nota bene

Keeping It Peel - John, But Not Forgotten: The Press

abcdetc@gmail.com — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 04:48:16 GMT

Thanks to Dino from Force Vomit (whose music was played by John Peel... and I never heard them on local radio) for getting this in The Straits Times. Thanks to Jon from The Karl Maka for scanning it in. Thanks to science for invisible chairs (as modeled by Grace from We GANG). Kevin for the photo. And John Peel for everything.

Keeping it Peel - John, But Not Forgotten: The Poster

abcdetc@gmail.com — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 07:15:27 GMT

The last person to have a mobile phone in Singapore (or so I was told), is phoneless again. The perfectly simple and old Nokia (kindly given by Grace & Kevin) died. Maybe it felt unloved. Or underused. Or too frequently forgotten and left behind. But I wasn't entirely unappreciative of it. For example, it certainly helped me speed ahead, disregard the dither-ers and make a few executive decisions to get next week's John Peel Day concert sorted within a painless hour or so.

I also did the poster myself, malu to impose on the time of design talent friends I know, and certain that other volunteers would never get round to it. The result is hopefully not THAT considering my suddenly-severe time constraints and a complete lack of software knowledge. I did it by using MS WORD (only just discovered one can change the background colour), cutting & pasting the text with a picture off the web, colouring-in unwanted white areas with a felt-tip pen, and enlarging the A4 original to A3. Unfortunately I still have managed to do a decent resolution scan. For now, this will have to do (only now I realise I forgot to put the time):

Keeping It Peel: John, But Not Forgotten
JOHN PEEL DAY 2008 Tribute Concert
Thurs 9th Oct., from 9pm prompt
The Prince of Wales, 101 Dunlop Street, Little India

Featuring:

• We GANG Yummy bubblegummers debut
• Jon Fong Rare solo appearance by half of The Karl Maka stars
• Etc Psychopop and bop

Selemat Hari John Peel Kita Semua

abcdetc@gmail.com — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 04:50:16 GMT

Oh it's October already. Hope you had a Selemat Hari Raya (1 Oct, end of the fast month). The next movable feast that I know of is next week: Thursday. John Peel Day. And start of the month means that a free magazine called LIVE! is meant to be available in the parts of Singapore where it's meant to be available. I hope to get a copy since a piece I ended up rushing out is meant to appear in it. I did it midst much hectica when I discovered they intended to run something inappropriate about John Peel that was cobbled-together from pieces of my own previous online Peel scatalogues. Hopefully what I gave them instead is preferable. Tell me if you see it around.

Keeping It Peel – John, But Not Forgotten

Ben Harrison from psychopop band, Etc. remembers John Peel – his all-time favourite DJ (and not just because he was the man who once described Harrison's guitar playing as 'noisy… but not too noisy').

For over twenty years of my life there was at least one constant I could count on, no matter where I went or what I did. I might have gone long periods without hearing the voices of my parents or brothers, but there weren't many weeks when I didn't manage to somehow hear the deadpan tones of John Peel, the pioneering British DJ who died suddenly in October 2004 – leaving an irreparable gap in the lives of his loyal listeners and fans across the world.

Peelie – as he's affectionately known – was already an institution when I discovered his show. At first I tuned in hungry to hear the reggae, dub and seemingly unintelligible rap of Jamaican "Toasters" he would feature, but before long almost everything he played suited me – especially since we shared an appreciation of twangy guitars, whether they were playing the blues, surf, rockabilly rumble, Zimbabwean jit-jive, Congolese soukous, or adding to the drama of The Smiths; overwhelming the songs of Sonic Youth and Jesus & Mary Chain, or calling the girls to get up and dance with Franz Ferdinand.

And then there was rap. And techno. And garage, gabba, grime, grunge and grindcore. Plus dancehall, speedcore and happy hardcore. Drum & bass, dubstep, ambient, country, folk and –oh– those heartbreakingly yearning 70s soul ballads. Not to forget the impassioned hollering of the riot grrl movement; or those cowgirls recorded yodeling all high & lonesome, long before your parents were born.

And what of artists like Ivor Cutler? To put this Scottish songwriter, poet and humourist in a category like "spoken word" doesn't do him justice… But whatever it was, it was all good to me.

Ask "What kind of music did John Peel play?" and you could reply: he played good music – or what he thought was good at least. And I still naively think that's the whole point. It sounds like a blazing simple concept to me. It's what I assume a DJ should do: play music they like. But I don't know how many working DJs actually do this. I certainly can't tell if any currently on Singapore radio even have any passion for music. Maybe they do. But they also seem to love the sound of their own voices even more.

And when evidence suggests that to be a DJ today requires a fake accent that no ordinary person in any country would ever normally speak with, we can assume that the likes of Peelie would now have difficulty getting a job on radio. Perhaps he did contrive his own radio persona for when he was on air; but if he did, it was a good one... good enough to make us feel like we'd lost a member of our family when John Peel died.

When the news broke I knew I wasn't alone in feeling like I'd lost a slightly befuddled but incredibly wonderful uncle. And I knew immediately that I'd miss him. He was an incomparable and sincere enthusiast – a man who didn't have eclectic taste simply for the sake of it, but because great music isn't limited to specific genres or countries. He wasn't concerned with the tedious pursuit of "attaining hip" (as one Singapore DJ used to flog on their show ad nauseam), his shows really were about the music.

I'm never quite sure what people mean when they tell others to "keep it real" – especially if they're vulgar, gold-drenched showbiz sensations whose sense of reality appears to have long since split. But if you're going to tell me to "Keep it Peel", please know that I already did. And I don't intend to stop any time soon.

John Peel Day is commemorated on every 2nd Thursday of October. And here is a Facebook Event page for how it's being marked in Singapore.

Re: "Chinese Democracy": Axl Rose: Goes Down On Top; Etc: Down, Not Out

abcdetc@gmail.com — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 13:19:26 GMT

Wikipedia's entry on, and relating to, the album entitled "Chinese Democracy" has apparently been amended from the aforementioned version (click here). As of this evening, a North American group called Guns N' Roses are on top, appearing more prominently regarding the reportedly forthcoming release of an album with this title. Information regarding the Etc album of the coincidentally same name currently appears in a section on the "Title Conflicts" of "Chinese Democracy" (click here) beneath a paragraph on a hoax by an American music group called The Offspring relating to the Guns N' Roses recordings:

EXCERPT:

Etc's Chinese Democracy at The Top

abcdetc@gmail.com — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 12:50:52 GMT

Having announced earlier this week that Etc would like to release their recordings of last Sunday's studio session as an album called "Chinese Democracy", it now appears that another group - one from USA, America, called Guns N' Roses - hopes to name their record "Chinese Democracy" too.

Earlier today the following could be seen at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Democracy (but it's not there any more):

Etc on Wikipedia Shocker

abcdetc@gmail.com — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 12:36:37 GMT

How delightful it was to discover that (since the middle of this year?) Etc. has had their own Wikipedia entry, however inaccurate it may have been. We owe the instigator a drink at the very least.

The show formerly known as Etc Goes to Hollywood...

abcdetc@gmail.com — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 03:23:35 GMT

...has been relocated to MCPA. Found this out by accident. Wonder how many more surprises (unsurprising or otherwise) await, especially since Etc's luck in Malaysia in 08 has been not good. Ratio of scheduled-show to actually-played-show = 4:0 (minimum). 3 shows scheduled for Oct and Nov.

Moither of God

abcdetc@gmail.com — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 12:16:58 GMT

Not that I had high hopes otherwise, but I am now pretty sure that the song "Chilly in the Wind, Elsie" was NOT caught during Sunday's live recording of the Etc album called 'Chinese Democracy (Vol i)'. One down then. But that's alright. It gives me more time to write another ten or thirty variations of the lyrics.

What I did manage to get right first time was the title, "Chilly in the Wind, Elsie". It comes from something that's been in the family vernacular since my Grandmother was a girl, when she would look after her sisters and Elsie, another girl from their neighbourhood. You'd need to ask my beautifully chuckling Great Aunt Mabel (one of my Gran's younger sisters) for exact details, but I've got it in my mind's eye as something that Elsie's mother would say to make sure her lass wrap up against the cold... somewhere on the Mersey shore, sometime between the wars.

I asked my Dad how the phrase went exactly (I sometimes say "Chilly on the breeze, Elsie"). He confirmed "in" and "wind" and then added: Put the pig on the wall to watch the band. Which made me fall off my chair.

Once I'd recovered from this, I asked what it could possibly mean. TajDad said t' put pig ont wall to watch band (as we say it): "implies wasting effort - casting pearls before swine".

Then he added another: Crack on daft and I'll buy you a coal yard.

Thanks Dad. Hellfire, am reet moithered now.

Etc complete Chinese Democracy

abcdetc@gmail.com — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 12:42:02 GMT

Have just been informed that Etc recorded an album yesterday. Without noticing? That must be quite a feat. We should do it more often if it's going to be like that. So that's what all those microphones were doing...

We knew that Bob wanted to record as we played at his place yesterday - but I wasn't aware he might have caught it all live, almost on the sly. The 'all' that he might have caught could include • exceptionally rusty strings on my laughed-at SG body/Samwick neck cheapie guitar • mid-song tune-up of low D when one chord sent it to some nether-note • fluffed vocals • out-of-tune guitar • standard Etc improvisation of some Etc standards • AND songs we never played before ... EVER: "Promise Me You'll Never Promise Me Again"; "Tajmall"; "4004 B.C."; "Hang Jebat"; "Curtains for Us"; "Chilly in the Wind Elsie" ... and unusually: covers: Couple and Undertones (antedote to the improv drones moments).

Weirdly we didn't bother listening back when we were done. Nor did we burn a rough copy. Some computer glitch is bound to wipe it all, or I will hear it back and think it unlistenable, but for the time being: Etc's debut album - recorded in 2 hours - is called Chinese Democracy (earlier in the day I'd decided this would be the name of my restaurant - concept being you could vote for your food but you'd spend years waiting for it to arrive). That American retard named after a rod passing through a wheel (from Old Norse ҩxultré) will just have to re-name his record 'Chinese Democracy ii'. Turd.

He should be glad that Etc even acknowledge his existence (Dancing to The Smiths' 'cop her in furs / I bet she prefers Guns'n'bloody'Roses') on our "album", so nyah.

abcdetc@gmail.com — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 15:34:02 GMT

Workcrap has not allowed me a moment of idleness. When am I meant to find time to record that one of my bosses spoke today of Velvet Parking (that's when some lackey parks, and later retrieves, your vehicle for you)? She mentioned it as we passed a local school named after a famous figure in Singapore's history. There's also a hotel named after him. Do you know anyone who went to Rifles Girls School?

‘Keep calm and carry on’

abcdetc@gmail.com — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 06:42:18 GMT

It says here that "this was a message fly-posted around Britain during World War Two, in order to prepare the public for invasion!".

I found this while researching various things at work. As I do so: I learn that the designers at work don't know what a letterpress is. And then 'David Brent Jr' gets alarmed to see me sketching on paper with a pencil. 'Why are you doing that?' I tell him *what* I am doing, rather than *why* I am doing it. 'But you don't NEEDS to do it' (genuine consternation). But I want to do it (amused at -what?- his burgeoning panic?). 'Why? It's not your job?' Tell him it's better than checking the same recruitment ad all day long.

'Good answer' I am later told by Indonesian colleague who Brenty lords it over.

Bassless Complaints :: Party to Ping's Picks at P.O.W. Tomorrow

abcdetc@gmail.com — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 06:39:25 GMT

Maybe you don't know Ping, but Etc does. And this is not a surprise because she is probably the band's longest-known appreciator; self-appointed consultant and motivator, and harshest critic (it bites worse when it comes from someone you like). She is, as she likes to remind us, our  best friend. And she's been away a while and we miss her.

So we asked her what songs she'd like to hear Etc play if ever she got to see them again. For one thing it would be interesting to see her choices since some of the songs are from, or inspired by, the movie of her life; and -who knew- maybe such a gig would help entice her to make a flying visit from her secret overseas lair.

And that's the story behind tomorrow's hastily-scheduled Etc gig in Singapore: Bassless Complaints :: Party to Ping's Picks at P.O.W. 06 Sep 2008 (Sat); Prince of Wales: 101 Dunlop Street, Little India (between Serangoon & Sim Lim), Singapore. 9.30pm till late

Etc also hope to a) present new songs that time didn't permit at their last Singapore show*; b) pay tribute to the memory of the wry songwriter Warren Zevon on the 5th anniversary of his death. For this YOU are invited to join in with your best werewolf howls and/or vamp a verse (one of Warren's, one of your own, or someone else's) as the Etc duo attempt live-karaoke backing of Zevon's biggest hit, 'Werewolves of London'. And if you don't know the words just remember: "Ahh-ooooo". You'll work it out. Main thing: have fun. This tribute was instigated by Zevon-expert and bestselling writer, Gerrie Lim (who may also be performing), while Etc is proud to announce that we seem to have secured the services of several bona-fide applicants to the forthcoming Singapore version of a TV show called Don't Forget the Lyrics. None of them have been called back since their auditions (weird, since they're sufficiently mad/entertaining to make for good telly). This could be a brilliant disaster.

* "come to think of it, Etc's 1st Aug gig was in honour of an Etc-friend too. How nice. Etc is a friendly band. Some of the songs might seem sulky (moody music, grumpy guitars, lairy lyrics...), but the gentlemen who play them think it's nice to be nice, and they deeply appreciate courtesy, kindness & friendliness. And thus, it is only natural that Etc should invite you to this unique soiree. See you there?"

Pedal Power Rangers Two

abcdetc@gmail.com — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 05:04:38 GMT

I wonder if I wrote about my Psycho Sino Cyclist Encounters hoping it might break the spell and prompt the gods to come up with some other uncanny minor torment for me instead? If I did, it didn't work.

Last night I still had to leap aside for two blokes going like the clappers and barking at each other in some guttural mainland language; except this time they did their swoop in a new locale and within a mere minute of my leaving work. And whereas I normally get to meet such gents head on, these came in from behind - maintaining radio silence until the very last instant.

If that wasn't enough I then met more of their comrades at the top of the hill. Same as always: a duo. Different: they were stationary. And staring. Intently. At me. Hoping to intimidate as if they knew I'd just written about them. Uncanny? For me, yes. A bit. Comedic too.

I then took a slightly different route to the bus-stop - a detail which surely explains why I had the jump on the night's obligatory neighbourhood patrol riders when I eventually encountered them. Completely rational explanation being: my different route threw their intel and recon and thus I found them dismounted and floundering up in the neutral zone of Rail Ridge. Didn't they looked disappointed when I heartily greeted them? Well, I've decided they did now.

(Things to do: watch 'The Bicycle Thief'; look up precise meaning of 'conceited')

Night Riders from China

abcdetc@gmail.com — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 12:34:05 GMT

How is that: no matter what time I head home these days (via Snake Pass, mosque and Malaysian railway tracks), I always encounter two cyclists coming the other direction? And not the well-meaning, green-minded, look-out-for-pedestrians type; nor the dedicated sports and outdoor pursuit sort, but apparently gruff maniacs who seem to be oblivious to anything in their way.

The prospect of another life-threatening encounter with these speed demons who swoop out of the dark has reminded me to type a frequent mental note-to-self, viz.: Learn how to say "GET A LIGHT" and "USE A BELL" in their language. It does not appear to have left an impression when I've uttered it in English and in anger.

I assume these dark riders have come from The People's Republic of China. Your suggestions (with foolproof pronunciation) are most welcome in the comments section below.

Gonna get a record by the Status Queue

abcdetc@gmail.com — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 09:19:48 GMT

I call it uncanny that in the last 18 hours I've witnessed THREE car-park barrier malfunctions – replete with fuming drivers, burgeoning car-queues & other attendant hoo-hah.

And this is exactly the kind of thing I might note in my Facebook "status" bar.

Count me in as an appreciator of this particular facet of Facebook. Looking back at my status lines from last week, I see one reads: "(tajmall) says your Facebook status is a haiku-sized equivalent of a blog". Admittedly it's more accurate to say "the equivalent of a haiku-sized blog" since these things might not bear the same dimensions of haiku – but hopefully you understand. And if you're far too sensible to bother with Facebook here's some of the news I saw fit to print (here with bonus material):

• I just found out that my cousin is taking part IN the Olympics. She's not just at them.
• I never wanted to be an athlete on account of having to have that kind of feet.
• I said in advance that I knew who'll win at the Olympics: sponsors MacDonalds & Coke – the same guys who also bring you Heart-disease, Osteoporosis, Tooth Decay and Obesity. Very sporting.

• I should compile a list of people who quote Etc lyrics in their Facebook status bars. I've been chuffed to spot at least four from at least three different people so far.
• I invited you to be the 10,000th person to listen to the Etc song 'Astrogal' on myspace (offer now over).
• I was nervous about remembering lyrics for Etc songs old & new that we played on 1 Aug 08.

• I want to invoice Formula 1 in Singapore for compensation for inconveniences caused. How much should I ask?
• I copped 1 sq km of burning paper smoke (it's the Seventh Month / Hungry Ghost Festival / 中元节 here) and, as I cough and tears stream from my eyes, I think: At least they *try* and make it smell holy in churches, temples and suchlike.
• I claimed that I tried to assassinate Rick Astley when he performed at SingFest.

• I was not allowed to correct ads for "4-POSTAL BEDS", "RACOCO ART" or a place with a "CONDUCTIVE ENVIRONMENT".
• I realised I've never seen Fellini's 'La Dolce Vita'.
• During my bad-ear days I was on Serratiopeptidase and Enhancin Co-amoxiclav w/ amoxicillin trihydrate: β-lactam antibiotic with clavulanate potassium, a β-lactamase inhibitor.

And apparently I tahan strange kang tau. Your translation of this is most welcome.

Etc :: Dream no Nine? No really nine, really

abcdetc@gmail.com — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 10:18:48 GMT

Nice stuff said by Kevin Mathews (who, amongst other things, wrote and sang bona fide Singapore classic 'My One & Only') shown below. But scratch the bit about gig-start time (and we'll live -w/ a nod & wink- with the capitalised "Etc" for time being)

The plan is to start at 9pm prompt - and play two sets. It's been long enough since we last played in Singapore, so why wait any longer? Besides, Vinita has a plane to catch.

From Power of Pop website: "An ETC gig in Singapore. Cool. Always fun to watch Ben Harrison dissect pop culture with a nod and a wink. It probably says 9 pm somewhere ~~but more like 10.30 pm".~~

Etc's Pre-show Press Perhaps Unimpressive (Given the Effort)

abcdetc@gmail.com — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 09:29:46 GMT

Am bemused. But not at all surprised. For all the enquiries and Q&A about tonight’s show from other publications – complete with requests for high-res pictures (that would be Des's heroic shot) and nearest MRT details (I had to think about that one), I don’t think much has appeared in the press about it after all. Still, cheers to Straits Times who are at least they’re more grammatically correct than me in the Life! section where it says this, deep at the bottom of a column:

ETC: BREAKING UP IN PUBLIC

Critically acclaimed band Etc returns to Singapore for a rare one-off show as it (sic) bids farewell to its bassist Vinita before she embarks on her own American tour. Expect two full sets of frontman Ben Harrison's lively self-styled "psychpop" originals, with hefty guitar melodies and bittersweet lyrics.

Prince of Wales, 101 Dunlop Street. Nearest MRT station: Little India, Tonight: 9pm, Free, Tel: 6299-0130 or visit www.myspace.com/abcdetc

Etc :: Breaking Up in Public :: Next Week on 1 Aug 08

abcdetc@gmail.com — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 09:00:49 GMT

Etc bid fond farewell to bassist Vinita, and happy hello to new drummer Harvey, with two sets of psychopop-to-bop-to scheduled, including Vinita's top pop picks and as-yet-unheard future Etc classics.

This will be the eve of Vinita embarking on her year-long (at least?) American tour. I did think there was a chance we were being over-optimistic with plans of hauling her in for this show - especially given time constraints and her health problems (including ear trouble to make mine look like a walk in the park) - even if was just to get her to do a duet or guest appearance. Not to speak too soon, but after a quick trip to The End of Studios, I'm happy to say that Etc is now scheduled to appear as a trio. It might be a while before this happens again. See you there.

NB: Current tajmall-made publicity for this event consists purely of screen captures of found-online images laid alongside text from MS Word. The brief for these is also that they should not take more than 30 seconds to create. Talk about DIY. I would have used glue stick and tape too but apparently there's not much call for it in this modern age. I am sufficiently chuffed with some of the results that I will post my own little gallery of them in the comments below.

Oh Tioman (Post Faizal Post Revision)

abcdetc@gmail.com — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 02:18:51 GMT

I didn't take this photo. But Faizal Deserter just came back from the Malaysian island of Tioman where he could have taken one just like it. Faiz overdid the ikan bakar in true Faizal-style while he was there. He ate five in one go before the boat trip back. Unsurprisingly, he got seasick. Small-fry perhaps since this is the guy who had to go to hospital for ~~sodium~~ potassium poisoning after 'accidentally' eating ~~500-ish~~ 400 fried bananas*.

Tioman is also the place that Hollywood producers deemed suitable to play the land of "Bali Ha'i" when they were making the musicial, South Pacific. And it's just occurred to me that in all the jobs I ever held, I never got to see ANY natural sunlight. There's either no windows or the blinds are down.

* : Since been sent two emails from Faizal:

#1: "a single piece of fried banana was 10 cents i bought 20 bucks worth. yea.."

#2: "i forgot, its not 20 bucks. its 20 bucks.. twice. yea. and its not exactly potassium poisoning. that's a layman's term. basicly, the body just cant process anymore potassium"

"Punks will never death"*

abcdetc@gmail.com — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 10:52:29 GMT

Punk? Not dead after all. Apparently the festival we're playing at has it sorted. That's a relief. I was worried there for a moment... except I'm curious about the Nazi the connection to it all.

* : adapted from a favourite piece of Singapore bus-seat graffiti that said: "HARDCORE WILL NEVER DEATH!"

Going North as My Hearing Goes South

abcdetc@gmail.com — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 10:21:00 GMT

The aforementioned bad ear days persist. So this weekend might be an interesting experiment in the aural research dept. Recent Etc sessions have shown that at least playing loud (not the cause of my symptoms I am told) evens things out. This way I drown out the interference that's created irksome whistles and clangs in my right ear over the last few days.

What I currently get through my right ear:

* a harmonized and pitched-up version of all I hear. It gets disorientating especially with all the high frequencies plastered across the most polished and radio-played pop hit ballads. These create an internal mad Free Jazz whistling accompaniment that's potentially tortuous.
* heightened hearing of high-frequencies FAR AWAY - even at low volumes. One of my colleague's is unaware that whistles under his breath. I've only just discovered he does because I hear it from about 20m away! He sits in his own office two partitions and one wall away from me. How's this possible possible? Last night, Whitney Houston on the radio at a Bkt Merah Lane stall drowned out the clatter, chat and radios of at least FIVE other stalls separating.

All this provides more evidence for my theory that there's a scientific reason why cynically-engineered SHRILL music is popular with the crass masses. MARIAH CAREY at a normal volume on colleague's radio: stood out a mile. Like dog whistles.

You want people to buy trash? Load the recording with jarring 1khz bits to wake their brains into temporarily paying attention to the white noise of the radio. Better still if you can get it a nano-tone out of tone (as shown by Kenny G, Celine Dion and the like). These little pokes prompt insensitive drones into briefly noticing music for a moment - and thus it is logged as being "memorable". It's a good trick.

Pity the effect tends to make me want to vomit, and thus incapable of enjoying many of the most massive selling records of our times.

True North

abcdetc@gmail.com — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 09:44:42 GMT

Deserters Concert Schedule for Sat, June 28th 2006

2pm: Urbanscapes Festival, Sentul Park
9pm: Soho K.L, Mount Kiara

Who knows where North is on the map below? I left my (annotated) usual at home. Generally not a problem since I tend to know my way around in central K.L. (and what I like to eat/drink I.T.A), and anywhere else: it's way off the map anyway and others just know how to get there. Tomorrow night I stay at Faizal's. Spartan bassist. When he stayed at mine he opted to sleep on titled floor -no bed sheet- with my chunky phone as a pillow.

Deserters June Jaunts #5 & 6

abcdetc@gmail.com — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 09:28:36 GMT

~~Etc June Jaunt #1~~

Alright for some. While tomorrow's long-planned Annexe Street Preachers show got canned, 3/4 of the scheduled bands managed to get other shows. Pinholes: sorted. Lightcraft and Deserters: both scored TWO for tomorrow. Even Annexe show instigator, Joe Kidd, played two sets in the last week - one with the esteemed Carburetor Dung (hoorah) and apparently another improv with Zai Kuning and a badly-disguised Chris Ho at the show named Vomit Blood.

Etc meanwhile has had to turn down two shows on account of previous commitments with Deserters in K.L. on the understanding that we had recording too and I was needed since other guitarist Bo was on call elsewhere. Now though, he'll be around since his other band, Seven, are on the Urbanscapes bill. I sighed when I typed that. Oh and recording is postponed. But at least I get to see what it's like to be in a band who get top Photoshop treatment for tomorrow's festival. Ugh.

Don't have Tinnitus (or) So I Hear

abcdetc@gmail.com — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 12:00:29 GMT

Woah the malady lingers. My right ear has been not-100% for over a week now. At first I thought it to do with an irritating gust of wind from a fan blasting behind me in the office. Cue for my superior (Brent Jr) to demonstrate his expertise in man-things, telling me to "equalize" like he does when goes diving (with sharks and James Bond girls with harpoons I assume). It hurt when I followed his instructions.

Since then I've heard (usually through my other ear) of syringing wax, alcohol swabbing and Vinita's recent and unexpected sinus surgery, but according to the Doc none of this is required for me, and -thank feck- it's not Tinnitus. It's caused by inflammation on the eardrum from the flu I fought off last week. Am told the darn thing made its way up a tube from my neck to my ear. So, my ear has a cold? It makes me wobbly. Ear-drops and pills. No swimming or flying permitted.

Latest development: tuneless pitch-shifting whistles triggered by shite Chinese pop being blasted by Brent Jr.

Reminder: This is the third time a Doctor has remarked on my ear canal. Usually these bend (upwards)? Mine: quite straight (horizontal?). Does this account for my apparently excellent hearing which is generally a handicap since I don't do many hunter-gatherer activities. It would be good if it could detect the sound of lost money, gold or cheap guitars waiting to be retrieved. Unfortunately it sees me cursed with the ability to detect Celine Dion or Kenny G recordings being played within a 1/2 mile radius of me instead. How my goat is got.

Deserters' June Jaunt #4 or #5 (Etc: 0)

abcdetc@gmail.com — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 07:34:29 GMT

New orders came in. Will still have Deserters mobilisation next weekend. This time for the Urbanscapes - "the city's first all-day creative arts festival". Held on Saturday, 28 June 08. According to the programme we're on at 2pm. It's at another venue I've never been to: KLPAC (Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre) in Sentul - as shown on this map here.