Alex Goot and Against the Current Live in Manila – The Press Conference Filled with Pandas, Truckin’ and Goot Stuff
When in Manila and you’re part of either the Gootiescooties or the “ATC Family” (Costanza, 2014), then we got good news for you: Alex Goot and Against the Current (which consists of Chrissy Costanza, Will Ferri and Daniel Gow) have arrived in the Philippines! Two of YouTube’s biggest acts will rock down the house at the CCP on August 30. But before they mesmerize us with their awesome tunes, Alex and ATC held an intimate press conference with the local media at Solaire Resort and Casino’s Eclipse Bar. Hosted by Vince Ryder of Flippish.com, the small gathering was enjoyable for everyone in attendance. Here are some of the questions that were asked to Alex, Chrissy, Dan and Will during the press conference:
Against the Current and Alex Goot
On how Social Media made a huge impact in their careers and other YouTube artists
Alex said that social media played a huge role for him and a lot of people. Alex shared that had he been born in a different era WITHOUT social media, he wouldn’t know how he would get his music out there. Chrissy echoed Alex’s statement and added that social media affects every musicians (even the ‘bigger names’) in terms of distribution and fan interaction. Will acknowledged the importance of social media, especially how it was the fans that “made us”. Chrissy fondly calls the band’s fans the “ATC Family” and says that she feels that the band and the fans are both working together to make their music.
On choosing which song to cover
Both Alex Goot and ATC answered that they choose a song that cam “connect” to them. Alex elaborated that his song selection boils down to the fact that he can imagine himself singing that certain song.
What would they be doing right now if their musical aspirations didn’t pan out?
Alex Goot answered that he might go for other forms of art like photography, but he admits that he’s “only ever been really good at music”. Will admits that it’s a hard question to answer and might go do something on the ‘creative’ side of things while Daniel would try to work on something computer related. Chrissy admitted that she would be doing entrepreneurial management or financing, since she studied finance in school.
What was the key thing they learned in the “YouTube business”?
Alex told us that it was important to remember how their business is not like the real business and they should keep a respect about that. Chrissy added that without any “middle man”, the band pretty much learned how to run it on their own (finances, marketing, etc.). Will Ferri realized the “power of networking” and how important it was for their line of work. He added that if they didn’t do their first collaboration with Alex a few years ago, their kick starter wouldn’t have panned out. In the end, Will said that “everyone knows everyone…even in this kind of business”
Against the Current (L to R: Chrissy Costanza, Daniel Gow and Will Ferri)
What’s the “fun side” of being YouTube stars?
Alex explained that the fun side was that they are doing what they love, which was making music for a living. Will Ferri answered that the fun side was the fact that you can learn a lot from the people you work with.
On “interesting/weird fan encounters”
Alex Goot got things rolling and shared us a story about a fan giving him a stick figure drawing of himself, the, and their “future stick children”. Daniel gave us an interesting story about how a fan once poked him out of nowhere just to see if he was ‘real’, due to the fact that they’re more used to seeing him and the rest of the band from the confines of their YouTube videos. Will shared his story about some kid who mistakenly thought he was Alex Goot and was calling him as he went out of the school the band visited a few days ago.
On what they expect from their Filipino fans this Saturday
Based on their interaction with the Filipino fans in social media, Alex, Chrissy, Will and Dan expect that their Filipino fans will go crazy this Saturday night. Chrissy said that she’s expecting the crowd rock out to the show because she and the rest of the band are ready to put on one high energy performance for them at the CCP.
Chrissy Costanza and Daniel Gow of Against the Current
What song/s will they dedicate to their Filipino fans during the concert?
ATC will dedicate their song “Comeback Kid” since they felt it relates to everyone. (Trivial author’s note: #comebackkid is also one hashtag associated with the band and their fanbase, next to #ATCFamily on twitter). Alex chose his song “Right Where I Belong” since it’s a song about “being happy in your life”.
Tips for aspiring musicians
Alex Goot said that they should just be themselves because people can identify with you when they see your true personality. Chrissy agreed with Alex’s sentiments about staying genuine. Chrissy also encouraged the aspiring artists to not “get bummed out” if they feel things are not working for them. Daniel’s advice to them is to just keep on practicing. Will Ferri gave his two cents to the question and told us that the key for any aspiring artists/musician is to keep a standard of consistency with their content. Will encapsulated his advice with the following catchphrase: “Keep on Truckin’”.
Will Ferri: Keep on Truckin’
After the main portion of the press conference, Alex and ATC got into some one-on-one interview sessions with the media. We were fortunate enough to get a hold of Mr. Goot for a short but special interview.
Q: What’s your view about cover artists and their role in the music industry?
Goot: I think we exist in our own niche, our own little area where we’re bringing back the ‘cover era’. I’m not sure if it’s peaking or going down, but I’m just riding along. I feel like we fill a category that people are interested in. But really, my biggest emphasis as an artist is to put out original music that’s why I started covering songs in the first place. It’s stuff I really care about.
Q: What’s your favorite original song so far?
Goot: I really like the way my song “Wakeup Call” came out (which is ALSO the title of Alex’s recent EP). It took a lot of hard work to put that and the entire EP out this year. The amount of times I played it back and fixed every detail, I can now listen to it and think “alright, this is the way I thought it was gonna be when I started this song” which feels very good.
Q: In terms of collaborations with YouTube artists, are you going to c
Goot: I always look forward to working with Kurt Hugo Schneider. He’s fun to work with. He’s an awesome dude and a great producer. He thought me a lot about the things I do in the film making side, which I’m also extremely interested in. As far as other YouTube artists, I don’t actually look at people through YouTube and say “I need to work with this guy”. We kind of mutually come into contact with each other in some way and collaborate on something. I mean, Kurt e-mailed me and said he liked my song “Pretty Eyes” and wanted to shoot a music video for it. This was before I had ANY contact with him. I’m like “yeah..why not?” And the rest, was history.
Q: Do you have any message to your Filipino “gootiescooties” (the nickname for Alex’s fan base)
Goot: I love you all, and I want ALL of my Filipino gootiescooties to go crazy at the show.
The press conference, as I mentioned, was rather intimate and pleasant. What the real highlight of the event was the time Will Ferri from Against the Current mentioned the “Keep on Truckin’” phrase. It really rings true for everyone in life, you just got to keep on truckin’.
Against the Current and Alex Goot
Other highlights of the press conference include certain people gifting the band with some cake (as a belated birthday gift for Chrissy), hoodies and stuffed toys.
Dan, Chrissy and Will with their new friends…awwww 😀
Speaking of which, here’s some pics Chrissy from Against the Current looking oh so cute with her panda hoodie.
Chrissy with her Panda Hoodie c/o Authority Hoodie
Awwww :D! THAT’S SO ADORABLE! Oh….. where was I? Right. When in Manila would like to give a shout out to the people of Ellipsis, DMC Philippines, Phoenix Production and Solaire for inviting us to this exclusive press conference to interview two of my favorite YouTube stars, Alex Goot and Against the Current. Most of all, thank YOU Alex, Chrissy, Will and Dan for stopping by the Philippines and meeting your Filipino fans. And to ALL the gootiescooties, comeback kids and ATC Family members in the Philippines, they want YOU to get wild during the concert. Are you ready to take up their challenge?
Don’t forget, Alex Goot and Against the Current Live in Manila is gonna happen TONIGHT! 8PM at CCP’s Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo. We’ll see you there! 😀
WIM Photos by: Dale Ligon and Martin Vicencio
Alex Goot and Against the Current Live in Manila – The Press Conference Filled with Pandas, Truckin’ and Goot Stuff
