Rock Monsters Romania

BandBook Agency celebrates its second anniversary with a two-day mini-festival featuring eight artists from its portfolio: Ana Coman, Pinholes, Delta Pe Obraz, Paul Tihan, Cristina Lupu, Andra Andriucă, Prima Dragoste, and Diana Căldăraru. The event takes place at FORM Space in Cluj-Napoca, from January 28 to 29, 2025.

This marks a year since the first BandBook Showcase at the Expirat club in Bucharest and two years since the official launch of the service platform. During this time, the agency’s team and the artists it represents have experienced countless concerts, launches, and tours, fulfilling ideas and dreams along the way.

We spoke with Delta Pe Obraz, a band born in 2016 in Chișinău, when Gheorghe Gușan and Cristian Chirilă, acting classmates, began experimenting with poetry set to guitar chords, blending sounds between poetry rock and folk. POT Music, the talent competition in Moldova, introduced two more members from the indie rock scene, and soon after, Delta Pe Obraz emerged as a band gaining recognition.

How does it feel to be part of a showcase festival, and how does it differ from a regular show in your opinion?

A showcase is an excellent test for artists. At a solo concert, you know the entire audience is there for you, but at a showcase, you have many new people who you can “win over” that evening or lose without a chance of return. Moreover, a showcase allows you to see many other artists, creating a friendly competition and comparison. Sometimes, this profession involves “borrowing” ideas in the best sense. However, the most beautiful aspect of a showcase is the opportunity for artists to connect, share thoughts, and ask each other how they’re feeling. Often, we find ourselves in our own shells, avoiding change, while change and novelty are vital for musicians’ growth.

What are you most excited about for the BandBook Showcase?

The most exciting part is that this showcase feels like a family reunion of members who haven’t seen each other in a long time. It’s wonderful that everyone has their own path, and BandBook Showcase brings us all together. This year, with the location change to Cluj, it breaks the mold and takes us away from Bucharest, considered Romania’s cultural epicenter. This aspect has always been appreciated about BandBook. Just like a good film score is one you don’t notice, a professional booking agency does its job so well without overshadowing the music or art.

What is one thing the public probably doesn’t know about you or your music that you’d like to share before the show?

What we believe the public should know, they likely already do. We can only add that we’ve missed the stage and are eagerly anticipating this showcase.

As 2024 just ended, what is the most important thing you learned, and what was your best moment of the year?

The most important lesson of the year was realizing that it has passed (😊). It was an intense year. The most valuable achievements weren’t practical or tangible. We had a large tour and two mini-tours, gaining stage experience and learning what a model concert could look like. Everything is constantly evolving and improving. The biggest realization of the year was understanding the importance of mental health and how we feel. We could create 32 albums in a year, but a band’s activity doesn’t solely revolve around that.

“Delta Pe Obraz” is an organism, not a mechanism—we’ve defined it this way. Music is the foundation of everything, but it’s not enough to reach great heights.

You’re starting 2025 really strong, so what plans do you have for this year? How many of them are must-achieves for you?

The year 2025 is the year of the EP – 4ME. This remains our must-achieve goal. It’s an experimental EP for us. Nobody knows how it will turn out, as each member is creating their own representative song, plus a joint piece to crown the others. This year, we want to rediscover ourselves, step by step. We want to rediscover our audience. We want to rediscover the world.

What message do you have for people and young artists who want to pursue a career like yours?

• Believe in what you do.
• Don’t listen to anyone, even if it means failing spectacularly.
• Make mistakes.
• Analyze.
• Know yourself.
• Experiment.
• Play with music.
• Stop making music when you feel you no longer want to.

Art is unforgiving. Art demands dedication. Music demands even more dedication. You need to be music, not just make it.

Interview by Radu Mihai