How To Form A Band (And Not Kill Each Other Doing It)

(Kalau nak baca yg dlm BM sila klik kat SINI, tapi yg ni version translate direct ikut Google lah, agak kelakar, ahahaha!)

A lot of you kids have been asking me for tips on a lot of things, how to get a band started, how to get gigs, how to write songs and many others. Now I'm in no way an expert at these things, not even close, but I guess it won't be wrong if I write about what I think is the decent way to go about doing it. So here it goes:

1. Ask yourself WHY you wanna do this in the first place
This is a very important question to ask yourself, because the way you approach things will no doubt differ according to the reasons why you wanna do this. If you're thinking of becoming popular or a star in a short time, then maybe forming a band is not such a good idea, as personally I think it's a long, hard road, for most bands anyway. If becoming a star in record time is your reason, then it's not something I know how to do, as Couple's been around for 15 years now, and we're still nowhere near being stars! So maybe taking part in a talent/reality TV show might be a good idea. Hehe. But if your reasons include love of music, or a need to express yourself, or just to enjoy making music with friends, or by yourself, and playing live, and sharing an adventure, then let's proceed to the next question.

2. Ask yourself what do YOU like?
Some bands have democratic aspirations, yes, but I think it's normal for most bands to have one person, or at the most 2 persons, as the creative drive behind them. So, to these persons I'd advice them to just follow their hearts. I know a lot of people will answer, "I listen to everything", when asked about the music they like. But c'mon, even parents have a favourite child (even if they'll never admit it in public). So, be honest, and ask yourself what sort of music/genre(s) YOU like, and then go through with it. Remember the answer to Question 1 above? You're doing this for YOU, so have some balls and stick your neck out and show to the world - "This is what I love, and therefore this is the music I'm making - this is ME." Only then will your band have any shot at longevity, as only people who really love what they do will keep on doing it regardless of whether their band is successful/popular or not.

3. Do your research
Now that you've decided on what you like, delve into it wholeheartedly. Know it as best as you can. Devour as much as you can. Know/understand what makes you like it. Get a feel of how the songs are constructed. Explore the hallmarks and nuances of the genre(s). Better still, dive headfirst into music history. Make it a point to know as much as you can about as many genres of music as you can. At least that way you won't fall flat on your face, as you're less likely to proclaim that what you're doing is something 'new' or 'original' because the more you delve into music history, the more you'll realise that everything's been done before. But don't worry, that doesn't mean that today's music is worthless, because you just need to realise that there's a world of difference between paying tribute to/getting influenced by someone and plagiarism. Just be true to yourself, do what you truly love, and you'll be fine. Don't burden yourself with all this lofty, big ideas about creating something 'new', 'original' or 'fresh'. Leave that kind of worrying to pompous assholes who think so highly of themselves that they think that everything they do must/should change the world. Music is a reflection of your soul, and if you're true to yourself whilst making it, it will come out, and that reflection of your soul in the music you make is already something unique only to you. What more do you want?

4. Be humble (Part 1)
Being in a band, like it or not, is an ego game. So don't forget to be a human being. And don't forget that your bandmates are human beings too. Never forget that at the end of the day it's your band's 'sound' that people will remember and pay attention to first, not how great the lead guitarist, or the bassist, or the drummer, or the singer is. Depending on the kind of music you do, some players might have to restrain themselves more than others, in order to serve the band's 'sound'. Maybe less guitar wanking is needed in certain genres, or minimalist drumming needed in others, so I'm sure there will be some people in this sort of situations who might think they're better than all that. That is why it's very important to do your research, so that you'll understand the fundamentals of what you want to do better. Always remember that it's the BAND that's most important, not the members. So be humble, and don't be selfish, as the band is not yours alone. If you still think you're better than the band, then quit that band and form your own band, one that you think can better serve your skills.

5. Know your strengths and weaknesses
Again, be honest to yourself and humble enough to admit what your weaknesses are. And of course, be humble enough not to overestimate your strengths. When you start jamming with your bandmates, pay attention to each other. Try to notice each one's playing style. Make a mental note of what each person's strengths and weaknesses are. Better still, talk about it with your bandmates. That way, you can write and arrange songs around that. Accentuate your strengths, and minimise or try to avoid the weaknesses altogether. The most important thing about a band is that it has to be tight. A tight as hell band playing the simplest of music is still a million times better than a loose, all over the place band playing 'complicated' music. Going about being in a band is not so different from going about living your life. If you're weak physically but are excellent with numbers, which would you choose, being a rugby player or mathematician? Easy, right? So, just apply that same logic when you're in a band!

6. Know when you're ready
This is the most crucial part. You've now written your own songs. You've been jamming a lot. What next? This is where you really have to be honest with yourself, AND ask your friends to be honest with you. Maybe you can demo some songs and listen carefully at home, or give some to your friends for them to listen to. The most important thing is to really decide whether the material you have or your live performance skills are good enough to be unleashed to the world. Put yourself in the shoes of the listener. Ask yourself, if you're a listener and you heard the songs, would you get excited by them? If you're the audience and you're watching your band's performance of the songs, would you like it? If you think there's still work to be done after you asked yourself those questions, then by all means do work on it. There's no hurry whatsoever to introduce your band to the world. Most of us get only ONE chance to impress, so make the best first impression you can. A great first impression will surely lead to something. Luck may have something to do with it, but I honestly think there's no such thing as blind luck. I heard this great phrase in a documentary: "Luck is when opportunity meets preparation." And I really think that's true.

7. Be humble (Part 2)
Like I said above, playing music is almost always all about ego. You might start out just to have fun with friends, but what happens when you suddenly have 'fans'? Egos can easily inflate, and when they do you can easily lose sight of things. So, always remember WHY you're doing this in the first place. Again, your answer to Question No. 1 above is very, very important.

So, there it is kids, a simple guide on how to form a band, and not kill each other doing it! I hope it'll help a little bit. Maybe I'll do another post next about how to get gigs or how to 'up' your band? Hehehehe.

-aidil-

Couple UK Tour 2010

Yes, you read that right kids, finally we're getting the chance to tour the United Kingdom (without bankrupting ourselves, thank you) this year. The fine folks at Kugiran Negara Ke UK Enterprise (aka KNUKE), who last brought Hujan and then Seven Collar T-Shirt and Estrella to play a few shows in the UK in the last 2 years have decided on bringing us this time, with the help of Air Asia X as the airline sponsor.

We'll be playing 5 shows in the UK, 3 organised by the KNUKE gang and we've managed to get 2 other shows organised by UK promoters/venues, and you can find the details below:

The KNUKE shows:

Couple Live In Manchester
Date: 19th March 2010
Venue: Academy 2, Students' Union, Main Hall, University of Manchester
Opening acts: The Stowaways, The Beat Merchants, The Rays, House of Five
Tickets: GBP10.00

Couple Live In Liverpool
Date: 23rd March 2010
Venue: The Backroom @ Bumper, Hardman St, Liverpool
Opening Acts: The Stowaways, Shane Beales, Bernard & The Thrumptons
Tickets: GBP 3.00

Couple Live In London
Date: 28th March 2010
Venue: The Fiddler's Elbow, 1 Malden Road, Kentish Town, London NW5 3HS
Opening Acts: Someone's Daughter, Captain G
Tickets: GBP10.00

Additional UK shows:

Dirty Water Club
Date: 21st March 2010
Venue: The Stag's Head, 55 Orsman Road, London N1 5RA
Acts: Couple, The Sundae Kups (USA), Dylan Walshe
Tickets: FREE ENTRY

The Windmill Presents - Couple
Date: 24th March 2010
Venue: The Windmill, 22 Blenheim Gardens, SW2 5BZ
Opening Acts: No Cars (Japan), Junkyard Choir
Tickets: GBP4.00

Just to share a bit about the extra UK shows, Dirty Water Club is a long-standing monthly garage rock night regularly held in London since 1996, which has hosted garage rock legends like The Monks, Billy Childish, The Cynics, Radio Birdman, The Stems, The Lime Spiders up to current garage rock stars like The White Stripes, The Black Lips and King Khan & The Shrines, and we are very proud to be invited to play this legendary garage rock night and hope to rock the faces off everyone in attendance. So if you're in London then, do drop by and check us out!

The Windmill Brixton, is a small London venue (named by The Independent newspaper as one of the Top 10 Venues In The UK) that's made quite a name for itself for the high quality bands they book for the venue, which has seen performances by everyone from legends like Stereolab, Daniel Johnston and Shonen Knife to current hip bands like Bloc Party, The Cribs, OK Go, The Magic Numbers, Hot Chip, Los Campesinos!, The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, The Pippettes, The Spinto Band, Yeasayer and so many more, and we're so very proud to be considered good enough to headline a show at this venue by the owners/promoters there.

They had this to say about us on their website (which you can read in full HERE, just go to the 24th March listing to read): "Couple describe their music as 'happy, clappy and not crappy', but, even so, the quality and exuberance of this took us completely by surprise and we booked them in rightaway... While the band tend to drop kudos to the likes of The Beach Boys, Big Star, The Who, The Raspberries, The Beat, The Rooks, and Weezer, we can also hear bits of such legendary bands like The Smoking Popes and Superchunk in there."

So, if you're in the area at the time of these gigs (even if you aren't the UK's not that big right, so just come!), please do drop by, tell all your friends to come too, and let's all have blasting good time and rawk our hearts out together. We look forward to seeing all of you there!.Rock n roll, and Malaysia boleh!!

-aidil-

Number 1!

Pagi ni mcm kebanyakan pagi yg lain i akan bukak Myspace, Facebook dan blog Couple utk check kalau ada apa2 berita menarik - mana la tau dapat masuk Rolling Stone lagi ke, atau dapat masuk cerita omputih mcm Humanzee lagi ke... hehe. Bila i bukak Facebook kitorang, i nampak Shahrin tulis komen "Da num 1! Da skang". Nasib baik la i faham bahasa2 singkat anak muda masa kini, kalau org2 tua lain mesti tak faham dah, dan tergaru2 kepala dan dagu semua utk cuba memahami bahasa singkat masa kini.

Kemudian, bila i check kat page Carta Negara XFM terus i terkezut, rupa-rupanya betul la lagu kitorang yg bertajuk "Lagu Cinta Untukmu" tu dah naik ke No. 1 dah. Mcm tak percaya je rasanya mula2 u. Maklumlah, lagu2 we all kan jarang masuk radio ni (sebab tu la tajuk album Pop Tak Masuk Radio), tapi apa2 pun i nak ucapkan terima kasih dan tahniah la kpd XFM, kerana mempunyai biji telur yg besar dan berani utk memasang lagu2 kitorang yg perasan ganazz ni.

Tapi i paling nak berterima kasih kepada pendengar2 dan penyokong2 kitorang (you all lah tu) yg sudi meluangkan masa utk mengundi kitorang sampailah tersampai jugak ke tangga pertama kat Carta Negara XFM tu. Terima kasih sangat2 tau u. Harap2 u all teruslah rajin mengundi biar tersangkut lama2 kat No. 1 lagu tu, biar stesyen lain tertanya2 lak - "Ni band haprak mana lak yg No. 1 lama sangat kat XFM ni? Ingat XFM je ke boleh main lagu band haprak ni, i pun boleh main jugak tau!"

Haaa kalau banyak stesyen radio yg main lagu tu, dan masuk carta gak ke kat stesyen2 lain, barulah ada chance sikit nak masuk Muzik Muzik mcm kengkawan kitorang. I pun teringin gak u, nak perform ada ramai penari2 atas stage ke, nak main bunga api atas stage ke, letup2 sana sini, mcm2 boleh buat tau, silap2 i ajak u allz je naik pentas sama2 kasi pecah, hehe.

Pokoknya dong, i harap u allz akan terus sudi mengundi utk kitorang yg tak seberapa ni (Masrin je yg hensem kot, dan Shahrin maybe cute). Kalau u nak request lagu kitorang kat stesyen2 radio lain lagi la bagus, kasi depa curious - "Apa ke jadahnya band yg budak2 ni asyik mintak lagunya ni?"

Sebagai penutup, sekali lagi i mengucapkan selambak terima kasih kpd u all semua, dan kalau nak undi lagi, jom lah klik di bawah ni:

KLIK DI SINI UNTUK MENGUNDI

Oh ya, i perasan semenjak dua menjak ni, ada je la mamat2 yg tiba2 nak fuck kitorang, kata kitorang tak layan org (biasanya diorang ni akan komen kat status kitorang). I rasa org2 ni semua tak pernah jumpa kitorang pun kot, sebab i rasa kitorang langsung tak pernah tak layan org kat gig ke, atau bila terserempak masa jalan2 ke. Kalau org tegur je, mesti kitorang layan. Kalau nak marah kata kitorang sombong in that way, i rasa ni semua memang fitnah dan busuk hati je. Kalau u tak caya, u try lah tegur kitorang nanti okay, confirm i takkan layan u, i buat2 pekak je nanti (mengikut kata pendengki2 tu lah, ahahha).

Tapi i rasa, kalau nak marah sebab kitorang tak balas komen kat Myspace tu maybe agak melampau dan bongok lah kot, sebab kalau soalan2 tak bermanfaat mcm - "Siapa 0n9 tu?", "Wei bila next gig korang ah?", "Hoi mcm mana nak beli CD korang?" - ni semua soalan2 yg jawapannya boleh dilihat terang lagi bersuluh kalau org yg bertanya tu baca profile kitorang tu, so memang kitorang tak balas lah sebab masa tu boleh digunakan utk banyak lagi benda yg bermanfaat. Susah payah i mengarang dan menulis info2 tu supaya senang semua org boleh terus baca, tapi sebab ada si polan ni malas nak baca tiba2 nak fuck org lak kononnya sombong. Memang otak geliga sungguh golongan2 mcm ni...

Okaylah, siapa 0n9 tu takdelah tertulis, tapi i rasa takde manfaat apa2 pun kalau tau siapa yg on9 kan, sebab kalau nak tanya soalan kat kitorang directly kan i dah letak kat Top Friends tu page kitorang yg personal, so gi la tanya kat sana je, betul tak?

Haaa pengajarannya? Tak baik memfitnah org ni, lagi teruk dari makan bangkai tau. Dan lagi sedih kalau sebab nak menyebarkan fitnah adalah sikap kita sendiri yg bodoh sombong...(terus cue bunyi iklan "XFM - perihatin!", hehehehe).

Lagi satu pengajarannya? Vote2 la selalu.... ehehehehe!

Salam sayang dari we all,
-aidil-

Kenapa kita jangan tertipu pasal isu 'Allah' sekarang ni

Hey kawan-kawan!

Biasanya i tulis dalam bahasa omputih je, sebab nak kasi can kat mat saleh untuk follow story kitorang gak, tapi kali ni, i nak tulis dalam bahasa Melayu (dulu org panggil bahasa Malaysia, tapi untuk mengekalkan kuasa Melayu, kerajaan kita perlahan2 panggil bahasa Melayu, dan lama2 kita pun terbiasa dgr org panggil bahasa Melayu je, so i pun panggil bahasa Melayu la jugak, nak ikut seruan kerajaan), sebab nak kasi can kat org Malaysia utk betul2 faham pasal isu yg sgt hangat diperkatakan sekrg, ala2 goreng pisang panas sedap yg kat Shah Alam tu - isu penggunaan perkataan "Allah" oleh org2 Kristian kat Malaysia ni.

Sebelum kita mulakan perbincangan politik ala2 hardcore dan punk kita ni, meh sini i nak terangkan sikit latar belakang isu ni yg agak ramai di antara kita org Melayu yg panas baran dan suka mengamuk ni mungkin 'terlepas pandang' atau tak pernah tau atau baca sebelum ni, sebab kita ni suka baca headline kat depan Harian Metro je selalunya, seronok la u baca cerita2 panas ni. Kalau nak baca benda2 lain tu buat apa kan, takde guna pun. Meh sini i senaraikan sikit kasi terang lagi bersuluh, supaya takde yg terkeliru dan mudah lupa:

1. Isu penggunaan "Allah" ni hanya baru2 ni je dijadikan isu apabila Kementerian Dalam Negeri kita, PADA TAHUN 2009 mengeluarkan arahan supaya suratkhabar The Daily Herald dilarang menggunakan perkataan "Allah" dlm keluaran suratkhabar tu yg berbahasa Melayu. Ingat baik2 tu, TAHUN 2009 baru depa nak buat isu. (NOTE: I baru saja dihalakan kepada beberapa blog yg mengandungi maklumat atau spekulasi bahawa sejak tahun 90-an lagi sudah ada percubaan utk menghalang penggunaan perkataan "Allah" oleh org Kristian di Malaysia ni - okay lah, kalau betul pun ada, hakikatnya percubaan ni masih lagi sangat baru, sila baca perenggan-perenggan di bawah untuk memahami kenapa i cakap 'baru'.)
   
2. Rakan 1Malaysia kita di Sabah & Sarawak (yg majoritinya walaupun Bumiputra, tapi adalah beragama Kristian) dah beratus tahun menggunakan bahasa Melayu masa diorang semayang kat dalam gereja diorang, atau masa paderi2 diorang bagi khutbah. Bukan mulai tahun 2009 ya, dah beratus tahun dah.
   
3. Kitab Injil aka Bible telah dialih bahasa kepada beratus2 bahasa sejak beratus tahun yg dahulu - dlm bahasa Melayu pun dah lama ada, dlm bahasa Arab pun ada (takde pulak i dgr org Islam kat dunia Arab sana bising mcm kita kat Malaysia ni - pelik kan, sebelum ni kita kat sini sibuk sgt nak tiru org Islam Arab, tiba2 bila sampai hal ni tak mau pulak tiru).
4. Mengikut pembacaan i, salah satu sebab mengapa perkataan Allah dipilih sebagai terjemahan kepada God semasa sesi menterjemah Bible ke dlm bahasa Melayu beratus tahun yg dahulu adalah, kalau di dlm Bible selalu ada frasa ni - "Lord God". Sebab kena ingat, pada diorang Nabi Isa aka Jesus, walaupun adalah "Son of God" juga adalah "God", jadi perlu dibezakan antara Jesus sebagai God dengan bapaknya yaitu God (jadilah frasa yg i cakap tadi - Lord God). Jadi, telah diputuskan beratus tahun dahulu utk menterjemahkan Lord God kepada Tuhan Allah. Kalau Tuhan Tuhan, atau Lord Tuhan, atau Tuan Tuhan atau Dato' Tuhan atau Tan Sri Tuhan bunyinya tak sedap dan macam kelakar la pulak kot, hehe. Sama ada korang setuju atau tak dgn konsep Holy Trinity ni tak patut dijadikan isu, sebab itu hak diorang nak percaya apa yg diorang nak percaya, kalau korang nak tunjuk alim, gi dakwah dgn diorang, jgn sibuk nak bakar gereja dan maki2 org Kristian, nabi Muhammad kena baling batu sampai berdarah pun masih bersabar dan berdakwah dgn tenang, walaupun masa tu malaikat dah tanya sama ada nak mintak diturunkan bala atau tak kepada org2 yg baling batu tu.
   
5. Persekutuan Tanah Melayu, semasa sibuk nak mengajak Sabah & Sarawak utk join kita dan menjadi 1Malaysia pada tahun 1963 tak pernah langsung menjadikan benda ni isu, walaupun pada masa tu rakan2 1Malaysia kita kat sana dah lama dah guna frasa Tuhan Allah tu.

Okay, sekarang i dah cerita sikit latar belakang benda ni, jadi bolehlah kita berdiskusi dgn ada sedikit ilmu di dada, so nanti bila nak tepuk dada dan tanya selera tu, takdelah semput lak. Kepada org yg dah ada baca artikel i kat The Malaysian Insider pasal isu ni, sorry la kalau i ulang sikit artikel tu lepas ni, k.

Mengikut pemerhatian i, org2 yg menentang penggunaan 'Allah' oleh org Kristian ni niatnya baik, depa nak melindungi org Islam, takut akidah terpesong, cuma pada pendapat i yg takdelah seterer mana ni, sebab musabab dan hujahan yg diorang pakai adalah sgt tak logik, dan lebih bersifat emosional dan agak kurang rasional, maybe kena dgr lagu Rasional Emosional selalu, hehehe.

Untuk dipendekkan cerita dan lebih jelas, meh sini i rumuskan hujahan2 utama diorang:

1. Depa takut nanti org Islam di Malaysia ni 'terkeliru' bila dgr penggunaan 'Allah' oleh org Kristian.
2. Bila dah terkeliru, nanti mestilah senang nak terpesong akidah
3. Kesucian nama 'Allah' patut dijaga, sebab Allah tu Tuhan Yg Esa dan Satu, kalau org Kristian guna, konsep tuhan yg Satu tak terpakai utk depa sebab depa punya konsep adalah Holy Trinity.

Baiklah kawan-kawan, sekrg ni i nak terangkan pulak kenapa hujahan2 depa ni tak berapa nak logik sgt:

• I rasa sebenarnya takde apa yg nak dikelirukan pun, sebab kalau la mcm tu, kat Sabah & Sarawak tu dah takde la org Islam yg tinggal dah, semua pun dah keliru dan convert masuk Kristian sebab hari2 dgr perkataan 'Allah' digunakan oleh org Kristian, tapi takde pulak jadi mcm tu kan?
• Org Islam kat Malaysia ni belajar Agama Islam 11 tahun beb kat sekolah, takkan la kita ni bongok dan moron sangat sampai tak tahu perbezaan konsep Tuhan dlm agama kita dgn agama2 yg lain?
• Org Kristian gunakan perkataan 'Allah' tu kat tempat2 yg kita org Islam tak hingin nak pergi pun - kat gereja masa depa semayang, kat dlm suratkhabar/majalah Kristian dan benda2 mcm tu - apa ke jadahnya kita nak buat ke gereja ataupun baca suratkhabar/majalah Kristian kan? Ke sebenarnya org2 yg tak nak bagi penggunaan perkataan 'Allah' ni suka gi ke church dan baca suratkhabar Kristian, jadi diorang takut lak nanti iman dia tergugat eh? Ataupun anak2 atau saudara mara depa suka gi church dengar khutbah? I agak2 je la situasinya mcm tu, sebab kalau i sendiri la, kalau la terjumpa suratkhabar Kristian, i tak ambik pun nak baca, atau kalau terdengar paderi bagi khutbah, mesti i cuba blank out kan otak i tak nak dengar, maklumlah takut nanti tergugat iman, hehehe.
  
• Secara ringkasnya, penggunaan perkataan 'Allah' oleh diorang tu sebenarnya takkan sampai pun ke telinga atau mata kita, unless kita sendiri cari lah, dan kalau kita sendiri yang cari, jangan sibuk nak salahkan org lain, betul tak?
• Penggunaan perkataan 'Allah' oleh rakan2 1Malaysia Kristian kita tu langsung takde bersifat menghina pun. Depa cuma guna dlm konteks Lord God mcm i cakap sebelum ni, takde pun depa guna frasa mcm Jesus Allah ataupun Roh Kudus Allah, ataupun Maryam Ibu Tuhan Allah ke. Depa cuma guna utk Tuhan Allah je. Jadi sebenarnya, perkataan 'Allah' tu tetap Satu je walaupun dlm konsep Holy Trinity diorang.
• (NOTE: Ada org komen kat Facebook kitorang mengatakan kalau dibenarkan org Kristian guna 'Allah' secara tak langsung kita mcm mengakui yg Allah tu boleh beranak etc (konsep Holy Trinity tu), jadi akidah kita dah terpesong mcm tu lah. Jawapan i senang je: Allah kita dan Allah depa langsung tak sama, so what's the problem? Alaaa macam kereta la kot, I ada kereta Kancil, u pun ada kereta Kancil, tapi kereta kita lain maaa, nama je sama. Loan bayar lain2, tambah ekzos besar bising pun lain, sport rim pun lain, letak speaker dentam-dentum pun lain, habis tu u nak marah i suruh tukar nama kereta i ke, jgn guna nama Kancil? Nanti i tukar nama jadi Move org kutuk lak, tak sedar diri pakai kereta local, perasan konon kereta import, hehehe. Pendek kata, benda yg senang buat apa la nak disusah-susahkan...)
  

Jadi kawan-kawan, marilah kita sama2 berfikir dgn lebih rasional pasal isu ni. Kurangkan emosional, walaupun lagu feveret u Rasional Emosional. Nak atau tak, kita berkongsi bumi Malaysia ni dgn org2 dan agama2 lain. Junjungan besar kita, Nabi Muhammad S.A.W. sendiri pun, walaupun telah menjajah tanah Kristian, tak pernah membakar gereja apa lagi kacau kepercayaan org lain, malah dia siap membuat perjanjian dgn org Kristian utk melindungi dan tak nak mengacau gereja2 mereka. Itulah keindahan Islam beb, akhlak kita, keadilan, menghormati hak asasi manusia dan kesabaran yang patutnya kita jadikan contoh kepada org lain.

I tau, kita ni bukannya nabi, tapi itu tak bermakna kita diberi lesen untuk jadi setan dan samseng, betul tak u?

Kepada kaki2 bikin teori konspirasi, isu ni lagi la bikin dey all sakit kepala. Sebab apa? Sebab ada banyak lagi isu besar yg lebih menyakitkan hati dey all yg kita semua terlepas pandang sebab sibuk nak concentrate pasal isu 'Allah' ni (yg sebenarnya bukan isu pun) mcm:

• Kehilangan 2 enjin jet yg bernilai ratusan juta ringgit yang sepatutnya berada di dalam jagaan kerajaan kita yg bijak bistari dan bertanggungjawab - siapa yg curi dan jadi kaya? Mungkin kita takkan tau sebab kita sibuk nak bakar church je sekrg, dah terlupa dah ratusan juta ringgit duit rakyat lesap begitu saja
  
• Dulu bila org nak berdemonstrasi dlm kuil, kerajaan tak bagi, siap tembak gas pemedih mata ke dlm kuil, tapi bila org nak berdemonstrasi dlm masjid pasal isu Allah ni, boleh la pulak, tiba2 je kita semua ada hak untuk berdemonstrasi, dah jadi ala Amerika u, kuat demokrasi tiba2. Kenapa eh u? Kita kena pancing kot... maklumlah Melayu kan mudah panas dan mengamuk, lagi digalakkan utk panas, lagi senang boleh kita bergaduh sesama rakyat
  
• Apa faedahnya kita gaduh? Sebab kalau kita rakyat bergaduh (kalau lagi teruk daripada 13 Mei 1969 lagi bagus), nanti boleh la kerajaan kita isytiharkan Darurat, jadi Parlimen pun akan dibubarkan, pilihanraya umum pun tak payah ada (yg bermakna kuasa kita utk lantik siapa yg memerintah pun hilang), jadi dapatlah depa memerintah sesuka hati dan pertahankan hak 'org Melayu' (depa kan Melayu, tapi Melayu yg dapat hak tu sedara mara depa la nanti, kita Melayu rakyat + org2 kecik ni biar cukup makan je dah la).

Haa, tapi yg atas ni teori2 konspirasi la. I tak tau la betul ke tak, tapi seronok gak fikir pasal ni, mcm boleh buat movie je, ala2 Hollywood u. Takkan depa je asyik nak buat political thriller, The Fast And The Furious kita dah tiru, esok lusa keluar la kot cerita konspirasi kat sini, karya terbaru Prof Madya ke, Ahmad Idham ke, Syamsul Yusof ke, terbitan David Teo ke. Mesti best kalau buat kan? Tapi kalau buat kena ban la kot, Rempit V3 khabarnya dah kena ban, apa lagi cerita konspirasi mcm ni. Tapi hari tu Jalang lepas pulak kan? Oh, lupa lak i, kita kat sini suka seks, pura2 tak suka je in public. Hehehe.

Tapi kesimpulannya u, konspirasi ataupun tak, kita sebagai umat Islam janganlah biarkan org lain memandang rendah Iman dan otak kita. Kita ni bukannya budak2 lagi, kita ada Iman dan akal kita sendiri, takyah la sibuk diorang nak jagakan utk kita. Janganlah kita terlalai, cepat sangat panas baran dan bertindak melulu sampai nanti nasi pun jadi bubur, kalau gaduh2 ni u ingat org luar nak dtg melawat negara kita ke? Kalau takde org luar dtg melawat atau melabur, u ingat bisnes2 kat sini boleh hidup ke? U ingat boss u atau boss parents u tu print duit sendiri kat ofis ke? Kalau bisnes tak jalan nanti u dgn i jugak yg susah. U takde duit nak beli CD dgn datang gig, i lak takde duit la nak buit CD baru atau buat gig. Tak best la pulak kalau mcm tu kan u?

Pendek kata, bukalah mata, bukalah minda, jangan jadi moron, semoga Allah berkati kita semua. Amin...

-aidil-

P/S: Oleh sebab i ni mat rock, maybe u tak ambil pusing sangat apa pendapat i pasal ni, so apa kata u all baca apa Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin (bekas Mufti negeri Perlis yg famous tu) tulis pasal isu ni kat sini:

http://drmaza.com/home/?p=566#more-566

Dan lagi satu ni nama dia Al-Bakistani, tak tau la ustaz ke tak, tapi yg i tau dia takdelah sefamous Dr Mohd Asri tu, tapi syok gak tgk dalil2 dia cerita:

http://g-82.blogspot.com/2010/01/isu-kalimah-allah-allah-for-all.html

I rasa, lepas baca semua ni, bila u tepuk dada nak tanya selera tu, takde la tersedak atau terbatuk kot, at least ada la berisi sikit, dan takde la kita akan keluarkan statement2 yg kosong dan moron yg takde usul periksa, betul tak?

Pop Tak Masuk Radio - the story + photos

We're anxiously waiting for the master CD for our new album, Pop Tak Masuk Radio, to arrive from Jakarta, anytime today! Once it arrives we'll surely upload as many songs as possible onto our Myspace + Reverbnation players. I almost got a heart attack earlier today when I checked the package's status on Fedex's website, and saw that it has in fact arrived in Sepang last night, but has somehow made its way to Guangzhou at midnight! Imagine the horror I felt, LOL. But it's now back in Sepang this morning, so I'm feeling much better now, hehe.

As you may already know, this is going to be our first all-Malay album, and to make things even more interesting for us, we've decided to record at one of the oldest studios in Malaysia at King Musical Industries in PJ, a studio now called The Red Room, run by our old friend Reza (of the band Saturnine). It was a great, fun experience for all of us, but we'll let the photos tell the story:


Vintage looking mixing board, always a good sign...


King Shahrin marveling at the vintage drumkit


Macam best je...


Pretty picture of a Hammond organ... ooops I meant Ariana!


Stop taking our photos lah!


Tense look after botching another damn take!


Sikit lagi bro, sikit lagi pusing...


Hensem la tu kononnya... hehehe


Kasi lagi feel beb...


Acoustic guitars are HARD to play!!

We finished recording before Raya this year, and then sent the album to be mixed and mastered by talented Indonesian hero, J. Vanco (who's done albums by Efek Rumah Kaca, Sore, Vox, Annemarie and loads more), who's done a great job getting the best out of our usual shambolic performances.

We really can't wait to let you hear the results, so do check out the new tunes which will surely be up this weekend on our Myspace + Reverbnation music players, and do get all your friends to check 'em out too because after all, this is Pop Tak Masuk Radio!!

When will it be out? If all goes well with the pressing plant, we'll start selling the album at the Flyniversary Concert on 14th November at 1 Utama's Central Park Avenue. It's a free show and the CD will cost you only RM10, so do come and be the first to own the new album!

-aidil-

Jalan-jalan cari makan!!

Last week we went to Sg Petani for a gig, but being the food fiend that I am, I've already planned a raid on some of the nice food places that I remembered from my last trip there, so here we go!

Day One - 17th October 2009

Went out from KL around 9am, stopped at Restoran Jejantas Sg Buloh for breakfast (sorry, I forgot to bring out the camera, too hungry, hehe) and ate some Nasi Lemak (aka fragrant coconut milk rice). Nothing fancy, but I did have to take about 3 toilet breaks on the highway as a result of the sambal!!

Arrived in Sg Petani at 2pm and had lunch at the venue (provided by the organisers), so our initial plan of having lunch at this fantastic Mee Goreng (aka fried noodles) had to be shelved. Our set went pretty well, and the Sg Petani kids rawked!

Night came, so we went straight for my next target, a stall in Sg Petani selling Nasi Lemak Bungkus for just RM0.50 each, and this includes Nasi Lemak Ayam! Unfortunately, the shop was not open that night, so we went for whatever nasi lemak stall we could find, and found one selling Nasi Lemak Bungkus for RM1.00 (again, forgot to bring camera, too hungry, ahahaha!).

Finished the night by going to a Fun Fair and got ourselves some burgers after that to end the night (I know, we kinda eat a lot don't we? Hehehe).

Day Two - 18th October 2009

Finally, we got the chance to go to the fabulous Mee Goreng place I was talking about (it's opposite the old bus station), and just look at our happy faces!


Waiting impatiently for our orders....


Mee Goreng + Pasembur - they actually pour some Pasembur sauce on top of the Mee Goreng! Niceeeee


The cooks...


Happy customers...


Happy customers + cooks giving the thumbs up!!

After filling our stomachs nicely with the Mee Goreng + Pasembur as breakfast in Sg Petani, we then started our journey back to Kuala Lumpur, but not before we stop in Ipoh first for lunch at the infamous Nasi Ganja!!


Welcome to Hollywood... oops, Ipoh!!


Kedai yang muhibbah...


The infamous Nasi Ganja (aka Cannabis Rice... LOL)


Happy faces about to consume some ganja man...


I am ganja-ed!


I am ganja-ed too, you're next uncle!


The shop sign

Look ma, NO GLOVES!! And he's the one putting the food on our plates. So that's why it's gooooooood, hehehehe. I heart you, uncle!!

We arrived safely in KL around 5pm, with our stomachs nicely full. Moral of the story? Selalulah jalan-jalan cari makan okay geng? Melancong dalam negeri pun ada bestnya, makan! Hehehe.

-aidil-

Onak Duri Bersama Couple - cerita Shahrin

Nama aku Mohd Shahrin Bin Ismail, aku sudah berumur 21 tahun, hampir 4 tahun aku bermain dengan band Couple ni. Sedikit sebanyak nak jugak aku kongsi pengalaman aku bersama band gatal ni. Selama 4 tahun aku main dengan Couple Alhamdulillah takde banyak masalah. Kalau ada masalah pun masalah sakit otak, sakit jiwa, dan sakit mental hehe.

Aku join band ni sekitar tahun 2006 masa tu dierg baru mengeluarkan 1^st album dierg Top Of The Pop! Terus terang aku cakap aku bukan peminat dierg. Sebelum aku join Couple aku pernah pergi gig dierg sekali je hehe. Mase tu dekat Little Havana Bukit Bintang. 1^st time tgk apa la band macam ni punye simple pun bole main gig dgn lagu slow, mmg tak masuk dengan jiwa aku yang memberontak ni. Mmg tak patut!!!! Haha!

Tapi lantak la. Lepas tgk dierg buat gig tu aku ada gak la tgk2 page Myspace dierg check it out sket! Hehe . Time tu band ni perlukan drummer, so aku terus contact Aidil aku habaq aku berminat nak tawarkan diri aku kat band Couple ni. Lepas dierg mengeksperimen kan aku, lepas sebulan gitu aku ditawarkan masuk ke dalam band Couple ni, macam dapat tawaran universiti bile Aidil msg ko berminat tak? Aku pun cakap I berminat la you.

Mase tu jugak Ariana pun baru join Couple dan mase tu bassist dierg Ojooe. Ojooe la rekemen aku kat Aidil habaq aku ni tititititititit. Pastu dapat la masuk. 1^st gig aku kat Starbucks Uptown Damansara, Digi punye ape ntah. Dierg ajak Couple buat show akustik.

Lepas tu Couple diajak untuk beraksi dekat Singapore pulak. Gila tak gila la 2nd gig kat Singapore, gila la! Baru masuk da wat passport sume! Dengan Couple 1^st time aku pergi ke luar negara, Singapore. Naik KTM!

Pastu da kat Singapore ada interview dengan MTV aku da la tak pnah interview ni tuk2 MTV ASIA! Cuak gile tapi redah jela. 3 slots mase tu kena interview MTV POP INC, MTV ROCK IT, MTV JUS!l Best la cube benda2 baru ni kan.

Gig-gig sampai lebam, tahun tu jugak aku dapat main Rock The World 7! Berlinangan air mata aku duk atas indie stage tu. Yeala dulu2 duk tgk kat cd je bile la aku dapat main kan. Band sendiri pun jamming je. Dekat RTW7 la aku pakai seluar sekolah pendek koyak sendiri, tak pakai baju buat show kat Rock The World! Gile rock star! Baru masuk kate kan culture cok! Hehe.

Main punye main da nak buat 2^nd album ahai! 1^st time jugak dalam hidup dapat rekod album iaitu 2nd album Couple, Teenage Disc Fantastic. Lepas da rekod 2nd album, show2! Dapat pulak main gig KAMI alahai rezeki makin melimpah dan mencurah2! Seronok gile dapat main gig KAMI tu hoi! Naik bus ramai2! Dgn band2 lain pergh! Rase macam kat oversea la katekan. Seluruh semenanjung aku dapat jajah kecuali Perlis dgn Terengganu.

Makin lama mase semakin berlalu tahun berikutnya Couple buat showcase sendiri dekat MCPA. Seronok! Show sendiri! Ramai orang datang nak support band Couple ni. Dapat jugak organize gig sendiri. Selepas tu bermula la chapter baru tahun 2009. Keberangkatan bassist baru name nye yang mulia Awang Masrin. Dia pun join Couple sebab Ojoe ada kerja lain. Lepas tu….aku sambung nanti la cerita ni…..penat…

-shahrin-

Couple plays The Beatles - this Friday night!!

This Friday, 2nd October 2009, we'll be playing a Beatles tribute gig at Bar Sonic @ Zouk KL, organised by our pals Twilight Actiongirl, to commemorate the release of the new The Beatles remasters CDs that's been bankrupting sooo many people worldwide (especially those hunting for the Mono boxset, which I failed to pre-order from Amazon 'cause it sold out so fast).

After deciding on which songs to play (trust me, it's not easy, there's just so many essential Beatles songs out there, and being the incompetent musician that I am, I obviously can't play them all), it's just remarkable how weird the chords are, yet how memorable the songs are, even for the seemingly 'simple' ones.

I just watched High Fidelity again recently and was again reminded that making a live setlist is actually not that different from making a mixtape. There's an actual art to it. In The Beatles' case, what DO we play? Hey Jude? Yesterday? I Wanna Hold Your Hand? Let It Be? Come Together? Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds? All You Need Is Love? Yellow Submarine? Seriously, the list is endless.

I've always been kinda opposed to doing what's obvious. Like when I'm sure everyone was expecting us to just rehash the formula in Top Of The Pop, I decided to make a naughtier, punkier album with Teenage Disc Fantastic, just like how Top Of The Pop was way different than what people expected from us after hearing our Turning Melancholy To Magic and Telegrams From The Heart EPs.

As for the songs I listed above? They're kind of obvious as Beatles classics, aren't they? I'm sure you can find a lot of pub bands who do those songs flawlessly around the city, so why should we do them, right? So, what should you expect from our set this coming Friday night? Beatles classics, of course, but not what you'd normally expect, I guess. That, and a whole lot of rock n roll!

See you there then? And of course, do tell all your friends about it!!

-aidil-

p/s: The gig's at Bar Sonic, Zouk KL, Jalan Ampang, this Friday 2nd October 2009 @ 10pm. Entry before 10pm is free (I think, or maybe it's RM20, not so sure, hehe), but do come early cause we'll be playing first and after that TAG will be spinning as much Beatles tunes as they can think of.

Pop Tak Masuk Radio!

As some of you might already know, we've just finished recording the songs for our next album, which will be called "Pop Tak Masuk Radio." We've sent the album out to be mixed already, by whom you ask? Well, let's just keep that a secret for the moment, make it a surprise for another post maybe?

Anyways, this time we've asked our good friend Zharif (who did the cover + artwork for Top Of The Pop) to again do the cover + sleeve for this album. Some drafts have already been going back and forth between us since July, and this is in no way the final version for the cover art, but who knows, the way we always change our minds about things, it might even be the actual cover art! Checkidout yo!

-aidil-