Category Archives: Music

Troubadours International Womens’ Day

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Yes, people will berate me for this, but at least I posted this in the same month. Here comes pictures from the Troubadours International Women’s Day gig, on the 5th of March 2006 at La Bodega KL.

Again, I was lazy, so I’ll chuck them all in one picture (to save bandwidth) and list them, left to right, top to bottom:

  • Ida Lisa Zahran, or whatever you call this acoustic singer-songwriter.
  • Jasemaine Gan sounding confident in this cosy setup, with a small crowd.
  • Rhapsody, bestest ever undiscovered jazzy duo.
  • Zalila Lee and Jerral Khor (yes he is male, and he did a fantastic cover of Dave Matthews Band – Ants Marching. Plus he sounds like him.)
  • Khai Lee (also male) explaining what Project Bazooka is about.
  • Jaclyn Kee reading a story about a little red riding… clitoris. Gotta dig her shirt though, it says, “I like my boobs“. She was also at the last Paul’s Place Press Conference about the raid.
  • Melina of Tempered Mental on acoustic. A must-see! She plays all the memorable riffs from her progressive rock band while singing effortlessly! Her voice is confident, clear and defined when distorted guitar and drums have been cut away. The only other band I can think of that sounds just as great on just acoustic guitar is Duan of Seven Collar T-Shirt.
  • Finally, Jaz reads us some moving poetry.

There are also videos at Lainie‘s and pictures at Cheneille‘s blog.

Cut Back To School And Face The Music

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The last time I had a haircut was on the 11th of October, 2004.

People were bugging me about my sideburns at the 1 year 3 months mark, but I didn’t want to do anything at such an unceremonious interval.

And so, I waited, 500 days later.

On the 23rd of March 2006, I got my sideburns cut by the best housemate ever. She does cooking, cleaning, laundry, and gives me a ride.

And now, for some filler:

I got tagged by Cheneille.

One song… from your early childhood.
The Righteous Brothers – Unchained Melody.

One song… you are associating with your first big love.
Who is my big love? Or rather, what is my big love? Here’s a hint: Stan Bush – The Touch.

One song… which reminds you of one of your holidays.
Nothing really reminds me of Singapore. 😛 Unless you can count Parking Lot Pimp, from Singapore.

One song… you like, but you have problems confessing to.
I like Search – Isabella, but I always could never confess my feelings to it, y’know? What’s the point of confessing, when you know it’s just a song, and you’re supposed to relate to it, and not it relate to you? But really, if I like a song from an artiste I hate, I’d confess it, no biggie.

One song… which accompanied you, while you were love sick.
You know what, I’m hardly as emo as the target audience of this meme. When I’m sad, she comes to me. Okay, really, I only remember listening to The Rasmus – Dead Letters album at that time. Then my MP3 player died and I never got repeated listening of any album.

One song… you listen most often to in your life.
According to Winamp’s Most Played, it’s The Beatles – Yesterday, but that’s because I’ve been trying to tab the string section for eBow. Below that, Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody, and the super funky basslined Sly And The Family Stone – If You Want Me To Stay.

One song… which is your most favored instrumental.
Eric Johnson – A Song For Life.

One song… which represents one of your most favored bands.
I have over 20GB of songs, so it’s not easy. But I like Faith No More – Epic.

One song… in which you recognize yourself or through which you somehow feel understood.
The White Stripes – I’m Finding It Harder To Be A Gentleman. 😀

One song… which reminds you of a certain occasion.
Avril Lavigne – I’m With You. I remember bringing up flowers a flowerpot to her as she sang on stage. It was wet so I brought it back down. Thanks a lot dudes for the prank.

One song… you like which belongs to the Hip Hop/Rap genre.
A Tribe Called Quest – Can I Kick It? Okay, fine, I don’t know the lyrics or listen to it much, but knowing A Tribe Called Quest makes me loads cooler than all you Black Eyed Peas fans.

One song… which is the best for you to relax.
Do people on average have all their vital songs on one audio CD? I’d say anything by Jamiroquai. He makes you dance happily and spin in your chair with funky tracks, then brings you to the lounge with his Stevie Wonder impression. (No, Stevie Wonder is too soppy for me, or rather, we don’t hear his upbeat songs like Higher Ground often.)

One song… which symbolizes a great time in your life.
Wow, let me think back when I was having a great time. I’m a happy person, so uh… I’d say, when I stumbled upon a massive collection in the office, including extensive works of Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne.

One song… which is your favorite song at the moment.
Eric Johnson – A Song For Life. I attempt to learn more of it each night.

One song… which you would dedicate to your best friend.
Queen – You’re My Best Friend. I don’t have one, though.

One song… where you have got the feeling that no one besides you likes it.
Good Charlotte – Festival Song. I heard this song on MSN Radio before anybody else had heard of Good Charlotte, and I don’t like their newer songs.

One song… you like because of its lyrics.
Spinal Tap – Big Bottom.

Who shall I tag? Anybody with more than 20GB of songs.

Syefri also tagged me, for school.

How many schools did I go to?
I was in SRK Sri Damai for primary school, and SMK Sultan Abdul Samad PJ for secondary school. Yeah, that gangster school.

Was I the studious nerd, or the last minute hero?
I looked like a studious nerd but was really a last minute hero.

Was I the class ‘taiko’ or the teacher’s pet?
I was a wallflower.

What was the biggest rule I broke in school?
I skipped school assembly to hang out in the computer club room. Nope, none of that juvenile stuff. I’d have to cross a football field to get to the bad side of school.

Three subjects I enjoyed.
English, Modern Mathematics (because it was easy compared to Additional Mathematics) and Physics, with the great Ms. Foong.
English, Sejarah (enjoyed sleeping in it) and Komputer.

Three teachers that inspired me.
That great Ms. Foong, some other teacher who came in to save our souls on Additional Mathematics, and the late Mr. Lee who said many times as we were caught hanging out in the computer club:
“If you’ve got nothing to do, don’t do it here.”

I tag anybody who reads this who was ever in the same school as me.

Troubadours Open Doors And More

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Hey guys and girls of good musical taste, here’s a gig!

What: Troubadours/Open Doors
Where: Indicine, KL Performing Arts Centre, Jalan Ipoh, near Sentul West
When: Sunday, 19th March 2006, 5pm
How much: RM15 per entry
Who: Khai the witty filmmaker/jack-of-all-trades, Rhapsody the jazzy duo, Jerome Kugan the soulful singer, Liew Seng Tat’s short film, Flowers and Tan Hui Koon’s short film, K.Otak.

A flyer and more details are here. Fazri‘s coming, and we’re gonna do more photographic geeking at the BEAUTIFUL Sentul Park, so if you’d like to learn/exercise the inner camwhore in you, come!

Troubadours Open Doors and KLPAC Attack

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So I headed down to Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre, Sentul, on the 26th of February 2006, for Troubadours Open Doors. Fazri and I photographically geeked out in the park after that, but that’s another blog entry yet to come.


But first, I wanted to take a picture of the taps with flash, like Cheneille did, where flashing it would turn on all the taps at once, but alas! They changed the taps (note the platforms below the taps.) It was back to traditional methods. Oh yeah? I could still take a picture with all the taps on.


KLPAC is a major beauty, and the show was at Pentas 2. Note how a double bass rests.


Kevin of Broken Scar likes the view.


I loved the lights. Superbly bright spot lighting allowed for comfortable ISO200 shots at 1/20 second exposures.


The floor is his stage, and it is big.


And so we invite Alda, who finally has an excuse to bring out his double bass, to play for Broken Scar.


I am training myself to be ambidextrous; here, Kevin’s camera is used to record a video.


Next up is Ian Chow. No wait, that’s his percussionist.


Yup, this is the man. The man with a voice so powerful he doesn’t need a mike. He also organized the gig, so look for him if you want a spot.


Azmyl Yunor, you know, is a folk legend. He busked in Australia and lectured in Malaysia. He sings folk tales with a Dylanesque drawl. And you know, only Bob Dylan gets the -esque postfix.


Hey that’s Kevin’s guitar! Yeah, noticed the loose G string in the previous picture? It snapped.


Da Praise Project played next. Good comtemporary Christian music.


Cut to bored crowd. Nah, kidding. This shot was taken earlier.


“Hey man, when are we gonna cut to the atmospheric ambient song?”


“Yeah bro, I want to solo.”


“I can’t wait for the funky technoish song.”


Tony Leo, vocalist, obliges to all their requests. After the praise and worship songs, that is.

And in the true spirit of praise and worship songs, we go, “ONE MORE TIME!”

Except, of course, I don’t play more songs. I put more pictures.


From left to right, then top to bottom: Loose cannon; retired cartoon characters; funky-painted stone benches; old meets new; a bush maze; I reached the center and touched the tree of life; those buggers didn’t fill the pond; old stones have peeling moss, gross.


From left to right, then top to bottom: Sad to see old dilapidated stone benches; a twin tower between twin towers; a cow koi fish swims; in the Sentul Park Koi Centre; a metal swan; a stone pond.


From left to right: The metal swan reflects infrared; the trees say, “ain’t nobody gonna hold me down“; a pathway to the Japanese restaurant there.


And now, we head back to Sentul Park for some good ol’ reflections.


“Look ma, no floor!”


I like how the trees bring a new sense of orientation.


More infrared, baby.


Synchronizing swings (man these are big!) and then choosing the smallest aperture (in my camera’s case, F8) will give a slower shutter speed needed for this.

That’s all folks. Go home and spread the word!

Trouble Gangs Us

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Troubagangers, La Bodega KL, 5th February 2006; the pictures follow.


Justin Wong, on Suzuki-branded acoustic guitar, gets flashed by fans.


Broken Scar sings songs in the key of major.


Lisa‘s guitar sounded jangly and piercing, perhaps due to bad sound EQ?


Errol de Cruz does some good ‘ol country.


Zack Tay features band slut Alda.


Su Ann reads poetry.


Ian Chow‘s voice doesn’t need a mike.


The Sofa Sessions feature Fikri the crooning waiter.


Finally, Rafil projects his masterpiece manifesto with Panda Head Curry. They had what they called an interactive performance; when they sang the Gator Farm song, they passed out KFC Chicken Popcorn, so we could experience the chorus:

“And it tastes like chicken, smells just like chicken, finger lickin’ chicken, fine!”

With Ben of Ben’s B***hes as backing vocals and guitar, they then went on to hilarious songs about Kim Jong-il and homophobia. I wish I kept the lyrics sheet.


And yes, Rafil does look like a Panda Head. Yes, I know, my Photoshop skills aren’t as good as yours.

For an alternate take, check out The Troubagangers Report and Edrei‘s account.

Troubadours KL, No Black Tie(s)

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15th January 2006 was the second and last time I’d ever step into the new No Black Tie (the first was for Moonshine KL). The authorities then decided to revoke the license. Argh!


I just realized who Jerome Kugan sounded like. Stephen Morrissey. His unique clean, glass-like voice and vocal inflections reminded me of the great satirist songwriter. I was listening to Black Smiths – How Sweet Is Leaf and realized that it sounded very familiar. Research followed, and I found out that it was from The Smiths – How Soon Is Now. You may recognize it, covered by Love Spit Love, as the Charmed theme song.


Deserters featured Izuan Shah of Auburn and Kawalski (I think.) I’d have to say I prefered Izuan’s alternative rock stuff to this more straight folky stuff.


Keng, from Furniture, was a good ol’ rock and roll superstar here, with Azmyl Yunor‘s rarely ever seen band. He had the bluesy rock licks, the desirable red Gibson SG, and loads of stage time to let loose, gazing at the fretboard instead of his shoes.


It was also Azmyl’s birthday.


Broken Scar sees the light.


His brother backs up on major key acoustic goodness.


Shahril of Sofa Sessionists has just one bass tone; dancy. Ariff squeezes my soul everytime he does a Red Hot Chili Peppers cover. 😀


Eu Seng and his band…


…the enveloping void of darkness. I can’t decide which picture better depicts the lonely melancholy of his haunting songs.


Zack Tay Yee Meng pops on stage for an open mike. As always, his Taylor glows on stage.


Finally, our favorite underground scene defender and jail-bailer, Rafil of 360 Degree Head Rotation and Panda Head Curry ends the show.

The next Troubadours will be at KL Performing Arts Center this Sunday! Head on down for a heck of a scenic view.

Alex, Uh, He Bows To Zack Wild

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So my eBow Plus finally arrived. Yup, this baby creates feedback on guitar strings, allowing me to make violin-like, attackless sounds with the guitar. Harmonica, flute, string sections, theremins and the like can be coaxed from a guitar. It came with a badge which implied “no picks allowed” but I don’t use picks anyway. 😛


I was thinking of getting new strings while at it, considering how likely I’d get rabies from the old ones. I got myself Elixir .011 Polyweb strings. Shiny, smooth buggers with a coating that would protect it from rust and grime, allowing it to last 3-4 times longer than normal strings. Sadly, it was the only one left, or else I’d have gotten the electric ones, at most .010 or .009 gauge. This one however was for acoustic, and had a wound third string. 🙁 Blues bending would need lots of strength and practice on the third string. Also, because the strings were slippery, I was more likely to lose my grip while bending, for the strings to painfully snap back.


I also could not locate pliers (I don’t have a string cutter) so what do you do with leftover wire? The Polyweb strings could not snap just by bending it back and forth!


And so, I made my Yamaha look like a BC Rich. Cellotape them up and your guitar’s looking sharp.

Sadly, the Polyweb strings make it a lot harder to activate the feedback on the eBow. Recordings shall come soon enough; I’ve been playing The Beatles – Yesterday for a while now, and now I can lay down the backing string sections with the eBow!

There you go people, a guitar-related post. How could you guys not know that I play guitar? I even have a metal guitar slide, a ukelele and a wah pedal!

On a side note, check out Zack Kim‘s blog! This crazy shredder shreds with Cosmic Funk Express and now shows off how he can play two guitars with two different guitar lines on video! Where? On Zack Kim‘s site, of course!

The Moon Was Shining

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5th January, 2006. I finally stepped in the reopened No Black Tie; the original No Black Tie was where I went for my first gig on the 8th of September, 2002. (What happened to Flatline? Well last I bumped into them I got free beer, so big deal if they’re not gigging.) Most of 2003 was spent going to gigs in gay bars. Yes, nobody else would let rock bands play, so in the daytime, the stage rocked. 2004 was a more acoustic year, with the Starbucks Music Series, and Paul’s Place in Uptown, Petaling Jaya. 2005 marked Paul’s New Place in Old Klang Road, and I’ve not been to Paul’s New Place in any year other than 2005.


Aminah had a most haunting voice. She was accompanied by Reza on guitar (also the organizer) and her brother, Salim, on percussion.


It was then Reza’s turn, and he crooned with the rich creamy smoothness of an R&B singer-songwriter. Man, if there was one (not-so-super) superpower I could wish for, it would be a voice like this. Ladies would queue up… no wait, they wouldn’t; they’d mob for a piece of me!


This one was a lot less smoky, with a balcony overhanging for a better view. They also had tables, compared to the old layout of rows of chairs and stacked tables. (Then again, it could be that one gig I went to that had it arranged that way.)


Plush Velvet had Izzy and Jeremy, with Izzy having quite a powerful, soul-cutting voice, and Jeremy providing lush jazzy chords and funky guitar fills to back her up.


Az Samad was back in town; how could you miss such an explosive performance? He is seen hitting what I presume to be Shelley’s precious Seagull. Later examination would reveal that he made scrapes at the bottom to aid his percussive guitar attacks.


Just when you thought he was already stellar, this supercharged, upgraded, acoustic fingerstyle guitarist drops by during Berklee College Of Music’s summer break to show us showmanship and live improvisation should be done.


Shelley Leong also shows remarkable improvement, or maybe it’s because she’s on grand piano instead of the usual acoustic guitar setup (which also showed improvement the last time.)

Shelley Leong and the Jazz Odyssey had one of those fusion jazz ensemble jams; when Shelley did her grand piano jam, it could only remind the jazz-unenlightened Albert of one band – The Doors.


Az used a sand bottle as a glass slide! (I now resolve to find a glass bottle; the glass slide sounds much sweeter than a metal slide anytime.)


Yee Meng on open mike, on a Taylor. (Somehow, none of the performers before this got such nice, brilliant lighting. Or maybe the Taylor *cue sound of awe* has a spotlight dedicated to it.)


Rhapsody does a short open-mike stint, too. Amazing diva-ish voice. I think the picture could show you the amazing amount of projection she has.

For more pictures, head on down to Ed‘s version with more of my pictures.

Edit 31st January 4:36 PM:

Moonshine KL has being postponed till further notice due to problems with DBKL.

Then again, you could just head over to the next Moonshine:

Who: Azmyl Yunor, False Opus, Stonebay, The Sofa Sessions, Rizal Hefni
When: 2nd February, 10pm
How Much: RM 20
Where: No Black Tie 17, Lorong Mesui (off Jalan Nagasari), Kuala Lumpur (03-21423737 for bookings)

Yeah yeah, you know the drill, I’m going.

Love Me Butch’s Video

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Download this video. Now.


Love Me Butch – Hollywood Holiday

This video way beats anything I’ve ever seen on MTV, as far as emo-punk bands go. (Screenshot stolen from Reza.)

Yes, for those not in the know, Love Me Butch is one of Malaysia’s finest rock bands. They mastered (somewhat progressive) nu-metal in their first album, with Syahrul doing a wicked emo vocal tone on the second album, flipping between wails and growls. They do it live too, without him singing offtune; a feat very difficult for any emo punk band.

Also, will someone agree with me that DJCS looks like the vocalist?