Stardust 2011 - Solo Category

Stardust 2011, lovechild of the lovely folks from the NUS Student Business, finally concluded over the weekend. To be honest, the somewhat modest turnout at Stardust threatened to dampen and hamper the spirits of those who worked hard behind the scenes but before the night was even over, you can safely say the performances redeemed them back! I was there in advance of time and was back-stage, you could see how the backstage crew were hurriedly scurrying along to their destinations, sticking to their duties to ensure the show gets running on time. Hosted by 98.7 DJs who managed to prep the crowd with their humor, sometimes at the expense themselves or co-host, the event was also boosted alongside judges like Inch Chua, Don Richmond and Amanda Ling.

The solo category contestants graced the field first and it was always difficult for Mhd Faizal being the first in line to come out with a bang. With a backing rhythm track that he designed of his own, I felt that it kinda backfired on his performance than actually helped to elevate the performance. It was confirmed by the judges later on. As the solo category progressed on, some of the contestants were starting to find their strides while the better ones were able to work the stage a little better and in general, impress the judges somewhat bit better.

Performances like Sufie who chose to perform a classic from Nina Simone captured the imaginations of the audience on that night. His performance would have done Adam Lambert proud if he were sitting in the crowd that night as his well-worked performance coupled with good dynamics onstage landed him second place afterwards. Laterwards I did manage to find out that Sufie is no stranger to such competitions as he has netted several top place finishings in other singing competitions so personally I'll be keeping a lookout for him in the namelist if I ever choose to take part in future singing competitions.

There were other contestants who also left us walking away with deep impressions - of course notably, Carmen Ang who eventually walked with the top prize. Music can mean very different things to different people, it can just be a leisure way of passing time or it can simply be merely confined to American Idol on Thursday or Friday nights. For Carmen Ang, it was quite a different story - it was her source of strength. Amongst the few originals that debuted on stage that night, Carmen's had an extra unfortunate twist to hers - recent passing of her mother. She delivered in an earnest and heartwarming manner - there were no questions about it, the lyrics said it all. This connection struck a chord with many in the audience and perhaps more in the front row where the judges were as Carmen walked away with the first place finish in Stardust 2011 in the solo open category.

The format that worked was that performances were scheduled to perform one after another smoothly. At the end of the 5th contestant's performance, the hosts would gather all the contestants who had performed and lined them up in front of the judges American-Idol style. You can check out their jittery faces below: (as well as shots of other contestants, credits to Joycelyn Ng)

Congratulations to Farah Erfina with her 3rd place finish, who surprised herself more than anyone else during the prize presentation ceremony. You can check out her performance alongside some of the other contestants which I managed to get footage of below:

West Grand Boulevard's Album Launch - Life, Love and A Loss for Better Words

What do DKNY and Flights Of Fancy? Wait a minute DKNY is a fashion brand right? Flights of Fancy sounds like a play scheduled at Broadway isn't it? Oh no, you're mightily mistakened. They are featured tracks off West Grand Boulevard's new album - Life, Love and A Loss for Better Words.

I reported for the album launch with a faithful fan of WGB on that day itself. I remember it was humid and sweltering en route to the place but it wasn't something The Substation couldn't fix. I was there in advance and apparently, the acoustics and small-sized of the Substation were proving to be quite a headache for the sound engineers. Turned out the drums were constantly overpowering the rest of the other instruments. The launch was scheduled to be at 7 but all that tinkering with the setting up of equipment led to a massive build-up just outside the Substation and it commenced only at 8.

West Grand Boulevard is a lineup boasting of five fellas Bryan, Erik, Jude, Dharma and Syed. Having journeyed throughout the scene for more than 6 years and have gone through changes in line-up (notably with Singapore finalist Daphne Khoo deputising on vocals on their first album), the album (with original singer Bryan) was overdue.

Indeed, it is heartening to know that there are true blue fans of our local bands out there and the scene could do with a lift like that anyday. Amterible, an up-coming local punk rock band opened for West Grand Boulevard at the album launch. It must be said that even though they were "warm up act", being able to open for the headlining act is indicative - It takes something to be an opening act, no one wants a party pooper. Amterible were everything of that and would be worth keeping out an eye for as they are bent on keeping punk rock alive in Singapore.

The night belong to West Grand Boulevard though. The fan energy levels surged through the roof when the quintet made their much long-waited appearance on stage, with Dharma doing his utmost to calm the crowd. When Bryan and the band came on, they were met with applause and whistles from the crowd. And they delivered. Sarah Wee from 53A and Claire Goh also featured in a couple of their songs and helped to complement with supporting keyboard and violin melodies.






For fans that have followed them throughout the years, it was a night of nostalgia that probably will remained etched in their minds for a long time to come. Years of work, sticking together, sailing through times of changes in line-up and aspiring to put together an album have finally bore fruit! After the set ended, the crowd refused to let them go away without doing an encore. And there were certainly no surprises - I found out in the best way possible that their album was sold out at the launch - I ended up with the last available copy!
Take a bow, West Grand Boulevard.

For fans that have followed them throughout the years, it was a night of nostalgia that probably will remained etched in their minds for a long time to come. Years of work, sticking together, sailing through times of changes in line-up and aspiring to put together an album have finally bore fruit! After the set ended, the crowd refused to let them go away without doing an encore. And there were certainly no surprises - I found out in the best way possible that their album was sold out at the launch - I ended up with the last available copy!

And I manage to catch Bryan for an interview while the band members were still high on adrenaline while signing autographs and posing for pictures with the fans. Check out the interview I had with the frontman of WGB, Bryan Gamboa below.

The launch is officially over and we're sitting backstage with Bryan right now! Bryan would you tell us how you're feeling now?

Bryan: I'm feeling really tired right now, bro! (in his radio DJ-perfect voice) It's been awhile since we did a full out 45min set but this one was really special. I feel kind of relieved that this thing has finally come together and the album's finally out!

How long did it take you guys to make the album?

Bryan: It took about six years (breaks into a laugh). This is technically West Grand's second album because the first had Daphne Khoo from Singapore Idol in it. I was still doing my National Service and she filled in for West Grand for a temporary stint. After that I came back, the album's finally out!

Walk us through the making of the album. What was like it for you guys?

Bryan: It's never easy from the start and we had to work very hard to pull through. There were many ups and downs and a lot of people dont always see eye-to-eye even within the band. We all compromise and it's like having a relationship with 5 other guys. It's the same thing that applies when you're in a relationship with a girl! (with a tinge of cheekiness)

Would you tell us a little about your personal self?

Bryan: My name is Bryan Gamboa, lead vocalist for West Grand Boulevard. Outside of music, I'm a fashion show producer. I cook as well every now and then, cause' I used to be a chef as well.

Where's the next step/stage for WGB after this second album launch? Touring perhaps?

Bryan: We're hoping to take this album regionally now that we physically have the album out and hopefully we'll get to start in the Phillipines again cos' we really enjoyed ourselves back then 3 years ago. Definitely get yourselves a copy of our album and thank you so much for supporting us!

"After hearing Flights of Fancy half a decade ago, each and every time I visited HMV, Gramophone, That CD or Sembawang Music, I just couldn't help gazing at the albums listed under "W" - hoping and waiting. Till now. Guess great things are worth waiting for." - rKnonem, Youtube

Music Matters Day 3 with Cheating Sons

The first that came to mind when I saw these guys setting up were: "Wow these guys are tall!" Okay maybe I may be vertically challenged but these guys would stay out in a crowd anytime. Renyi, Don, Andys (x2 there are 2 in the group) and Cheez represented Singapore on the final day of 3-day event Music Matter with Sixx admist many other performing international acts like These Kids Wear Crowns and Silver Bus.




Cheating Sons is a independent/indie rock-and-roll outfit which prides itself on home-grown Singaporean lyrics on top of a unique blend of rock and roll and blues. With variety of instruments like banjo to mandolin at their disposal, Cheating Sons seek to distinguish itself from many rock and roll bands that have came and gone by incorporating various elements into their stage sound. These of course involves talented musicians like Don and Andy who are able to switch and revert between the duty on bass while rotating between the banjo and the slide guitar. These lads, with the exception of their drummer (who's still schooling in NTU) have taken the plunge and gone full-time and full steam ahead in their bid in making their presence felt in the local music scene. Do check out the video interview I had with them down below:

In addition, a band that has come of age since 08' while experiencing lineup changes, they sporting obliged me when I initially approached them to take videos and a follow-up interview laterwards. Renyi explained a little about their background and how Jeremy, their former drummer, who went to the same school with Cheez (the guitarist) and him left to pursue his studies overseas. They now have an album "Masters, Wives, Daughter" to their name which was released just previously months ago. The motivation behind of the album seeks to strike at the heart of the materialistic and possessions-centric society of Singapore. The album is available for pick-up at HMV and Gramaphone! Meanwhile, you can have a listen at the videos I took on their day itself.





The video interview I had with the lineup:

Music Matters Day 1 with Charles J Tan

After catching Typewriter just moments ago and having an interview with the friendly chaps, it was going to be a switch up of pace to catching singer-songwriter Charles J Tan at Yello Jello next. You may ask - I don't think I've heard Charles J Tan before? Is he local? Oh yes you can definitely bet he's as homegrown Singaporean as the next man on the street.

To better put things in perspective, Charles was born and bred in Singapore but has since made the leap to green pastures in Australia. He has released his works ever since 08' and filled the shoes of being a producer, performer and manager. Before he gained the recognition that many accords him currently, he first started out by working his way throughout Australia's indie music scene without the natural support of a label or an agent. Charles tells of how he made his breakthrough in 09' when his breakthrough came in the form of Australia's prestigious Storytellers competition. For those of you not in the know, Storytellers is a Melbourne-wide singer/songwriter and this success proved to be a sign for better times for Charles as he scored again the next year with a spot in top50 Acoustic/Singer-Songwriter category in the MusicOz Independent Music Awards.






I managed to get Charles during the first day where he took to pure acoustic guitar playing with a supporting cajon player. With his trusty hat and ukelele, Charles was pretty distinguishable and during the introduction and shaking of his hand, Charles came across as someone down-to-earth and warm at the same time. Does it just run in the Aussies or what? During the set, I'm not afraid to admit that Charles' earnest performance evoked memories of glimpses down memory lane. A combination of nomadic folk style acoustic guitar playing littered with thoughtful lyrics was the way Charles rolled and by the end of the set, I can surely say I cannot wait for the next 2 days as he would be playing alongside a complete band line-up on an electric guitar.



As of now, Charles has just finished touring Singapore and Malaysia, playing up to a whopping 40 shows. If you've taken to Charles's singing and playing during his short 3 day stint at the Music Matters already, good for you. You'll be glad to know that he has released "The Pelham Sessions" which also includes a rhythm section of Grant Miles on drums and Ritchie Wong on bass. He has kindly allowed me to film his playing and upload it. Do click on the videos and continue to read on with the interview I had with Charles.




Hi Charles, would you tell us about yourself?

Charles: I'm a singer-songwriter based in Melbourne, Australia but I grew up in Singapore.

Would you say your career took off while in Singapore or in Australia?

Charles: I would say its half and half. I had a band in Singapore many years ago in Singapore and that was where I first started writing. I started writing for about 5 years before I left and most of the stuff released currently are based off that with the exception of one song that was from FIFTEEN years ago.

Wow thats a relic man!

CCharles: (Laughing heartily) Oh yes!

Would say you're trying to aim for a particular kind of sound?

Charles: I think for me, I've always done and written what is true from my heart. And I think that's what every singer-songwriter would do anyway! (Laughs) And I think that's cool because everyone writes differently and have very different experiences. Your sense of rhythm and melodies would be very different.

What tips would you give to fellow singer-songwriters who wish to follow in your footsteps and get to the stage you are at now?

Charles: Wow! I would say take it one step at a time and just keep practising. Whether its writing or just wanting to be a good guitar player, you need to go with what you want. Be the best guitar player or singer-songwriter? As for me, I've always focused on song writing. I've got like books and books of half-written songs and poetic lines. I'm always writing and I see that as practice. It can get very frustrating when you've gone through like 5 months of half baked songs and you feel like you have to push them out. In fact you don't have to because its just practice and sometimes some of these half baked songs can merge and become a new song on its own. My point is don't get too stressed over it.

Where do you get your inspiration from for your lyrics?

Charles: Its really strange cos' I grew up reading a lot of Shakespeare (and breaks into a laugh immediately). I'm a big literature fan. I was quite into the English language itself and I think a lot of it is taken from pop culture and magazines as well. It's not always from books but also from conversations as well. I blog a lot as well so that has been my canvass.

Interesting there! You actually with a trio?

Charles: Yes on the album back in Melbourne. The album is called "The Pelham Sessions" and has 8 songs, which I call it an EP. They were all recorded in the warehouse where I lived for in the last 2 years and its on Pelham St and thats why the naming. It's a unique space because its an old abandoned warehouse which has been converted into an apartment and its very rustic and Victorian. It's very big-spaced and high ceiling and the living room was big enough to be our jam room so for months and months, that was where most of our arrangement came together. We tracked the entire album except for one in that place. It was a time capsule in which we made music together and whether we continue to play together after that is a different matter altogether. The actual lineup was much bigger like a 6 piece band.

Oh so how did it become a trio eventually?

Charles: The saxophone player was in university and was affecting his work and he had to take a step back. With the saxophone player not around, the other instruments felt out of place - it's either you have or you don't. We thought to do away with the horns section and just focus on the basics. See what happens from there. It was very interesting because there was so much more space - it was just a different vibe together. That gave me room to develop to what it is today.

How is the music scene different in Australia?

Charles: Oh say for the Storytellers competition is run every 4 months or 6 months (if I recall correctly) and its almost like a singer-songwriter's version of Idol. The Storytellers is one of those competitions run by industry people who are not your idea of hobbyists, they actually make money from running shows.

Music Matters 2011 Day 1 with Typewriter

Music Matters is an international music event which is free and open to public and was held in Hong Kong previously. Singapore had the honour of playing host this year round with a total of more than 40 bands from Canada, Belgium, UK, Australia, China and of course Singapore. From the Singapore entourage, well-known local bands and duos like Jack and Rai, 53A, Typewriter, Cheating Sons, Sixx and Charles J Tan featured.

I just got wind of the event just the day before and looking at the line-up of bands set to play, I knew I had to get coverage on the event. Favourite home-grown band Typewriter was playing on the first day and they were the first band I managed to catch hold. When I eventually got there, perhaps it was Thursday, the crowd were hardly in sight. I was just muttering to myself perhaps the event was not getting enough coverage thus explaining the phenomenon.









A band which has journeyed for 10 years in the scene, the quirky and witty folks from Typewriter delivered Indian Head Massage in 2010 featuring hits like "Cry So Well". The album was originally slated to have been released back in 06/07 but was put off due to various reasons. Chang Kang who's responsible for the most of the lyrics in the album explained that they wanted a few last songs to bring a closure to the album while not forgetting to balance the chemistry and the tonality of the songs. Indeed, much effort and intricate thinking has gone into the making of the album as each track had its surrounding theme and "space". Say for example, "Cry So Well" like Chang Kang described was penned to encourage and spur some of his friends experiencing depression on. Check out videos of the set below as well as a not-to-be missed interview with the fine folks from Typewriter:




Check out the light-hearted video interview I had with fun-loving people from Typewriter:

Bridging the Blues Day 2 with Skunk Jive

If the event was a buffet, Skunk Jive would have been considered to be the perfect icing on the cake. The main course was good but no one could refuse desserts or extra helpings of it - Skunk Jive was every bit of it and more! By the time Skunk Jive hit the stage, it was around past 10pm and it seemed like some of the audience were ready to be calling it a day. Not Skunk Jive. Throwing in bluesy and funky numbers such as their original "Borrowed Time" (you can check out the video below), Kelvin "Smokey" Ng and the rest of the band managed to retain most of the audience, and even brought a standstill to some of the passer-bys.






Here's a Skunk Jive number which features frequently at their gigs "Borrowed Time". (videoed with permission from Esplanade and the band):



If you're still wondering how you might not have heard of Skunk Jive, then let me reply you in words of the own band themselves "We play the purest of blues in Singapore". Accolades include Jazz By The Beach@Sentosa, Mosaic Festival, Old Brown Shoe, Esplanade Waterfront and more. And notably Kelvin Smokey Ng who a fore-runner in the local blues scene, has honed his harp playing skills and impressed in venues as far as the holy land of blues music, Chicago USA.

"The sky was overcast, the heat sweltering. Guitarist Harry Manx was halfway through his set at the 2004 Chicago Blues Festival when he decided to throw the audience a curveball. Enter stage right: Kelvin “Smokey” Ng. As Smokey took a seat by the microphone, there was some halfhearted applause, along with a couple of groans. Just a day earlier, a Japanese samisen troupe in full kimono garb had played on this same stage, resulting in a muddled attempt at an “East meets West” blues jam. And now here was Manx introducing a Chinese harp player whom he had met in Singapore. I could almost hear the crowd sigh, “Yes, globalization is nice and all, but we would like to hear some blues, please.” True, I could have pointed out to these folks that thanks to globalization, you can indeed buy a Marine Band in Singapore. But I held my tongue; I knew Smokey would give them what they deserved: a rude and bluesy awakening. What followed was a hoodoo-drenched acoustic version of “The Thrill Is Gone,” with Smokey blowing some of the fattest harp licks heard at the festival. He took his first chorus, and passers-by were stopping in their tracks. I had seen Smokey hypnotize an audience countless times, albeit on smaller stages that were literally on the other side of the world. Now the stage was Chicago. Whispers rose from the crowd: “Who is this guy?” Manx was happy to oblige an answer. “That’s Kelvin Ng,” he said. “All the way from...Singapore.” And that, my friends, is how Smokey was introduced to the city of Chicago." - Ken Chang, who has written for Allmusic.com and Bluesrevue magazine.

Jason Benedict Cruz, the drummer of the band shone particularly at the event as well. He was talent-scouted out by Kelvin himself at one of the open jams at Crazy Elephant to join Skunk Jive. Slotting in as the drummer slot with Skunk Jive at the back of a mere rehearsal coming just days before, Jason showed flair, showmanship and groove in the execution of his chops. A drum instructor at Rhythm House which also houses Mr Mark Boatman (from Mean Jeanne and the Blues Machine) and Mr David McGuire (from Heritage), Jason remains a humble and enthusiastic musician at heart who's a firm believer in taking his playing to the next level instead of dwelling on his current achievements.

Hi there, would you introduce yourself?

Jason: Hi! My name is Jason Cruz and I play the drumkit. I've only being with this band for barely a month. I'm 27 years of age and I teach drums as my day job.

Wow you've got a long road ahead of you then!

Jason: Yeah definitely! It's my first foray into playing pure blues as it is. I have grown up listening to this music but never really had a chance to be playing it like the way we did tonight. It's a great opportunity!

Let me just say you were in your element tonight, teetering on the edge of being flamboyant but I think you really kept your playing right where it should be.

Jason: Big thank you!

Do you guys happen to be playing anywhere as of now?

Jason: For the time being, we're doing one-off gigs. We move around quite a bit, to places which welcome blues music. We've got heavy commitments outside and are unable to commit to any form of resident band gigs.

One final question before we let you go. Your take on our local music scene?

Jason: Wow that's a tough question. Over the past few years, I've been noticing as far as musicians are concerned, the standard is going up. Especially the late teens and early 20s. More of our local bands are slowly venturing out and touring outside of Singapore and it's encouraging! I myself am inspired to do likewise actually.

In addition, Kelvin's a firm believer in the nurturing and giving exposure to young, talented blue musicians. 17-year old Joshua Francis and 23-year old Bryne Leong were welcomed onto the big stage and certainly held their own against the big guns, while being nothing short of impressing the audience along the way. Here's a video of Joshua whom Skunk Jive helped to feature at the event.
(Do read on for the interview I had with Bryne Leong)



Other than young Joshua Francis, Bryne Leong was thrown into the limelight on the night. Read on to find out how he kept pace with the rest of the band.

Hi there, Bryne it was good playing there!

Bryne: Hi thanks! Its the 2nd time I'm playing at the Esplanade and its a life-long dream be on the Esplanade stage. Thanks to Kelvin who invited me to jam, whom I've playing and jamming with for quite awhile already. We did a few gigs together.

I can only say you're in good hands if you play with Kelvin.

Bryne: Yeah definitely, when I was 16, 17, I was watching Kelvin play on stage. Playing with him is really cool.

This I have to ask. Blues is not the preferred choice of many in Singapore. Why would you want to go down this route?

Bryne: As any other kid out there, I listened to a bit of everything out there. I listened to punk rock and metal back in 90s and 00s but when you look back further beyond that, guitar players were all blues. I mean Kirk Hammett plays the blues. Angus Young plays the blues. As a guitar player you would pick up from then. For example, guitar player Stevie Ray Vaughn and BB King, I've heard of them but not heard what they do yet everyone respects them. But once you're past that, you'll get blown away.

What do you think could be done to try divert the immense attention the top40s and radio hits musicians are getting onto events such as Bridging the Blues?

Bryne: The tricky thing here is that people want to be entertained in the company of friends and unless they're music lovers in the first place, they would not seek out an awesome playing band. I feel as long as there is booze and music, people are generally fine with it. Ambience noise unfortunately.

I think its a process that people have to slowly discover for themselves. Even more so when it comes to blues music.

Bryne: Everything in modern music came from there and even Lady Gaga herself. You can trace it back.

Well I'm not so sure about the Lady Gaga comment. Haha!

Bryne: Well Lady Gaga came from disco. Disco came from RnB. RnB came from motown and motown came from the blues! As long as there are people willing to hire blues and jazz acts, and these acts are good with people willing to enjoy the atmosphere that they put out, I'll say that's a good start in itself already.

If local acts are getting the recognition that they are deserving, they shouldn't be playing free in front of a public audience. They should be right where they belong - inside the Esplanade Concert Halls.

Bryne: I fully agree. If the bands are good, they should have greater monetary rewards. Playing music is not cheap. The instruments aren't cheap, the rental of jamming rooms, the practice time and the opportunity costs involved don't come cheap at all. If Esplanade could involve greater monetary incentive for the musicians, musicians themselves would appreciate it tremendously. Bars and pub owners should be willing to shell out more for bands if they feel bands can help pull in the crowd though its entirely at the discretion of the owners themselves.

Bridging the Blues Day 2 with Raw Earth

As the night progressed, the music at the Waterfront did not lose momentum at all with Raw Earth and Skunk Jive picking up where Heritage left off. It was a like a music 'buffet' going on man! Raw Earth, another local band featuring members from another well-known local blues band Ublues such as Danny Loong and Francis Chan, took to the stage next. Like raw earth itself, the band's style revolves a lot around roots-based music such as blues, old school music and good old evergreen classics. They immediately made their presence felt (with or without Danny, haha) with a rendition of BB King's classic Thrill Is Gone.








Francis Chan, whom many have dubbed affectionately as the "James Brown of Chinatown" also sang on a couple of songs on the set was met with nothing but plenty of cheers from the crowd. You might also want to look out for Surath Godfrey (from FAIIEZ entertainment) who sings regularly at several of the Timbre outlets. Here he's seen serenading the crowd with the band's rendition of the ever so popular "When A Man Loves A Woman".



Did that leave you hanging for more? You'll be glad to know they play on Wednesdays at Timbre Substation at 45 Armenian Street from 9pm onwards.