things i learnt leading up to the gig later today..

1. a musician’s confidence lies within the people that he/she plays with, whether they’re confident that you can pull it off.

2. musicians put their reputation at stake when they personally ask people to come to the gig. (especially if there’s a cover charge involved) if the band doesn’t perform well, they probably won’t come again. i wonder how many people will show up if i were to organize the same event again.

there’s so much pressure as an organizer, like let’s say in kl if a gig doesn’t go well i could just blame it on the crowd, or the venue, or the other musicians on that day.. or something.. haha.. but as the musician and organizer, the only one to blame will be myself, because everything’s under my control

3. every performance is a work in progress.. it’s amazing how we continue to develop and improve, i can’t think of any two gigs i played where i played exactly the same, or didn’t improve from.

4. but the most exciting thing is how the music evolves and develops as different musicians have their take in it. there’re some songs that are totally transformed just with chris and khai playing it.. it’s quite an amazing experience.

will continue with thoughts after the gig, hope to see you guys there

deep dish, melbourne uni
(turn left into melbourne uni after arts center, corner swanston and grattan streets and keep walking)
4-6pm, thursday (today!)

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gig went well! will post more photos and vids soon, thanks so much guys for showing up =)

btw, christmas + birthday’s coming.. http://www.vintageking.com/New-Brands/Neve-AMS/Neve-8816-Summing-Mixer

zach, khai and chris (+ the 2 cows in the poster =p) thanks babe for the polaroid

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you’re invited to join us for an hour of original music this thursday evening at deep dish!

(deep dish is down the flight of stairs south of bullwinkles in melbourne uni; in front of charles pearson theatre, erc)

zach’s dark soundscapes (accompanied by vinsant huang and chris yip) will be followed by the edgy tunes of broken scar, and the soothing melodies of tenor saxophonist adam downs

broken scar returns to melbourne after just releasing his debut album ‘midnight at st kilda’

music samples available at myspace.com/zacharytay and myspace.com/brokenscarmusic

it’s not a huge gig, will really appreciate the support from you guys =) looking forward to the pleasure of your company, cheers!

p.s. will consider requests if we’re capable of pulling it off heheh 

facebook event link

icac battle of the bands 2006

lauren demanding some r.e.s.p.e.c.t.

final guitar solo, the stroke’s juicyjuice

our brilliant horn section

thanks babe for the photos, what an awesome gig! cheers everyone!

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first gig in melbourne!

1 hour gig, if you have time to spare for a little drink in a relaxed venue after a long day in uni, or a game of pool over a glass of beer, and some music by performing songwriters from melbourne uni

thursday 19th october
deep dish, melbourne uni – 4-6pm

my trio’s playing from 5 to 6. it’s going to be great fun, i promise! come along if you have the time yeah. sms/call/email me if you need more info

(p.s. khai, i could use some photos, will you be free?)

tonight i expected to walk into a church to listen to good christian music, and maybe a 25 minute bible message.

tonight i walked into a convention center, listened to horrendous renditions of lifehouse, limp bizkit and some other heavy rock cover, and a 25 minute message on making a difference in the world by wearing a white armband and attending a big concert in november.

what?

[rant]

the sound engineers probably haven’t heard a record before in the past 20 years.. poor vocalists can’t hear themselves, can’t blame them for sounding like donkeys. for goodness sakes.. please don’t give people any more ammo to ridicule christian music.. bloody stumbling blocks..

even IF the music was top notch and the sound engineer had his pair of ears on, what’s the purpose for this event? for the bands to walk out and say ‘glory glory insert-band-name-here?’ i’m sorry, i don’t think god will be too pleased with that. god was never mentioned more than a passing comment. i have absolutely NO idea why the event was even held.

maybe i’m not doing them enough justice.. i only left after 2 hours.

[/rant]

tagged by adeline! hmm the first tag i responded to, possibly cause this is the only really interesting one i’ve come across.. hehe =) no hard feelings to everyone else yeah? the first few ones turned out quite random, but the bottom few are quite apt! heheh =) read to the end yeah?

the requirements:
1. Put your music player on shuffle
2. Press forward for each question
3. Use the song title to answer the question (but it seems you can insert the lyrics from the song if you want in addition to the title… so if it’s suitable go ahead
4. DON’T CHEAT

1. how am i feeling today?

“everything” by lifehouse

i feel everything(?)

2. where will i get married?

“take on me” by A1

HAHAHAHA! if you haven’t heard this, maybe you should.. sorry babe, we’re getting married in an 80s disco.. it’s your favorite song anyhow! hehehehh! =)

3. what is my best friend’s theme song?

“you’re still the one” by shania twain

=)

4. what was my high school like?

“sing a song” by third day

ironic.. high school was when i couldn’t sing to save my life =p heheh.. i remember the first time i sang a bit in church, eric rolled around laughing and calling me a karaoke singer.. hahaha

5. what is the best thing about me?

“traffic in the sky” by jack johnson

yep i traffic drugs in the sky (?!)

6. how is today gonna be?

“if we hold on together” by diana ross

today’s gonna be a cheesy land before time story

7. what is in store for the week?

“only for you” by code red

.. shall not justify that with a response. wait.. damn.

8. what song describes my parents?

“you” by jaci velasquez

you make everything good, everything wonderful

you grace my days and heaven fills my view

you make everything pure, everything beautiful

you make me see the only thing that’s true, it’s you

=) wow

9. how is my life going?

“jungle gym” by jack johnson featuring g. love

the city is my jungle gym, look at this great big world that we live in!
there’s lots of fun to be had on these streets, we can take a ride just you and me, it’s a jungle gym!

yesh!

10. what song will they play at my funeral?

“la soledad” by pink martini

(spanish gibberish)

starts with a classical piano solo very reminiscent of the chopin berceuse that i played a few months back.. sounds very mozart, melancholic and introspective-ish.. and then switches to a spanish dance, and la soledad is sang.. with classical piano solos in between.

maybe my life will be like that huh, classical music fused with some contemporary music, although spanish isn’t really my thing – but the dances are quite amazing..

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!

26. when i meet a girl for the first time, i say

“i don’t wanna miss a thing” by aerosmith

right zach, quite the charmer you are *slap*

27. when my parents are angry, i say

“people change” by rockapella

didn’t hear a tone, are you, hello?

i never hear a tone i guess you know

i can’t remember what i called to say

i thought you might be home on saturday

hahaha when they’re angry, my phone disappears and they can’t reach me =) ignorance is bliss? hehehe (just joking mum)

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same sentiments with addie.. it’s really fun! thoroughly enjoyed it, appreciated these songs a lot more now, especially for the ones i otherwise won’t search the lyrics up for =)

we interrupt your regular programming with a special reported sighting of -

fender custom shop rory gallagher signature strat!! i’ve been drooling at this online for a few years, most beautiful piece i’ve ever seen.. :’( if i had aud3500 in my bank right now i’d buy it and starve for months, i don’t care..

that was after our trip to the docklands with kat and khai as well – thanks khai for bringing us around!

for any guitar buff, there’s more info on the rory strat here! amazing pictures at the bottom.. and john mayer also plays one, well sort of, just the body..

currently playing: jeremy kay – have it all

lovely morning! bonjour! hola!

4th breakfasts in one semester? visiting docklands for a photo trail in 2 hours? waking up to the catchy tune of jeremy kay? recommended track for giving you a push to start the day (grooving)! okay.. so it’s kat’s recommendation hehe =p

Some days I feel like singing
I sit back and just groove the day away
Maybe pick up a guitar
And play what I want to play

Maybe it’s too soon to be sure
But I really do believe that someday
We’re gonna have it all
So I try so hard to keep the rhythm of a train
Rolling right along
When the ride gets rough you got to carry on
Carry on

Today I feel like laughing
Seems to be no reason at all
And if the world stops spinning
I’m not afraid to fall

beautiful day! sigh! to sit under the sunshine, feel the breeze and count your blessings =)

i think the most interesting thing i’ve discovered in john mayer’s continuum is that i’m actually enjoying it.

i was so critical about the album when i first heard it. it was soo wet, flooded with reverb, weird synth sounds, cheesy songs (i still think waiting on the world to change is cheesy) but there’s a jimi hendrix cover called bold as love. awesome! i took about half an hour trying to learn the guitar part for the first verse.. but it was worth it. =) awesome arrangements and guitar solos, i think steve jordan the drummer must be responsible for a big chunk of the ideas in the album..

downloaded a program called guitar and drum trainer that slows down tracks enough for us slowmos to learn the song properly.. definitely beats learning by tabs, good for aural training and improvising with chord patterns

heart of life must be the biggest surprise, i scoffed the first time i heard it (it sounded ridiculously country at first, totally out of style), but now i just can’t stop listening to it!  when i read a portion of the lyrics of heart of life at kat‘s blog with a photo, the song just won’t get out of my head.. it’s downloadable by torrent, but the full price for the album’s only 10usd.. might as well buy it

sounds like a john mayer ad. haha.. sigh. i honestly wanted to hate the album.

replaced winamp with itunes too – should’ve done that a long long time ago =)

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btw i bumped into this story about the youtube videos of lonelygirl15 who happens to be an actress hired for the series of internet videos.. interesting.. haven’t seen a video blog of someone i know yet

and so had my first lesson with allan.. sat in front of the piano and everything, but spent most of the time working in the head. i walked out feeling like my brain was gonna pop out of my skull.. ‘hey! don’t be depressed, be excited!’ lol!

and exciting it was! we did the cycle of fifths with three notes, voice led on the piano, conscious of where 3 and 7 is (top left page). cool =) and then he asked me to close the lid and do it in my head.. (?!) okay we’re with C in major 7th, where’s the 3rd and the 7th? E below middle C, and B below middle C? good. now down to F, where are they? right so the B which was a 7th slid down to the A which is now a 3rd, and the E stays on the same note but changes from a 3rd to a 7th? okay, now Bb.. then Eb, then.. Ab, Db..

phew.

now let’s do it with 5 notes, let’s add the 9ths and the 5ths. okay we’re with C in major 7th.. where’s the

stop stop stop stop no no

i guess i got his point, he spent most of the lesson changing my attitude in learning, to really know, belong and identify with the notes of the chessboard. without any help from my fingers. Gb for example, to at that instant know that #9 is A, that b3 is Bbb, and Gb is the 13th of A, etc etc and focus/learn/identify/belong with all that when i’m walking, jogging, sitting, eating, sleeping; (but not driving.. he made it clear on that, and no drugs either, he was clear on that too. haha.)

his knowledge and control over harmony is amazing. hopefully i’ll be able to grasp all that soon..

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ball was great! first newman ball kat tagged along, was great fun! but didn’t take any photos this year, kat kept me occupied all the time =) was great having you finally meet my college friends

1. lifehouse’s only one is quite brilliant =)

2. heard of allan zavod? his resume is bloody impressive, graduated in melb before duke ellington noticed him and brought him to the states, studied and taught in berklee, toured with frank zappa, classical-jazz fusion pioneer. he gave a few lectures where we could only watch in total jaw-dropping awe as he demonstrated his jazz piano MADNESS. i remember his first demonstration of the simple pentatonic scale which took him 5 minutes. of course he was just having his fun after the first 5 seconds.. haha..

in my opinion, joe chindamo x10

so why did i bring him up? amazing coincidence, was walking with him after tutorial, and briefly chatted about which direction to go to study more jazz.. so i said something like ‘could you point me in the right direction?’ who’d imagine that his response was ‘do you want private lessons?’ (??!!?!! what the) HELL YES!?

so he offered to coach me from the bottom up.. will let you guys know how the first few lessons go.. i’m still in disbelief.

3. first singer/songwriter gig in melbourne on 19th october at 4pm! at deep dish in melbourne uni. organized by the melbourne uni student union.. will blog about it in more detail when it comes..

kat and i paid a visit to that same gig that went on yesterday in deep dish; it was rather quiet, nice ambience, wonderful place to perform in. if only there were audiences.. haha.. i’d really enjoy playing a small recital of a few songs for a few friends in a bar setting =) if you want to come, please let me know

4. ppl are queuing up for bbq lunch outside my window.. haha.. i’ll get down there when the line’s shorter. good thing about having my window facing the quad