Its been awhile!
Too damn long since I jammed with anybody. I had thought Suburban Dammit was too far in its grave, just a memory to keep us warm if we do make it to wheelchair-bound status.
Scrolling down google the other afternoon and discovered that we're listed on the Singapore National Bibliography. And then a flood of memories came back into my head.
We formed Suburban Dammit in 96', a 3-piece band. Aaron and I have almost always been 3-piece. I don't know why. Too many cooks I suppose.
I guess we didn't see the value of too many folks - at the gigs those days, sound balance was as mysterious as Atlantis - some people say it exists, some say they can find it - well, it just gets too loud. And when we're recording, the same guy plays a few tracks. It never was a problem.
Besides, we were a punk band.
I used to shout myself hoarse at gigs and if we're playing a few days in between, Aaron always suggested some lemon honey drink. It doesn't work and makes lots of phelgm. We played alot of venues and our sound is characteristically raw in the early days.
Early days.
I started out around 11 years old. As a neighbourhood kid scampering around with other kids, I was a music addict since 9. I used to go down to the cassette shop and buy an album at least once a week. It used to cost $7, I think, for each tape.
Back then, my favourite bands/groups were A-Ha, Depeche Mode and Pet Shop Boys, in precisely that order. We had an Italian neighbour, Ricardo, who stood out amongst the rest of us with his height, blonde hair and handsome ang-mo features. He was the only child of an Italian divorcee who lived on the 10th storey, whose mom in turn lived on the 5th. Complicated affair but I assure you she is hot.
Ricardo introduced me to heavy metal. It did take quite a few listenings to 'get it' and after a few weeks, I was buying Man-o-War, Metallica, Motley Crue and Iron Maiden in lieu of wimpy Bros and Linear.
Then, somewhere down the line, Ricardo suggested forming a band. A great idea - despite the fact that none of us pre-teens could play shit. Ricardo put himself up as as the drummer, very likely after seeing Lars Ulrich on TV. Short and small Mamat became the lead guitarist - probably because Mamat sounded like Hammett (Kirk). Ah June, who at the time was my 'best friend' (I have not seen him for 18 years now) was the rhythm guitarist. That left me bullied into being the bassist although I wanted to be the drummer.
Someone told us that if you can play the guitar, bass is no problem. I spent countless afternoons trying to play the guitar. Funny-fingered positions, hell I had to lay the guitar flat across my lap to get the notes right, albeit with alot of weird finger spasms. It didn't help that there were 3 of us trying to learn the one guitar Mamat scrounged from god knows where.
Halfway through, hot mom decided to head back to Italy. Ricardo had to go too. It was a sad departure, my first band break-up; not that we were anything close to resembling a band.
We decided to forge ahead. I took on the drums and Rizal the retard from 2nd floor joined us on bass. Rizal had this weird wide smile and always looks moronic when he stares right into my eyes while he plays the bassline of Sweet Child o' Mine to show me that he could do it without looking.
I have no clue how to play percussion, so I did the most sensible thing. Lessons.
I remember paying some $100-200 per month for a personalized drumming coach. The lessons were held every Sunday afternoon at Ming Arcade, in Guitar Workshop's studio. My coach - I can't remember his name - was actually a celebrity drummer himself, playing for a band named Heritage.
By and by, beat by beat I got it into my system. Although holding on to the tempo, I was never a good drummer. Too much soccer makes 2 left feet I think. In my spare time, I laid her neck across my lap and fingered her. Funny how it worked out - Mamat, Rizal and Ah June gave up playing the guitar and I had her exclusively. I was playing a simplified version of Scorpions' Still Loving You while Ah June was still wondering whether I was fingering C or G.
When I was 12, I moved to Bishan. Into a new neighbourhood with no peers and into a new secondary school shortly thereafter.
Too damn long since I jammed with anybody. I had thought Suburban Dammit was too far in its grave, just a memory to keep us warm if we do make it to wheelchair-bound status.
Scrolling down google the other afternoon and discovered that we're listed on the Singapore National Bibliography. And then a flood of memories came back into my head.
We formed Suburban Dammit in 96', a 3-piece band. Aaron and I have almost always been 3-piece. I don't know why. Too many cooks I suppose.
I guess we didn't see the value of too many folks - at the gigs those days, sound balance was as mysterious as Atlantis - some people say it exists, some say they can find it - well, it just gets too loud. And when we're recording, the same guy plays a few tracks. It never was a problem.
Besides, we were a punk band.
I used to shout myself hoarse at gigs and if we're playing a few days in between, Aaron always suggested some lemon honey drink. It doesn't work and makes lots of phelgm. We played alot of venues and our sound is characteristically raw in the early days.
Early days.
I started out around 11 years old. As a neighbourhood kid scampering around with other kids, I was a music addict since 9. I used to go down to the cassette shop and buy an album at least once a week. It used to cost $7, I think, for each tape.
Back then, my favourite bands/groups were A-Ha, Depeche Mode and Pet Shop Boys, in precisely that order. We had an Italian neighbour, Ricardo, who stood out amongst the rest of us with his height, blonde hair and handsome ang-mo features. He was the only child of an Italian divorcee who lived on the 10th storey, whose mom in turn lived on the 5th. Complicated affair but I assure you she is hot.
Ricardo introduced me to heavy metal. It did take quite a few listenings to 'get it' and after a few weeks, I was buying Man-o-War, Metallica, Motley Crue and Iron Maiden in lieu of wimpy Bros and Linear.
Then, somewhere down the line, Ricardo suggested forming a band. A great idea - despite the fact that none of us pre-teens could play shit. Ricardo put himself up as as the drummer, very likely after seeing Lars Ulrich on TV. Short and small Mamat became the lead guitarist - probably because Mamat sounded like Hammett (Kirk). Ah June, who at the time was my 'best friend' (I have not seen him for 18 years now) was the rhythm guitarist. That left me bullied into being the bassist although I wanted to be the drummer.
Someone told us that if you can play the guitar, bass is no problem. I spent countless afternoons trying to play the guitar. Funny-fingered positions, hell I had to lay the guitar flat across my lap to get the notes right, albeit with alot of weird finger spasms. It didn't help that there were 3 of us trying to learn the one guitar Mamat scrounged from god knows where.
Halfway through, hot mom decided to head back to Italy. Ricardo had to go too. It was a sad departure, my first band break-up; not that we were anything close to resembling a band.
We decided to forge ahead. I took on the drums and Rizal the retard from 2nd floor joined us on bass. Rizal had this weird wide smile and always looks moronic when he stares right into my eyes while he plays the bassline of Sweet Child o' Mine to show me that he could do it without looking.
I have no clue how to play percussion, so I did the most sensible thing. Lessons.
I remember paying some $100-200 per month for a personalized drumming coach. The lessons were held every Sunday afternoon at Ming Arcade, in Guitar Workshop's studio. My coach - I can't remember his name - was actually a celebrity drummer himself, playing for a band named Heritage.
By and by, beat by beat I got it into my system. Although holding on to the tempo, I was never a good drummer. Too much soccer makes 2 left feet I think. In my spare time, I laid her neck across my lap and fingered her. Funny how it worked out - Mamat, Rizal and Ah June gave up playing the guitar and I had her exclusively. I was playing a simplified version of Scorpions' Still Loving You while Ah June was still wondering whether I was fingering C or G.
When I was 12, I moved to Bishan. Into a new neighbourhood with no peers and into a new secondary school shortly thereafter.
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