Kristal-clear rock sounds

NSUNT-SHOWTIME P1

13/06/2004

DON'T let the cover of Kristal's new album n.t virus fool you. Looking quite like a bunch of amateur schoolboys, it gives the wrong impression of the high quality of music inside the cover.

Over a couple of years, the young men, Mohd Razlan Mohamed Yusof @ Lan (vocal), Muhamad Rody Baharudin @ Rody (guitar), Izaludin Ibrahim (bass) and Johari Yusof (drums), sound so much matured than their previous albums, Pak Belalang and Semut & Lebah and this is reflected in their latest effort.

The album title was taken from the track Virus, composed by Joe Wings, a metaphor to describe their readiness to fight against all bad influences and viruses in the music scene.

A lot of energy was channelled into most of the songs that will keep rockers moving, especially the rawness of Kasut Terbang, with superb lyrics from Loloq.

Highly-charged emotions seem to be flowing in their sentimental numbers Saat Itu and Suatu Kenangan - two great examples of the development of their talents, although it was the catchy Hembusan Meniup, Hei Bambino and Bohemia La Rambla that got the head-bangers really charged up.

A noticeable evolution in their style of playing can be found in Cita-Citaku, with some of the most impressive guitar solos in the whole album that is sure to please rock fans.

The most impressive song in the whole album must be the remake of Keindahan Pantai, originally sung by the late M. Shariff and The Zurah's, where Kristal has managed to retain its feel and styling while improving on the music arrangement to suit their rock image perfectly.

It has been argued that they sounded too much like Wings, especially in the intro to the upbeat song Joena, which is no surprise since the album was produced by Joe Wings, with Awie as the executive producer.

Although this may not be a bad thing, it keeps Kristal from carving their own mark in the industry. - NST

Arthur, the little drummer boy

NSUNT-SHOWTIME p4

06/06/2004

HE may be a little drummer boy but 12-year-old Arthur Kam is one mean cat on the drums, having played with likes of Jackie Cheung and Sadao Watanabe.

And his talents were "discovered" when his musically-inclined family were practising for a Chinese wedding at their home in Petaling Jaya.

Their regular drummer called to say he couldn't make it so they decided to use the drum machine instead. When the song ended, they were surprised to hear drums beats from the other room.

"We were very surprised to see that Arthur, who had no training, was happily bashing away at the drums," said Penny, a piano teacher.

"I immediately thought `Oh no, not another one'."

Penny has spent more than 15 years helping her daughter, Genervie, fulfil her dreams as a professional pianist and violinist. Genervie is today an international musician in her own right.

"Most of my spare time, effort, energy and a lot of money was spent on Genervie. Just when I thought it was nearly over, Arthur started on his drums," said Penny.

So Penny did the needful.

She took Arthur to an audition to see if his dream was worth pursuing. It was. Arthur, at the age of nine, passed Grade 8 of drums with distinction under Rockschool's Pro Zone (Performer's Certificate).

He was the youngest candidate in his grade.

The Royal Commonwealth Society (Malaysia) awarded him a Certificate of Merit acknowledging his achievement, and the Malaysia Book of Records listed him as `Youngest Person to Complete a Professional Drum Course' in the country.

With mom, sister and brother Nigel giving him all the support, Arthur "graduated" to playing at live performances with professionals.

In December 1999, Arthur was invited to play as a guest drummer with jazz group CFace First', playing alongside Shawn Kelly, Greg Lyons, David Yee and Farid Ali.

It was here that he first met rhythm ace Steve Thornton, his future mentor.

After playing with Japanese jazz singer Keiko Lee's `Live in Kuala Lumpur' concert at the Embassy Club, Arthur joined Steve's "Afroasia", a group of about 15 members on various hand drums such as bongos, congas, djembes and various percussion instruments.

They played at the Emporium Grand Cafe for a `Brazilian Carnival', the `Miss Malaysia/Miss World 2000' pageant and at the launching of `Rentak Asia' to name a few.

Then, he performed personally for Martin Cohen, founder and chairman of Latin Percussion (LP).

Cohen is also a talent scout for his endorsement on his instruments worldwide and Arthur was chosen as the youngest Malaysian to endorse LP.

Then came the jam session with the world-renowned Watanabe, thanks to Steve who made it happen.

In April 2001, Arthur made his solo debut at the grand opening of the club Flux (now Atmosphere) playing a fusion of live percussions and house music with resident disc jockey Jungle Jerry.

He went on to perform with Hattan during the `Anugerah Industri Muzik 2001' and with Afroasia for pop princess Siti Nurhaliza during the `Juara Lagu 2001', live on TV3.

"Then, in March 2002, Arthur was invited to perform as a guest artiste for the `Jacky Cheung Music Odyssey 2002' where he played the djembe for two songs entitled `Hide & Seek' and `Not So Cold Winter'.

"He was the only guest artist for Jacky's entire tour. We were so proud of him," said his
mother.

Last March was a special month for Arthur. He performed on drums and djembe for the Malaysia Book of Records Awards Nite, where he received an award for the second time for his achievement from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Arthur has also worked in the recording studio, playing djembe on triple AIM award winner Reshmonu's `Day By Day' and the conga on `It's You That Matters' from his Monumental album, as well as the djembe on Byu's `Ilham'.

Currently, Arthur is pursuing Grade 5 Piano and the hand drums with world class percussionist Alonso Gonzalez of Colombia.

Check Arthur's talent when he joins singer-songwriter Pete Teo and others at the Persatuan Karyawan Malaysia Hotel & Club Artistes Division's Karyawan Musicfest today.

The show starts at 3pm at Planet Hollywood Kuala Lumpur. A RM15 donation at the door will gain you entrance and a drink. - NST

She just gets better

NSUNT-SHOWTIME p3

09/05/2004

ONLY 18, Mia Germain Palencia has developed her own kind of fusion magic, writes AHMAD NAZRUL CAMALXAMAN.

EVEN though she started singing at the tender age of two, Sabahan Mia Germain Palencia never thought about making singing a career.

Then, in a kindergarten state-wide competition, she performed a Chinese song called Butterfly and won first prize for her school. She was only four and that marked the start of a bright future.

When others were concentrating on their studies, Fourth Former Mia launched her first album, Double Take, with guitarist Roger Wang, an audio engineer and music producer.

This scribe first caught Mia late last year at No Black Tie, singing to Wang's strumming. She seemed, as expected, a bit nervous.

Then again, which 18-year-old wouldn't be if the audience's attention was focused solely on your musical abilities and talent? This time round, she was at the Kit Kat Piano Lounge at the Sheraton Imperial, Kuala Lumpur.

She was also evidently more confident with the crowd, and she had brought along a band. Not just any band, though. Grooveunction is a young multi-racial, multi-talented band with Eric Li Yuan (23) on piano, Rozhan Razman (24) on bass, Kevin Choo (26) on saxophone and Josie's son John (19) on drums.

But the leader is the legendary jazz guitar maestro, Josie Thomas, whose name must be synonymous with other local music legendary masters such as Michael Veerapen and Paul Ponnudurai.

With Double Take, it was just Mia and Roger. They gelled together perfectly. Her silky voice contrasting with his melodic teasing of the guitar. Now, with a band, it is a different matter.

"Now I have to think of five other people with me on stage. That's a lot of timing that I have to keep up with. Josie is quite strict when it comes to practice. It helps a lot actually.

"He helped me learn about jazz, about music, about improvisations. He lets me have more freedom to express myself, my music."

Drawing inspirations from Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Diana Krall, Sting and John Mayer, Mia has developed her own kind of fusion jazz combining vocal talent and musical magic.

Belting out hits such as Do For Love, Don't You Worry About A Thing, Michael Bolton's I Fell For You, Superstitious and Talking Loud, she had the audience were she wanted: clapping and cheering for more.

"When No Black Tie closed down, it was a massive blow to the local jazz scene. We lost more than a good venue. It was a launching platform, with all the support that came with it.

"Personally, what I would like to see is more fresh local talent setting up their own independent labels. You do not have to be with a huge recording company to make it big."

Grooveunction will also be playing at Alexis Ampang Bistro on May 14 and 15.

Meanwhile, Roger is billed to play "Roger Wang & Friends in Concert" organised by Jumbo Group and RAM Productions Sdn Bhd on June 5 in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

And Mia?

She has a solo album that she's working on.

"The songs are ready and I hope to get it out at the end of the year. "It won't be totally Jazz. I think it would be more me. More folk. I think."

A singer, a songwriter, a lyricist, a composer, a choir leader, a music arranger, a public speaker, a student, a teacher. It would quite exciting to see her progress in the next few years. - NST

`Under the Stars' Odissi dance treat till June

NST-CITY p8

01/03/2004

THE Sutra Dance Theater is presenting the Under the Stars series at the Amphi-Sutra till June.

The series is the brainchild of Ramli Ibrahim, the recipient of the Fulbright Distinguished Artiste Award 1999. He has performed extensively with outfits like the Sydney Dance Company in, among others, Australia, New York, London, Rome and other parts of Europe.

Ramli studied Odissi, the traditional dance form of Orissa which owes its origin to the temple dances of the devadasis or temple dancers. Its performances are replete with lores of the eighth incarnation of Vishnu, Lord Krishna.

Under the Stars will kick off with 8 - Eight Visions and Moods of Odissi at the Amphi-Sutra on March 13 and 14 by 18-year-old prodigy January Low, hailed as a `Sutra dancer par excellence' by many.

The performance will see her exploring works composed by Guru Durga Charan Ranbir, the Astha Nayika and Surya Staka, which are the highlights of her Odissi offering.

This will be followed by The Fountainhead - Homage to Odissi at the Amphi-Sutra on March 19 and 21 by Anusya Nair and Shubashini Kanagaratnam.

The highlights of their performance, Kedar Koumudi, Kunjavani and Dasavatar are among the works that Anusya and Shubashini learnt from Durga Charan Ranbir.

On March 27, 28 and 29, Nishah Devi Govind, Revathi Tamilselvam and Parveen Nair will performing Amour - A Love Affair with Krishna, which is an Odissi based on Krishna.

For tickets, call the Sutra Dance Theatre at 03-40211092/ 40229669 or visit http://www.sutradancetheater.com/. - NST

`Heavy' attraction for pub patrons

NST - City p2

26/02/2004

THE nine-piece band Heavy Machine performs every night except Sundays atthe Travellers' fun pub of Pan Pacific Glenmarie Kuala Lumpur.

The band members are Ida Susilawati and Noraini Omar on vocals, RusliMusif or Olie G (band leader /saxophone /percussions), Mohamad Yatim orRobbie Y (trumpet), Jesmee Buang (guitar), Mazlan Ismail (drums), MuhdArman Jonet (bass), Kamarul Zaman A. Ramlee (keyboards) and Abas HassanOthman (trombone).

Known for their energetic and captivating vocals, well-coordinatedchoreography, entertaining performances as well as close contact withaudiences, Heavy Machine performs in both English and Malay and theirrepertoire includes rhythm and blues, slow rock, jazz, ballads, dance andcurrent hits.

Incorporating original materials and innovative arrangements of popularsongs, the band has been performing throughout the Asean region, becomingthe champion group at Pesta Hiburan Kingsway in 1989.

Heavy Machine performs at the Travellers' pub from 9pm.

The pub is opendaily except Sundays from 5pm to 1am. Happy hours are from 5pm to 9pmwhile Ladies Night is from 9pm to 11pm daily. For further information and reservations, call 03-78031000 ext 7376after 5pm. - NST