The Strongest Survives

Welcome back to my blog.

It has been a while, a long while of silence from a person who once had a lot to say. I have been gone from the scene, from the country for so long, but now, I've got my third eye, I've got another voice to use to connect me with ongoing issues that still live within the KL music scene - issues that a lot of people bring up but never do anything about it. Perhaps somehow, someday, my words are being read and discussed and made to fix what's now dying in the scene.

When it all comes down to one thing, that's the fact that people now fear.

People now fear to go to gigs, because they fear getting bored of the same bands, getting sick of the rude, inconsiderate crowd, getting scared of going into the moshpit because it is now a platform to "impress", no longer to express. People who once showed their faces every weekend at One Cafe, Noisy Studio and the long gone haunts of the scene, have now resorted to YouTube videos and once in a while shows because the good bands have all hidden away, paled out and replaced with a hundred mini-Bring Me the Horizons.

Where is the scene leading us down now?

Rarely now we find gigs that hold a different mix of music. Hardcore bands only play hardcore gigs. Metalcore bands only play metalcore gigs. So on and so forth. The unity within the crowds and musicians have dissipated into the throngs of judgmental opinions and non-constructive criticisms. All the new kids in the scene go to gigs to follow trends, not to go purely for the music. They think that making a band that sounds 100% like another famous band is creative. How many more bands with the same genre and same styles will he needed? Music where songs are not written to pass a message, but just for making a song with no particular emotion attached to it.

And I must say I am disappointed in the members of bands I once looked up to and looked forward to watching. Maybe some of them have moved on with life. Maybe some of them are too busy with other things. But the ones that have died down and stayed silent because they no longer can be bothered with the scene... what happened to the spirit and the soul of making a difference? If the scene's now shit, why not make a community that still puts out gigs worth going to and music worth listening to?

It's so hard now to go to a gig and find a band actually worth staying in the crowd for. How long has it been since you've seen a gig flyer and gone "Oh my gosh, I want to catch these bands!" rather than "Let's go to this gig just because it's a gig and there's nothing else to do."?

And on the subject of crowds? What happened to expression and enjoyment? Now, the pure moshers stay out of the moshpit because all the kids think moshing is to show who's the strongest, the most violent, the most obnoxious. Ten points if you shove a person, twenty if you kick somebody in the shoulder, fifty points in the face. When somebody falls in the pit, nobody now gives a shit, they trample over them, ignore them, no more friendship and unity of picking the person up, laughing at the fact that you shoved him by accident, and cheer on the band on stage. Gone are those days of pure bliss.

Sorry kids, but if you think being the way you are is contributing to making the scene a better place for everybody, take a walk down the streets, put on your headphones and beat up a random bloke, it would be similar.

With Love,
KL Mosher

Waking up

Hello again!

It's been a while, I have been away from KL for months now and re-visiting in January. Not much of a KL Mosher now, but a KL Mosher in heart anyway.

I have been communicating with friends from the music scene back in Malaysia to update on what's been going on gig-wise and generally the movement and progress of the music scene. And to be fair, after all that I have heard; not much is going on.

It seems like the scene left with me. All the gigs seem to have lessened, the bands have dissipated, the gigs are all monotonous and generally uninteresting. When I was back in KL, we had local gigs that were the hype of the month, the must-go. Now it seems like the only ones people look forward to are the international bands coming over to Malaysia.

Aside from Shock & Awe launch parties and the usual Laundry nights, what exactly have the music scene been doing to progress itself? It seems like many of my friends have said "I haven't been to a gig for a long time" which to me, is a definition of "There is nothing worth going to."

I was hoping to see the scene sparkle from far and hear of it growing and better itself whilst I'm gone, but I don't think that will ever happen.

I wonder what it will be like when I go back in January.

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With Love,
KL Mosher

Appreciate it, Malaysia.

So this is where we are.

A deadbeat. A scene falling into ashes. Everybody's just giving up.
Giving up their bands, giving up their gig-going, giving up their music, giving up their passion, giving up the phase of their life that would be considered the happiest in their entire lifespan.
Giving up.

That's the problem in this country isn't it? The problem we never escape from because everybody just loses their initiative to make something grow. This whole music scene thing? It's a joke. It's a complete joke. Only a handful takes it seriously and the rest of these kids? They just come and go, but they don't do so in a way that's even worth respecting.
They come, find faults, pick sides, judge, criticize, boycott, get bored and then, they go.

What we need, is a change, a new movement of the OLD folks, who have been passionate all their life, to find the opportunities to make more worthy shows. Our scene nowadays is filled with shows that lack in catching the crowd's eyes. They have quantity (say over 15 bands for a day), but they have no quality.
They start late.
Over ambitious.
Pricey entries.
What do you expect when you see an empty venue?

Who went to my birthday gig in October 2010 at Noisy Studio? It was small scaled. It was cheap. I provided free food & drinks. It was accessible. I had a good line up - a little too many I suppose, but at least I canceled just a few than tire everybody out by ending super late. And most importantly, at least everybody enjoyed it. So many people came, the studio couldn't even FIT everybody.

My point isn't bragging. My point is: if you want to do shows, know how to do it.

There is also no point in doing a show that's meant to be exquisite, without a big budget to fall on when profit never shows. One thing, guys, for a fact, is that all the nicer places are usually inaccessible. Again, how can you expect more than a handful if you spend loads of cash on an event with nice sound and equipment and quality yet the atmosphere and choice of performers do not reach the standard?

It's all about knowing what you are doing - starting small before taking out the big guns. You cannot learn to run before you learn to walk.

Have people perhaps thought of joining all these low budgeted/no-budget-at-all organizers (say Dyslexia, UxF, Nervhous, Vokill, etc...) and make one BIG organizing community?
And don't go "ew, communities" because that's just the biggest bullshit I can hear. If you call yourself hardcore or punk or whatever you say you are, you think you're 'individual'? Don't be fooled, you're part of a subculture, which is part of a group and is part of a community.

All I am saying is, since everybody now tries to do good shows without much budget, then failing and losing even MORE money, why don't everybody collaborate, split the costs and share profits? The shows then become more diverse regarding genre, places, crowd, bands, concept. At least with every show there is one organizing label that takes the higher stool depending on what type of event it is (Concert / International / Punk / Post-rock, etc).

Sure, many of the kids nowadays think the real musicians are not materialistic and dedicate solely to music. But you still need to understand business if you're going to want your music to get OUT THERE. Do you think Butterfingers just sat around waiting for their luck to come? Or OAG, or Pop Shuvit or Love Me Butch or Hujan or Yuna? No. They went out there, strategically, to find ways of branching their music out and pulling their money in.

'Tapi diaorang mainstream la...' - Honestly speaking, not really. Not all. And even if the successful ones are mainstream, they deserve it because their effort is there. I honestly am not much of a fan of a band called Bunkface but I have my small respects to the boys for doing it DIY with effort until they reach the top, top enough to charge ridiculous amounts for booking them. And then Sam starts the Azenders which is a completely different story.

I've strayed off topic, haven't I? Anyway. I'm just trying to say, there are so many bands with potential to make it big and so many organizers that can help the bands. With bands by your side, the organizers can go from just organizing gigs to being booking agents and work with other projects. Opportunities are there when you seek it.

The important thing though, is for everybody to appreciate and accept all the different genres in the scene. You don't have to enjoy them but there will never be progress if we always condemn each others' efforts and work. 'Ew, band indie'. Padahal band2 macam Thy Regiment bukan indie? Punk bands like Carbon4teen isn't indie? They're all Independent right? They aren't Indie Rock, but they ARE indie. Learn your terms well and know your definitions, because you only look a fool.

The scene is not about canalising and separating. There are no protocols or rules to music. If organizers themselves jeer at bands from other genres, they will never be exposed or mature enough to understand the purpose of creating platforms such as gigs for musicians to showcase their talent, whatever sounds they originate from. It's not about what u can or can't listen to. In order for the Malaysian scene to stay alive, everybody has to start supporting everybody.

You diss a shuffler for wearing a trash metal cap. So what? A techno-lover cannot enjoy hardcore? Are we so anal we have the right to stop people from coming close to our genres and scene? Aren't we, as musicians, organizers, scenesters, suppose to open our arms to all who want to venture?

Sure, a lot of these kids aren't passionate and don't stay for long, but everybody has the right to put their share, however little.

It is time we start to slash out all the negatives, use our common sense and gameplan and proper plotting to set the scene back on its feet. I'm leaving the country for over a year. I'd expect good changes whenever I return for vacation.

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With Love,
KL Mosher

Petty minds of a petty scene

The one thing that we still see a lot in the culture of our country, is unmistakably the lack of passion that leaves kids wasting a lot of time in useless pursuits, instead of focusing on a certain thing they want to thrive in and nothing else.

I've seen, witnessed, heard of and talked about a certain topic with a certain few of my friends who are unlike those that I spoke of above.

Sabotage;vicious mindless violence that offers nothing new" - (Crass)

Band to band:

Bands were once those people we look at and admire, people we looked up to, people we want to become. This value is slowly crumbling, not only because bands are now 'breeding like rats' (quoting Alak Knot Records), but also because bands don't seem to have enough respect for themselves anymore. They can't respect themselves, so they of course, are unable to respect others.

Such as a certain band, X, that comes from a similar hometown to another band, Y. The difference lies simply in the attitudes of the band members.
X is made up of a bunch of young boys who are ethically respectful. Y is made up of young boys who can be ethical, but instead decide to plunge into an immature feeling one cannot afford to hold while being in a band; jealousy.
SO as X starts getting shows, Y is chasing at their feet, calling up the organizers and backstabbing X, saying they (Y) deserve the slot a lot more. This had worked a few times because the organizers just don't want havoc and conflict, but dude... seriously?

Is this how you run a band, is this how you live as a band?
You can't even handle finding your way in the music scene without using spit-filthy tactics, you really think your band will reach the top, ever?

Being a band isn't just a group of friends making music, when you start being called for shows and start gaining fans, you're going to need a more mature behaviour. You're going to have to negotiate for your band in a decent, well-respected way. Sure, now you're getting gigs because you're sabotaging other bands, but sooner or later, through word-of-mouth by organizers you've bitched at, and bands you've let down, you're going to be nowhere, boys, nowhere.

******

Crowd to band

I've covered this before, and I will say it again. You don't like the band, get your face out of the crowd, don't stand there and make a shit face, don't stand there and laugh, don't stand there and jeer. Just walk away.

Especially if you're not in a band yourself and can't play instruments to save your life. How would you like it if one day you're laughing, and the band tells you to come up on stage and play something - since you seem to know better?

Bands play shows to give you entertainment, and if you can't appreciate that fact you're not a music-lover. Simply put.

Or being rude when they talk to you. Like when a boy was moshing by himself, in the back, behind the crowd, near a small kid. He was back-kicking, all that stuff. So later on, a member of a respectable band comes up and tells him, in a really loud voice "Hey you should be more careful, don't you see there were kids beside you, what if you kicked them?"
The boy stares at him, and goes "Yeah, yeah, I hear you, you deaf"

You don't want to know the rest of the story. Pahaha.

******

Crowd to Crowd

All this while I've been at crowds of different genres I have noticed and seen many things, from perverts grabbing to intentional backkicks at certain people you dislike, all the unethical behaviours, but never have I been as offended and ashamed by the crowd of KL as I was during Upon Arrival's set at MYMC Fest 2010.

There I was, unprepared to go for a gig; dressed in shorts and slippers, but enjoying myself to the max listening to Upon Arrival, the only band I went in for the event. Crowdsurfers, stagedivers, these people are all norms of any heavy gig you attend.
So there I am standing towards the front as people are jumping towards my head. I shove them backwards, I push them to other people - standard procedure.
But there is this one guy who stood behind me, who pushed a stagediver down onto the ground. The poor dude landed on his back, he bumped his head, he was in pure pain.
Then the guy behind me raised his arms in glee and shouted "WHOOO!", advancing towards the guy on the floor as if he was ready to kick him. I just pulled his shirt towards me and shouted at him, so loud, that almost everybody in front turned around. Berlagak giler, sial. I never felt such fury in the crowd before, ever since I punched a guy for trying to finger me in the crowd.

Bloody hell, this animosity is so strong in our scenes I don't bloody get it, people want to go to gigs to enjoy music! We want to have fun we want to appreciate the scene, but all these people kicking, fighting, laughing, mocking, hurting other people... why? What the hell do you gain?


Sometimes I wonder if these kids will always be this close-minded.

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With Love,
KL Mosher

Get off the bandwagon (and put down the handbook)

This has been talked about a million times at a million places
by millions of people,
but there is only one thing that remains
the lack of change and lack of awareness of this growing,
annoying, irritating habit.

One:

On one hand, you get avid fans of a band willing to travel
halfway across the world
or even halfway down a country just to see that one band perform
before their eyes because it's worth it, to them.

On the other hand you get 'fans' who pay a few hundred
to enter the venue and watch a band only to walk out halfway saying "I was not close enough, I couldn't connect"
and say to everybody else "Oh, yes I've seen that band!"

Or 'fans' who bloat about how big a supporter they are of the scene
but when there's a gig,
where are they?
Nowhere to be found.

Kiddo, if I can stand 20,000-100,000 TALL people away from Rammstein,
Muse or Iron Maiden and still bloody connect with their set,
and kiss the muddy ground after because I am so grateful to even SEE them before my eyes,
why the hell can you not connect with a band you're locked into a stadium with?

There are fans all over the world, real fans,
who look up to bands and are inspired by them
and really, really hurt when they slip a chance of seeing them perform, seeing them live
but shake it off by listening to them on their CDs/cassettes all night long.
And there you get others wasting their money, showing off, and not even showing an ounce of gratitude or appreciation of what the bands sweat out to give their audience.

If you can't connect with a band just because of the distance or quality of venue or sound... you're not a true fan, so why do you claim yourself to be?

Be honest with yourself and be honest to people around you, why do music listeners nowadays need to be so pretentious, and claim they are a fan of so many bands and buy band t-shirts but when they're put in a situation where they can prove what a fan they are... they bail.

If you're not a real fan, just say "I listen to them, but not much". What's so difficult about that? Shame? Street credit? You have to say you know them well too, because everyone else does?
You're not going to lose respect if you're the only one who doesn't listen to Metallica, or Paramore or The Ramones.
The loss of respect is if you promote your obsession of the band 24/7, when really you only listen to the band when it comes up on shuffle.
Believe me, shame is what you get when one day someone finds out what a phoney you are.


Two:

After my previous posts, people have been sharing their views about it and a lot about 'ideology' came up. All sorts, of all subcultures, of all ages, of all forms.

I only have this to say:
instead of forcing and pressuring
and controlling people to believe your ideology is right
take a look at what you're doing
aren't you being the exact same as the ones
your ideology's against (the big man)?
Control, Pressure, Force.

And you call yourself a real deal but
you spend your time dissing other people
well, instead of cursing at people on your facebook group
why don't i see you do something worth the time
start a riot or fight for your right,
not fight for your social pride,
why don't i see you do something physical to show what you stand for?

Prove to me your ideology holds strong
and I will salute you.

That is all I have to say.


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With Love,
KL Mosher

The "Stagedive" Project

A documentary.

Coming soon.

Stay tuned.

An education on unity

Hello everybody, I'm back from the long break I needed.

Back to the scene, back to reality, and I'm opening my eyes and seeing nothing but conflicts. I feel I should take on this in a less aggressive tone. I want to talk to you guys. I want you guys, you music-lovers, you giggers, you musicians, to read what is in my mind.

"Where have all the kids gone?"

Ever noticed how the crowds in our gigs have minimized? A venue that used to be jam-packed now result in handfuls. Ever noticed? No, probably not, because you didn't attend the last gig.

I understand, going to gigs every week is a tough thing to keep up if you're busy and have another life to live. But there are many people who can juggle their personal and music life, even combining both together. Why? Because they love, truly love music.

I'm not pointing fingers, and saying those who do not attend all the gigs are not music-lovers. But the ones I'm truly disappointed in are the ones who claim to be "a total gigger" or "budak gig/hardcore/punk", but never bother to attend the shows. Those who say "I love you, (band name), I want to see you live!" but never attend the band's gigs.

Mahal la, jauh la, tak de semangat la... Hm. Is that really passion? Think for yourselves. I know a vocalist of a band *name disclosed*, who has achieved a masters degree, working, going into full adulthood and playing in a band. There are many like these. How do they manage it? Because they want the scene to survive.

without you, without us, the scene will not exist.

Come back, kids. Don't talk about "a music scene" if you're not contributing to it.

Another thing that has always lacked in our Malaysian scene: girls. I think girls only take up about 15% of the whole scene? Girls that rock out, I mean.

Yes, we see many girls, but those girls are usually girlfriends to artists or girlfriends of the guys that mosh. How many girls to we see going crazy in the crowd? Not many. To be honest, most of the girls in KL who appear in gigs often... are all my friends. And that's pretty pathetic.

I want the girls that read this to know that it is not something menacing, our music scene is not a threat, it's not dangerous. Don't be intimidated to go to a gig to see your favourite band just because you think you might get trampled. It doesn't always happen that way. If you have the urge to rock out listening to a band on Facebook, you can have as much right to rock out at their shows. Show your faces, ladies. It's time we relive the grrrl power.

"Different genres, different tastes"

The amount of endurance we give to those who say "I am a hardcore fan only/indie fan only". Stop with that. Are you saying you have never grown up listening to Backstreet Boys? Never once head-banged to AC/DC, or never sung to Hujan? Be realistic.

You can prefer a certain type of genre, or band, but that shouldn't stop you from supporting other bands, other genres. The scene is not about pick-and-choose. It's about unity. It's about sharing with each other the different sounds we can create for each other. It's not about discriminating or judging or disliking. It's not about fighting in the crowds, it's not about getting annoyed at people who are jumping around too much at a band you don't like.

It's about being there to support. If you don't like the band, don't be an ass. Just walk away from the crowd and sit out until the next band. Don't you hate it when you're enjoying a band and there's someone beside you talking shit about the band? Well, don't be that person.

"Too much of the same doses"

Another reason perhaps: everybody's getting bored of the same line-ups, same places, same people. Understandable. But then again, if we never support the scene, how can the scene move forward, and change? If no new bands sprout out, if no one organizes/attends gigs, how can the line-ups and how can the scene vary?

If you're really a die-hard music supporter, you wouldn't be fussy over who's in the scene and who's performing. You should support whoever it is that's playing, playing for you. Like I mentioned earlier, be there for the ones you love, and respect those that you dislike; they are still musicians.

"We need the unity."

We can't continue living in a scene where there are all these people and communities who are against each other, or trying to create trouble amongst themselves.

We need a mixture, a mutual understanding, a crowd that has a choice to sit out or be part of enjoying the bands that perform. A good example is this year's KL BIG PARTY.

It was a mixture of bands. Indie, hardcore, metal, ska, everything. On one side, I see sooo many people attending, and it's great. It feels like there's unity.... until you go into the audience, and you see hardcore kids getting annoyed or taking the piss of the indie kids.

Guys, don't label yourselves. You're just... people. Humans. The whole point of these type of gigs is to allow everybody to have a chance to accept one another's music. It's frustrating that it's got to the point where we have to be taught to accept, when it should be automatic.

These gigs are meant to allow everybody to unite together and enjoy together.

If there's a ska band, come and skank and enjoy. Or just sit out. Don't stand in the crowd and complain about being shoved around.

If there's an indie band, come and pogo and enjoy. Or just sit out. Don't stand in the crowd and complain about being around overhyper people.

If there's a metal band, come and headbang and enjoy. Or just sit out. Don't stand in the crowd and complain about being knocked in the head.

If there's a hardcore band, come and release and enjoy. Or just sit out. Don't stand in the crowd and complain about being kicked in the face.

It is mutual understanding we need. You know how the crowds work for different sorts of music. It's cool that you want to check out the band playing, but you can't expect to be listened to when you say "Dude why the fck did you kick me!?" when everyone else in the crowd is kicking around. If you want to be safe, if you want to watch the band undisturbed... move away a little bit. This is just how it works. This will help create peace, help create a happy atmosphere in the gigs we go to.

And those who do enjoy and pogo/skank/headbang, etc etc... if you get mad at another person for hurting you... that's just... wrong. Before, we would accidentally bump a person, and end up being friends with them. Now, it's automatically, "Eh, babi la kau!"... Why?

Or those people who purposely kick and hurt people? I understand hardcore moves, I do, people go crazy. But whoever they hurt, whoever they touch, they don't do it on purpose. They don't purposely look for someone to hurt. It just happens because everyone is doing the same thing. Those people who try to hurt a certain person in the crowd, just get lost.......

Readers, whatever type of genre you listen to, I want you to know that the importance of music doesn't lie in the differences but the similarities. Music is melody, all sorts of genres are the same melody. One melody. Why should we keep up the conflicts and disputes, when we should be busy looking for better gig venues, new bands and contributing to a living scene?

Put away those angry emotions, and just come together to keep the scene very much alive.

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With Love,

KL Mosher

Goodbye, suckers.

Went to a gig today and enjoyed the music but hated what was happening in the crowd.

What happened to moshing and having fun with the music? What happened to people uniting as one through music? What happened to true passion for music where people aren't paying attention to fucking people up in the crowd but to the people pouring their souls on stage for you guys to accept their music?

All I saw was people getting hurt because of idiots finding it funny pushing each other around. Some people fell onto one another and some people had their balls crushed and hips bruised against the stage because of that.

People getting hurt because of accidental mosh injuries is completely acceptable.

People getting hurt because of intentional actions to injure in the moshpit is wrong.

So I'm fucking glad I'm going to escape the scene for a month, because what I saw today really made me sick.

And I hate feeling sick about the music scene.

I still love our music and our music lovers though. Stay real.

See you guys when I'm back.

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With Love,

KL Mosher

Animosity Vs. Unity

I recently went to a gig that was a mixture of genres, with a hope to enjoy the unity of all music coming together.

I came out disappointed. Not only were the crowds unsupportive of the bands of other genres, the crowds were unsupportive towards each other. I seriously do not understand why people want to always pick a fight or purposely hurt people in the crowd. It doesn't matter if you accidentally push or shove or kick somebody. But never, ever is it acceptable when it is intentional.

I was also disappointed because a person who frequently did that was somebody I knew.
I spent the whole gig scorning at the kids who sang to The Times' "Tunjuk Perasaan". 'Rasa Sayang/ Tunjuk perasaan'... there's no use singing those lines if you are hurting each other at the same time. Is it so hard for the crowd to just, jump around and sing along without having to feel the need to shove somebody in the ribs or elbow people in the head?

Then there are those people who purposely enter the crowd during a band they never really listen to, just to get annoyed at the kids actually having fun. I saw a guy standing in the crowd with a frown on his face, clearly not enjoying himself, and there was a boy behind him having the time of his life dancing and singing along. He accidentally repeatedly slaps the frowning guy in the shoulder. All the guy could do was move away, but no. He had to kick the guy who was enjoying, ruining the moment for him. Why?

We're supposed to support each other in the scene and strengthen our unity that Aaron from Bane once appreciated. What the hell is all this animosity for? What can you gain out of it, other than people with hurt feelings and anger? Is that what you want in our scene?Hate?
Then by all means, keep on ruining the scene.

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With Love,

KL Mosher

A Justification

Friends discussed about my previous dislikes of the hardcore moshing/dancing, and compared it to my current active role in it. I sensed some sort of judgment that might have labelled me 'hypocritical' of my own beliefs, so here I write an explanation. You can read from my previous posts, one of the earliest, an undeniable dislike I showed once towards it. I won't deny it. I called the moves' kungfu moshing', especially the moves I disliked - but I still do, to an extent. I want those who read my blog and know me in person to not misunderstand my point of view.

I do mosh now in a way I once found weird, credited to my now expanded knowledge of the hardcore culture. But I want to make it clear that I do still find some hxc moves unacceptable (to myself personally). I am only active in the traditional two-step/pizzamaker and breakdowns, because those are all I need for release.

I don't do the continuous flying, spinning kicks, the flinging, windmill arms, because I still stick to what I believed two years ago; those intentionally and obviously will hurt people. I don't mosh to hurt, I mosh to release. I wrote before I do not understand why the crowd would move in synchronisation to free music, but I now realize it is not a negative thing; almost an angry dance of release.

I still shake my head at kids who 2-step and breakdown and all the wrong parts of a song. What I do now, is not what I hate, nor what I love. Just a release.

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With Love,

KL Mosher

Noisy Studio debates.

A stupid comment:

Those young punk rocker people were arrested because of excessive din and noise . The situation might be different if they attended an 'illegal" soothing sound of a jazz gig. Drugs are everywhere and all over the town. It is easily available in KL. Especially the eramine 5 . Even if they cant afford such drugs they still be able to get high by sniffing industrial glue which retails for a few dollars . Now more readers will know why the young punks are inhaling from a plastic bag and starts to hallucinate. That is glue inside the bag. And the situation gets worse when they ride their motorbikes. There must be a law for glue sniffers as the effect is same as drugs

my reply:

have you actually been to Noisy Studio? have you looked around? there are no 'residents' around there. and from the outside, you can hardly hear any noise coming from inside the place. whoever did the report did it with purposeful intentions to cripple the gig and cripple the image of the punk youths. the 'authorities' are frightened by the growing scene. it is likely, it happened before, it can happen again. Face the fact that drugs and abuse is found everywhere, not only amongst "these punk rocker people" and these guys are the ones highly blamed for it all. This is injustice for you.

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- Do they owe us a living? Course they fuckin' do. -

[Updated] Noisy Studio ratted on

What was Noisy Studio ratted on for? What crimes? None.

Noisy Studio, a long well-known area for gigs (mainly low budget punk gigs) near the Ampang LRT was raided by police yesterday night during Berantakan's Album Launch.

Four trucks arrived and a total of 160 people were arrested and brought to the station. A few foreigners and mostly Malaysians.

Apparently someone ratted on the gig to the police, for reasons unconfirmed yet.

But that is such a fuck up thing to do. Why? No way in hell it could've been due to 'noise' because I've hung out outside the place many times and I can tell that the music inside the studio can hardly be heard and considered as 'noise' from the outside.

Because of this, the equipments might be taken away from the studio and the upcoming gigs might have to be postponed. (This might include Speak Out, Dance Punk Party and of course Whatever That Means & Kill The Apprentice LIVE @ Noisy)

What else is there to say?

What we do is not a crime.

Whoever it was who tried to make it seem like a crime;

rot in hell.

Thank you.

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With Love,

KL Mosher

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http://www.mmail.com.my/content/37929-123-held-illegal-punk-rock-gig#comment-19176

AMPANG JAYA: Police arrested 123 youths, including the daughter of a bass player from a famous mid-80s rock band, and crippled an illegal punk rock gig at a double storey premise in Kampung Baru, Ampang, yesterday.

The raid at 11.30pm was conducted by the crime investigation department and narcotics crime division of the Ampang Jaya police headquarters. The youths, aged between 15 and 35, were arrested after police received complaints from residents about the noise.

Ampang Jaya district deputy police chief Supt Amiruddin Jamaluddin said when police raided the place, some were found high on drugs.

Also nabbed were 11 foreigners, including six Australians, two Americans and three Indonesians.

"We found 20 under influence of syabu, ecstasy and cannabis and another 20 were underaged,” said Amiruddin.

“They did not have a permit for the gathering. We also detained the owner of the premise for further investigation,” he said.

My comment (whether they approve or not, it's now here for all to read):

It is obvious this particular arrest is going to affect a lot of the youths' already negative outlook on the agents of society (gov, police, etc) and worsen their perspectives even more. These concerts have been going on for a very long time, and rarely anyone have gotten into serious harm that requires police's attention. It is pathetic that whoever reported this event only chose to do it now, during an event that disturbed nobody, an event of youths enjoying themselves, an event youths went to for an outlet from reality. I am pretty sure police have been aware of all these shows up until now. So why act only now? Looking for drug and alcohol abuse at a gig is definitely a prejudiced move; punk gigs are considered delinquent and stereotypically bad. But if you compare the activities and intentions that are in a gig to a CLUB, you'd find out the police who did the arrest on this studio wasted their time, when they could've gone to a club somewhere and arrested a lot more who actually are out for trouble. As for the gig being illegal? Who's to blame? The society is so strict on the religious values and 'righteous' values, will it be easy for us to get a permit for events like these? No. And getting a legalized permit would enter the event in the government's system, which would most likely cause even more of unwanted attention from the police body, which the youths do not FEAR, but merely wish would leave them alone. Have you ever heard of people being arrested purely because of their outfit? It only happens here. Come on, you get more corrupt minds in suits than in extreme/young clothes. Organizing and attending these concerts are part of the youth body, don't tell me the government is intending on tarnishing this growing part of society. On a more positive outlook; concerts bring people from outside the country in. In the music world, our neighboring countries envy Malaysia's scene. It does us well. So if I were one of the upper men, I would just keep quiet and let things be, because the events bring Malaysians and non-Malaysians together, and it is the events that spark an interest in many youths, making them proud of their country.

A small scene with big dreams

It kills me when I look at some things people who are completely unaware of our scene say (whether they are from or not from Malaysia). It's even worse when they are people who actually reside in Malaysia and perceive the place as their home. People who have been influenced so much into thinking "oh-my-god, international bands, awesome stuff, blows my mind, nothing can compare to these bands who are famous, these bands who are not your friends, these bands you need to go through security to meet!". These people who indulge in the intangible that they forget to appreciate those that are nearby and reachable. These people who look down on the things in front of them.

I have read somewhere of a person who has never received any promos, materials of any sort from Malaysia, but somehow manage to find a judgemental point of view, gutsy enough to say "releases from that area tend to be crap". Where's your proof? Where are you going to hide your face if you come down and witness a gig for yourself? Sure we do have crap gigs, but so do other countries all over the world. It isn't based on WHERE, as I have said once in a previous post. Sure, we do not have havoc similar to HellFest at our hardcore gigs, but the music is still good, the crowd is still devilish, the people still unite. Who gives a shit if the country is small and we are not known enough, when we have our own fun and we share our own happiness amongst one another? When will people understand, you don't need to be a colossal, rich and famous country like the US to have a strong ground of music? When will people realize that music did not just evolve from ONE place, but music found at one area can also be found in many others? You cannot say Asian music is shit, because Asian music can be similar to other music. You can't say Malaysians don't know how to produce, because it has been obvious that we have amazing music producers and bands around our country, some yet to be discovered, some already are.

We wouldn't have Restraint being compared to Sworn Enemy or Hatebreed if our music was shit. You wouldn't have Zee Avi being compared to Norah Jones, or Love Me Butch compared to Deftones, or big otais like our own Cromok being mentioned once in a Metallica interview as a "true meal band".

I also once came across a guy who rudely named our music scene as shitty, and compared our bands to Coldplay. When I asked him if he had even heard any Malaysian bands before, not those stupid songs you hear in a mini-market or whatever, he went 'no'. So who the fuck are you to judge? If I placed him in front of any random gigger, and told them to compare their music knowledge about international bands, he would've lost. No doubt.

Just because our scene is small, and hidden, and unexposed, it doesn't mean our minds are the same. The scene is our pillow to fall back on, but our minds are free to roam anywhere and everywhere. How would we get inspiration for music if we were unexposed to the outside world? Yeah, we do have jungles in Malaysia, but this does not make everybody living here orang kampungs. Fucking re-set your minds people. I have spoken to big acts like Shai Hulud and Buzzcocks, who were amazed at how active the scene was. I had a white guy attend a Buzzcocks gig in Malaysia and was completely blown away by the number of people in crust pants and mohawks and safety-pins he saw attending the show, unaware that there were even punks in the country. We have had overseas bands willing to come more than once because they loved the crowd that much. Our scene is our home, this feeling should be felt for every country with a local scene. Home.

We have Singaporeans loving our scene more than their own (though they should really support their own scene too) because of the pure unity and positive vibe they get from our scene. Okay, we're not a bunch of hippies, we have chaotic incidents too, but it's normal in a scene. It doesn't matter the size, it doesn't matter the place, as long as there's a scene, there's a dream and we fight for it.

You cannot simply judge music before hearing it, or judging the existence of a scene before attempting to find it. That just makes you an ignorant, oblivious and shallow person unworthy of being appreciated as a music-fan.

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With Love,

KL Mosher

FLAMES FESTIVAL Presale Tickets on sale!

FLAMES FESTIVAL TICKETS ON SALE NOW: (read below for details)

Flames Festival - rm20 (promotion until 31st May)

Call/Msg CELINE @ 0172391096, leave your name and the number of tickets you'd like to book.

You can meet me on a compromised time @

Hartamas/Mont Kiara

Other damansara areas

Kelana Jaya

Ampang

KL - Bukit Bintang area

ONE CAFE

If you wish, you can collect the tickets on the day of the event as long as you have booked.

Thank you

Organizing a gig: BE SMART II

An Addition to my previous post which I posted a while back, a year or two ago.

http://klmosher.blogspot.com/2008/12/organizing-gig-be-smart.html

Understanding the event:

You are the organisers. You understand who and what type of band you invite to play at your show. You would've, if you are a good organizer, listened to their tunes they have sent to you or available on their sites.

Be sure to get the right amount of equipment.

Bands that are willing to play won't be expecting Fender/Marshall equipments, or any of that sort, but they will be expecting a good enough set of equipments to allow them to play a full set. Experiences have led me to realize how a wrong set leaves the band feeling disappointed.

If the band needs 3 amps, get three amps. If a band needs a keyboard stand or 2 microphones, get them. It isn't difficult to get things like these right. You cannot expect a band to thank you whole heartedly if by the end of the show, they needed to change their set or minimise their sounds, use a mixer, or any of that sort. Think it through.

A good promotion:

Don't depend on people to just find out about the event. As organizers, it is your responsibility to promote the event to as much extent possible. If this results in you having to walk around the streets handing out flyers, do it. It is not difficult to create an event page, with full details, and invite friends, tell them to invite friends, etc etc.

And be smart about where you promote. Promote at places where you know your targeted age group or giggers linger. Bukit Bintang, Kota Damansara, Uptowns... all that. Shopping malls too.

A good location:

A lot of giggers are teenagers. This means they usually rely on public transport or their own minimal transport to get there. Don't find a place where people will have difficulty in accessing. Take MCPA Hall. It was easy. Monorail station right in front of it. One Cafe. Monorail station right in front of it, and a very famous road behind (Chow Kit). People know these places. Even if you decide to get a place that is unknown or new, you must keep in mind how the transport to get there will be. I've been to a gig where only a handful people showed up because of transport difficulty.

Think it through. There are a lot more things to consider when you want to plan a gig.

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With Love,

KL Mosher

BANE LIVE IN KL & FLAMES FESTIVAL Presale Tickets on sale!

Get presale tickets off me now!

Bane LIVE in KL - rm35 (promotion until 10th May)

Flames Festival - rm20 (promotion until 20th May)

Call/Msg me @ 0172391096, leave your name and the number of tickets you'd like to book, you can collect the tickets on the day of the event or before if you arrange a convenient time. Thank you

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With Love,

KL Mosher

When home is where music is

KL Mosher feels good about her life when things get tougher thanks to moments when she blasts her speakers up loud or have a sweaty crowd around during gigs, singing along wholeheartedly to songs that matter.

Places that rock:

One Cafe:

Everyone who are into the music scene should already know about this place by now. Booked with gigs from beginning til end of 2010, One Cafe is the hotspot for all underground and mainstream gigs to take place. The red stage, zebra crossing floor tiles, massage chairs at the back of the venue, who wouldn't love it?

Gallery Studio:

My jamming spot with my band, and also a place to meet and laugh with some of the AKD members :) I especially love the mamak-lepakings at Al-Mehraj, the busking boys at the hawker stall below Gallery (they are never the same, but the songs are always 'feel good'), and the pure colossal music in such a small environment.

Grido Studio:

Here is where everything is just chilled, where the kids who need an outlet from life to escape to and just talk about everything and nothing. With jam sessions that taste like hell (temperature wise - TRUST ME!) that occur in this place, this studio awkwardly feels like home and I can waste hours there without realizing the time.

Kitaro:

It's not really Kitaro and the annoying mamaks there, it's more about the moments when you're sitting with a bunch of friends laughing at the world, and the band that plays beside BB Plaza starts to play an old tune that melts your heart. And before you know it, you and others are just singing along to that distance, muffled music of a live band. :)

Sally Bum:

And finally, my beloved friend / partner in crime's car, Sally Bum. With a CD case titled "The Bum Soundtrack", there is never a moment in the car when you're listening to bad music... Unless you're switching CDs and the radio comes on.

Places beginning to rock up:

I've been, as you all already know, watching the music scene as closely as I can to find things to discuss and share views with. So here are a few gig spots to splash out to you guys!

Shah Alam, Sek. 13, Pusat Perniagaan Worldwide, Medan Budaya:

Okay, the name is long I know, but it's a new place which a music organization are starting to introduce to giggers. It is near Tesco Shah Alam, and is outdoors, with a shaded stage and a food + drinks stall. Could become something.

Upcoming event there: 25th April - Catastrophe, This Sunday and more bands.

Dragonfly/Orange Club:

This is an old place but recently gigs have been taking place there. With an awesome stage and awesome sound, this place is perfect to just blast heavy music.

Upcoming event there: 9th May - Typecast LIVE in KL

KL Live Center:

Okay I admit, NOT at all a new place, but it's only starting to become a regular gig spot. Big area, big stage, nice lightings, awesome bands that come to Malaysia and perform there. What else to expect?

Upcoming event there: 28th April - Stereophonics LIVE in KL

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It's not really about where you are, but as long as you have friends and music around you, that's when you're home.

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With Love,

KL Mosher

Mosh Etiquette

Hahaha macam mosh ada etiquette pulak.

Let me take you on a stroll through the pushing bodies, flying kicks, circle pits, stage diving, pizza makers, two stepping, break-downs, windmills, air walking, crowd surfing and all these other things you see in a mosh pit and get to the facts I am intending to meet with this post.

If I was asked where is a place you can feel the best and most excited, one of my answers will definitely be "In a moshpit". But there are also times when I feel pissed off or completely laugh at those who make a fool out of themselves around or in the moshpit. They should seriously think about what they do and what their purpose of being at a gig actually is.

Dengar musik ke dating?

I definitely personally think dating at a gig... is super. I would love doing that. But that accounts for a few things. WHAT kind of gig it is, and WHAT kind of people you are. Do the both of you LOVE gigs just as much? Is the gig suitable for couples? Sumpah I tak faham people who bring their girlfriends along to a gig, dah TAU dah mesti chaos giler, but marah when they get pushed around. Look, if you reti bring gf to a gig, that would mean you've been to enough to know about them. You would know the kind of silly things friends do to each other in a moshpit and the regular heavy stuff others do. If you want to date, and don't want to get hurt, then just dude. Stay away. To the back, to the side. Indie gig ke.

Or even better, how about just not go and head to Times Square instead? We're all having fun and it's just not a nice sight to see someone pulling an angry face just because someone ter-pushed your girlie. Seriously man. Both of you should know what a gig is like, especially hardcore gigs.

Breakdown ke gaduh?

Yes, the heavier stuff do happen, as I justified in the upper column, but that doesn't mean one must take it too far and make it more about hurt than about fun.

I saw this. A guy having his fun moshing. Yeah, so what if he took the space? All you have to do is jadi berani sikit, go beside him and mosh until you get your space juga. There is no need, no need, to stand at the side, see the guy get closer to you, and suddenly do a huge kick to his legs or face. Seriously, that is horrendous. That is rude. That is barbaric. You don't go into a moshpit to create a fight. What's worse is people who usually do that tend to get PISSED OFF when the other person's friends marah dia. Cheh.

Think, man. We're here to have fun, not only you want to mosh, but everyone will get their chance to enter the circle. Or at least, why don't you just do a circle pit until you find a free space? Banyak cara, and gaduh isn't one of the best.

Freestyle ke ikut irama?

Some are even worse. They don't even follow the music. This refers to every gig. Some skank without the sound of ska, some pogo without ANY loud music, some two-step when it's the breakdown, some breakdown (this is the most annoying) when it's more for two-step. Aduhhhhhh.... dengar la musicccc... It's not about showing what you can do. It's about feeling the music. And when you look stupid just trying to show off your skills, that just proves you're not feeling the music at all, just using the music to get yourself out on the moshpit to show off your 'moves'. No need for that, it's not a dance competition.

Fashion show ke gig?

Senang citer. Everyone with a brain will know going to a gig will mean sweating and stinking. So if you don't want your clothes to get dirty, or your make up to smear or to stink... don't bloody stand in the pit!!!

Cari pasal ke cari fun?

This is quite similar to the first column, except it's not specifically about couples but more about one's own feelings. One gig tend to have many many fans. And many many bands. Bands that you love and bands that you're just okay with. And of course, during the gig your energy level may fluctuate and at some point you might feel quite tired and unwilling to stay in the crowd. Then... don't stay in the crowd. You staying in the crowd tired will lead to someone pushing you, and you getting angry, and then you not enjoying the set, and buat muka, so everyone who looks at you will just be like... "Dude, what's with this person, man?"

You know?

There is nothing wrong with walking out for a while to take a breather. Other fans from a band you don't like won't kill you for walking out on the band. In fact, they would be happy because they have the whole pit to themselves; people who are passionate for the music being played. It would, however piss them off more, if you stood in the crowd, making faces that suggests you don't like the band. Some guys in the pit are very sensitive, and cari pasal je. Doesn't mean you have to go out looking for it, too.

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With Love,

KL Mosher

No Need For Agression

Alright, just a little hippie side of me taking control here. I came across a story today that made me ponder on the attitude that some bands have to endure coming from other people. Or simply put, how bands have to deal with haters.

The story? Well a boy, who used to like this particularly band, but suddenly does not (because he heard the band was 'sombong' when in truth he has never spoken to them in his life), was walking past a mamak when he came across the vocalist of that band. Note here that he dislikes the band because of rumours, not because of the music.

Anyway, he saw the vox there, and dia jerit "________ sucks!" really loudly as he walked past the vocalist. The boy found this funny.

Tapi kelakar ke? Let's think about it. I'm pretty sure people who play in bands that are quite famous are bound to be damn used to getting stuff like this on a daily basis. I'm pretty sure they will soon get unaffected by it. I'm pretty sure most of them don't give a shit. "Pfft, haters... biarlah..." will be most of their response.

So in a KL Mosher devised scene, the vocalist will buat bodoh, buat macam tak dengar. People who heard the yell will look at the 'idiot' who yelled that. And then the vocalist. Satu jerit macam sakai, satu playing it cool. Who's going to look stupid?

Who's going to be the one who looks like a fool? The vocalist or the boy? You decide.

What's the point then, of agressively approaching bands you dislike to diss them just for your own satisfaction, when really, what you do will not change any ounce of your life, except make a good story for friends. What's the point?

Disliking/liking a band is a personal thing. You can share it with friends, you can go "arghhhh!" when their song comes on the radio, but why is there a need to be so rude and so impolite to people who are making music, who are spending hours and hours recording and touring to satisfy those who care and appreciate their music?

Grow up, people. Trust me, you get nothing out of it.

And if I may add, having spoken to many, and knowing the vocalist of that particular band myself, that the vocalist is actually the one yang paling friendly who tries to lepak with fans and friends during their shows. So, as I have said in a previous blog post... if you tak kenal diaorang tapi you dengar citer je, and 'fuck' band tu because you got teenagedly annoyed... doesn't that make you a bit naive to just believe everything you hear?

Agression is only at its best when it is for the pure passion of music, when it exerts in performances, when it is in the lyrics of songs, the shouts of vocalists, the twangs of guitars, the pounding of the drums.

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With Love,

KL Mosher

Local Pride

Right, here comes a little Malaysia love from me. Not being patriotic or anything, but I was in the midst of a conversation with a new found friend who was into grindcore and we stumbled upon topics of Napalm Death and Suicide Silence (and the Suicide Death gig last week)

This was one of his comments about Suicide Silence:

"oky la suicide silence tpi byk retak sme la u try dgr btol2 cm sme je sume..tpi xbole kte ape la owg putih yg bwt sume gempak2..btol x.."

Well... Tak betul, my dear friend.

I believe that we, in order to support our local music scene, must fully and truly believe in our music, and the progression of it. Why do we have to be let down by the potential of the international bands? We aren't allowed to criticize the works of white people, eh? That mentality can't get us anywhere if we want to strive further with Malaysia's - in my opinion - increasingly amazing scene. Plus, criticism is not always negative. We can give good feedbacks, and learn from it, to build up on our own works.

Yes, I admit, we have crappy bands. But so does the U.S.A. So does England. So does France, Germany... whatever. If there are no crappy bands, how can there be good bands to compare with, right?

As a local, we shouldn't be afraid to compare our local music to international music. I can name more than ten groups from the U.S that can't compare with the likes of our own bands like Seven Collar T-shirt and Love Me Butch. Do you seriously think Boys Like Girls are better and more original than Seven Collar T-shirt? Seriously?

Think about it.

Every band is different, and I believe we should destroy, trash and burn that barrier that separates local and international bands, because the difference does not lie in the country or place we are from, but the music that inspires and the road we take in making music. We have awesome international bands, and awesome local bands, shitty ones from afar, and shitty homegrown ones. The thing is... it doesn't matter. Don't let the big world intimidate our own world to striving. Music is universal. There should not be a 'we' and 'they'. There should only be a 'we'. Us. Kami. OUR music. From EVERYWHERE. If we're always going to think 'We can never be as good as them', how the hell do you expect to kick ass? Many people escape from reality into music because it is in music where there is no superiority, no government, no power (except the power to make us feel good) and no differences (except in genres). So why should we feel like we are inferior even with music?

... Btol x?

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With Love,

KL Mosher