[Creative Fridays] #8: Pete Teo

Photo taken at Tokyo Bay by Kato Masaya.Today we have epic singer-songwriter/actor/producer Pete Teo. He's responsible for Songwriter's Round, a series promoting local Malaysian talent, award-winning albums & most recently - Undilah, a a pro-bono, non-partisan music video promoting the right to vote. [You can watch the video here]

The first time I met Pete was the very first time I played the open mic stage for Songwriter's Round at the old No Black Tie. Pete was very supportive and later on was one of the main people who encouraged me to record my debut album 'Acoustic Gestures' in 2004. He continues to be an inspiration to my work and is the embodiment of a hard working creative individual. 

Let's find out what he's been up to! 

1. What's your latest project? 

I have just finished recording 2 songs commissioned by a Korean cultural foundation and 5 short films for Microsoft Malaysia. I am readying myself to write a few new songs for a regional Mandarin pop star and then make an ambitious music / film project in March or April. I want to work towards making a feature film this year also - but that depends on whether I'll find funding for it. Right now, I am just enjoying doing nothing for a few weeks. It's my first proper break for about 4 years.

2. What inspires your music? 

Stories. Life. Experiences. They don't have to be extraordinary stories. The trick is to make something sublime out of the ordinary and unremarkable. It is not an easy thing to do, especially if one were interested to tell stories honestly.

3. What's your 5 Desert Island Albums?

Too many to choose from - but just on top of my head:

Van Morrison - Astral Weeks
Bruce Springsteen - Born To Run
The Band - Music From Big Pink
Astor Piazzolla - La Camorra
Leonard Cohen - The Essential Leonard Cohen

4. Who's one artist/musician that you love but most people probably don't know of? 

Kim Doo Soo - Bohemian. Mr Kim is a cult Korean folk singer and 'Bohemian' is his ode to death. The song fuses both the eastern and western folk traditions into a simple whole - and it possesses the sort of organic complexity that all my favorite songs have. I read somewhere that when it was released in Korea, it caused several suicides. It certainly stunned me when I first heard it a few years ago. I must have put it on repeat for days afterwards. It made me glad to be a musician.

5. What's an advice you wish someone told you when you started in the arts? 

I love music but have mixed feelings about the music business. I wish someone had told me when I first started that the music industry these days is no longer really about music. Still, a music industry veteran in Hong Kong did tell me years ago that music in itself is a musician's reward - so I guess being able to make music makes up for having to deal with the vagaries of a broken industry.

6. How do we reach you?

Website: http://www.peteteo.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/peteteo
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/peteteo.news
Blog: http://www.peteteo.com/weblog

And before we go, here's a video from Pete's last album, Television.

This is 'Lost in America' - 2007 AIM Award winning video from Pete Teo's 'Television' album. Directed by Tony Pietra [live action] and Studio Voxel [animation].

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[Creative Fridays] #6: TragiComedy

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Welcome back to [Creative Fridays] where we have TragiComedy today!

TragiComedy is the songwriting vehicle for Amitabh Chandra. Originally the frontman for the alternative rock band AmIgone back in the late 90’s and early 2000’s, Tabh decided to take the solo route after the band became inactive.

Exploring singer/songwriter type of songs led to the release of the album “Songs That Won’t Sell” in 2005. The singles “Never Lonely” and “Great New Life” received significant airplay on local radio stations at the time. A second TragiComedy album entitled, “The Jester, The Clown and a Fool” is due to be released in the first quarter of 2012. 

Let's learn more about what inspires this creative songwriter!



1) What's your latest project? 

The first single from the next TragiComedy album will be released soon. The new album is a little more left-field than the last one, which was more straight ahead pop/rock and singer/songwriter oriented . I spent more time being adventurous on the guitar this time around and it sounds more like a band, although it’s still just me going the solo route again. It was a fun experience. 

2) What inspires your music? 

I just love playing the guitar. The more I play, the more inspired I am to turn whatever musical ideas I have into a song. 

3) What's your 5 Desert Island Albums? 

1) White Album (The Beatles)
2) Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (The Beatles)
3) Either/Or (Elliot Smith) 
4) Superunknown (Soundgarden)
5) Wasting Light (Foo Fighters)

4) Who's one artist/musician that you love but most people probably don't know of?

Nick Drake, although in recent years he has found renewed appreciation from a whole new generation of singer/songwriters.

5) What advice do you wish someone gave you when you started in the arts?

There is no right or wrong, good or bad when it comes to music. It’s all just taste. There are a lot of elitists out there who try to dictate what’s good and what’s not. Play the type of music you love and trust your own musical instincts. Trust your own melodies and hooks. No one can take that away from you. 

6) How do we reach you? 

Website: www.tragicomedysongs.com 
Reverbnation: http://www.reverbnation.com/tragicomedy 
Facebook: TragiComedy on facebook.

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[Creative Fridays] #4: Azmyl Yunor

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For today's [Creative Fridays], I have the cool singer-songwriter/college professor Azmyl Yunor! I first met Azmyl many years ago in a underground music hub called Paul's Place. At that time, it was located in Damansara Uptown.

In fact, I have a blog post from 2004 documenting that very encounter here: [First time I met Azmyl Yunor]

Let's check out what inspires Azmyl and what he's up to now....

 

1. What's your latest project? 
New album "Wilayah" by Azmyl Yunor & the Sigarettes! Full on folk rockin' with my touring band! Launch on Monday 5th March 2012 @ No Black Tie! Mari-mari!

2. What inspires your music? 
Walking or wandering around a new town; idling while looking at nature; talking to strangers; traveling or driving somewhere; getting lost; feeling sorry for myself; empathy; the kindness of strangers; history; local food & beverages (Malaysian and anywhere I travel to); 

3. What's your 5 Desert Island Albums? [ the five albums that you could listen on repeat forever]

- "Pujaan Pop" (Best of...series)  - A. Romzi & the Hooks
- "Pujaan Pop"  (Best of...series) - Kassim Selamat & the Swallows  
- "Return of the Repressed: The Anthology" - John Fahey
- "Murmur" - R.E.M.
- "Album Best Seller Selection" (Best of...) - Iwan Fals

4. Who's one artist/musician that you love but most people probably don't know of? [you can include specific album or songs if you'd like and why you like his/her/the group's music.]
Datuk David Arumugam of Alleycats - his plaintive rough-around-the-edges voice in songs like "Hingga Akhir Nanti" and "Andainya Aku Pergi Dulu" made me wanna a sing as a kid. 

5. What's an advice you wish someone told you when you started in the arts? 
Do it for yourself first, everything else second. 

6. How do we reach you?

Website: http://www.azmylyunor.com [currently under renovation!]
Twitter: twitter.com/azmyl
Facebook: facebook.com/azmylyunor
Email: azmylyunor@gmail.com
Blog: reverbnation.com/azmylyunor

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If you liked this interview, do read other [Creative Fridays] posts here:
http://www.azsamad.com/creative-fridays

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[Creative Fridays] #2 : Deborah Crooks

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Welcome to the 2nd installment of [Creative Fridays]

Today, I talk to San Francisco Bay Area-based singer-songwriter Deborah Crooks. When I first arrived in the Bay Area in 2007, the very first gig I played was a show at Caffe Trieste in Downtown San Francisco. She co-hosted the show with singer-songwriter Steven Kacsmar. It was a fun gig and since then, I've followed her career updates even though we didn't crossed paths again in gigs for two years. 

In 2010, at the very cool Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse Open Mic in Downtown Berkeley, we met again and started to talk while waiting to sign up to play. We had a chance to talk, catch up & since then probably been more connected than ever! I'm grateful for the combination of social media platforms (FB & Twitter) that now we're definitely more in touch -- even after I've relocated back to Malaysia.

Deborah Crooks's music is personal - a blend of Americana, rootsy rock and confessional storytelling. Come and learn more about her as she shares her inspiration, current projects and favorite music.

1. What's your latest project? 
I'm in Mysore, India right now, having sort of a writing retreat and yoga study intensive for two months, with the goal to start recording my third full-length CD upon my return to the US at the end of January. My latest complete project was making my first video, a collaboration with Blue Lotus Films for the song "Let's Move" from my CD '2010' (http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/deborahcrooks2) You can see the results here:http://youtu.be/3U7rdTB0qn8 

2. What inspires your music? [real life experiences, nature, art, people you know etc.] 
Pretty much facets of all those things! Subject-wise, I'm most concerned with the emotional landscape of various real-life experiences and family history, and I have a long-standing love of the natural landscape (I have a degree in Environmental Studies with a focus on Natural History from UCSA) so geographical and avian references often crop up in my lyrics. As far as straight-up inspiration, my go-to's are regular yoga practice (Mysore-style Ashtanga) and listening to live music.

3. What's your 5 Desert Island Albums? 
Oh, these type of questions are painful! That said, I'd want a mix of excellent songwriters I look to for inspiration, artists to whom I can always rock, and a bit of jazz and classical, so today, I'll say, in no particular order:
1) 'Car Wheels on a Gravel Road' Lucinda Williams
2) 'Time (The Revelator)' Gillian Welch
3) 'Lift Every Voice,' Charles Lloyd
4) 'The Live Anthology' Tom Petty
5) 'Clarinet & Bassoon Concertos', Mozart

4. Who's one artist/musician that you love but most people probably don't know of? 
A songwriter who I think is doing great work but is as yet, not super famous, is Nashville artist Sarah Siskind. She has a beautiful voice that's at once full, smooth and raw, is fearless in her level of lyrical honesty and made a wonderful album"Say it Louder" that's both heart-breaking and redemptive. 

5. What's an advice you wish someone told you when you started in the arts? 
Someone may have told me but I think it's the most important thing: don't try to be anyone but yourself and respect your process.

6. How do we reach you?
Website: www.deborahcrooks.com
Twitter: Twitter.com/deborahcrooks
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DeborahCrooksMusic
Tumblr: http://deborahcrooks.tumblr.com/
Blog: www.deborahcrooks.blogspot.com

Next week: [Creative Fridays] #3 with London, UK Jazz Guitarist Dylan Kay! 

Thank you so much for reading! 

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