A new post

I'm writing this new post thanx to my best friend Mora, who is an avid blogger and recently suggested I had a blog to share with all my friends from around the world. I then recalled that I haven't updated this blog for almost a year.. which is a pitty.

Well, a lot of things have changed this year.

I am no longer playing with Jo Jo Ma since Joseph, the band leader, moved out of Taiwan, forcing the band to go into a forced indefinite hiatus.

Also, I am no longer the drummer for Underflow.
After four years of being together, we had to part ways, since my future in Taiwan is not so certain. It basically boiled down to the fact that I don't know how much time I have left in Taiwan, and they need more compromise and security from a drummer, since they are going very serious.
We decided on this more than a year ago.. so it didn't come as a surprise. However I must say I really miss playing with Underflow. All in all, they were my musical family for over four years.
Its hard to say goodbye to something you have worked on for such a long time. However, I also feel that going out was something somehow needed in my life. Some things (in fact everything in this life) are not supposed to last forever, and as my good musician friend Jose Duarte once quoted: ""Lo bueno, si breve, dos veces bueno""

However, I'm still playing.. a lot, or should I say I'm doing a lot of music lately.
The two bands that I'm playing with are GJ (Fusion) and Alma Itana (Gypsy Flamenco). Both great bands that I will talk about in further posts.

Cheers

Concerts for January

The end of semester will be full of concerts, as usual!

• Jan 1^st. (Fri) Fusion Jazz Quintet @ Roxy Jazz, Taipei
• Jan 2^nd (Sat) Fusion Jazz Quintet @ Roxy Jazz, Taipei
• Jan 9^th (Sat) Jo Jo Ma Quartet @ Roxy Jazz, Taipei
• Jan 15^th (Fri) Jo Jo Ma Quartet @ Sappho, Taipei
• Jan 23^rd (Sat) Jo Jo Ma Quartet @ Roxy Jazz, Taipei

All gigs start at 10:30 pm and consist of two sets. There is no cover, but a minimum charge.

Underflow won the 新光杯 (Shinkong) Competition! And I got the Best Drummer Award!

Its been a while since I wrote here. Probably nobody missed it haha..
But still, I have to keep it up!

Today I'm writing to give out a good news.

After two years of frustrated tries, Underflow has finally got the first price in a Band Competition in Taiwan. This year was the Shinkong Battle of the Bands which takes place every year in front of the Shinkong Mitsukoshi at Taipei Main Station.
A total of 20 bands participated, ranging from the usual Taiwanese Nu Metal - Linkin Parkish style, to the more innovative rock/traditional Chinese bands with Er Hu and flutes.

I don't know too many details on the award ceremony cause I was not there haha. I was getting ready for a gig with Jo Jo Ma at Sappho haha.

Well it turned out we won the first prize (NT 50.000), Eric got the Best Vocalist Award, and I got the Best Drummer Award (NT 2000 each). Not shabby..

Update: My trophy just broke into 3 pieces as it fell down to the floor of my room. I was showing it to my mom on the webcam :(

Underflow @ Malaria Relief Concert 6/5, Bliss

This is the info on the concert:


Friday June 5th Bliss will be hosting Malaria Rock Relief. This is a rock show to raise funds for the Karen Human Rights Group.
The Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG) is a small and independent group documenting the human rights situation in rural Burma by working directly with rural villagers who are suffering abuses such as forced labour, systematic destruction of villages and crops, forced relocation, extortion, looting, arbitrary detention, torture, sexual assault and summary executions. The vast majority of these abuses are committed by soldiers and officials of the State Peace & Development Council (SPDC), Burma's ruling military junta.

The group was first formed in December 1992 to help villagers in rural Burma to get their story to the outside world by translating their stories and testimonies into reports for worldwide distribution, accompanied by supporting photos and documentary evidence of the human rights situation. We also work to overcome outside perceptions of Burma's villagers as 'helpless victims' and to support their strategies to resist human rights abuses.

Currently the Karen are suffering from large cases of malaria.

All the funds raised will be going to medicine to treat those affected by this debilitating, deadly disease. The doctors donate their time and effort but require medicine to treat the people.

Entry is 250NT
We will have an informational video from 930-10pm. Afterwards there will be performances by Pine Top Surgeons
David Foster
Gross Fugue
The Belly Angels Dancing Troupe
Underflow
The Deposers
& The Sinister Sound Syndicate

We would like to thank all the artists and volunteers that have donated their time for this cause. Hope to see you all there for this great cause.

For more info go to www.khrg.com

Concert Frenzy!

So basically this coming weeks are full of concerts!
Red means new!

• 5/23 (Sat) 8:00 pm. Underflow @ Gunbao, East Gate, Hsinchu

• 5/29 (Fri) 10:30 pm. Jo Jo Ma Jazz Quintet @ Sappho, Taipei

• 6/5 (Fri) 10:30 pm. Undeflow @ Bliss, Taipei

• 6/5 (Fri) 11:00 pm. Jo Jo Ma Jazz Quintet @ Sappho, Taipei

• 6/12 (Fri) 11:00 pm. Giros Latin Band @ Bliss, Taipei

• 6/18 (Thu) Jo Jo Ma Jazz Quintet @ Sappho, Taipei

• 6/19 (Fri) 09:30 pm. BoPoMoFo @ Capone's Italian Restaurant, Taipei
  

• 6/20 (Sat) Jo Jo Ma Jazz Quintet @ Tone 56, Taipei
  

Jo Jo Ma Jazz Quintet Debut

The debut for the Jo Jo Ma Quintet turned out to be pretty successful.
The first set was a bit shaky, partly due to the late start and Kate's absence in the first half hour.
However, after a nice intermission and a couple of free drinks, the band seemed to have a more comfortable feel.

As expected, all of the musicians were up to the task and did a great job soloing and basically filling the room with flavour-filled chops.

As to my drumming, well, this was my first real jazz gig, and even though I felt pretty comfortable most of the time, I know that my jazz skills are as mature as a 3-day-old gestating embryo.
Hopefully after this great experience with JJM I will become a fetus, or who knows, maybe a baby :)

Thanx to the people that came! You know who you are hihi... and sorry for the unusually high minimum fee at Sappho.. wish it was up to me to decide!

Some humour for/against drummers

So, in the music world, apparently we drummers are looked down upon as the... least musicians. In other words, we are basically pot-hitting monkeys.

Instead of fighting against this rather inaccurate and harsh (by the way) notion, I would like to share with you a couple of jokes I heard from some real (no sarcasm intended. They are very much real) musicians over at University of North Texas while visiting my good friend Daniel.

They are actually quite funny:

• Q: How do you call a drummer that just got dumped by his girlfriend?
• A: Homeless. (ouch!)

• Q: How do you call a guy that hangs out with musicians?
• A: A drummer.
  

:)