Asia Uncut’s team put this section up on youtube for all that don’t subscribe to cable.

This is the first of our songs that we’ll be putting up weekly. Hope you guys enjoy it as much as we did recording it.

Just a simple way that we could talk to you guys, cos you know what they say… the internet can be a cold cold place… we wouldn’t want things getting too chilly out here. This is especially to those that have been following our “making of the band” journey. Warm Coco and marshy-mellows for you!

Off to another underpass! This time over at Wheelock Place where we observed that the normal passerbys were better dressed, more well groomed, had a louder *cluck* on the heel, better educated and overall more polished. That’s of course according to the ‘Census 2008 Singapore underpass population’. Amazing that even in a tight urban jig-saw like Orchard Road, demographics vary to the point of superficial-obviousity. On top of that , it’s much quieter than the Lucky Plaza - Takashimaya underpass.

Now that you’ve got an education in social tendencies of the “town people”, we come back down to music and busking. We recently got to know about Asia Uncut - a talkshow similar to Letterman that seek to depict Asian uniqueness in a raw format. It airs exclusively on StarWorld Fridays 11:30pm (South East Asia).

Asia Uncut wanted to do something on busking and approached us for something casual and on site, so we went to the quieter underpass and was surprised to see Sheikh as the roving reporter instead of the “ang-moh” who hosts the show. Thanks to Sheikh’s complete and utter nonsensical demeanor, the whole gig was a laugh and puzzlement on ‘the heck he’s talking about’!

The Sheikh managed to get passerbys to donate a lot more than if we were busking without any help, prob due to his overpowering size. Thanks man! Owe you 1.

“Shake (Sheikh) & Bake”

- Ricky Bobby (Telladega Night)

A break-dancing group ‘Radical Force’ was also part of the underpass party and literally stopped traffic once their legs started doing some crazy ‘Chun-Li Streetfighter’ numbers. I could have sworn that someone’s face was gonna be Conversed. We played some impromptu Break beats to groove with their breaking and it was something we’ve never done or more like definitely not moving towards that musical direction.

While all this was happening, a passer-by carrying a cool SLR stopped and started snapping away . Obviously intrigued by the entire abnormal occurrence in the usual muted underpass. Big thanks to Cullen who took the photos you see here!

Thanks AsiaUncut team for that enjoyable session.

Once we know when the show’s gonna air, we’ll give an update here.

PHOTOS: CULLEN WWW.CNEIL.COM

Channel News Asia’s video interview with buskers Low Intensity. For those who managed to catch us on TV thanks for staying by the screen and not walking away. Yet for the majority 84% of you that didn’t get a chance to watch it, here’s a portion of the clip below.

Courtesy of ChannelNewsAsia’s beauties Nina(reporter) and Nancy(producer) who tolerated intense nonsense from us. Btw, Happy Birthday Nancy! Wherever you’re celebrating it.

Woot!! Thank you I-journalist for dropping by the tunnel and spending a little time speaking with us bout music and busking. Was great to meet you guys!

On hindsight, Jason and I seriously gave host Nina a pretty crummy time. We have to apologise for the constant breakouts in laughter and extremely unrelated answers to her questions, but she was seriously professional and cool as a cucumber in an arctic winter. Tons more respect the next time we catch you on CNA or Channel 5 news!

And of course, many many many thanks to Nancy the producer who made all the arrangements despite all the last minute decisions on tunnel venue and availability. You’re a star!

A side note would have to be the random busker that came up to us during the interview to claim his territorial right to busk along the same tunnel. Seriously that’s never happened to us before. Not very sure of his name cos he wouldn’t tell us. He’s like Zorro wielding a guitar without a mask or cape. Ironically that was just as we were about to say how all the buskers in Singapore get along just peachy with one another without disputes at all. Sad we couldn’t get him on tape. oh well…= /

Think the show’s supposed to be aired 23rd of Feb so we’ll definitely be heading back home to catch it.

Here are some shots taken during the interview itself. Thanks Mr Subur for the expert photo taking skills. SpyVsSpy.com should hire you.

And for those of you who’re checking out our site for the first time, please do take a moment to take a listen to our music. It’s all a little raw but we’re brushing stuff up as we go along. Leave a comment cos we love to hear what anyone has to say. (even that scary busker dude.)

This is where it all happened… being interviewed by Nina E Varghese

(a continuation of previous article here) Finally, I managed to get an copy of this article…thanks to the fantastic magazine AUGUST MAN, and to the diligent photographer Yong-the-mooky-veggie. We’re able to cryogenically-cyberspace a piece of printed mag for your viewing pleasure. Thanks Mark.

I did it. I finally set a date to audition with the National Arts Council and obtained that little green slip I needed to busk on the street. And the license to perform in public for the possibility of earning tip money came laminated, no less! I am just glad I wasn’t one of those who got ejected from the presence of the NAC panel. Yes, many are unaware of this, but you need to audition for a busking licence. And yes, there are people who don’t make it.

Armed with my glossy new licence, a tuned guitar and a sidekick – none other than Jason Ho of the local band Low Intensity (or then again maybe I was his sidekick) – I was all ready to sing my heart out to the everyday red dot citizen at a random underpass in town. Jason, who like me has a real day-time job besides dabbling in a band for the love of music, has been busking since earlier this year. One reason is the fact that his band focuses entirely on original compositions practically scratches out the possibility of ever getting gigs in Singapore. So the one question I was interested in answering with my stunt was: can a local music act gain positive exposure performing their original work (and therefore unfamiliar to the public) in an informal setting like an Orchard Road underpass? If you’ve caught the 2006 movie Once, you’d be able to see things from a busker’s perspective and understand his dream. But that is Dublin.

The Zone Of Obligation

In Singapore, to say that busking is a unique experience is an understatement. I felt I’d literally crossed a line that turned me from a normal day-job holder into a questionable segment of society. Passers-by glanced at us from the corners of their eyes as they quickened their pace and hurried on. Many even veer away from you, lest they come within 1.5 metres of us – the Zone of Obligation as Jason coined it – where if crossed into, would make them feel the need to reach into their pockets for some spare or suffer the guilt of wronging the fellow’s craft.

Shabby Does It

After a few stints, I made two interesting observation: It helped if we positioned ourselves such that people had ample time to fish out some cash from their pockets – between when the busker is heard to when the passer-by reaches the street performer. The other was that the shabbier the buskers looked, the more money they would reap. We received twice as much when we changed into T-shirts and jeans as compared to when we both kept the clothes from our day jobs on. Evidently, the quality of the performance meant little to the everyday Singaporean. You had to look, well, pitiable. By the last session with Jason I was in a plain Giordano tee with paint stains, torn jeans, frazzled hair and no watch on. We made $36.35 in two hours. It was our most lucrative session to date.

Music For Everyone

The latter made me wonder about what the general public thought of buskers. Do they expect buskers to be handicapped, aged or generally out-of-work persons tapping into their final resource to make a buck? Do they never wonder about talent that’s waiting to be discovered or appreciated? My colleague told me about this pianist in Place Massena, Nice, who plays concertos on a grand piano at a street corner (he brings his own white baby grand). When asked why he isn’t performing with an orchestra (because they thought he was good enough), he coolly answered that his music is for everyone, not just those who pay for a concert ticket. This is pretty much how Jason feels. His goal every evening was to de-stress from a day at the office, play his music to whoever was listening and maybe find enough tips for the cab-fare home. Unlike, my colleague’s experience in Nice, people stopping for a moment to listen to a street performer is still rare here.

Silver Lining

There is some hope yet for buskers like Jason however. I did see some individuals slow down to listen to a few more bars of his tune, before dropping a red bill. It’s rare but it happened. And I came to understand what it felt like to have an individual of an undefined higher strata of society give you a mental thumbs-up in the most obscure of places. Busking is something that I would choose to do again soon, given the opportunity. Apart from a love of performing, there is also something indescribably thrilling about being a voyeur of society. The money earned each evening was both literally and figuratively the smallest thing I took back with me at the end of the whole experience.

MAGAZINE: AUGUST MAN [NOV 2008]
PHOTOS: YONG
WRITER: MARK TAY