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A band of brothers
After 14 years, Cozy Street Corner still plays music that celebrates freedom
A
fter 14 years, Cozy Street Corner still plays music that celebrates freedom. That’s what motivated them to go onstage in the first place.
Keeping a band together for more than a decade was not easy, but members of Cozy Street Corner survived the onslaught of life on the road, enduring, growing old together and creating through a strong bond that unites them.
One thing remains the same with the band: they keep producing beautiful music that fans cherish.
Christian Buana Takarbessy, 35; Petrus Briyanto Adi (Adoy), 36; and Boby Priambodo, 34, all love what they do – playing the music that they want to play — despite their individual tastes.
“We easily accept what others are doing in the band. If Chris or Boby wants to play a new part then we just go for it. We speak and music is our medium,” Adoy said.
Their respect for each other that is the secret to the band’s longevity. Each member keeps their ego in check and listens to what the others have to say about the band’s musical direction.
After more than a decade, there seems to be no turning back. “For me, continuing to play music with Cozy Street Corner is a big responsibility. I have to be committed to what I started,” says Chris.
The band formed in 1997, and soon signed with Aquarius Pustaka Musik, a subsidiary of the legendary music label Aquarius Musikindo. They originally just wanted to get their songs out without a label. Their songs are also on iTunes and are sold as ringtones. The band also takes part in socially-conscious programs sponsored by NGOs such as the World Wide Fund for Nature.
The band also started Paparan Musikal Cozy Street Corner. In the series of free-style gigs the band plays for as long as they feel like, sometimes playing more than 20 tunes in one go. Cozy Street Corner gets credibility as one of the scene’s best live performers from these gigs.
“I’m always a bit angry with artists who tell everyone they will stage a solo concert in a big space such as the Jakarta Convention Center. Come on! You’re an artist and it’s your job to play concerts. Go play everywhere. Sing and show off your skills. Look at Lady Gaga. How many gigs has she been playing? In how many places has she been seen? That’s an artist. For me, you’re not special when you only do big megaconcerts in one place,” Chris says.
For Cozy Street Corner, playing live is more of a priority than making records. “For us performing live is the number one thing. If our music comes in numerous forms, then that’s a bonus,” Adoy said. “The most important thing is showing people what we have in a live package.”
This is why the band only has three albums after 14 years. They love to play live and sometimes forget that recording songs is also important.
“We never know what happens after our albums are released. We don’t really care,” Chris said. “When an album is released, we just let it go. Our next task is to find new funding for our next project.”
The band has even lost track of how many songs they have written.
“It’s funny. When we’re doing a workshop, the old songs keep emerging,” Boby said.
“It’s just weird if you’ve already forgotten what you wrote but fans remember it. If that happens, we’ll return to that song and practice it again,” adds Chris.
This disregard of the music business has taken its toll. The band’s music is only noticed by a small number of fans.
“I don’t really care. Look at Jimmy Page. When he started Led Zeppelin, was he thinking about playing stadium shows and being worshiped as a god? No. I think the same thing. I just want to play,” tells Chris.
Small as they may be, the number of fans who keep coming to Cozy Street Corner’s gigs keeps growing.
“We keep seeing the same people in the crowd for years,” Ibut, the band’s manager, said.
The band still dreams big.
“I’m still trying one thing; how to make a simple composition. I want to be like Iwan Fals – where our songs can be played in a campground or sung by street singers. You cannot play in those two settings, right?” Chris said. “Delman” is one of Cozy Street Corner’s most popular songs, and features complicated arrangements.
Adoy shares Chris’ passion: “After all these years, I still don’t have the ability to be a storyteller songwriter. I want to write songs like that, where I can tell a story through my songs.”
The band’s quiet member, Boby, is more modest, “I want to be a better lyricist. I can write melodies but always have writer’s block when it comes to writing lyrics,” he says.
After 14 years, the best thing about Cozy Street Corner is that they have not been corrupted by the music industry, and can still write and play music that its members and fans enjoy.
Their aspirations remain modest.
