Liang and Deja Voodoo

Liang - 8 oz of Soul

A few days ago, my mate Liang had a video shoot for his debut album '8 oz of Soul'. The track which was chosen was his chart-climbing single 'Show Me Watcha Got', a very groovy amalgamaton of R&B beats, guitar rifts and soul flava!






I really have to hand it to Liang, he is one guy who definitely knows how to eschew the drudgery of corporate life...hahah. In fact, it wasn't too long ago that he was running his own restaurant down at Kemuning, after that he moved on and opened a futsal pitch in Sri Petaling all the while juggling his career as a musician. It sure beats wearing a shirt and a tie everyday to an office don't you think?

This is the man himself, with a cup of his 'miracle singing' juice. Btw he is from Klang and he loves Bak But Teh. Does it show?...hahahah.




In between his day job as a singing instructor, and his live performances in many of KL's trendy nightspots (you can catch him at Alexis Ampang, amongst many others), Liang recently released his first album to pretty good reviews. In shooting his first music video, a few of us were drafted to help him out (I was a keh-leh-feh, on a last minute basis...hahah). My girlfriend was involved in choreographing the dance for the 'basement party' scene, which turned out very well despite the lack of rehearsals.




Alright, there were a few rehearsals. But seriously, you could count them on one bemittened hand. On top we have Liang and the dance crew in their Adidas sponsored garb. Hmmm... Adidas sure seems to be the attire of choice for a whole lot of hip-hop artists. Why doesn't anyone go for 'Asics' or something? What do you mean it's not a cool brand??




Here are somemore photos from that night. I can't wait for the finished video to be out. Hopefully my face can be seen, although I doubt it (we wouldn't want to send the ladies into a frenzy now would we?...heh heh).


(above: Everybody now, Getting Jiggy With It!...na na naaaa na, nana nahhhh)


(above: Yikes, that dude is pointing some strange looking device at Liang's head!)


(above: This is the real 'Mou-Ying-Keok'. Jet-Li eat yer heart out)


(above: Hey look, there's my car in the background, and there's someone leaning aainst it. Argghhh!)

For those of you who are interested, you can get a copy of Liang's album at most of our local record stores (tower records, power station etc). Here's a video clip to whet your appetite. You can catch strains of the single 'Show Me Watcha Got' playing in the background.



Deja Voodoo Spells

Last night I was at Actor's Studio in Bangsar for the launch of Deja Voodoo Spell's new album. The launch was organised by my friend Francis, the owner of @19 records, the label behind the band. All manner of musicians, press and media people were present.


(above: Actors Studio, pre-performance)


I've never heard of this band before and yesterday was the first time I actually heard them performing live...but they were friggin amazing! At first I thought that they were gonna be another mat-rockish heavy metal band but boy was I surprised. True, their music did pay homage to heavier strains of rock (with their killer drum rifts), but they've managed to fuse it so well with other more progressive elements from a variety of genres such as funk and even blues. The end result is an amalgamation of grooves and beats which anyone could enjoy...well, almost anyone. I am sure my mom would complain that its just too loud...hahahah.




(above: A picture with the band)


I'm definitely looking forward to seeing more live performances from this band in the near future! It's so refreshing to hear a band which sounds so much better live. How many times have we come across 'manufactured artists' who sound excellent on CD but crap in real life eh?


(above: They are only a 3-piece band. The string musicians and keyboardist were drafted in just for this night)


(above: The launch consisted of music set-pieces interspersed with short dances and drama skits)


(above: A standing ovation *roar*)


(above: Of course, everyone was dying to stick a digital camera in front of the band's face. Me included..lol)


Now for HodgePodge....

After watching those talented musicians perform, I couldn't help but develop an itch to resume jam sessions with my band. You remember my band right? Well, I don't blame you if you have no idea what I'm talking about...hahahah. My band hasn't had a single practice session ever since we performed at the 2005 battle of the bands...sighhhh.

Ah well, now looks like a good time to dust off my electric guitar and drum sticks and head off over to Studio Akarkarya. Who knows, in time I might have some audio and video clips for you faithful readers to sample.

I bet you're cringing in your seats now eh...muahahahah