S-ROCK HAS MOVED...

... with immediate effect, my musings on the Singapore music scene and beyond can be found at the ALL-NEW, ALL-DIFFERENT POWER OF POP.

Check it out!

See you there...

GARAGEBAND JUNKIE

Better late than never! 

With my new Macbook and new Midi controller, I've been spending my spare time (such as it is) recording short (1 min) tracks just to get a feel of the software. So far, the results have been encouraging and I'm looking forward to producing longer demos of songs I've stored up for so long.

You can check out the tracks at myspace.com. 

"DON'T FORGET ME PLEASE..."

Saiful and I congratulated Bani Haykal for yet another great B-Quartet performance. The shy young frontman thanked us profusely for staying for the 2nd set, which ended about 11pm at the Stage @ Powerhouse. 

Honestly, that 2nd set was particularly memorable even as the 1st set was slightly uneven. Maybe it had something to do with the overpowering booming sound that was all too evident from my vantage point in that 1st set.

But that 2nd set...wow.

Within each tight delivery of their awesome songs (from the wonderful Tomorrow is our Permanent Address), the band was still able to improvise subtle little changes with added to the overall pleasing experience. 

The highlight for me was the merging of two of my favorite songs viz. Shoebox and Boutique - "morbidly fun" indeed.

The growing appeal of B-Quartet was clearly indicated by the sizable crowd including notable Singapore scene folk like Saiful (0f course), Syed Hader, Inch & HQ, Adam & Beni, James L, Soo, Huz, Fir, Audie, Bani Rahman, Thomas (Perplezed), Johnson et al.

A splendid time was had by all...

... and there's more...

MICHAEL CARPENTER - CAN'T GO BACK

Aussie powerpopmeister has made a music video of his new gorgeous track - Can't Go Back - and it's a brilliant paean to all things Beatlesque. Not bad for a homemade cookie, eh? Take a look.

RUMORS OF GLORY

Has been a slow year (so far) personal music-wise. On the new music listening front, I've been alerted to the neo-Americana of the likes of Band of Horses, Grand Archives, Young Republic, Iron and Wine etc. Also, I have been (via emusic) reacquainting myself with the classic work of Canadian genius Bruce Cockburn. 

Who?

Go ahead - google, youtube, whatever.. go find out. I'll still be here when you get back...

Last night, I was recording guide tracks for the soundtrack of My Music. A bit of a departure for me as the soundtrack will be mainly acoustic guitar based. It's a real challenge but with Ric's direction, I surprised myself with interesting work.

Also, had two offers to gig in the upcoming months and it'll be interesting to work out some new songs and covers with the Groovy People soon. Stay tuned for more details.

So, yes, things are looking up...Gonna check out that Once DVD Ric passed me now. Maybe a review soon...

See you at Esplanade tomorrow night for B-Quartet?

POLICE PIX!

From Aloysius Lim, who I must say is an impressive gig photographer, great shots of when the Police rode into town.

Check 'em out.

INDIE!

Wow... it's been a while since I last posted. Well, my PC crashed and burned and I picked up a Macbook in the meantime. So, this is the 1st post on this sleek white machine and it's a surprising one...

CD giveaways by music magazines are dime-a-dozen now but the Beloved CD that comes with Mojo 172 is worth the price of the magazine! And more... 

Now, back in the 80s, "indie" basically described Brit rock released by independent labels like Rough Trade, Cherry Red, Go! Discs, Creation, Korova, Postcard etc and it was also a fashion as well as sonic statement.

The Beloved CD is a fine collection of classic British indie rock from the likes of The House of Love, Felt, The La's, The Monochrome Set, The Loft, The Blue Aeroplanes, The Sound, Orange Juice, Teardrop Explodes, Wild Swans, Wah! Heat, Half Man Half Biscuit and others. It is truly awesome and I can't recommend it more...

... and there's more

BOOGIE NIGHTS & GROOVY DAZE

Someone asked me to give examples of hard rock that boogies and grooves... so here goes...old and new...enjoy...

VAMPIRE WEEKEND

Music journalists worldwide are highlighting the current New York music scene as one to watch closely. One of the upcoming bands mentioned is Vampire Weekend. Already, David (Talking Heads) Byrne has endorsed VW. No wonder, as VW's style incorporates a heady mix of African pop, Western classical music and 80s new wave, which has to be heard to be believed.
You can listen to four catchy tracks from their eponymous debut album at its myspace site viz. A-Punk, Mansard Roof, Oxford Comma and Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa. Believe me, the noise that VW makes is refreshing...

I especially love Oxford Comma - the keyboard backing, the cute tune...

YOUR FORGIVENESS

I'm in the mood to make music...
Last couple of weeks, I've been coming up with snatches of piano pieces in preparation for films I will be scoring in the near future. Nothing quite compares to the buzz when a tune and visuals come together.
If all goes well, I could be writing for three movies in the coming weeks!
Will keep you all posted...
... in the meantime, I've upload a demo of Your Forgiveness, submitted for consideration for a film few years back but rejected. Comments, please.
I quite like it...

...and there's more...