Here’s our final episode of SevenCollar T-Shirt as Hip Trip’s December 2009 Artist of the Month – SevenCollar T-Shirt Unplugged. Enjoy! See you again next month!
Archive for December, 2009
Tuesday, December 29th, 2009
Thursday, December 24th, 2009
Robot Asmara
Robot Asmara comprises of Helena (lead vocals), Juad (bass), Tom (guitars), Ijam (guitars), Danial (synth) and Kudud (drums). Started a side project, the band members decided to make Robot Asmara a permanent fixture in the local music scene after a series of promising gigs and response from people all around. Their music is a mixture of rock, jazz, electro, funk, punk, pop and new wave. Having performed for more than 20 gigs now, the band is ready to penetrate the music scene with their EP called ‘Ini Adalah Robot Asmara’. Check out Helena’s powerful vocal delivery and the band’s solid performance at the Indie Stage cos this is a band worth checking out at this year’s concert.
Thursday, December 24th, 2009
Pesawat
Formed in 2005 and based in Ampang, Selangor, Pesawat is a band that is fast becoming a household name in the local music scene. The band comprises of Jipie (lead vocals/guitars/keyborads), Nizam Camel (guitars/backing vocals), Mann (bass) and Kudux (drums/backing vocals). It was their first single, ‘Mirage’ that brought them to fame, topping local radio charts and not to mention getting nominated for Muzik-Muzik Semi Finals 2009. Currently, apart from ‘Mirage’ they are also widely known through their hit singles like ‘Rasional Emosional’, ‘Excuse Me’ and the latest one being ‘Bingit’. Dubbed as “Discovery of 2008′ by local tabloid The Malay Mail, Pesawat is now very actively gigging around the nation. Some of their notable shows so far include Sunburst Festival 2009, Shout! Awards 2009, Konsert Search di Awan Biru, Konsert Dewa 19, Channel [V] Amp – Nidji LIVE in KL, KLUE Urbanscapes 2008 and American Idol Finale Promo – Star TV. One of the band’s greatest achievement to date is when they became the first band ever to perform at the Departure Gate at KLIA. Having said that, they are also the first ever band to launch their music video on an actual airplane (MAS Boeing 777).
If you haven’t gotten the ‘Pesawat experience’ before, be sure to watch them rock the Main Stage at this year’s Rock The World!
Thursday, December 24th, 2009
Love Me Butch
Love Me Butch needs no introduction. They have been gracing the local (and regional) independent music scene since they started out in 1997. They released their first demo, Psychedelic Relic in 1998 and has not stopped making great rocking music til today. In 2000, they were featured in a local compilation album, Family Day with their song ‘Freefall’. To date, the band have released 2 albums namely Enter Posthuman (2001) and This Is The New Pop (2005). Love Me Butch is very well-known for their high-energy shows and awesome musicianship hence making them a household name at many music festivals locally and internationally like Rock The World (2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007 and now 2009!), Singapore’s Baybeats Festival (2004, 2005 and 2006) and a couple of shows in Thailand including the Grand Pattaya International Music Festival. They also toured the Philippines to promote This Is The New Pop with other Philippines’ bands and was featured as the only international band at the MTV Staying Alive Music Summit for HIV/AIDS held at The Fort, Taguig, Metro Manila on Dec 5 2006.
Love Me Butch has also received recognition from the industry where they were the first independent band to win the Best New English Artist at the 2002 Anugerah Industi Muzik. Later at the Anugerah Industri Muzik 2006, their video for ‘Hollywood Holiday” received a nomination for Best Music Video. This video has also been said to be ‘the best music video every produced in Malaysia’ by MTV and 8TV.
With distribution deals all over the Asian region like in Thailand, Philippines, Japan, Singapore and of course Malaysia, it surely is not a problem to get a hold of the band’s music. But if you wanna get some real action from these boys, be sure to catch them at the Main Stage at Hypptunes Rock The World 9! See you at the mosh pit.
Thursday, December 24th, 2009
Joanna & Co.
Joanna & Co. is made up of Joanna Renisa (lead vocals), Ijam (guitars), Farid (drums) and Kusha (bass). Formed in 2006, Joanna & Co. is now busy playing shows all around Malaysia. Their catchy single, ‘Aku Pelangi’ has been playing on local radio stations nationwide. The band carries a modern Pop Rock sound that is complimented with Joanna’s sweet-yet-cheeky vocals. Famous for her crowd-teasing moments and infectious smile on stage, Joanna & Co. is sure to deliver a splendid performance at the concert. Catch them at the Indie Stage!
Thursday, December 24th, 2009
Izuan is the frontman and mastermind of Progressive Alt-Rock band, Auburn. Those who are familiar with Auburn’s music would know that Izuan is not one to take his music and writing lightly. Always thinking out of the box, his songs are filled with deep, metaphoric lyrics and made more colourful with adventurous melodies and progressions. His quiet and somewhat mysterious demeanor got us wondering about the kind of music that intrigues him, so here’s what Izuan has to share with you…
Izuan Shah
What are the top 5 songs on your playlist now?
1. “Exiled” by SevenCollar T-Shirt. For me as a humble listener it represents everything good and great that there is to be appreciated about SCTS.
2. “Drama King” by Meet Uncle Hussain. This gave me goosebumps and it makes me feel proud to like local music. It is fearless quality and I really have to tip my hat to to Taja for his songwriting and production values. Padu + cun.
3. “Bingit” by Pesawat. They really converted me and made me a fan after I heard this song recently. It really reminds me of The Killers and U2. But for now I can only watch/hear this on YouTube and on radio if I turn on Xfm.
4. “Halimunan Abad Ke-21″ by MonoloQue. I’ve only heard it live and I hear it is being mixed. But the melodies are in my head all the time. I can’t wait, it’s going to be a something great. I believe they are a “padu” unit with a colourful live show and Loque is really starting to redefine “bunyi Malaysia”.
5. “Paku Hiba” by Stonebay. There’s something about them and their sound that sits just right. It makes me glad and proud that they are finally being heard on radio all the time! ‘Cos they rock and Ojie has an awesome voice.
What song/s pops in your head when…
You’re feeling lucky – Lucky as in? Ha ha. Uh, Imogen Heap, “First Train Home”. I always feel pretty good about myself after hearing Imogen lately.
You know danger is coming – “Mess of Me” by Switchfoot. I am not sure why. I enjoy their music but some bad thing always happens in the midst of their pretty songs playing. I hate how pure things are always tarnished but I guess that’s just a reflection of life…
You’re feeling annoyed – “Crystal Skull” by Mastodon, “Wrath” by Lamb of God or “Transfixion” by Meshuggah. I just turn these up and the stupid people turn to dust.
You wake up to a good day – “Wounded/Blinded” by Third Eye Blind. Alright I cheated, that’s two songs in one but Stephen Jenkins lyrics really speak to me right now for some reason. Both are equally good for waking up early to do chin-ups and to wake up my scraggly voice. Most times now I feel as though everyday is Friday and it makes me feel blessed and thankful so this is pretty much the morning soundtrack for now.
You’re experiencing stage fright – “Semusim Maya Di Bumi Nyata” by Auburn (upcoming). It’s true, only ‘cos we are recording this song at the moment! And I’ve listened to it over and over even though it’s an old-ish song. Drives me nuts ‘cos I kind of have to get every little thing right for the studio and also when performing it.
Which artist/album would you recommend for our readers to check out?
Wow…I don’t know. There are so many to be shared & recommended. But If I had to I would recommend the acoustic duo Shahridir & Nizam P cos their songs stand for a purity that is so hard to find nowadays. I will be trying to hear them play at Rock the World this weekend. And Robot Asmara ‘cos they are kind of exciting to me. Oh, also this one metal outfit, Caladrius, I heard their MySpace recordings somehow and it moved me, and anyone going to Radio Rosak this Saturday should see them and support their EP or something.
As for albums, check out the rapper Everlast’s new one, I feel it will open your mind.
Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009
Kugiran D'Tepi Pantai! - Invasion From Bintang Walk -
Fancy instrumental surf music with a touch of Malay pop yeh-yeh, Arabic, Hawaiian Pina Colada soaked-vibes, garage rock, 60’s spy soundtrack atmospheres and 60’s pop music all in one? Then you should check out Kugiran D’Tepi Pantai! at this year’s Rock The World. Led by Kombat (guitarist of punk rock legends, The Pilgrims), the band will surely get you moving to their driving guitars and catchy melodies. The band has so far released 5 albums since 1998, with the last one being ‘Invasion From Bintang Walk’ which was released in 2004. They will be playing at the Main Stage, so get there early and have a ‘beach-ing’ good time with these awesome surf-rockers!
Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009
Couple
Couple started out way back in 1995. They have been through a couple of line up changes and today the band comprises of Aidil (guitars/lead vocals), Arianna (guitars/backup vocals), Awang Masrin (bass) and Shahrin (drums). The band have been gigging very actively since day one and they are still going strong today. The year 2008 saw them playing more than 90 gigs around the country and Singapore for both independently organized gigs as well as huge commercial ones. Couple’s brand of Power Pop managed to capture a huge amount of followers among the indie music lovers even without much radio and TV airplay. A while ago, the band received recognition from Rolling Stones USA magazine for being one of the ‘25 Best Bands on Myspace’. When they first started out, they released 5 ‘underground’ demo tapes/CD-R demos before coming up with their debut album ‘Top of the Pop’ in April 2006. This album was then released in America by Sizzleteen Records and later on in Japan by Wizzard In Vinyl. They released another album, ‘Teenage Disc Fantastic’ last year and just recently launched their latest album ‘Pop Tak Masuk Radio’.
Couple is very well-known for their entertaining live sets and super catchy Power Pop stuff, so get down to the Indie Stage at Hypptunes Rock The World 9 this 26 December to rock & roll with them!
Monday, December 21st, 2009
The Times
The Times was formed in 2004 by ex-members of popular local independent bands like OAG and ACAB. Their brand of Brit Rock-sounding music has been making waves in the local music scene ever since they released their debut album ‘Soda Pop Rok ‘N’ Roll in 2004. They re-packaged the album in 2006 and came up with their 2nd album ‘Nada Melankolik Malaya’ in 2007. Their latest release was in 2008 – ‘Modern Minimalis Glamour’, which produced hit singles like ‘Khayal Khayalan’ and ‘Singapura Kuala Lumpur’. The band is very well-known for their infectious melodies and exciting live shows, so don’t miss their performance at the Main Stage at this year’s Rock The World!
Monday, December 21st, 2009
Bo
Bo first picked up the guitar at the tender age of 10. He then began experimenting with other musical instruments and by the age of 15, he started a jazz-rock band with a couple of friends and named it Seven. Bo’s songwriting abilities and passion for music led him to many other side projects such as CosmicSpaceMunkys (house/electro/down-tempo), Mr Fluff (house/electro/tech-house) and Bedroom Sanctuary (folk/acoustic) as well as Grandeur of Decibel. Bo’s credibility as a musician is also recognized by the industry as he is often invited to judge music and talent competitions.
If you’re in for some chill out sounds at the concert or if you wanna take a breather from the Main Stage and Indie Stage, be sure to catch Bo strutting his stuff at the Chill Out stage, and be mesmerized by his silky-husky voice!
