Poparazzi

BOYZONE fans are currently gushing about the new album, Brother, which features two tracks sung by the late Stephen Gately; but what’s making a lot my female (and some male) colleagues gush is new form of Ronan Keating as seen in on the cover of Attitude Active.

What’s also on his cards is being featured in a key role for content production company Ice-TV, which is currently in development for a new programme called Debut, a regional talent search for Asia’s next hot pop act. Yup, the Boyzone singer will host the show and play an integral role in mentoring the contestants.

“It’s basically a kind of Pop Idol show for all of Asia,” he told us. “It’s kind of going to be my show, I’m fronting it and I’m in the judging panel and we’re looking for some superstars from Asia. I’m not saying that I’m going to be like Simon Cowell, I’m going to be me, but that’s my role, should I say.”

But if you want to be selected, you’d better bring your game on. “You have to be serious about it. You have to work hard. It’s incredibly demanding. It’s not an easy job. So people have to be ready for it. I’m not going to pick somebody who’s half-hearted about it. If I’m going to give 120 per cent, somebody else better too!”

No news yet as to when the selection process, et al, starts, but the word is that it’ll be filmed and produced right here in Singapore. So Ronan fans, keep a lookout for this!

Tags: Boyzone, Debut, Ice-TV, Ronan Keating

FOR SOME REASON I’VE HAD PROBLEMS PUTTING THIS POST UP. BUT HERE IT IS NOW…

WHENEVER Kitaro performs, you can be assured of one thing: A hypnotic performance that transports you into a state of mind that can only be referred to as “whoa”.

Augmented by a performance from Jane Zhang and the Taiko drummers from the Japanese Cultural Society of Singapore (who are all Singaporeans by the way), Kitaro showed that he could still set the mood when he performed at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Tuesday.

In a blue mood: Kitaro tooting his horn

Calling on the elements

"I always wanted to be a rock guitarist"

Kitaro scored full marks for his parallel bars routine: Kitaro isn't above fooling around backstage before the show

Taking in the natural wonders at Sentosa

Watching the Taiko troupe at their one and only rehearsal

"Quicker than a ray of light, quicker than a ray of light..."

Kitaro running through the order of the song performance at rehearsals

Pictures by Don Wong and Chris Toh

Tags: Jane Zhang, Kitaro

WHAT happens when you’re invited to a festival, but have to pay for everything yourselves and because your costs may run into the tens of thousands and you’re a few bob short? Well, you organise a fund raiser that’s what.

Like Inch Chua did a few weeks ago, local band The Pinholes (above) were the highlight of Blazzin Saddles (sic), which is what their fund raiser at Home Club last Friday was called.

Although there were less people than the digits on my hands, the show, as they say, had to go on. And it started with The Rejeks, a power pop trio with psychedelic overtones.

They were competent enough, playing out a short set filled with catchy numbers. Because of the sound I could not hear what they were actually called – I could barely make out what they were singing. But it sounded nice. Definitely one band to watch out for.

If The Rejeks were diamonds in the rough, The Lost Hat were still diamonds in the making – coal just after high compression and heat, but not yet fully crystallised. The six-piece band performed a set of improg-jazz (improv meets prog jazz), something that I thought I’d never hear at Home.

By this time, the audience size had doubled to double digits but they were a little taken aback by this band. With shifting time signatures over bass-driven grooves punctuated by a xylophone, an accordion and a trumpet,  the performance was pretty loose, but you still had to give them kudos for trying. “They were brave to attempt that,” said one of the punters. True true. Full marks for bravery.

Then it was time for ETC to take the stage. Now, an ETC set isn’t meant for the faint-hearted. Mostly because they’re loud and thumpy and if you’re not careful, your pacemaker can go off.

Considering the technical gremlins that plagued their set, it was a great effort and a sizeable portion of the crowd – which now threatened to go up to as high as 30 people – thought they were the dog’s bollocks (that’s a good thing, by the way).

And then it was time for the headliners, The Pinholes, who thanked everybody for coming along and encouraged them to by their merch.

And they were good. Now you know why the festival committee wanted them to turn up at SXSW. Their set, which incude their song entry for the Youth Olympic Games, called Youth Of Gold, was biting but warm at the same time.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t stay for their entire set as I had to go the Media Fiesta event at Cathay, but what I did see, I did like. Hopefully, these guys do get to SXSW. And have a fun time there. And most importantly, learn whatever they can about being in a band and use whatever they learn over there for when they come back here.

Good luck, Pinholes! Send us a postcard while you’re there.

Tags: ETC, Home Club, The Lost Hat, The Pinholes, The Rejeks

YET another member of the American Idol alum is heading this way: Kelly Clarkson. Yes, the first Idol will bring her All I Ever Wanted World Tour to Singapore on Apr 27, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

“Even when I’m recording, I’m always thinking about how I’m going to do a song live, what I’ll be able to bring to it. I make records for touring — it’s my favourite part of what I do,” said Clarkson about performing. I’m sure seeing her live is the favourite part for her fans too. Tickets go on sale today.

Details: Apr 27, 8pm, Singapore Indoor Stadium. Tickets: $170, $145, $125, $105, $85, $60 from SISTIC outlets.

Tags: Kelly Clarkson

Okay, I’ve got me tongue back. Yes, this is NOT in the paper because of all the Oscar coverage et al, but now, I’m really going to tell you what a fun night last night at the Singapore Indoor Stadium was.

It was a fun night. No, really.

Now, I have to admit that I’ve been a little ambivalent towards concerts lately. I know, as someone told me before the show, it’s my cup of tea. Yes, sure it is (and I do like tea), but if you have to drink it day in day out, and that’s the only thing you drink, well, tea can get a little bland.

And yes, I’ve been feeling that concerts these days aren’t as exciting as they used to be. Bordering on boring, even. So I have to thank Paramore for bringing that spark back into my life.

From the get-go as the band members – guitarist Justin York, drummer Zack Farro, bassist Jeremy Davis and guitarist Taylor York – trooped onstage and launched into Ignorance, they put the pedal to the metal and never let up.

Leading the charge, of course, was Hayley Williams, sporting a short blonde cut, leopard “prings” tights and a Minor Threat tee.  She had more energy than the Energizer bunny, as she blazed through tracks such as Crush Crush Crush, Let The Flames Begin, Let This Go. The band’s sheer exuberance was infectious and everyone – including me – was on their feet.

And while the band was competent enough, it was Hayley who kept the momentum going. Even slow songs like The Only Exception (“our love song,” she called it) didn’t descend into maudlin moments, as the little firebrand of a singer delivery the lines with such sweet emotion. She even got the crowd to applaud Monochrome, thanking them for opening the show.

Interestingly, Crush Crush Crush was what was happening to the people in the front as the crowd surged forward. By the time the first three songs ended, more than 10 people were brought backstage to be treated. The other downside: That the band was onstage for just over an hour. Their setlist showed only 14 songs. Let’s put it this way: I was actually able to make it back home in time to watch Burn Notice on Channel 5.

But that’s small complaint to a fantastic night. Burn fast, burn bright, someone once wrote. That about sums it up. One thing I know though, we want (Para)more!

(MY BAD! This is what happens when you do six impossible things before breakfast. Error pointed out by Paramore-mad fans and duly corrected. By the way, constructive criticism and comments are always welcome. But calling people names like “douche” or worse is not. Hope you understand! Thanks for all your help!)

For more photos, pop to this link http://blogs.todayonline.com/poparazzi/2010/03/08/paramore-in-concert-like-wow-not-a-reviewp

Tags: Monochrome, Paramore, Singapore Indoor Stadium

I didn’t want to write this earlier because (a) I wanted to see if I would still feel the same way in the morning, or whether what I felt about the Paramore concert was just an “at the moment” feeling, (b) I really didn’t know how to describe the wonder that I saw.

Well, it’s been almost 12 hours and I’m still reeling from the concert last night. Really. I mean, just for the sheer energy of Hayley Williams – she had enough to power a small town, I believe. And I dare anybody to disagree with me.

“Great” doesn’t even begin to describe it. Hang on, let me check my thesaurus: Even magnificent, superb, breathtaking, amazing, astonishing, fantastic, brilliant, don’t quite capture the spectacle that was Paramore.

Hayley Williams takes “energetic” to a new level

I mean, I was on my feet all night and anybody who knows me knows that I don’t do that very often. (Mostly because I’m too fat, but that’s another story altogether.)

The planned Singapore set list

You know what, I’m going to cop out and say you can read the actual review in the paper; at least I’ll have some more time to put my thoughts in order (er, and the Academy Awards are starting).  I’ll just leave you with some first look pictures.

Because of Hayley's sheer exuberance, you sometimes forget that Paramore also features er, this guy on guitar...

...this guy who plays the drums...

Suddenly, a bright light came out of nowhere! Blasting him to bits!

...oh, yeah, and these other two guys

Hayley rockin out!

Who do you love?

Getting a leg up

Tags: concert review, Monochrome, Paramore

IS IT me, or does it look like Singapore music could be heading overseas in a big way this year? Seems like everybody is heading overseas (or as I like to call it, OS) for some gig or other. Here are some of them…

LING KAI.

Here she is, hard at work writing new material in Brisbane. Ha ha, I’m making that up of course. But she is currently in Brisbane, Australia, furthering her musical ambition. And maybe she’ll be recording new stuff too. More news on that later.

INCH CHUA and THE PINHOLES. In a couple of weeks’ time, both of them will be heading to the US of A to perform at the prestigious South By Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas.

ELECTRICO.

The trio are heading over to Bandung, Indonesia on Mar 20 for the L.A. Lights Indiefest, which will also feature Camera Obscura, Pesawant, Pure Saturday, Mocca, The Banery, Vincent Vega, The Trees & The Wilds, RockstarR ConspiracY and DJ Stepmag.

BHELLIOM.

The thrash metallers did a jaunt in Australia last year, and this year, will pop over to the Philippines as part of the Pulp Summerslam 10 festival on Apr 17 – with Testament and Lamb Of God. They also have plans to embark on another Asia tour this summer to commemorate their 10th anniversary.

FALL OF MIRRA. This metal quintet will head over to South Korea for the Asia Metal Fest, and then later go on their Prelude to Destruction tour, including Malaysia, New Zealand and Indonesia.

LA’DIES.

Again, it’s pronounced “la dice”. This Chinese metal band, who’ve played in Taipei and Hong Kong, will be kicking out the jams in Kuala Lumpur this May for the Dong Tai Du Festival.

Who else will be buying a plane/train/ship ticket? We’ll have to wait and see. In the meantime, we all can wish these guys well and hopefully, they’ll be able to get something grand out of it.

Tags: Bhelliom, Electrico, Fall Of Mirra, Inch Chua, La'Dies, Ling Kai, The Pinholes

Sammy Hagar seems to like his GGA

NOT content with just making guitars, Gibson Guitar, one of the top guitar manufacturers in the world, released its Gibson Guitar App (or GGA as I like to call it) earlier this week.

And guess what, it’s currently ranked as Apple’s No 1 Top Free App (or AN1TFA) in the Music category (knocking Pandora app off the top spot).

I know what you’re thinking: Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government.  Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony. Right?

But hey, the GGA includes a number of special features, such as a traditional chromatic tuner, a standard metronome and over 30 chord charts with finger markings to help the user. The app will be updated frequently with new video content so users of all guitar ability can improve their technique from the comfort of their home.

All this means that:  If… she… weighs the same as a duck, she’s made of wood. And therefore a witch.

Nickelback’s very stern-looking Chad Kroeger and his GGA

The GGA is available free exclusively for all Apple iPhone and iPod Touch users from the Apple App Store.

So say, yay man, to that!

For 21-year-old Amanda Tee, music has played a huge part of her life, ever since she was little. “I’ve always liked the guitar,” she said. “But it was only when I was 14 that I took lessons.”

She accompanied her friend for formal lessons, but her friend eventually gave up the instrument. Amanda though, continued on and, a year later, started writing her own songs. “It just felt natural to me, and I didn’t want to always sing other people’s songs,” she said. “Although if I heard my first songs again, I’d probably cringe.”

The singer-songwriter will be one of the performers at this month’s NUS Arts Festival, a prospect she admitted was a little daunting. “It’s a been a while since I’ve done originals, and I’m doing it with a four-piece band – although this will be an acoustic session,” she said.

“And because recently I’ve been doing a lot of solo stuff and playing covers, so this is one of the few times that I’m playing original stuff in an acoustic format and with a band. It should be quite interesting for those who are into acoustic, mellow, intimate stuff. They might enjoy it.”

And she’s already got plans to do more. An EP is in the works, although she said it was taking a bit longer to record because of her band members’ schedules. “I’m trying to get (my music) back on track. So maybe after the EP, we can have some months of concentrated gigs. And hopefully that can have some impact.”

Although she has no plans to go full-time yet, Amanda insisted she’s serious about her music. She’s even entertained the thought of going overseas. However, the main thing is to get the EP done. “We’ll see how the EP goes.  Hopefully we can make enough from it so that we can do a full-length album.”

 Amanda performs tomorrow at the NUS UCC Theatre Foyer, 7pm. Free.

Tags: Amanda Tee

THOSE who like the gig scene are really whooping it up – if you’re not already tired out from the sheer number of gigs (and we’re not even counting the Mosaic Music Festival). Here’s a roundup of highlights you can expect in the near future (unless otherwise stated tickets are from Sistic).

ADAM LAMBERT. The American Idol contender become the first artiste to perform at Universal Studios Singapore, in this invite-only showcase. Mar 12,8.30pm, Hollywood Pantages Theater, Universal Studios Singapore, Resorts World Sentosa.

* Fans still stand a chance to watch Adam’s exclusive showcase. Just buy the deluxe edition of For Your Entertainment. Only announced winners on www.adamofficial.com/sg on Mar 10, 8pm, will be able to attend this event.

BLAZIN’ SADDLES. A benefit show for local band The Pinholes to raise some cash so they can perform at the South By Southwest (SXSW) 2010 music festival in Texas later this month. Mar 5,7pm, Home Club, The Riverwalk. Tickets $15 (plus one drink) at the door. Supporting acts: ETC, The Lost Hat, The Rejeks and more.

* You can download their latest single Preferably off their upcoming album at their website (www.thepinholes.net). It’s free.

STEREOPHONICS (above). Welsh rock icons make their second appearance here. Apr 30, 8pm, Fort Canning Park. Tickets at $88 (early bird till Mar 31), $98 (from Apr 1 to 29), $110 (show day). For more details, visit www.lamcproductions.com

SUNDAY JAMMIN’ SESSION. Students from Lasalle College Of The Arts, get a chance to show their mettle. Their performance graded by a panel of judges, including a course director or lecturer from Lasalle. (FYI: This is part of their curriculum). Guest judges will also be invited from time to time. Every Sunday(until Apr 28), 6pm at Yello Jello, Clarke Quay.

TEARS FOR FEARS. ‘80s Brit band best known for hits like Shout, Mad World and Everybody Wants To Rule The World. May 4,8pm, Compass Ballroom, Resorts World Sentosa. Tickets at $168, $148, $128, $98. For more details, visit www.livenation.asia  or www.lamcproductions.com

TOM JONES (above). Another Welsh act, this time it’s singer best known for hits like Delilah, Thunderball and It’s Not Unusual, his collection of women’s underwear,  as well as cool collaborations with Tori Amos, Jools Holland, Stereophonics and Art Of Noise returns to our shores again. Mar 26, 8pm, Compass Ballroom, Resorts World Sentosa. Tickets at $358, $188, $128, $88.

TIMBRE ROCK & ROOTS FESTIVAL. Two nights of some of the biggest names in rock and roots music, including The Fray, Buddy Guy, Jools Holland (above), Gipsy Kings, Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club, Gugun & The Blues Shelter and our very own Blues Train. Mar 26 and 27, 7pm, Marina Promenade (F1 tracks behind Singapore Flyer). One-day pass ($108), two-day pass ($178), available from Bytes (www.bytes.sg), The Arts House box office, and Timbre outlets.  

Tags: Adam Lambert, concert, ETC, gig, Stereophonics, Tears For Fears, The Pinholes, Timbre Rock & Roots Festival, Tom Jones