Cosplay Band

[vefire 0]

I have a question. My friends and I are interested in doing a cosplay band. What we would do is wear the costume of the characters in the anime and perform as the band featured in the anime with real live instruments and singing. We are interested in performing Shining Collection from Gravitation as the band Nittle Grasper. The only question I have is, I realize there is a time limit and the song is over 5 minutes not including set up and break down time. Would the masquerade be an appropriate place to feature us? Is there perhaps a chance for us to perform as an exhibition group - not judged but solely for exhibition? And would the time limits apply?

Additionally, is there a place for a group to perform a live One Winged Angel with orchestra and choir?

Thanks a lot.

[Babbit 9]

Well, the last question is really up to the programming powers that be more than it is myself. So I really can't answer that particular one, but I can deal with the primary topic.

The Masquerade is really not the place for bands. In the context of the rules and regulations, it's really not set up to do bands. If you read through them in depth, you'll notice that you're limited to two microphones. That's it. No extra hookups into the audio board; no extra provided equipment.

The other thing you'll also notice in the rules and regulations is that there's no exhibition category defined. That's because there really isn't such a category in our masquerade. Anybody who has performed at our halftime in the last couple of years have done so because it was a prior arrangement set up with me... something that is often set up 10-12 months in advance of the con. We don't accept non-competing entries like we do regular competing masquerade skits.

Moving away from the competition issue, live bands take a ton of resources, time, and equipment to set up to do well. The band need floor monitors to hear themselves, drums need a sizeable array of mics to be heard, etc. It's a lot of gear that takes time to set up. It also require a lot of modification to our existing masquerade setup... something we simply can't do this late in the game. I can't even begin to express the amount of work it entails, you'll have to trust my word on this one.

The Masquerade is a very fast-paced skit performance based show with very quick turnaround times between skits. With the number of participants we move around, as well as their props, there really isn't room for a full-fledged band in the show.

[ithilienne 2]

Additionally, is there a place for a group to perform a live One Winged Angel with orchestra and choir?

Thanks a lot.

Not in the panels department, no. A few years ago, a group of folks got together on their own and met, in out of the way areas, to perform various arrangements of anime and game tunes. The sheer logistics of coordinating a choir and orchestra (rehearsals, instrument transportation, performance space, rehearsal space, arranging the music for your available instruments) among a group of fans is mindboggling, not to mention finding times (and places) that don't have some kind of conflict for performances and rehearsals.

It was a massive undertaking last year to get things prepped for Eminence, and from my vantage point of controlling a large chunk of the large rooms dedicated to programming space, I don't see any kind of orchestral performance happening this year, particularly on the scope you seem to be picturing.

All that said, there will be plenty of opportunities for you to get your music on this year. We've had a lot of promising music-based panel applications, as well as a gigantic anime-related musical guest (JAM project), as well as the Otaku Rave and the ever-popular karaoke in the Otacaf

[Ananegg 38]

Try Ota-kafe's band night.

[vefire 0]

Thanks a lot for your replies everyone. There won't be anything like Otaku Idol this year? And can someone tell me more about Ota-cafe's band night? Also, could someone tell me more about the people who got together and met on their own to play music? How does that work and how to find such people?

Thanks!!

[Ananegg 38]

The otakafe has a band night, usually on saturday night, where bands that play japanese/anime music can sign up and play a 3 song set.