Lets talk about the support for local bands

[stalefish]

Commercial sense aside, many bands juz can't make it.... they think they're good....their friends think they're good.....but are they??

yes - they don't seem to get the fact that they actually suck don't they?


plus the fact that the industry here is small, much of this wrong attitude gets passed around too quickly.

at the end of the day, we're stuck with arrogent, self-righteous, narrow minded, less-than-average musicians.


pity our local listeners.

 

[guitar_phreak]

I totally agree with sticking with your own style. Its the way to go, you get ur break, good for you! You don't get it, at least u enjoyed doing it.

I'm not really anti-local music, but many bands here are really contented with the underground status. Most musicians are weekend warriors, people who are accountants, bankers, mechanics, technicians, engineers by day, but a rocker by night and weekends. So they not really unhappy about not making it.....all they need is that 1 or 2 hour slot per week to jam and become a rock star... (explains all the jam studios)

I think the oriental music idea is cool....something. Like the Queens, they were so different at their time...and EVEN now. Maybe pick up some new instruments! Like chinese erhu, pipa, flute and stuff....(for your info, this has been done in China already, a rock band with erhu and guzhen).

 

[Colarndo]

I tell you, someone should make a compilation of the best songs made in singapore by local bands and sell it to some big producer who can market it. Maybe each band can send their album and from there, a panel of "judges" will select the best. Than someone could compile it and send to some one who can market it on local TV ads. Sounds good?

 

[ashmorefan]

I think one of the biggest skills local bands lack is songwriting. I think it's possible that Singapore has the highest ratio of musicians (with respect to it's population) - and there are a few that are top-class musicians. The saddest thing is that this talent often gets wasted on poor songs.

I think the local music scene is getting better though. It seems to be having more events, especially with the success that baybeats is having. Hopefully through events like these, local bands can get some good connections with int'l bands and piggy-back off their success. It's a humble beginning, but hey~

 

[super_punk]

but before we talk compiling the best local music on CD, i have to say many bands in singapore don't even have a demo out! let alone an LP!!
it's either don't bother to write songs or don't bother to chase down local record labels or even better big name ones in the US!

 

[parablue74]

Ouch, so many problems with Singaporean musicians, they must be pretty condemn, wonder why they still talk about it.
I hate to comment certain things, but it is as i've seen it. I've seen many bands that have been gigging around for God knows centuries, but throughout, they don't even have a website, lest other things like advertising. I mean, if i'm a stranger to these bands, how am i to know about them in the 1st place.
Another issue i've seen so far, many bands just want to play their music out there for people to hear, it seems more fun and happening that way. But have they actually look deeply into their own music. It's not that the idea is really bad, but art is like that, many times you think it's done, it's not. If you'll really love your own music, you would want to give it that potential that it deserves. A song is like a seed that needs feeding, bet you won't want people looking at seeds only.
The other final issue i've look upon in many bands, especially underground ones, is the "I'm with you, i'm not with them" attitude. It's like they stick to their friends only and don't mix around. If that's the case then only their friends would stick to their songs, no one else. Wanting to build a good network means getting out of the peer horizons and knowing more people.

 

[Colarndo]

So much to say for a country where 99.99% of our music is imported

 

[buluhairy]

saw a band performing @ paragon last sunday @ about noon.
they were very good.
can't believe that they play their own songs.
can't really recall the name of the band though.
it's too long.
i think it was 'eugene moment ........'
if anyone know something about the band, please post a message.
don't mind paying to catch them again.
and the girl singer is really cute too. love the tees & the hair.

 

[momorockstar]

eugene's moment of truth?

 

[buluhairy]

somethin like that.
i think i'm in love with the girl.

 

[HeartRockSingapore]

let me pick up on parablue74 wrote, tell you frankly, there really seems to be a lot of words. I do not think that local bands or underground bands deserve much of the allegations.

Let's face it, not all bands clamour for fame as some bands do. there is this one thing people call "hobby", meaning just for fun, and most of local bands are hobby bands, members gainfully employed and putting in that additional life's hours doiong what they enjoy to do. and mind you, enjoyment is subjective, unique to each individual. Again what is looking deeply into one's music? What is the arts? Who sets the benchmark and who judges? We always believe that we are better than others, isn't that true? And it's a fact of life that some people likes to align with the people they like to be with and others align themselves to a different species. We cannot blame others for not wanting to fren when we don't go about frening others.

 

[buluhairy]

Spot on HeartRockSingapore!
I couldn't say much better.

 

[parablue74]

Hi HeartRock Singapore,
Is it Kan Anthony there?? hehe
Anyhow, yep, it is subjective among everyone what they intend their band to go for. If they are just a hobby band, then so be it, that's how far their ambition prevails, they need not publicise much nor venture to bring their demo out. Even if they don't do well, it's ok, it's their hobby.
But for those who really want their music heard, then hope they do know what they are getting themselves to. There is no marking point in this industry, no one says that if ya put in 2 months on a song, ya get a pass or distinction. Sometimes, even if they put in every effort they can, they still do not get accepted. It's a sad thing sometimes if it's looked upon this way. I'll speak from personal experience that i have came out with too many songs, and though to speak, my songs always sound great to me when i first compose them. It's just that "I own it!" feeling that occurs so naturally to everyone. But really, if i do sit down and try rewriting them or evaluate them, they do really get better. It's at this point that self-satisfaction do turn out in really bringing the songs closer to perfection.
And true enough, this method brings about more feedback saying "the song is great!" than just leaving the original uncorrected. There's always that temptation to show it out the moment one creates a song.
There are many bands locally and i won't stereotype them all. I think some bands have put in effort in their song arrangement etc... Sadly, they'll still "kicking the bucket of water". There were similarly quite a number of songs i've heard which could really go far if the members have paid more attention to the details before "jumping the gun" to show it out. Standards are really anoymous, and there can always be an excuse to give out for not trying harder in our subconscious, but the only person to lose is the creator themselves, when they put out their songs only to find out "I could have done better about it!". Maybe it's all about loving the songs that really counts.

 

[HeartRockSingapore]

Calvin Nam hi, it's me Anthony Kan. I can see the amount of passion you put into your works. Let's not be overly harsh to ourselves or to others. This is already a world complicated enough, but isn't it also the beauty of it? It takes many types of people to make up this world and certainly it takes many types of musicians to make up this music world. Not everybody needs to put in 101% of hardwork to get 99% of recognition. Some are just plain talented, others lucky. Yet again there are others who really needed to slaught like shit to come to 88% recognition. At the end of the day, the ONLY challenger is ourselves and the ONLY person we really need to be critical is ourselves. So long as our duty to ourselves is being satisfied and we believe the best had been done, DON'T WORRY & BE HAPPY.

 

[parablue74]

Hi Kan,
Well!!! Just hope my words do help those who intend to perfect themselves.
Anyway, howz life??

 

[HeartRockSingapore]

Calvin thanks. HeartRock is having an exciting time and a lot more exciting events coming out in the next couple of weeks. ppl at SOFT will hear about it as well.

 

[AvonRellets]

Local music had a boom period, around the early to mid 90s. The main reason, I think, for this is that local music got a lot of radio air-time. Zach's Trax, XYZ Rock, Big O et al. Now that the last bastion of local music Passion 99.5FM is gone, local music can only go down further until radio play is revived again.

We must remember that, being Singaporeans, we generally have this 'cheap-ass' and 'look-and-see' mentality. 'Cheap-ass' in the sense that most locals wouldn't even bother to go downstairs to listen to gigs like the HeartRock ones. Right smack dab in the middle of HDB blocks and the turn-out is pathetic. GG to gigs you have to pay to enter. 'Look-and-see' in the sense that people want to listen to local music first, sort of the way we like to browse in shops, before deciding to go for gigs and stuff. Hence the need for radio play.

I would think that the only way to get out of the curent slump is to get the radio stations to play local songs.

 

[veganbleu]

Personally i don't listen to the radio much except for news and i'm certain that whatever the radio plays i'm not interested in. I think for informed folk it's more internet radio now.
Would local radio really get things going? I doubt it. I'd much rather download their songs off their website or anyother place that they can host their stuff. In the states it's the college radio stations that spreads the local underground sounds, over here it's more like the internet.
While i don't doubt that some people would turn up for gigs if we had radio play, most turn up because they already want to. It's less radio play but rather advertising for the gig that get's people there.

 

[HeartRockSingapore]

Bands Who Performed at heartRock, What's Your Comment??

I'm happy that AvonRellet is at HeartRock to have noticed that the turn out was pathetic. I'm just wondering out of the 60 bands who have played at HeartRock for the last 10 months, how do they feel about being up there.

Could any of the 60 bands who had performed at heartRock give us at SOFT some form of indication please?

 

[parablue74]

Hi Kan,
If you want feedback, i'll gladly give it. When my band "Genetic Habit" went up there to perform, we though the equipment setup was great, though the MC wasn't pulling anyone.
The location however was dodgy and difficult, Lorong Ah Soo i mean. And the turnout was bad, only the musicians performing were there, other than that, a couple of HDB people.
Honestly, i'll love to help you out to see in what way can we really break into the crowd, but i'm really at a loss. Singaporeans are just so skeptical, uninvolved, self-centered, tense and quiet. Not the perfect type of audience that would make a performance interactive. I was in Melbourne for 5 yrs, my ex-band used to perform there. Even though we weren't that fantastic, the people themselves are already very expressive and charismatic to begin with. They would dance to any performance, get drunk, party and are always going for entertainment. And it's not just the caucasians, even the asians there are influenced by the culture and are really there to promote or pull people in. I once saw a busker playing, and people were gathered looking at his performance, and old people were dancing in front of him.
That kind of crowd really goes to motivate my ex-band in performing better. Since i'm back, and this present band is tighter, our motivation however seems affected by the quiet crowd often. What do you think would really move this crowd to entertainment;
Change the culture altogether??
Entice them with free stuff??