Urbanscapes 2008

Well, we'll be performing at the third Urbanscapes festival. How we were invited, at what seems like last gasp, with a little more than a week to the day of the festival, is a little surprising. How we were told that it's all supposed to be according to the number of votes for us is even more humbling.

Thing is we were never and never have been into music as competition and we're aware enough anyway of our shall we say, cult listenership, and we're indebted to each and every one of you guys, but man, to be voted for once is ... unreal. So thank you dear friends.

KLue Urbanscapes 2008 is at KLPac in Sentul West next Saturday, June 28th from late morning onwards. There'll be lots of art, clothes and film exhibits alongside the music (urbanscapes.com.my/map.html). We'll be at the Lawn Stage outside at 6.30pm, which starts from 1.30pm.

Come on down and hang out. Gulp. Wish us luck. God of Rock, we appeal to you ... shine down your light!

"The Endless Summer": Humble Origins

I think I remember when the chords came to me. I was just messing about with some awkward tuning which was impossible to play anything else in except for these four chorus chords. Hmm. Alright, any fellow geetar nerds out there, it's D-A-D-Bb-D-F ... go on, take it ... I dare you to try and play something with it. It was pure luck for me, I swear to God!

I remember it was a holiday, Hari Raya in fact. Surroundings were idyllic, on a little island called Damansara Indah. The teevee had a little movie on called "Toll Gate Girl", with Amy Mastura in it.

What I cannot for the life of me remember is why I found myself glued to the screen. I wouldn't have ever given a second thought to most things on local teevee ... but this one gave me a song.

Perhaps it was the Raya spirit that just has a way of sucking you in; perhaps I just felt a rare moment of liberation of having a house all to myself on a big celebration day and knowing that everyone else had preferred to go out and I would then be at liberty to make as much noise as I wanted. Perhaps it was the weird rush of pent-up thoughts and feelings you get when you're just idiotically in love with someone but at the same time kind of tragically unrequited, too (no, it wasn't Amy Mastura).

I've been having friends in much cooler bands tell me over the two or three years since that it's such a dumb title due to our country's equatorial conditions not allowing for any seasonal changes and therefore no summer, winter, autumn and spring. I tell them that it's about our and if they still insist on being literal dicks about it, that it's about our endless Malaysian summers, smartass.

And to the band Sugar Ray, whom I discovered had a song with an almost identical title to it (I wouldn't be surprised if there are others), I'd just like to say, we have a less-cheesy sounding version so there. Ha. I actually meant it as a metaphor for true love, crippling pain and all.

I was later told that "Toll Gate Girl" (dir: Osman Ali, 2001) is a classic, and the last great appearance by Amy Mastura. I'll have to sheepishly agree, if only for this song, which I'll be grateful for forever (I can't say that about all of our songs which I've written) ... so uh, thanks a lot Amy Mastura.

I can't wait for this to come out in any way shape or form on record. I'm sure it'll be soon. If anyone likes the song as much, cool. Well at least I know the person I wrote it for likes it back.

Next: Lyric sheet perhaps?