Rock Diary
It is going to be a busy fortnight for music fans – here are some of the gigs playing around the city.

November 13: The Fringe Club is holding a post-Halloween party where the bands – Sea Monsters, Bone Table and Hungry Ghosts – are the ghouls with cool original music. The gig runs from 10:30pm till late – so put down $100 and be haunted by the music.

November 14: Cantopop singer Maggie Fu will be performing with Holic Jam for a mini live concert at Yo Park (B46-B48 Treasure World, Wonder Worlds of Whampoa, Hunghom). The show starts at 8pm and tickets are $80 at the door including one drink.
German singer-songwriter Maximilian Hecker continues with airy and melodic love songs on his latest album One Day – for a sample drop by Kubrick at 6pm. Email kubrickinfo@gmail.com with any enquiries.

November 19: Cantopunk five-piece Hardpack will launch their first CD with a party at CLIQ. They claim the album, which was produced by Davy Chan, may also be their last, and so are calling it Great Hits and urge everyone to be at the party – it may be now or never. The gig starts at 9:30pm with opening act Attention to Piss and special guests Josie Ho and Joey Tang. A ticket to the launch party is $75 with a CD.

November 20: Taiwanese singer-songwriter Crowd Lu finally lands in Hong Kong for a concert. He will be playing at the Hard Rock Café (G/F and 1/F, Silvercord, 30 Canton Road, 23751323) at 10pm. A dinner and concert combined costs $420 – a limited number of seats are still available – try your luck at www.hardrock.com.hk.

November 22: Shout Out by SHOUT OUT will feature Tonick, Los En Found, FBI and Gong Wu at N Set Music (Room 310, Century Centre, No 44-46 Hung To Road, Kwun Tong). The music starts at 8pm and advance tickets are $70 if you call 9220 2293, or $80 at the door.

November 23 and 24: Soler returns with their Free to Rock concerts at HITEC Star Hall. Shows start at 8pm and tickets are $380 and $180 from HK Ticketing, 31 288 288.

November 28: Arch Music will stage their first gig at the Fringe Club, where FBI, The Lovesong and Karat will also show what they’ve got. Bands start playing at 10pm, advance ticket is $100 from Fringe Club box office or $120 at door. Both price include a standard drink.

November 29: Music Gig presents Catacomb of Innocence, Killer Beez, Issimo, Zeitgeist and Bi-Luo-Chun at Live House (Rm L215, 3/F, Phase 2, Kwun Tong Industrial Building). Tickets are $55 at the door – email beyond38@hotmail.com for enquiries. On the same night at Warehouse Teenage Club (116 Aberdeen Main Road, Aberdeen, Hong Kong), Beijing metal sensation Ordnance will be firing their tunes to Hong Kong metal lovers alongside Tie-Shu-Lan, Adversary and Protoss. The show kicks off at 7pm and advance tickets are $80 from www.mindyourhead.hk or $100 at the door. Or go down with some post-punk sound with Life Is Killing My Rock N' Roll, where Closer, Albino, Laura Palmer, Downer and The Yours will play their new sounds at Phonograph (G/F, No 2, Austin Avenue, Tsim Sha Tsui, 2730 6622). The gig starts at 9pm and entry is $120 with one drink.

Heavy Tunes

Singer-songwriter Brian Hau weighs 190 pounds – a number he considers way bigger than what people usually perceive public figures to be. And that’s why the title of his latest EP is I am Fat but I am Happy. “At first, I wanted to name it I’m Imperfect But I’m Happy, but then I thought I’m Fat But I’m Happy is funnier and more direct. It stems from my realization that it’s perfectly fine not to be perfect, and it’s indeed these flaws that make Brian Hau unique.” The five-track EP and DVD combo – one of whose tracks is produced by Adrian Chan (Leslie Cheung, Faye Wong) – is a retrospective of Hau’s life after the release of his debut, Definition.

The first plug, Groove, is about how he felt after hearing Definition, the first song of his previous album, on the radio. “The music was inspired by a Canadian singer-songwriter, David Usher. I listened to his record Strange Birds that talks about being lost in the music, and I felt connected as I was at a point of feeling kind of directionless. The tempo and the ’80’s groove were inspired by a song called Ugly is Beautiful on his record, which is also about not being completely perfect.” While making music is his passion, flying around the world is his day job – he is a flight attendant, and Melt is about a venture into the Big Apple. “I used to see things very one-dimensionally, thinking things are always the way they are as seen. We all know NYC was hit by the September 11 attacks, but a few years later, the city is blossoming and people are indeed kind of nice. They don’t have that attitude we usually connect New Yorkers with anymore…” The lesson learnt? “Witnessing that led me to believe that no matter how devastated you once were, with enough time and healing, it will become all right.”

Catch Brian Hau with his new tunes on November 22 at the Fringe Club. The gig takes off at 10:30pm and entry, which includes the EP (a CD and DVD combo) and a standard drink, is $150.

Raw and Unplugged
Harry Hula, Hei Wong and Modern Children – you can catch them all at this month’s bc unplugged. Mark your diary now: November 20 at The Wanch (54 Jaffe Rd, Wanchai, 2861 1621). Show starts at 9:30pm and entry is free.

Hei Wong

Singer-songwriter Hei Wong and his acoustic guitar have been capturing hearts around the city since his 2002 debut release Begins… His lyrics are ardent and his melodies simple and brisk – bc talks to him about what’s new in his upcoming 11-track album.

How is the new album coming along?
The title of the album is Not Giving Up and the recording and mixing process are already done. The concept is about not giving up your – and my – dream and encouraging people who are also making music in Hong Kong to keep their chins up although the music industry is going downhill at the moment.

Tell us about the songs.
I actually love all the songs on this album a lot! What I can say is you can still feel they are ‘Hei's style’ of music but with a few extra elements, such as R&B, African style bongo/conga, boss nova and even grunge. There is a short instrumental track, an English song and I even played harmonica. My recording and mixing skills have also improved and people who enjoyed the last album will definitely love this one as well.

Can you name some of your favourite albums?
All Damien Rice’s albums. No one can compare with him for touch and the feel for music. And all Jack Johnson’s albums as well. The ‘Hawaiian mood’ in his songs and voice is a diamond for people who live in a stressful society.

If you could be another musician for a day, who you would be?
Kurt Cobain, as I wish to know more about him.

Harry Hula

One third of the quirky Born to Hula, Harry Hula is about to let the world know about the secret music he keeps hidden in a shoebox under his bed. Expect songs about “sentimental drunkenness, impotent rage against the state and the sheer bizarreness of being alive” – what he calls “ordinary things”.

A solo unplugged show – what should we expect?
I’ll still be little old me, but things will be quite a bit quieter. I’ll be playing a mix of songs – a few quiet versions of Born to Hula songs that people will know and a few acoustic ones we decided weren’t right for us to play. All the songs I write belong to BTH in a way but some of them just wouldn’t suit the energy or atmosphere we want for live performances.

Tell us about the set.
I’ll probably play Satellites because it always seems to go down well. That one is unusual for me – it’s the first time I’ve ever tried to write anything like a love song. I might play a song called The Dutch Boy and The Dam, which BTH don’t play live but will probably make it onto our EP.

Name some of your favourite unplugged albums.
Animal Collective’s Sung Tongs. OK, it’s not properly speaking an acoustic album, but compared to the rest of their stuff it is. The songs are so colourful and just plain weird, I love it. Also Nick Drake’s Pink Moon for completely different reasons – listening to that is like climbing into a dark hole… or down a well…

What about your music diet?
I try to give most things a chance, even if many people hate it. Right now I’m listening to two-tone ska, but I plan to spend the afternoon on the internet scouting out some good surf guitar music. Tomorrow I’ll probably be listening to Radiohead again.

Harry Hula’s proudest moment so far?
Our last gig at the Fringe. There was a bunch of people off to one side singing along with the songs. That rocks. Oh and having someone come up to me in a nightclub and holler the chorus to one of our songs at me over the racket. That rocks too.

Modern Children

Colourful is the word for Modern Children. The band consists of twin brothers, a member with other bands in Japan and Texas, and an audio-visual artist who plays violin – altogether that is Kenneth (vocal/guitar/bass), Jimmy (guitar/bass), ST (violin/programmer), Hin (drums) and Chih (guitar/bass).

How different will an unplugged show be from your rock show?
We have lots of unplugged instruments like toy-like accordion, a xylophone, little Chinese drums, rainbow bells and a violin, which are hard to use in rock shows. This time we can fully utilize them. Also we will play some indie-pop songs we have not played in shows before, and adapt some songs for unplugged versions.

Tell us about the set.
We will play the new Mongolia Song with Mongolian lyrics. Our vocalist Kenneth heard a traditional folk song from a kid when he was travelling in Mongolia this year and that’s how this song came about. The lyrics go ‘Nara nara shir shudder shudder tsasa’, which means ‘the sun please come, clouds go away’.

How would you describe the band’s music?
Colorful. We play different music styles and always go to two extremes: indie pop and post rock. Besides guitar, bass and drums, we play violin, rainbow bells and accordion, and sometimes add electronic elements into our songs. We cannot really name the band’s influences because there are just too many. But we like indie pop, indie rock, post rock, post punk and electronic. After our shows, some audiences have said our music sounds like Arcade Fire.

Five Favourites : Olynn Saleh

Olyn Saleh is a Malaysian club diva, a finalist in the Singaporean talent show Live the Dream and frontwoman for the seven-piece band Shagies.
What is your all-time favourite album?
Well, there are a lot but the one that sticks in my mind is Mariah Carey’s MTV Unplugged live recording of her first album Emotions. To me, this is by far the best she’s ever done. It truly features her amazing wide vocal range, which I envy.

Favourite club anthem of all time?
OK. I don’t have any in particular but Bob Sinclair’s World, Hold On rates pretty high when I’m on the dance floor.

Favourite diva of all time?
For me, it’s Mariah Carey, Gloria Estefan and Aretha Franklin.

Favourite writer of all time?
I don’t really read books but I’m definitely a fan of JK Rowling. She describes every little detail brilliantly to the point that I much prefer reading the books than watching the films.

What is your favourite film?
The Constant Gardener. But I have also got to say Xanadu. The storyline is kind of trashy but the songs were the best! In fact, DJ Stonedog and I have recorded a dance version of the ELO track I’m Alive, the opening song of the movie. Hopefully we’ll be able to release it next year in the lead-up to the 30th anniversary of the film!

Olynn will perform her debut single Rainbows, in collaboration with DJ Stonedog, at Volume’s two-year anniversary party. Go flamboyant on November 15, when the party starts at 9pm and the performance after 11pm. Entry is free. (LG/F, 83-85 Hollywood Rd, 2857 7683)

Fragments of Bella

From 1996’s Tales from Viet-Nam to last year’s Fragile Beauty, Paris-born Vietnamese guitarist Nguyên Lê has worked closely with vocalist Huong Thanh to Westernize traditional Vietnamese music and bring its beauty into the modern world. While the Ho Chi Minh city-born singer was praised by UK’s Folk Roots as “a voice that might melt glaciers and make deserts bloom with roses”, Nguyên Lê has been hailed for his ability to master music of different genres, from jazz to rock’n’roll. He talks of his coming performance for the New Vision Arts Festival.

Fragile Beauty is the fifth release from you and Huong Thanh – how has your music evolved through the years?
Our collaboration started with my CD, Tales from Viet-Nam, in 1995, which represented the first meeting between Vietnamese traditional music and jazz. The tunes there are the most well known traditional songs. This repertoire of ‘hits’ is not infinite, so we had a struggle to find more interesting traditional melodies to work on. That led us to compose some ‘traditional sounding’ songs. I think this time I took more risks in the arrangements, and Huong Thanh became more confident in this special experience of ours.

And in the live performance, how will audience’s experiences be different from listening to the albums?
It’s important to see that this music is happening live, which is why it’s very related to jazz. We improvise a lot; solos and instrumental introductions are longer and freer than on the record. The audience can enjoy seeing and hearing the live interplay between musicians, where some things happen on the spot, without any fixed conventions. And, of course, it’s a visual show too, with beautiful ladies in traditional dresses and a wild electric guitarist (winks).

In this coming concert in Hong Kong, do you have any favourite songs?
The last song Black Horse has become our favourite to end every concert since 1996. It’s a melody my mother used to sing me when I was a baby, but it is not a lullaby. It’s always a great moment of joy onstage, and the guitar solo part can be wild too.

About working with Huong Thanh – what was your impression when you listened to her voice for the first time?
In 1996 for my Tales from Viet-Nam project I looked for traditional Vietnamese musicians in the Vietnamese community in Paris. I was very pleased to find Huong Thanh because not only does she have a great voice, she was also enthusiastically open and curious to the unexpected experience of working with jazz musicians. In the beginning she knew nothing of jazz and she has really learned to enjoy this music through the years.

How does your cultural identity – a Vietnamese growing up in Paris – influence your music?
When I was a teenager I didn’t care about my roots – I just wanted to have fun with my French friends. Which is, in fact, how I started to play music: to have fun, without having learnt any instrument. I was a self-taught musician, but when I realized Miracles, my debut solo album in 1989, I slowly started to become conscious that I had to construct my own artistic identity together with my roots. This process never ends. This cross-cultural situation into which I was born has led me to a fascination with other cultures, which are present and very easy to meet in Paris.

I find your playing very tender and sensual. How would you describe your style and how did it develop?
Thanks, but like my friends say, I have two sides – water and fire. I always love to fully explore those two extremes: expressing the most tender emotions and burning the stage with a surge of raw energy. Of course some situations are better for one particular side: there’s more water with Fragile Beauty and more fire with my Celebrating Jimi Hendrix band! I never tried to develop this style. It’s just very natural, all deep inside myself. But I try to develop situations in which those two sides can expand.

Fragile Beauty will be staged on November 16 at HK City Hall Concert Hall. The performance commences at 8pm and tickets are $360, $260, $180 and $120 from URBTIX, 2734 9009.

Master Returns

Older is the better for Japanese saxophonist Sadao Watanabe. Active in the country’s jazz scene for the last five decades, Watanabe is considered one of the jazz legends of the island country. Since graduating from the prestigious Berklee College of Music in the ’60s, he stepped onto the international jazz scene with an appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1968. He has been advocating a message of world peace through his music in recent years and will be returning to Hong Kong after a seven-year absence with a blend of Brazilian and African music. See the great master on November 26 at HK City Hall Concert Hall. The performance commences at 8pm and tickets are $400, $300, $220 and $150 from URBTIX, 2734 9009.

HK Goes Jazzy

HK Goes Jazzy
The most painful part of any successful music festival for fans is deciding who not to see, simply because there are too many great acts to catch. The Hong Kong International Jazz Festival, to be held for the first time from November 16 to 21, is headed in that direction according to organizer Clarence Chang. He has been dreaming of such an event since the early ’90s when he worked as a consultant for a US jazz label, often taking care of artists during an Asia tour. “One time a musician asked me why I didn’t bring them to the jazz festival of my home town and I was like, ‘Oh damn we really don’t have one. We should!’”

Chang, who is also the owner of specialist jazz music store Jazz World in Central, is finally realising that dream this year. The six-day festival will see both international acts and local musicians on the bill, playing at a variety of venues – including Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza, Backstage, Lanson Place Hotel, Fringe Club, Queen Elizabeth Stadium and Sevva. The purpose is to introduce jazz music to a wider audience. “I believe jazz is an art form, not mainstream music. But I still think it should reach a wider audience,” says Chang, whose team is already casting their eyes on next year. “When we continue to organize the festival, we hope to emphasize the educational side more. We hope to have more venues, so different audiences instead of the same crowd will attend every show.”

But ultimately, Chang is excited to bring some of his favourite jazz greats to Hong Kong. The climax of the festival will be the two final concerts held at Queen Elizabeth Stadium on November 20 and 21. “I really look forward to see Alain Caron. I have never seen him before, but I have been listening to him since my early 20s,” Chang says of the Canadian bassist, who will perform with his own group featuring guitarist Frank Gambale in the second concert. “And he actually formed this line-up and will fly here especially for our festival.”

On the local front, the SAR’s own jazz icon Ted Lo will be performing on November 20 in Ted Lo’s New York Session with band mates of the early d’80s when he resided in the Big Apple. They will share the stage with Bob James and The Angels of Shanghai. “We haven’t played together for more than 20 years,” Lo laughs. “They will arrive a day before the show for the full rehearsal. It will be good to catch up and I guess there will be a lot of improvisation! They don’t know my standard of playing now!”

Lo knows most of the musicians playing in the festival – Yellowjackets with jazz guitar legend Mike Stern are another hot ticket to the festival. “Mike is a good friend of mine too… so it will be good to see him,” says Lo.

The HK International Jazz Festival will open with a free concert at the HK Cultural Centre Piazza on November 16 at 2pm. The two final concerts will be staged on November 21 and 22 at 7:30pm at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium. Tickets are $100, $200, $380, $580, $800 from URBTIX. Check out www.hkjazz.org for further details.

Backstage Love

Ying C Foo, whose name is known to Cantopop fans for his collaboration with Denise Ho, has recently released his debut solo album Fool’s Playground. The CD features artists like The Pancakes and Ketchup and showcases the producer’s talent in a wide range of music from blues to rock’n’roll. He will be playing with JOY for Ban Ban Backstage 1 on November 14 at Backstage. The show starts at 10:30pm and entry is $150 with one drink. On November 22, singer-songwriter Vicky Fung will take to the stage with an acoustic set of her all-time favourite songs. Entry is $200 at door, including two standard drinks. And to wrap up Backstage’s first anniversary, Audiotraffic will be playing a full plugged-in set and an acoustic set on November 29 starting from 10:30pm. Entry is $150 with one drink.

Underground Rush

Three gigs and 14 bands – it looks like the Underground is trying to break their record for the number of shows and acts again. On November 15, Underground 71 will feature Blaster, Chochukmo, Good Fellas and acoustic folksinger Erik Piece. You may get a chance to win a pair of tickets to see the Manic Street Preachers. Head to The Cavern at 8pm for the big day. Then go quiet on November 22, when Dorothy, Pedestrian, Forgot and the jewel of HK blues, Tommy Chung, will strip down for Underground 72 at The Melting Pot, starting from 8pm. The last show in November will be on the 28th, when genres get a little extreme. Metal powerhouses Eve of Sin and ThornSlaughter will be playing alongside Noir, Eccentric, Transnoodle and Poubelle International for Underground 73 at Club Cixi. The gig starts at 9pm. Entry is $100 for each show.

Newsflash

Hear more music with the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, the economy may be rough but you can still enjoy great music. Attend one concert in November or December and get $300 (6x $50 coupons) to enjoy at other shows throughout the current season www.hkco.org

More than Okay

Singer-songwriter Jeff Caylor grew up in Indiana looking up to the songwriting of the likes of Elton John. His debut release Okay was crowned by ChristianityToday.com as one of the top five albums of 2007. His music has been compared to the likes of John Mayer and his voice has been described as that of Seal – if he were white. Caylor is now based in Hong Kong to lead music in a church in Quarry Bay and he will be under the spotlight again at Fringe Club this month. Here are a few things he told bc.

Concept of his first album Okay and key tracks in it.
The album doesn’t really have a title song, though several of the songs mention the word ‘okay’ in a passing lyric. To me, the album is about life, pain, struggle and, eventually, hope – hope that things can ultimately be okay, no matter how lousy they are at the moment. I like all my songs, but if I had to pick a couple that people should check out first, I’d point them to Almost Flew and The Ballad of Jon Turner. Almost Flew has an airy quality that grooves along with a nice little acoustic guitar part and is about trying to fly but not quite making it. The Ballad of Jon Turner is a true story about a guy I never met. The things I heard people say at his funeral made me wish I had, though.

Being described as “if Seal was white that is what he would sound like”.
Someone actually said that about me on a review of my first CD last year. It’s a great compliment if people like Seal. I happen to think he has an amazing voice even if his music isn’t up my alley all the time. But I’m not trying to emulate him or anything. Honestly, it’s more about the song for me. If someone likes my voice, cool. If they like my songs, I’m much more flattered.
The DIY music video – an animation with clay – of Almost Flew.
I did it all myself. It took at least 80 hours, I’m estimating. As far as the process goes, I love the rush of coming up with a new idea. At the end of that video, I knew I wanted a climax and I wanted something cool to happen to the bird. I actually did an entire sequence of about 20 seconds of animation (over 200 still frame photos) that I threw away on my way to the idea of the bird diving into the drawing. Life itself is a process. We can try to enjoy it the whole time or we can choose to live for the payoff, which is what? The weekend? Retirement? Death? I’d rather make the most of the process (of both life and art) and enjoy it.

Learning Cantonese.
I’ve tried to learn a few phrases to be polite, but everyone keeps talking to me in English so I’m not as motivated to learn the language as I was when I first arrived. Hong Kong is actually really great that way. I love how easy it has been to go from being a tourist to being local.

The Jeff Caylor Band and Matchbox will headline the double-bill at Fringe Club on November 14. The gig starts at 10:30pm and advance tickets are $100 from Fringe Club’s box office, or $125 at door including one drink.