accomplished, Music Club! 