NAS 10 Questions with Emerson B. Ocampo

[Interview Number 49]

This time, we get to know Emerson B. Ocampo. His track "Crazy" is featured in the New Artist Spotlight Family of Playlists.

Link To New Artist Spotlight Playlists:

https://www.newartistspotlight.org/playlists

Okay, let’s get into the Ten questions for Emerson B. Ocampo!

𝟭. 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝗯𝗯𝘆?

I'm from the Philippines, until recently before moving to the smaller town of Gerona, Tarlac. I was from Baguio City, the 'Summer Capital' wherein it's always about 10 degrees Celsius cooler than that the rest of the country. I love to watch YouTube and some of my favorite channels are by Davie504, Paul Davids, Adam Neely, Steve Terrebery and Rick Beato to name a few. I'm very fond of anything that covers Science Fiction, enjoying series like Star Trek Discovery, The Mandalorian and Altered Carbon. This pandemic has left me more time to write and experiment with my music, and spend more time with my preschooler and teenage son. When something is damaged electronically I try to fix it or 'modify it'. I just added a bluetooth receiver to an old amp/speaker by using a circuitry from a broken bluetooth headphone. I even added a DC outlet for my active bass guitar as it was hard to get batteries during the earlier days of the pandemic, and also because I'm a cheapskate I guess.

𝟮. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗠𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗰/𝗠𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗰 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻?

I was not into music when I was younger but more into acting as I was part of an acting guild which landed me a lead role in a play. I regularly listened to music, mostly starting with classical music and pop songs during that time but my love for creating music started when the guild together with the dance and music guild produced a Christmas Musical based on Claire Cloninger and Tom Fettke’s, ‘The Word’. From there I thought wow, music sure is fun, I want to make music too. I started to learn guitar, then moved to bass guitar. After that, I moved to what is now my primary instrument, the keyboards. Since I loved anything rock I also learned to play the electric guitar. I'm not a good drummer but I have sufficient grasp to write down a drum track.

𝟯. 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀?

Stryper had a great impact on me as here I thought was music that was not usually heard in church, (I

was in quite a legalistic denomination back then). Stryper made me start my love for metal. Michael W. Smith, Fra Lippo Lippi greatly influenced me vocally and my love for playing the keyboard. Smiths' early songwriting partner Wayne Kirkpatrick influenced me to pursue songwriting. Diane Warren, Dan Haseltine (Jars of Clay), and Steven Delopoulos (Burlap To Cashmere) are my other biggest influences.

𝟰. 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗯𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗰?

In college (1995-1999), I became the keyboardist for a Country-Gospel band, ‘The King’s Band,’ In which one of the band members, Ricky, also a budding music recording enthusiast during that time gave me a chance to record some keys on a 4 track cassette recorder. Ricky would then hire me as a keyboard session musician in the future for some projects.

Around 2001 a limited run of a worship CD, ‘Into Your Courts’, which included 5 songs I wrote out of the 9 included in the album was produced by Nel Cacho, a local Jazz artist, recording enthusiast/producer, and minister. From 2008 onwards I was learning to use a DAW and produced music that now in retrospect cringes me a lot but there are valuable lessons learned from it all as well.

I produced an instrumental track, ‘Ma Cherie Anxiete’ which was picked up by an EDM blog site, encouraging me to produce my first EP, ‘The EBO Project’ back in 2011, and from there I've been writing and producing my own music since then.

It would not be complete if I didn't mention our friends Agat and Melvin Morallos, with whom we spent countless nights at their home and studio. They are amazing songwriters, gathering several achievements under their belt and while remaining humble and low profile. Without them, I would have not been motivated to produce that first track that started all of this.

𝟱. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗰 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆?

I'm practical, I just love doing music in the hope that I will be able to provide for my family. I have witnessed how musicians in my hometown started to not make a decent living because some younger musicians offered to do gigs for much less, and with this many had to work abroad or find some other way to augment their income. If I became famous that would be great, if not that's ok too.

I've been recently included in a label (Madhouse Music) that is the brainchild of a musical icon in our country, Rannie Z. Raymundo and I'm excited for what the future holds. If I became famous that would be great as I could help other aspiring musicians too, if not that's ok too, just to be able to create music and decently live from it is enough for me.

𝟲. 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗮 𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗯𝗲?

I would love to perform anywhere in the UK, yeah it's broad but I would love to do a show where it's cloudy and may even rain, it would remind me of my hometown but a few degrees cooler.

𝟳. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗴?

Without sounding cliche, I would say Nirvana's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' obviously I'm way past my teens but that song always gives me that raw passionate energy.

𝟴. 𝗠𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁?

My most embarrassing moment would be when I ran through a glass door and ended up with a small cut on my nose. It was stupid I was wearing sunglasses and they just changed the glass door to a new clear one. I was running cause I thought I saw my girlfriend(luckily she's now my wife) outside the building. I made such a loud bang and startled everyone inside and oh, I forgot to mention it was a Hospital. Dazed as I was and my nose in excruciating pain I stood up and tried to compose myself and said, 'Oh, the glass is so clean.' I should have said 'OUCH' but my pride kept me from saying that.

𝟵. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁?

To be recognized by the guy (Rannie Z. Raymundo) who asked me to join his label and receiving so much encouraging words for my music and songwriting skills, in his show just blew my mind.

𝟭𝟬. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲?

I hope I could collaborate with Michael W. Smith, having a long career in CCM, he remains to be the few people out there that have that integrity, I mean his marriage, family and the legacy is just amazing to me. I have been listening to his work since his first album way back in 1983 and to have such an opportunity would be a dream come true.

"Crazy" on Spotify

https://open.spotify.com/track/3ftXysPU5tsOjWUJqf7bI7

and follow his socials

https://linktr.ee/Emerson_B._Ocampo

You will not be disappointed!

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