After a Tiring Day at Work

(This article was posted in my vodafone blog.)

Having a glass of iced tea without milk after a long day at work. Meeting a brother in music, listening to his stories.. One after another.. Well, at least he doesn't make me nervous with his 'tark tark dum dum cher..' (practising drum on air) like our last meet.

Take a breath and relax,

- Shazz @ DCmates

10 Jun 2008

Gig @ Charlie's - Part 3

Event: Gig
Venue: Charlie's Reserve Restaurant & Bistro, MAA Building, Jalan Dewan Bahasa, KL
Date: 18 June 2008
Time: 9:00 - 11:00PM

Members:
Aza (Stone) on lead, Sadat on Bass, Chef (Kenit) on rhythm, Wieburn on drums, Shazz on keys, Kyra on vocals

It's our first night without Sapet (male vocalist), but Kyra could handle the whole event quite well. Position-wise, I was back on the right side of the drummer, but the sound system was so much better. No more fuss from my side! Ha ha ha!!

We had a few requests in the middle of our performance. The guests requested for "Susanna", which is Sapet's song, but Kyra could manage to 'tune around' the song to captivate the audience. It's fun to listen to Kyra's 'latah' on the narration part of the song..., in Chinese dialect some more! Hehehe...

We played 2 new songs, which we practiced only once the night before the gig. The songs are "What a Feeling (Flashdance)" and "Total Eclipse of the Heart" - both are heavy on keyboard. I was doubtful, but confident to give it a go. And I guess, despite all the last minute preparations, I did well... ;-)

Sadat sang "Wonderful Tonight", which really suits his 'deep' voice..., whereas Kenit sang "Is There Anybody There" that suits his voice well too! So, all the hidden talents are out of shell! B-)

The songs we played that night were as follows:
Set 1:
1. Game of Love
2. Can't Take My Eyes Off You
3. Wonderful Tonight
4. Torn
5. Can't Fight the Moonlight
6. Tiada Lagi
7. What a Feeling (Flashdance)
8. Total Eclipse of the Heart
Set 2:
1. Berdua Lebih Baik
2. When You Tell Me That You Love Me
3. These Boots are Made for Walking
4. Is There Anybody There
5. Hit Me with Your Best Shot
6. Pudar
7. Hotel California
8. I Love Rock 'n' Roll

Enjoying the performance more and more,
- Shazz@DCmates
02 Jul 2008

Gig @ Charlie's - Part 2

Event: Gig
Venue: Charlie's Reserve Restaurant & Bistro, MAA Building, Jalan Dewan Bahasa, KL
Date: 11 June 2008
Time: 9:00 - 11:00PM

Members:
Aza (Stone) on lead, Mihad on percussion, Sadat on bass, Chef (Kenit) on rhythm, Wieburn on drums, Shazz on keys, Sapet and Kyra on vocals

Overall, we did fine. We rearranged our position on 'stage'. Instead of standing on the drummer's right hand, I stood on his left this time round. It's kinda odd to have the drummer constantly facing my side (which he's accustomed to, because he refers to the bass for cues).

I didn't feel nervous performing on gigs anymore. I enjoyed well, even got some moves of my own during the play. Feel light, and going with the flow. Yet, at certain point when the sound of my keys was 'swallowed' by other instruments (especially lead guitar), I started to feel a bit pissed.

It felt worse (to me) when the lead was prolonging the ending of "I Will Survive", as if he wanted to force me to play (or practice) the keys solo... until I do so, he won't stop the song it seems. Urghhh!!! "Come on, bro! I can't play if I can't hear a thing! No point forcing, dude!!"

I was pissed that I stopped playing (before the song stopped) and turned my back... about to head to the washroom because it's just a few steps away from my keys! Huh! Just when I was having fun playing my keys, I couldn't continue the song just because of the sound system. So sad. :-(

Our drummer made a few mistakes, too. I guess he's too exhausted with all the transporting of equipments before we started the gig. He looked panicked too in the middle of the performance. At one point, I even gave some cues to him to increase the rhythm speed of a song (which I can't quite recall).

All and all, it's part of our experience in getting used to the live performance.

The songs we played that night were:
Set 1:
1. Grease
2. Torn
3. Here Without You
4. Game of Love
5. Kamelia
6. Can't Take My Eyes Off You
7. Into the Night
8. I Will Survive
Set 2:
1. Play That Funky Music
2. Mony Mony
3. Can't Fight the Moonlight
4. These Boots are Made for Walking
5. With or Without You
6. Then You Tell Me that You Love Me
7. I Don't Love You
8. Sweet Child of Mine

Feel the ground moves as the DCmates play, and the MommieRock pissed! Hahaha...,
- Shazz@DCmates
02 Jul 2008

Blogging more on Vodafone

To all loyal readers, please take note that my attention is more on my new mobile blog. The most update blog address is http://shazz-vodafone.blogspot.com.

Have fun reading!

Busy blogging from everywhere,
- Shazz@Vodafone
19 Jun 2008

Gig @ Charlie's - Part 1

Event: Gig
Venue: Charlie's Reserve Restaurant & Bistro, MAA Building, Jalan Dewan Bahasa, KL
Date: 04 June 2008
Time: 9:00 - 11:00PM

Members:
Aza (a.k.a. Stone) on lead, Mihad on rhythm, Sadat on bass, Wieburn on drums, Shazz on keys, Sapet and Kyra on vocals

We started late, due to heavy traffic jam and bad weather. Our rhythm guitaris, Chef Nadzri could not make it that night, so Mihad had to take over his role.

I could see how chaotic the evening was, starting from dashing through the heavy traffic, to helping our lead in transporting his guitars and amp, and seeing Mihad struggling to organise the song folder to follow the night's sequence. We started the performance with a tagline in mind (quoting Sadat's last words of advice), "Just feeeeeeel..." Hhmm...

All went well, despite a few things... Our rhythm guitarist wrongly-played the chords in "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" (his chords were not updated according to Kyra's vocal). I tried waving to him to get his attention about it, but hey, I needed both hands for that song, yar?

Our drummer miscued a few parts, partly due to the exhaustion before the performance, where he had wasted a lot of energy transporting equipments and setting up his drumset for the show. I only noticed one part that he obviously miscued, but the rest of the members said there were quite a few more. Ah well, not to worry.

I was told an interesting story about how our bassist was also playing a wrong set of chords in one of the songs. The bassist was standing way in front, nearby the vocalists position, and our dear 'temporary disabled' lead guitarist was waving his arms with a swimming gesture, trying to call up to the bassist regarding the wrong chords, but to no avail. It seemed that he's been "rowing his arms trying to reach Sadat, but his wayyyyy drifted to the other side of the shore!" Well..., something like that.

Overall, we could hardly hear each others' playing. I couldn't hear my keys well, especially after the guitarists swallowed my whole effort during the songs. Ah well..., it's not the first time. Of course, I would do the "chipsmore act" (stop playing when I wasn't sure or thought that no one was listening, and continued playing when I was sure what to play) during the mid of the songs. Sshhhh.... don't let my 'sifu' (Stone) hear, he will kill me! Huu huu...

There were some changes in the songlist that we finally played that night. Here was the real list:
Set 1:
1. I Will Survive
2. Summer 69
3. Tiada Lagi
4. Torn
5. Here Without You
6. When You Tell Me That You Love Me
Set 2:
1. Grease
2. Can't Take My Eyes Off You
3. Susanna
4. Pudar
5. Wonderful Tonight
6. I Don't Love You

I had to leave before that last 2 songs, because it was past 10:30PM and I had to pick up my little angel from nursery. So, I didn't join the post-mortem meeting after the show. Yet, the story I tell here are based on what I gathered from each member of DCmates after that night.

Let's see how we do, tomorrow... See you there!

Feel us rock the MAA Building, with our own diversed chords!
- Shazz @ DCmates
10 Jun 2008

4th June 2008 in History

It was a hectic day for most of us, or at least for me. I was on half day leave, but I couldn't sort out most of my errands - like banking, submitting claims, etc.

At least, I could manage to squeeze some time for a decent lunch with my drummer at Shah Alam, before I went for my appointment with my masseur.

My stupid nervous-wreck was about to start when the dear drummer-boy revising his drumming parts over lunch. With all his 'keching keching', 'tark tark', 'dum dum', 'cheehh', and all other funny sounds, the back of my mind whispered, "Oh God! I'm going to screw up tonite!! I'm going to screw up!!"

I mean, come on... he's "revising" his every move! And I don't even remember a single line of any intro of any songs to be played in another 7 hours!! Arrrgghhh!! (I have to skip the 'pounding heart' and 'butterflies' part here, otherwise you will think I'm having a crush on the drummer HAHAHAHA!!)

After planning on the evening meet-up and setting up for the gig with my lunch date, I went for a massage. Yes! I know! I went for a massage before a performance, instead of after the performance. What to do? It took me 1 month earlier to get the booking of this masseur!

Anyway, the massage was good, and it helped me relax.... really relax. No nervous wreck, but that doesn't mean no errors in playing my keyboard, right? Hhmm...

The show went on, I wore the same outfit as my last performance in Kuala Kangsar, with additional items such as ear-rings, red scarf around my neck and black scarf around my right wrist. Plus make-up. Yes! I know! Me, make-up? And I haven't done this make-up thingy for the past donno-how-many-dog years?? Urgh! Simply lah!

One funny thing is that, some people just noticed that night that I'm actually fair. Yeah, right! Only in the dark, cosy, dim-lighting of a bistro like Charlie's would people notice that, eh? I guess I'm not really fair, but merely 'glows-in-the-dark' HAHAHAHA!!

Performance-wise, it went well... I think. As usual, I couldn't hear whattaheck that I played. (I mean, I couldn't hear my own keyboard.) I could only hear it during my solo in song intros, and the moment the lead guitarist (and bass) started strumming "greennnggggg", that's it, I'm deaf!

Yet, the audience said they could hear my keys quite well. I guess that's not so bad, but I believe that they must've heard all the wrong chords I played... or was that the second guitar's wrong chords? Hhmm... very confusing.

I had to leave early, before the second last song when the clock striked 10:30PM to fetch my little one. She missed me dearly and even waited up for me, and God knows how pampered and cranky she was until today, because of that late night pick-up from nursery! Urgh!

During the drive back to pick up my daughter, there were traffic jams almost in every roads and highways. All because of the petrol price increase of 40%. Oh dear! What a havoc!

Went home, tucked kiddo to sleep, and finally the massage effect came on me - zzzzzz...

Will blog on the first gig event next,
- Shazz @ DCmates
05 Jun 2008

DCmates' first gig @ Charlie's

Here ye! Here ye!

Here to announce you that our band will be playing at Charlie's starting 4th June 2008.

DCmates, featuring Kyra as the female vocalist, will be performing gigs every Wednesday, and everybody is welcomed to see our performance.

The details of our performance are as follows...

Venue: Charlie's Reserve Cafe Bistro, Ground Floor, Menara MAA, Jalan Dewan Bahasa, Kuala Lumpur.
Day: Every Wednesday
Time: 8:30PM-10:30PM

Among the songs to be played for our first gig are:
1. I Will Survive
2. Susanna
3. Can't Take My Eyes Off You
4. Here Without You
5. Tiada Lagi
6. Torn
7. Wonderful Tonight
8. Pudar
9. I Don't Love You
10. When You Tell Me That You Love Me
11. Grease
12. Boots Are Made For Walking

I will keep you updated on our performance and the reviews that we get.

Come join the crowd and give us your moral support... Hope to see you there!

DCmates rock the world..., err MAA Building first I think,
- Shazz @ DCmates
30 May 2008