S-ROCK » POWER OF POP: Music, Film, Comics & Book Reviews

ESTHER LOWLESS: STRANGE PLACE TO MEET EP [NEWS]

May 022013

This is special. I’ve first came across Esther Lowless back in 2007 as the frontperson of the now-defunct Indus Gendi and was duly impressed by her vocals, songwriting and keyboard playing. With respect to the last matter, enough to have her on board as part of The Groovy People and she contributed amazing vocal and keyboard parts to the Watchmen@Midnight EP. Since then, she’s gone on to be a side-woman of sorts in Monster Cat and DEON but finally, Esther Lowless steps out of the shadows and releases her debut EP, Strange Place to Meet, on 21st June.

But there’s more. Esther herself is also a freelance actress and in that spirit, decided that her project could serve as an “anthological mosaic of short films that displayed the brilliance of Singapore’s filmmakers” with the music films in Strange Place To Meet made possible by Henry Hiah, Leonard Soosay, Gerald Stahlmann, Sivaraj Pragasm, Wu Jun Han, and Esther herself.

To be released via http://www.youtube.com/user/estherlowlessmusic from 19th of May onwards, the 6 short films – visual representations of Esther’s songs – will lead up to the album launch of Strange Place To Meet, to be held at the Esplanade Recital Studio this 21st June 2013, 9pm. Tickets can be purchased by emailing estherlowlessmusic@gmail.com one’s name, contact details, and number of tickets one wishes to purchase.

Apart from the launch, Esther will also be playing with a full band at Hood Bar and Cafe on the 18th of May 2013, 7.15pm, and three acoustic sets on Baybeats Day 3 (30th June 2013): one acoustic set at the Esplanade library at 3.30pm and two acoustic sets at the Chillout Stage at 7pm and 8.30pm.

Reviews to come. Suffice to say that Esther Lowless has truly evolved into a genuine art-rocker and the music on her EP will rather amazingly evoke the likes of Sakamoto, Massive Attack, Russian Circles and more. A truly scintillating EP!

…still there’s more…

TRICKS & CIDER (EP) [REVIEW]

MUSIC 1 Response »

May 012013

A promising sign of a developing indie music scene is the ability to embrace different styles of music where the key factor is not ‘genre’ but an appreciation of ‘good’ music. Melodic pop-rock quartet Tricks & Cider is a wonderful example of this.

I first met singer-songwriter-guitarist Victoria Ho (above, far left) a few years back (as part of the Noise-Timbre Singer-Songwriter Showcase) and was impressed by her lovely husky voice and songwriting (and easy going manner). I remember her sharing with me some tracks she had recorded (live in a jamming studio) with a band and though the songs were promising, the performance itself was at best, shambolic.

Fast forward to last year and I’d invited Victoria to Sing A New Song, a songwriters’ showcase held at Esplanade Library (which included then-newcomers The Sam Willows and Tall Mountains). She performed as part of hew new band, Tricks & Cider (which included a former piano school colleague, the talented Dawn Ho on bass) and by all accounts, most were impressed by their set.

And so here we are in 2013 and the Tricks & Cider debut EP is playing on my laptop speakers – five songs that showcase the individual talents of the band (multi-instrumentalist Karen Lee and drummer David Liu round up the team) – and indicate that there is certainly a place for well-crafted melodic pop-rock in our S-ROCK scene as well!

Basically, the songs on this EP straddle different styles across the length and breadth of pop-rock – from 70s-channeling “Girl from Outer Space” to the new wave-evoking “Superstar” to the jazz balladic “Summer Breeze”, the tunes will stick in your head and the instrumentation/arrangements will impress the more musically-inclined listener.

It is a good time to be a S-ROCK lover in Singapore and you need to add Tricks & Cider to the burgeoning list of essential Singapore bands you have to listen to and savor…

… and you can this coming Friday, May 3rd at the Esplanade Outdoor Theatre when Tricks & Cider perform three sets viz. 7.30pm – 8.15pm /8.45pm – 9.30pm /10pm – 10.45pm.

RSVP

THE KNOCKOUT DOUBLE BILL [REVIEW]

MUSIC Comments Off

Apr 202013

Thursday’s (April 18th) S-ROCK gig at Night & Day Bar was significant for two things. One, it was the debut performance of Bored Spies (Cherie Ko, Sooyoung Park, Orestes Morfin & Adel Rashid) and two, it was the final performance (before a short hiatus) of everyone’s favourite spector-gaze band, Obedient Wives Club.

Of course, most importantly, it was another impressive show of how much indie rock has grown in the Singapore music scene in the last couple of years. A packed crowd jammed the arty venue and soaked in the ambience and atmosphere engineered by these two bands.

Bored Spies’ repertoire consists mainly of midtempo slow-burning numbers which accentuate Ko’s pleasant vocals and Morfin’s controlled rhythms. Considering that this was the band’s first gig, it was a very calm and assured performance, as if the band had been together for years and it was refreshing to encounter and appreciate the beauty of subtlety in songs like “Summer 720″.

Obedient Wives Club is practically an indie rock staple now in Singapore and the songs off their two EPs have become classic S-ROCK in a short space of time. I have always felt that - of all the new bands out there – OWC best channels the spirit of 90s S-ROCK. The songs are sweet but never lacking for an edge, with vocalist Yinqi coming into her own more and more with each succeeding gig. “Murder Kill Baby” is a special track, retaining a Singaporean quality in the way Yinqi sings in her lower register at the end of each phrase – spine tingling! The band will be preparing a new EP in the break and so there is much to look forward to!

It was also good for the S-ROCK scene that this event was hosted by a ‘new’ venue – Night & Day – and hopefully we will have more venues opening up to S-ROCK as we are currently very very short on venues like that. So all in, a very significant night for S-ROCK!

…still there’s more…

(Pictures courtesy of Robin Chua)

THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD: EMO FASCISM – “BEYOND THE ASHES”

MUSIC, PERSONAL 2 Responses »

Apr 192013

Kevin Mathews/The Groovy People by Cassandra Goh

“Beyond the Ashes” is the second teaser off the upcoming album, EMO FASCISM – due in August.

Catch Kevin Mathews/The Groovy People play “Beyond the Ashes” next Friday, April 26th at Identite 9.3 – KAMCO MUSIC at Home Club from 8pm. Cover is $12 (one free housepour and free entry to Kicks! afterwards). Also on the bill – Enec.e, Tricks & Cider and TypeWriter.

See you all there!

A KNOCKOUT DOUBLE BILL [NEWS]

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Apr 122013

Two bands will be coming together for a secret pop-up gig this April 18! It will be a night of fuzzed out intrigue! Fans are invited to solve a crossword puzzle to reveal the line-up and location of the gig. The bands will also be seeding clues with the hashtag #KODoubleBill via Twitter and Instagram leading up to event day. Solve the puzzle and find out who and where. Free Entry! For more clues, look for #KODoubleBill

BORED SPIES 7 INCH SINGLE “SUMMER 720″ [NEWS]

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Apr 112013

Here are the details of Bored Spies‘ debut 7 inch single “Summer 720″ from KittyWu Records.

Title: Summer 720 b/w 沙鼠E
Artist: Bored Spies
Street date: 20 April 2013
Format: 7″ Single
Edition: 100
Genre: Minimalist Pop Rock
Label: KittyWu Records
Catalog No.: KWR015

TRACK LISTING
A. Summer 720
B. 沙鼠E

Recorded and produced in the summer of July – August 2012 at Seagrass Studios (Los Angeles) and Snakeweed Studios (Singapore) by Brad Wood (Liz Phair, Sunny Day Real Estate, Pete Yorn, Smashing Pumpkins, Placebo) with engineering support from Leonard Soosay (Snakeweed Studios). The recording was mastered at SAE by Roger Seibel.

‘Summer 720′ is pressed on gorgeous sea foam green vinyl, and is backed with the b-side ‘沙鼠E’ (shāshǔ E) and is a 7″ release in an edition of 100 with KittyWu in Singapore/Asia, Deer Island (edn. of 150) in N. America and Damnably (edn. 250) in Europe.

The 7″ single is now available for pre-order on kittywurecords.bandcamp.com/album/summer-720-b-w-e
and will be sold through all good record and vinyl stores from 20th April 2013 onwards.

All 7″ singles comes with a digital download coupon.

We reviewed the single here.

LISTENING BOOTH: TRICKS & CIDER [STREAMING]

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Apr 092013

Tricks & Cider (Victoria Ho on lead vocals and guitar, Karen Lee on backing vocals, keyboard and violin, Dawn Ho on bass guitar and David Liu on drums) is a melodic pop band that incorporates diverse musical styles. Check out the two advance tracks from the band’s upcoming debut EP below.

Check out tricksandcider.com and follow the band at @tricksandcider on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Soundcloud.

STEVE LILLYWHITE PRODUCTION WEEK [NEWS]

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Mar 282013

And the results are in! The four Singapore bands selected to be produced by legendary producer STEVE LILLYWHITE are Atlas, MONSTER CAT, sub:shaman and The Sam Willows. Congrats to all the bands!

The bands will get the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work with Lillywhite during four intense days in early April. But that’s not all, Lillywhite will also be the special guest at SGMUSO’s inaugural SOUNDCHECK event on Friday, 5th April, something no self-respecting music lover can afford to miss…

More information at SGMUSO web site.

PoPINIONS: HATERS GONNA HATE [OP/ED]

MUSIC, PERSONAL Comments Off

Mar 242013

I am a people pleaser. Chronically so, in fact. Sometimes it hurts so much to realize that another human being actually hates me that I lose all rationality and respond in the wrong manner. Two wrongs don’t make a right. But in the final analysis, I’ve come to understand that you just can’t please everyone, no matter how you try.

My inherent inferiority complex and low self-esteem have been the bane of my existence but one truth I’ve learnt is that I can never control the way another person thinks or feels, I can only control my own response to this person’s opinion. Of course, there have been challenging negative experiences that have tested this principle to the hilt and whilst it has always been difficult to navigate those stormy seas, I think I arrive home, safe and sound at the end of each voyage.

The S-ROCK scene is nascent but growing. There are many players who are doing their part in their own way to improve the scene for musicians. The authorities are also involved in this process. It isn’t easy by any means – so much emotional and historical baggage to overcome but nothing worth fighting for ever comes easy. Scour through social media and you will, of course, find the ‘haters’ – folks who post potentially libelous statements against these players (yours truly, included) making accusations that are plainly inaccurate and unwarranted. Conduct a simple online search and you will discover these defamatory posts easily.

What can we do? Do we resort to legal means to protect our hard-earned reputations? Certainly, we would be legally entitled to do so but what good would that do, ultimately? Do we fight fire with fire – by posting similarly hateful statements targeted at these ‘haters’ – to name and shame them?

No, we take the higher ground – we simply ignore them. Not entirely of course – which is the whole point of this op/ed. If you’re reading this, dear ‘haters’, I would humbly ask that you would consider spending your energies in more productive activities and stop your futile personal attacks, especially if you truly love the S-ROCK scene. No good can ever come out of this course you are taking. Of course, this is a ‘free’ country and whilst you are entitled to your opinion, at least show respect to a fellow human being, if nothing else. Let’s agree to disagree but kindly stop the personal attacks. Thank you very much.

…still there’s more…

STAGERIGHT @ ARTISTRY #2

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Mar 212013

LOST WEEKEND

Simply put, the 2nd edition of STAGEFRIGHT @ Artistry went down very well. I am again very thankful to Marcel and Prashant for making Artistry available to showcase music made in Singapore. Very pleased with the packed crowd of family, friends and fans who came down to enjoy the music. And that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it?

LISTER

A ‘well-done’ goes out to Lister, By Any Means, Raufi Heights, Marcel Pereira and Lost Weekend for touching us all with their music. Aspiring bands/artists who want to showcase their music at the next STAGEFRIGHT, please send your demos, videos and online links to kamcomusic@gmail.com. I will be waiting…

THE STEVE LILLYWHITE PRODUCTION WEEK

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Mar 202013

SGMUSO are pleased to announce:

The Steve Lillywhite Production Week

1st April to 5th April 2013 | Yellowbox Studios, 1 Ubi View, Focus One, #01-19, Singapore.

SGMUSO are presenting four Singapore bands, the fantastic opportunity to record with the legendary producer Steve Lillywhite. Lillywhite will select from submissions, three bands with SGMUSO selecting one other band, to join him on Monday 1st April to record LIVE. From this recording session, Lillywhite will critique and select one band from these four, to spend the rest of the week to further record material whilst the other three bands will be able to observe some of the following 4 days of recording. There will be other potential opportunities announced for these bands at a public event called SOUNDcheck (details to follow).

Joining Lillywhite for this Production Week will be three Singapore producers who will be mentored by Lillywhite, with these producers being matched with the remaining three bands to come back to Yellowbox Studios at a later date to mentor and record one track each. These recordings will be further critiqued after completed via a video call with Lillywhite, the Singapore producer and band members present.

Bands submit by sending one song, one picture, one-page bio and a paragraph on why they should be recorded by Lillywhite Friday 15th March and closure will be end of Friday 22nd March

The Production Fee for the selected bands, is subsidised from S$6,000 by e2i, SGMUSO, WDA and Yellowbox Studios and will be $500 per band who are members of SGMUSO (the subsidy is for Singaporeans/Permanent Residents only).

This production week will give the selected Singapore bands, a chance to be around one of the top international producers in the world and help them develop their music craft. The producers present will also gain greater skills in production through the mentorship of Lillywhite. SGMUSO will be documenting throughout and posting via social media throughout the week and follow ups thereafter.

The week-long activities will culminate with a new initiative from SGMUSO called SOUNDcheck. SOUNDcheck is to develop a deeper advocacy of Singapore music by providing an update for key advocates such as media, promoters, venues, labels and other music companies. Details on SOUNDcheck to follow.

GARDEN OF YOUTH [NEWS]

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Mar 082013

Tiramisu

(Press release)

Garden of Youth is a fun-filled, super dynamic event, richly infused with good clean fun, to excite and engage the youth of our nation and bring their vigor and energy into the wonderful Gardens surroundings for a truly uplifting experience. An event bubbling over with the infectious vitality of youth. Especially for youths and absolutely anyone young at heart! 2013 marks the inaugural launch of Garden of Youth a youth-‐centric annual event set in the Gardens, designed for just about anyone ready for a bit of irrepressible fun & youth pop culture. This year, spanning three days from 15th to 17th March, get set for music gigs, bazaar, and a slew of other activities to get totally involved in. Come on down and play!

The Fantastic Picnic Gig: This event is a must for all music lovers out there. Curated by Tiramisu’s lead singer and performance artist extraordinaire, Rizman Putra, this wonderful event platforms English, Mandarin, indie Bands, up and coming young musical talents as well as offer Acoustic Sessions. Visitors can take in the music while lounging on picnic mats to complete the experience. It will be a great way to take in the music of local talents and celebrate the joy of music and life at the Gardens.

The line-up at SuperTree Grove: -

The Fantastic Gig 16 March 2013 Saturday 6pm-11pm

6pm – 6.30pm: Cashew Chemists
7pm – 7.30pm: Pleasantry
8pm – 8.30pm: ANECHOIS
9pm – 9.30pm: Tiramisu
10pm – 10.30pm: MONSTER CAT

The Acoustic Picnic 17 March Sunday 4pm-6pm
weish
Yuji Kumagai
The Freshman

INCH CHUA “ARTFUL DODGER” RELEASE [NEWS]

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Mar 082013

Inch Chua is back! And already new album Bumfuzzle promises to be one of THE releases of 2013 but before we get to that, Inch has issued the delightful “Artful Dodger” as her opening single. Here’s the press release from Riot! Records.

Inch Chua’s Indiegogo campaign supporters were the first to receive her new music. The Los Angeles-‐based Singaporean artist raised $15,510 on the crowd-‐funding site to finance the mixing and mastering of her highly anticipated follow-‐up to Wallflower. “The new album is very different from my last album and ‘Artful Dodger’ is a song on the album that I feel best bridges my old sound with my new musical direction,” confesses Chua. “The lyrics of my songs are birthed from catharsis. You could literally tear a page from my journal and you would get a song like ‘Artful Dodger.” The release of “Artful Dodger” marks a return to Chua’s indie rock roots, evident in the single’s massive drum and aggressive guitar sounds. “It was fun twisting and turning knobs on this song; there are some cool funky sounds in there.”

“Artful Dodger’s” lyrics and music were written by Inch Chua. The record was produced by Chua, Mark John Hariman and Leonard Soosay, and recorded at Snakeweed Studios, Singapore. Assistant Engineers included Hariman, Chua, Mindy Kon and Issa Mel. Mixing was handled by Todd Bergman at Repro-‐Ductions, and mastering conducted by Howie Weinberg at Howie Weinberg Mastering.

Check out the lyric video below.

“Artful Dodger” is now available from iTunes.

ANAKI ROCKS THE CITY! [NEWS]

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Mar 042013

Message from the kind folks at Anaki –

Holla holla holla! Anaki Records is upping the DB and taking ANAKI ROCKS THE CITY right to the core of our beloved streets. With our unstoppable Lion City boys rocking a massive playlist of originals across pretty much any genre you can think of, it’s 2 days of refreshing new tunes – created from scratch and rehearsed to sonic nirvana. So if you like the underground & under-hyped with a major lashing of talent overdrive, then this 2-day outdoor music fest will get you pumping your fists and going hell yeah!

24 bands. 2 nights. 1 massive collective. And the best part? No tickets. It’s all love man. Venue - Dhoby Ghaut Outdoor Amphitheatre

MARCH 16 — BANDS
4.15pm • A Common Void Deck • Myre
5.00pm • Zarina Zarr • Au Revoir SG
5.45pm • Red Script • Before The Tempest
6.45pm • Templeshift • Velvet
7.45pm • Second Season Project • Godzilla
8.45pm • SparkleDrivenFairytale • Dracula

MARCH 17 — BANDS
4.15pm • Lot-lot & Friends • Chasing Orion
5.00pm • Obviously We! • Ravage
5.45pm • The Laidcomers • The Lady Tempest
6.45pm • Giveth • Hoodlum
7.45pm • Black Diamond Folds • Stopgap
8.45pm • Black! For Remembrance • Truth Of A Beast

Check out the sneak peek below –

Official Site | Facebook page

DRU CHEN – INTENTIONS TOUR: SINGAPORE/MALAYSIA [NEWS]

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Mar 012013

(Press release)

Modern Soul singer-songwriter Dru Chen will be on tour in Singapore and Malaysia from March 8 to March 17 to launch Intentions EP. Successful lead single “You Bring Out The Best In Me” (http://youtu.be/LGi6Q5WsvtM) has been played on Australian radio stations Southern 88.3FM, Triple R 102.7FM, Joy 94.9FM and is looking to hit Singapore radio/blog soon. Dru Chen will be performing 8 shows, radio spots and filming 2 videos during this trip, including collaborations with Charlie Lim, Kerong Chok, For This Cycle, Charles J Tan and an appearance at Mosaic Music Festival.

POP YEH YEH! [NEWS]

MUSIC Comments Off

Feb 232013

Here’s a urgent newsflash from the good people over at Ujikaji Records.

We’re taking 1-week-only pre-orders at a special price for this collection of 26 Nusantara gems released on the US label Sublime Frequencies. Comes in “tri-fold digipak with gorgeous artwork, two 40 page booklets with insanely extensive liner notes including band/artist bios, an overview of the era, translated lyrics, and plenty of rare photos taken from vintage magazines, album covers, and the artists’ own personal collections.”

Email ujikajirecords@gmail.com by 28 Feb 2013 if you want this CD as we are highly unlikely going to bring in many extra copies.

Click here to read more about the album from the Sublime Frequencies website.

So… what are ya waiting for?

PoPTV: DRU CHEN – “YOU BRING OUT THE BEST IN ME” [OFFICIAL VIDEO]

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Feb 212013

This is so infectious it should be illegal! Seriously!! I first saw Dru Chen at an open mike years ago and was deeply impressed with his swagger and innate soulfulness BUT this new single from the Melbourne based modern soul singer-songwriter exceeds all expectations. I mean, “You Bring Out the Best in Me” should be blaring out of every single radio station in Singapore. Be warned though, once that groove hooks in, you’re in trouble. Awesome.

Official Page

Buy now!

DEON – ROAD TO CANADA [NEWS]

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Feb 212013

(Press release)

Local folk-pop artist DEON has been invited to play at the prestigious Canadian Music Week 2013 this 21st March. Part of the crop of talents taking their music into foreign ground, DEON will be representing Singapore alongside local bands Inch Chua, The Sam Willows and Eli T.

S-ROCK: ALIVE & KICKIN’ [LIVE REVIEWS]

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Feb 212013

Obedient Wives Club, by Cass Goh

It is a good time to be involved in the S-ROCK scene. Interest in the scene is definitely growing as the media gives it attention it properly deserves. More releases, more gigs, more open mikes, more bands, more venues…more, more, more! In the last two weeks, I managed to witness two launches – first, by Another Sunday Afternoon and last Friday, by Obedient Wives Club. These bands are very different in terms of musical approach and execution but share the same passion, talent and ability to touch and thrill true-blue music lovers. Also worth considering – the fledging outfits that opened viz Victoria Street and Rocketswan, interestingly enough, both female-fronted! Exciting times, indeed.

THE GREAT SPY EXPERIMENT – LITMUS [REVIEW]

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Feb 172013

Six years in the making, the sophomore effort of The Great Spy Experiment arrives with the band a completely different entity to what it was when I first met Saiful, Fandy, Song, Khai and Mag in the rehearsals for Singapore Day in 2007. Interim period has seen marriages, children and daily challenges with the ubiquitous work-life balance. Factor in the creative musical need of recording artists and things no doubt become complicated.

PoPTV: “DARE (FT. DANIEL SASSOON)” [VIDEO]

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Feb 152013

Courtesy of Cass Goh

Nothing beats shameless self-promotion, eh?

In any case, I wanted to share with you the ‘video’ I put together to help push “Dare” along. It’s actually a simple photo montage chronicling my experiences in the local music scene in the last six years, the bands, the gigs and the people who made a difference. Yes, it’s a little self-indulgent but there you ago…

THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD: EMO FASCISM – “DARE (FT. DANIEL SASSOON)”

MUSIC, PERSONAL 2 Responses »

Feb 142013

Courtesy of Cass Goh

Here we are – all set to go!

“Dare” is the first track to be made public from the Emo Fascism recording sessions which took place mainly in September last year at Patrick Chng’s excellent home studio. The album will consist of ten tracks (with two bonus tracks on the CD) and for the most part I wrote, sang, performed and produced the lot with Patrick engineering, mixing and mastering the recording. Only one other musician played on Emo Fascism (“Dare” to be specific) and I am proud to say that it was none other than Daniel Sassoon.

Daniel has of course, in the past, been closely involved with legendary S-ROCK bands like Livonia and Electrico. Of late, Daniel has been leading the instrumental rock outfit – In Each Hand A Cutlass – and is renowned for his talent and skill on the guitar. Sometime back, I had finally recorded a proper demo of “Dare” (which has been kicking around for decades – I shit you not) and sent it to Daniel for feedback. What I got was an offer to contribute guitar ideas to the track and I jumped – didn’t need to asked twice! So earlier this year, Daniel laid down his amazing guitar lines (and a mind-blowing solo) for “Dare” in a fecund three-hour session at Thom’s Loft.

And now you can hear the results! I am particularly proud of the final product and I am so excited to be able to share the first fruits of our labours with you all. If you liked what you heard, I hope you will share the links on your respective social media platforms and spread the word around! That would be so cool and greatly appreciated! Remember – Emo Fascism is due for release in August 2013.

…still there’s more…

Cass Goh’s Official Site

PoPTV: THE SUMMER STATE “I DO, I DON’T” (FEAT. ZAHIDAH) [OFFICIAL VIDEO]

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Feb 142013

I was interviewed by my former Budding Writer mentee Karen Gwee (now New Paper reporter) last night about the whole Ken Lim saga and she brought up an intriguing point about how the local indie scene may also have the commercial potential needed to save the local music industry from the verge of extinction, as Ken eloquently (and quite correctly) reckoned.

Case in point – this new single from The Summer State – which video has already garnered over 4,000 views in about a day! Rather removed from the emo-pop-punk style that I remembered the band playing in various auditions/gigs I have witnessed before. In fact, the song is a very radio-friendly pop ballad and targeted for mainstream audiences, with shiny production values to boot. Not my cup of tea, mind you, but I can understand the appeal the track will have for teenagers and tweens and this can only be a good thing for the local music scene. Check it out.

Official page

S-ROCK: EXTINCTION WATCH – AKAN DATANG [NEWS]

MUSIC 1 Response »

Feb 052013

According to Hype Records’ owner (and former Singapore Idol judge) Ken Lim, the local music industry is on the “verge of extinction” and that he is the man who will save the industry. We wish him all the best! As far as the S-ROCK scene is concerned, more evidence of its good health can be seen in the following upcoming events: -

Another Sunday Afternoon: The Bookmark EP launch

The latest EP – which has been available for a couple of weeks now – will be officially launched this Friday, February 8th at Home Club. Victoria Street will be providing support. Entry is $12 with one standard drink (including entry to Kicks! later). The Bookmark has been well-received thus far with TODAY stating that “it’s satisfying to witness the continued artistic development of our local bands that despite all odds, manage to produce music that can only be described as ‘world-class’. Add The Bookmark to this burgeoning list”. The fun begins at 8pm.

BAYBEATS AUDITIONS 2013: ROUND TWO [REVIEW]

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Feb 022013

Just got back from the Round Two of the Baybeats Auditions 2013 and we wanted to put out a quick response whilst our thoughts and feelings are fresh in my mind. This is the seventh year of the Baybeats Auditions where young local bands are given an opportunity to showcase their talents during one the largest alternative rock music festivals in the region. This year’s slate of hopefuls have thrown up a diverse array of bands/artists signaling a sea change in the very definition of alternative rock music.

First off, we want to congratulate all 16 bands for giving it their best shot. It is instructional to note that playing at the Baybeats Festival is not the be-all-and-end-all for aspiring bands/artists although it can be a useful launching platform for a new band. It is heartening to see the different bands provide a snapshot of what can be available in the S-ROCK scene in the years to come. we want to highlight bands that – in our humble opinion – represent exciting prospects for S-ROCK.

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ESTHER LOWLESS: STRANGE PLACE TO MEET EP [NEWS]

TRICKS & CIDER (EP) [REVIEW]

THE KNOCKOUT DOUBLE BILL [REVIEW]

THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD: EMO FASCISM – “BEYOND THE ASHES”

A KNOCKOUT DOUBLE BILL [NEWS]

BORED SPIES 7 INCH SINGLE “SUMMER 720″ [NEWS]

LISTENING BOOTH: TRICKS & CIDER [STREAMING]

STEVE LILLYWHITE PRODUCTION WEEK [NEWS]

PoPINIONS: HATERS GONNA HATE [OP/ED]

STAGERIGHT @ ARTISTRY #2

THE STEVE LILLYWHITE PRODUCTION WEEK

The Steve Lillywhite Production Week

GARDEN OF YOUTH [NEWS]

INCH CHUA “ARTFUL DODGER” RELEASE [NEWS]

ANAKI ROCKS THE CITY! [NEWS]

DRU CHEN – INTENTIONS TOUR: SINGAPORE/MALAYSIA [NEWS]

POP YEH YEH! [NEWS]

PoPTV: DRU CHEN – “YOU BRING OUT THE BEST IN ME” [OFFICIAL VIDEO]

DEON – ROAD TO CANADA [NEWS]

S-ROCK: ALIVE & KICKIN’ [LIVE REVIEWS]

THE GREAT SPY EXPERIMENT – LITMUS [REVIEW]

PoPTV: “DARE (FT. DANIEL SASSOON)” [VIDEO]

THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD: EMO FASCISM – “DARE (FT. DANIEL SASSOON)”

PoPTV: THE SUMMER STATE “I DO, I DON’T” (FEAT. ZAHIDAH) [OFFICIAL VIDEO]

S-ROCK: EXTINCTION WATCH – AKAN DATANG [NEWS]

BAYBEATS AUDITIONS 2013: ROUND TWO [REVIEW]

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