Filed under: Performances | Tags: agua de beber, antonio carlos jobim, black eyed peas, bossa, bossa nova, brazil, esplanade, mas que nada, Music Events in Singapore, performance, samba, sergio mendes, singapore, sistic
After years in the music business and still smiling!
That’s right ladies and gents, the boss of bossa and Tsar of Samba is coming.
When it comes to Brazilian music, I would surmise that there are few people around who can compare to Sergio Mendes. I mean, the guy had Antonio Carlos Jobim as a mentor! What I really like about him is his innovation – from the beginning, he’s taken plenty of tracks that are popular and just made them his own.
Mendes isn’t someone to rest on his laurels and dwell on his hits of old. You continue to see innovation even now as he blends hip hop music into his Brazilian rhythms. His smash hit Mas Que Nada has taken on a complete revamp with the Black Eyed Peas‘ contributing a hip hop lyrics and instrumentation. Yet the song remains, unmistakably samba, unmistakably Sergio.
A quick browse-through of the demo tracks on his website and you can see how Mendes doesn’t just keep up with the times, he shines.
Details of his show in Singapore
Singapore Sun Festival 2008
Sergio Mendes in Concert
22 Oct 2008
Wed, 07:30PM
Esplanade Concert Hall
S$148, S$128, S$88, S$68, S$48
Get your tickets at Sistic.
Sergio on a modern version of Agua De Beber:
Filed under: Performances | Tags: ash, britpop, fort canning, indie rock, singapore, singapore beer festival, sistic, slash
Ash has announced that twilight of the innocents will be their last album. From henceforth, they will only release singles. Thanks to digital media for changing the music industry.
I guess the tile is pretty much self explanatory. Ash is coming to Singapore, Fort Canning to be exact.
Admittedly, my knowledge of Ash (or most indie rock bands for that matter) is quite limited. I do know however, that they have been around since 1992. A quick Youtube checkup on the band and you will be able to find a multitude of songs they have done over the years. The band really made it big in 1994 are well know for their songs, “Goldfinger,” “Oh Yeah,” “Burn Baby Burn,” “Girl from Mars,” “A Life Less Ordinary” and a bunch of others.
Never one for the ordinary, Ash were once part of a teen slasher flick called slash that featured plenty of music personalities such as Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland, Moby, James Nesbitt and Dave Grohl. The film never got released and one can only wonder at how crappy it actually was.
ASH ‘Live’ At The Singapore Beer Festival
Date: October 2, 2008
Time: 8pm
Venue: Fort Canning Park
Ticket Prices:
S$85 from August 15 – 31
S$95 from September 1 – Octobter 1
S$110 on October 2
Ticket prices are exclusive of S$3 SISTIC charge
This song just reminds me of my JC (highschool days). I feel old:
Love him or hate him, you gotta admit that Oasis’ Noel Gallagher is an interesting dude.
FROM: Blender.com
By Dorian Lynskey, Photograph by Julian Broad
The Oasis loudmouth on the environment (“never mind it”), Radiohead (“not as good as people think”) and that $200,000 Jaguar he once bought (“it’s useless to me”).
Noel Gallagher is in a good mood—which is a relief. The sun is shining (or sheeee-iiiii-ning, as his brother Liam would sing), and the notoriously combative songwriter feels confident about Oasis’s seventh studio album, Dig Out Your Soul. In a vast studio complex on London’s western fringe, Noel is overseeing rehearsals for a world tour—the wailing guitar intro to “Morning Glory” is audible from the next room—before heading off to collect his 8-year-old daughter, Anais, from school. “She bought me the new Portishead album,” he reports. What did he think? Noel’s famous eyebrow slopes downward. “It’s very harrowing.”
Harrowing is one of the qualities Gallagher hates in rock music. He cherishes the ’60s, has little use for any music made after 1972 and scoffs at experimental bands “banging two ****ing cabbages together or singing into a tin of beans.” Dig Out Your Soul is stuffed with Oasis’s baffling lyrics, shameless Beatles references and the lager-hoisting choruses that characterize “Wonderwall,” “Champagne Supernova” and “Live Forever.” One highlight is “I’m Outta Time,” a surprisingly tender ballad from the band’s hellraiser-in-chief, Liam. “You don’t think that front is him do you?” asks his older brother, 41. “He’s a *****cat.”
Oasis’s front made them the biggest British band of their generation. Like a cartoon fight in which all you can see is a cloud of dust and whirling fists, their first years passed in a blur of punch-ups, arrests, drug binges, feuds and firings. As he pulls up a chair in readiness for Blender readers’ questions, Gallagher differentiates Oasis from hipper British bands. “Radiohead and Coldplay think too much,” he declares with blunt certainty. “They get to a certain level and start worrying about the environment. That’s for the governments of the world to worry about. We need to concentrate on ****ing women, taking drugs, wearing sun*glasses and being cool. Never mind the polar bears.”
You once worked as a roadie. Did your job include procuring drugs for the band?
Fertile.green, Columbia, MO
The band, the Inspiral Carpets, didn’t take drugs, so there was more for the crew. I look back on those days as some of the best of my life. No photographs, no interviews. Just get up in the morning, make sure the gear works, do the gig and then ****ing party.
Your new album is called Dig Out Your Soul, which doesn’t make much sense. None of your album titles make sense. Do you have trouble naming albums?
Noeliam87, Meriden, CT
Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols—does that make sense? Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band—does that make sense? Dig Out Your Soul is a metaphor for DJ’ing, when you get out a soul record. The double meaning is, you can also try and find yourself. I wouldn’t expect Americans to get it.
Dude, Jay-Z did an Oasis song at the Glastonbury Festival this summer after you questioned whether he belonged there. Why don’t Oasis do a version of Jay-Z’s “99 Problems”?
Rosiyoung, Seattle
That’s ridiculous. What did I think of Jay-Z doing “Wonderwall”? It was pretty* funny. But I’m not sure one should be seen in public with a white Stratocaster.
I’m an aesthetician and I have to wonder: Has a girlfriend ever tried to get you to tweeze your unibrow?
Tanman41, Oxford, MI
I don’t speak to my girlfriends. [Laughs.] No. My eyebrows are wild and free, man.
What was the last gift you gave your brother Liam?
Sweetnsalty, Pullman, WA
I bought him a necklace that John Lennon used to wear, but that was years ago. I’m very difficult to buy for, too. When my birthday comes round, I say to my girlfriend, “Let’s just go out and get drunk.”
What was the stupidest thing you bought when you became rich?
Now_im_64, Denver
I had built for me a customized 1967 Mark II Jaguar convertible at a cost of £110,000, and I haven’t got a driving license. It’s useless to me. I ordered this car and thought, By the time they build it, I will have passed my driving test. By the time I got a call saying they were delivering it, I’d forgotten all about it. Outside my house was this ****ing £110,000 Jag. I couldn’t even remember ordering it.
How many pints can you handle before you’re on your knees?
Woody2oo4, Durham, U.K.
I can drink all ****ing day and night and it doesn’t put a dent in me.
What are the most typically British things about you?
Landon, Keni, Berkshire, U.K.
My sense of humor and my sense of style. We might have shit teeth, but we’ve got better clothes and better music, and that’s the end of that.
What are the three things you do when you check into a hotel room?
Klapadam, Fordoche, LA
I phone home and see how my girlfriend and kids are, then I get in the shower and check out my surroundings. I love hotels. I love being in America when the football season’s on. I’m probably the only Englishman who understands the rules of American football. I was on acid one night when I was a teenager, and I just got it. It was a revelation. Never got baseball, though. **** that. It goes on for *****ing hours.
I’m handing you a gun with four bullets. Do you take out Radiohead or do you take out Coldplay?
Setfreesimon, Daytona Beach, FL
I’d take out neither. Chris Martin’s a friend of mine. And I think Radiohead’s guitarist, Jonny Greenwood, is a ****ing genius. Every time I see them live they blow me away. But Radiohead are not as good as people think they are. They’ve been making the same record for the last five years, if you ask me.
Why can’t I ever find any good new rock bands? Every time I turn on the radio, it’s nothing but rap. What the **** is happening?
Mph1978, Amsterdam, NY
There’s still a lot of good rock & roll: Black Mountain are incredible, Mando Diao, a band from North London called the Jim Jones Revue. Unfortunately, we live in the age of rap and R&B. Don’t listen to the radio, that’s my advice.
I’ve read that you and your brother don’t speak to your dad. What was the last straw that made you decide to end the relationship?
Athomepap, Anaheim, CA
He was a violent man, and violence toward my mother was the last straw. We were teenagers. It makes me fervently believe in the cosmic law of karma—little did he know that 15 years from that point, his two sons were going to be in one of the biggest ****ing bands ever to come out of England. I sit and chuckle about that sometimes.
What will Amy Winehouse be doing in two years?
Whuddashamey, Munster, IN
Who gives a sh*t? People like that have got no pride in themselves. My message to her would be: Go make another record, or did the pressure of this one fry your little brain so you became a junkie? I don’t care for ****-ups.
When will you finally make a solo album?
Pil, Nuuk, Greenland
I’d like for us to do separate projects after this record. We’d all have to agree on it, so it will probably never happen. I’ve got loads of new songs. Somewhat predictably, they’re all brilliant.
I was close to the front at your Arena Newcastle gig on the Don’t Believe the Truth tour. I had a sleeveless Nike vest on. You looked at me funny. Did the top make me look gay?
Marley_Urwin, Newcastle Upon Tyne, U.K.
I would have thought so, yeah. Sleeve*less tops are a no-no.
I read you held up a corner shop when you were a kid. What kind of weapon did you have? And what’s a corner shop?
Charleebitez, Janesville, MN
I didn’t “hold up” the corner shop. We don’t do weapons in England. A corner shop is just a grocery store on the corner. Two ladies ran it, and I think we robbed a load of cigarettes and sold them to buy drugs. [Looks guilty.] I got caught.
What’s the most important thing for me to remember if I get into a fight?
TimBoslyce, Richmond, VA
Make sure the other guy’s not carrying a knife. Do I still fight Liam? Yeah. The only way anyone will win is who dies first. When he’s 87 years old, if he dies before me, I’ll say, “See?”
How would your third album, Be Here Now, have turned out if you hadn’t discovered cocaine?
Nathanputtick, Melbourne, Australia
It would have been a lot shorter, and it would have had better lyrics. The royalties were coming in from Morning Glory—we were rich, and we went bananas, doing more drugs than any Colombian. Can I just point out that Be Here Now did sell 9.5 million copies? If any band sells 9.5 million albums this year, I’ll ****ing sh*t in my trousers.
Filed under: Musicals in Singapore | Tags: avenue q, muppets, musical, singapore musical
As you might have gathered from this post, I am quite the muppets fan. So when I was travelling in New York last december, I made it a point to watch the muppets for ‘mature’ audiences. As a parody of Sesame Street, it scores.
Avenue Q’s inventive reworking of sesame street really got me hooked from the opening theme “It sucks to be me” all the way till the end. By writing the cynical lyrics of the jaded working class and putting it to a children’s show type of tune, Avenue Q certainly makes an impact. Couple all that with puppets that show uncanny similarities to the muppets of our childhood and you get a Tony Award winning Musical.
This musical isn’t going to resonate with everyone. If you only want to watch nice happy, uplifting type musicals like mamma mia and coarse humour (there is an actual puppet sex scene) is the bane of your life, you might want to save your money for something more tame. Otherwise, Avenue Q is sure to entertain.
Oh yea, did I mention they’re coming to Singapore?
Details for the Singapore tour can be found here.
Oh and if you’re interested in watching some clips, you can head to Avenue Q’s website.
PS: I have heard that cast that is on tour is from the Philippines and not the States. Just thought you should know.
Filed under: Reviews of Performances | Tags: bass, esplanade, marcus miller, singaporemusic, smv, stanley clarke, thunder tour, victor wooten
As you can probably tell by now, I made my choice and decided to go for the amazing bass show performed by the greatest bassists in the world today. Now, a few hours after the show, I’m still reeling from the all the groove kicked up by the 3 “crazy people” as Victor Wooten put it so aptly.
Not quite a showcase of pyrotechnics and wizardry as G3 is. However, SMV had this uncanny ability to lock the whole audience in a tight groove. From start to finish, the audience kept nodding, tapping their feet or clapping to the beat of the band.
Of course, each of the individual bassists had do a little bit of showing off on their own, and each of them had their own special something to bring to the table. Victor had his inventive genius, particularly in his use of the looper machine. Marcus Miller demonstrated unfair amounts of talent by playing not just the bass, but the saxophone and the bass clarinet as well. My favourite was Stanley Clarke with his unmistakable tone (there were times I couldn’t tell Wooten and Miller apart clearly) and who went on to show off his mastery of the acoustic bass.
My fellow audience members were particularly receptive to SMV, applauding enthusiastically after every single solo and the occasional cry of “We love you Stanley!” could be heard now and then. It was a great experience really for $40.
Marcus Miller had a question for the Singapore audience early in the show,
“Singapore, do you like bass?”
Hell yeah.
Gosh! That really hurts!
Take all the great musicians you’ve ever heard. The one thing they have in common? Every great musician makes some kind of weird face when they play their best.
What? You look too good when you play?
Fret no more, this video will teach you everything you need to know to look just like a pro..
Filed under: Rants | Tags: andrea bocelli, elmo, muppets, music, opera, sesame street
I love the muppets. I grew up watching Sesame Street and a host of other TV shows. But, the magical thing about Sesame Street (or the muppets) is that I still enjoy watching it now, even though I’m all of 24 years! Other TV shows I watched as a kid (Teenage mutant ninja turtles or Chipmunks) just don’t bring about the same levels of enjoyment as it did then.
Not so for the muppets. I love them as much as I ever did. I think its the music.
Andrea Bocelli and Elmo – Simply adorable!
Filed under: Performances | Tags: esplanade, guitar, jazz, joe lovano, john mayer, john scofield, saxophone
As you know, I’m currently agonizing over whether to attend SMV’s performance at the Esplanade. At the same time, I’m also wondering whether I should go for John Scofield’s performance also at the Esplanade, also at the same price (Student discounts!).
Scofield isn’t really something for the uniniated. As they say, Jazz is all about tension and release. For Scofield’s music, it’s MOSTLY about tension, then there’s a teeny weeny bit of release buried somewhere in the song, and I just love it!
BE warned! If you go for his concert without ever listening to music of similar vein (IE. Modern Jazz such as Pat Metheny or Herbie Hancock) you might well feel you’ve wasted your money. Scofield, however, contributes much to modern music that I find sordidly lacking (melody and harmony). He earns my respect for that.
Did I also mention that Joe Lovano was coming with him?
Here’s one of his more err, mellow performances with John Mayer:
PS: I’m probably only going to catch just 1 of these performances, still undecided and open to suggestions!
Filed under: Performances | Tags: bass, jazz, Music Events in Singapore, soul
I must admit, I’ve never heard of a bass trio ever before in my life! I mean, who needs bassists anyway? Guitars are so much better right? (This is a joke, please don’t flame me ok?) So when I found out that bass trio SMV was headed to Singapore, I went out and did a little information searching. The verdict? A show that looks set to be astounding and more.
SMV consists of Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller and Victor Wooten each of them have had astounding solo careers as individual bassists. Information about each of them is readily available all over the web but I was more eager to hear how they’d sound.
Youtube had a few videos of SMV performing but I’m putting up just one of them here. I personally think that the show will be fantastic. I know there might be some people who feel this is just a “Musician Stunt Show” rather than an actual music event. I guess its up to you to decide. As of now, I’m agonizing over whether to shell out $80 to watch them!
For more information on SMV’s performance, go here.
You can also check out the following vids if you’re interested:
Filed under: Singapore Musicians and other Artists | Tags: electrico, firebrands, singaporemusic
Yes, I am one of those ever-hopeful type Singaporean listeners who hope that one day, Singapore will be capable of producing songs that the whole world will enjoy. I know it sounds kinda dumb, looking at our local musicans’ popularity, but we all can dream right? And no, I’m not talking about hiring overseas talent in this regard.
I must also admit that my knowledge of local music is quite bad. I know there’s more to local music than Electrico, Taufik or Sylvester Sim, I’m just not aware of these groups. So when I stumbled across this forum page, I got pretty excited.
In case you haven’t heard about them. The Firebrands are a local band who actually care about their marketing. They had recently gone on tour in the states and are now in the process of writing for their 2nd album. And just to make sure that we know what they sound like, they released their entire first album for free over here.
Listening to some of their tracks, I found their music to be aggressive and yet catchy at the same time. They were kinda like rage against the machine. In fact, I actually liked some of their tunes such as Katrina and Scarecrow and the fire. Of course, they weren’t perfect. A lot of the songs started to sound the same and I felt their lyrics didn’t sit well with the melody as I would’ve liked.
So I didn’t completely fall in love with the album and band in the same way I fell in love with Oasis. I DO feel that if Singapore ever has a thriving local music scene, Firebrands stands a good chance of being right smack in the thick of it all.
Any other local artists I should be listening to? Anyone??
