local music is......

..

just thinking aloud here.

why depend on the govt for help? i don't think that anyone should go to the government for help, esp when it comes to culture. culture should be bred and grown by the people themselves, that way the reflection of its people thru its arts would be more genuine. twist that around and it would not be as "real".

eg. if chinatown was allowed to grow on its own instead having the singapore tourism board developing the place, i think it'll get that "buzz" that our prime minister wants to have.

furthermore, the music we're making is commercial in nature, and has the highest chance of profiling itself and gaining profitability. a record label can easily pick an artiste up and groom him up into a superstar. all it takes is the money to boost the hype, get the music played constantly.

it operates differently for other media in the arts scene. your local esoteric arts group ain't gonna survive here unless its travelled around the world and gains world class recognition. that's when the govt, or some other big corporate sponsor, should step in to help expose them to the world. i should think that stef sun falls somewhere in between these two categories.

and i do agree that its sad that stef sun has to travel overseas to gain recognition first before we singaporeans recognize her. singaporeans just can't seem to recognize pure talent when it stares straight in the face. you gotta take a foreigner to tell us! *lol* but things are changing with the success of singapore idol. i should say taufik and sly are the only new locally bred artistes who gained popularity here first before overseas. this is truly a breakthough in recent times. there can only be more after them, if they're successful. my only fear is that if they continue to stay in singapore, their careers will be over once the hype dies down.
 
actually there are some local bands which is popular in other countries underground scene... really... they go on tours and stuff... like my precious and kate of kale....
 
..

or impiety!! they are world famous in what they do man.

i tell ya, all it takes is one new(s) paper report to take it all away.
 
..

not so... hard to believe, its still a free press in singapore, but they practise mainly developmental journalism, which supports nearly every damn thing the govt spews out.

its the readers man... the readers!!! rem what happened at the rollins band concert? one TNP headline... slam dancing is banned.
 
slam dancing aka moshing is banned??? NYAHAHAHAHA i dunno....i do it at most punk rock and hardcore gigs... if any of you guys that go to the elias cc gig...there was one part...MINISTER OF DEFENCE...i think...somone in the cabinet... was at the gig watching us young people moshing and seeing hardcore bands performing...he was smiling quite happy actually.... i hope he could like say it on the parliament thingy about gigs and stuff and how we enjoy it... niwae i always be the first guy to start moshing....hehehehhe...
 
ahahha...who cares...its only 2yrs fer me...wooohooo,...diet time fer me at NS...nyahahha...and the gig have cops watchin it...so i still think the gamen is closin one eye abt moshin...cmon lets mosh
 
Haha James! Actually we've been recording rather often nowadays, mostly 10am in the morning. So seeing how as I sleep at 7am, you do the math ;)

Some inside information; An employee of Esplanade who has a huge supporter and pusher of rock gigs at Esplanade might envetually be leaving, and there might be a decrease in the number of rock gigs held there in the near future.

The one thing that can help local bands most of all I think, might be their own perception of themselves. Oftentimes in the press, bands talk about the struggle and the lack of support for the scene. Whilst this is true to the large extent, the public is unsympathetic, and above all else; uncaring. The average man and woman doesn't give a damn if the scene is supported or not. Bands might need to focus more on the product/consumer relationship between the band and the buying public. In the end, bands need to give an incentive for the public to buy their product over an overseas band; a good enough reason for people to be willing to part with their money to overcome the stigma against local bands in general. This involves a very polished marketing approach, image, etc. It doesn't matter if you're metal, rock, punk, funk, etc. An approach that is undeniably refreshing and tempting that it will warrant a purchase. The music might even take a back seat to very precise and almost 'cunning' marketing.

I feel a band must be willing to invest a large amount of time into themselves, financially-wise as well. As some people say, if you don't believe in yourself, don't expect anyone to believe in you. Similarly, if you don't find the effort to invest extensively into yourself, lesser people will be willing to invest in you. And in weighing out the pros and cons that I mentioned in my starting post; about it being a very very uphill task for ALL bands in Singapore, it comes down to how much we really want it I guess.

In a way it's no different from thei deas of revolutionaries. Everyone who has caused a revolution in the people's thinking had to go through a few standard struggles. 1) Doubt and cynicism from peers 2) Convincing the public that his/her ideas are applicable to the current state of society. And whilst it's a task that requires an insane amount of self belief and determination to prove the world wrong; those that stick by it often reap the rewards of it. No matter how the odds stack up against them.

In fact, practicality is almost like the mediator to being mundane. It's our fear of failure that probably makes us not want to take a blind step foward, afraid that the cliff's edge is to come. Sometimes, a whole lot of idealism and a will to succeed goes a long way. Besides, aren't revolutions crafted from new ideas?

Levan
RONIN
 
For those who think what i'm about to say = nonsense... well, ok LOL.

There are many things which work against Singapore's music scene flourishing.

The biggest point i think is geographics. We are a small small society, surrounded by Malaysia, Indonesia and so on, of which none have English as their national language. Can anyone name a country (not state) as small as ours, with a thriving music industry covering multiple genres of music? The point is, we have a very small local market, and our neighbouring industries are further away than desired. Adding Jame's point, the problem becomes more apparent..

2nd point - Quality of musicians and bands. To me, alot of this has to do with social conditioning. How many people you know left secondary school to join a rock band full time? Personally I practice bass around once a week these days, and thats during my jam sessions with my main band. I'm sure others as well have alot on their mind besides music. Also, the typical parental contribution to a child's developing system of beliefs says :"Aiyah, dont spend so much time on music, studies more important. Cari Makan!"

Last point - Culture. Look at Nashville, Seattle, Chicago, Jarkata, Kuala Lumpur etc. Singapore is nowhere as unified as any of those places for many reaons. We are still searching and finding identities. Sidetracking, I think its hard to develop our own cultural traits within such a short time. Accepting whatever we have now, is even harder! Even so, where does the Local music come in? We are Singapore...We are Singapore..lol knnb lol
 
Lol. Indeed! haha.

If you guys haven't heard already, do check out Ugly in the Morning's debut EP. It is worth a listen, or a hundred ;)
 
What is it that holds back our local bands from being "known" in this country?

It is not a matter of changing the mindsets of Singaporeans towards local music, or the quality of a band. Of course, a substantial amount of quality must be there, but it does not necessarily mean that the "tightest" band will make it to the top.

Truth be told, most people get affected by the media- how much airtime these band gets on radio or tv, how often articles on newspapers and magazines are written on them. This eventually leads them to think that these bands are worth a listen, and would allow them to find out more about this highly-publicised band. Regardless of the genre of music the band plays, the media plays a huge role in winning over fans, like it or not.

In saying this, our bands would have to get a reasonable amount airplay (on the radio, perhaps) in order to reach out to the majority of the population. Face it, it is indeed true that most people who attend gigs are either the friends of the band/organisers or people who aspire to form a band and start gigging themselves- thus making it harder for these bands to garner more fans. It is each band's responsibility to aspire and work hard to reach their goal of succeeding in the local music scene, even if it means investing much time and $$ to get there.

A problem our local musicians face in Singapore is the high cost of living. This is mainly the reason behind why most of our stability-conscious parents insist on being "practical": which often means getting a degree/stable job first before pursuing your hobbies.

Because of the need to invest so much time and money into achieving their dreams, another question has to be posed: Where will they get the funding? Most would have to struggle with balancing their time between their band and a job. Unless they already come from a wealthy family to fund their interests, they cannot commit most of their time into producing and working on their music.

So is it really worth it to even try breaking into the music scene here in Singapore? With so many drawbacks, it would be a huge challenge to do so. Indeed, our local music scene here is flourishing, slowly but surely. Moreover, if the day our local bands are widely recognised in Singapore and the region (or even further, perhaps?), it will be even more difficult to maintain the interest and "position" our local music will have achieved, knowing how fads come and go so easily in the global society.
 
wat im about to say might be bullshit to sum but i agree

its the high cost of living.. and the juggling of jobs and band music.

heck i wud sleep on the streets if i have to to juz donate my time and effort to my band or starve.. but i dont think trying to break out here is a very wise decision to make.. i mean theres only wat 4 million people here and very little are into rock/metal/hardcore/punk.. dats y the local scene may probably never thrive unless the band takes their music with them overseas and try to breakout there. but then again its the costs and shit like that. maybe if u can send a demo tape to some big label or something. then maybe there might be a slight hope of actually making something rather than staying a poor musician with much talent but not enuff ears to listen to u. all i gotta say for now
 
ok BOSS!~! i will go to most gigs.....but punk rock or metal or hardcore only... NYAHAHAHHAHA what abou you?
 
what DO i have to do? lol.. people know i go to gigs.. all genre. im in a band that is happy and not complaining why the govt not helping us lol :lol: .. i help out guitar players in singapore in any way.. consider that one of my contributions to the local scene.. so what else i need to do ah pey?
 
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