- Ep64: Famous or Forgotten Music with Jake Kussmaul
What does a millennial from Florida know about Singapore's pop music scene? Kevin and Chris find out with Jake Kussmaul, whose YouTube channel Famous Or Forgotten Music has been giving shoutouts to Singapore musicians past and present.
These include The Quests, Concave Scream, The Oddfellows, The Padres, Chris Ho and Jake has been collecting SG music for years, and he shares why he has a particular love for music from the Lion City!
We also discuss ...
... how music helped Jake cope with cerebral palsy
... how a musical journey helps you cross the globe without leaving your hometown
... and if your music is pirated – doesn't that mean it's super popular?
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Links
Check out Famous Or Forgotten Music
Buy Kevin's new album Time Flies here
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Like, follow and subscribe to Lion City Rock on RedCircle, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible or wherever you get your podcasts. Give us a rating and review – it really helps others when they're searching for some good ol' Lion City Rock!
Let us know what you like or don't like by leaving a comment on The Fast Colors' Facebook and Instagram pages.
While we love doing this podcast, it don't come easy – or cheaply. If you would like to help us, do drop a donation in the link provided (don't have to be a lot, enough for a kopi-o is fine!) We really appreciate all your support! Thank you very much!
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/lion-city-rock/donations57m | Mar 27, 2023 - Ep63: We review Alex Blake Charlie, Class Acts & more!
It's a special review episode! Kevin and Chris share their thoughts about things they saw and did in the last few weeks. They spill the tea about...
- what surprised Kevin at the Arctic Monkeys concert?
- what made Chris tear up during the screening of Class Acts, the documentary about the Singapore pop culture scene?
- what did the guys find out about the "Blake" in the Alex Blake Charlie Sessions? (*spoiler alert!)
- what's coming up for Coming Up Roses?
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Links
Buy Kevin's new album Time Flies here
Get tickets to Class Acts here
Check out Utopia Remembered: These Corners and mo' Coming Up Roses music on Bandcamp and Spotify
Check out Remember A Stranger and mo' motifs music on Bandcamp & Spotify
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Like, follow and subscribe to Lion City Rock on RedCircle, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible or wherever you get your podcasts. Give us a rating and review – it really helps others when they're searching for some good ol' Lion City Rock!
Let us know what you like or don't like by leaving a comment on The Fast Colors' Facebook and Instagram pages.
While we love doing this podcast, it don't come easy, or cheaply. If you would like to help us continue to make Lion City Rock happen in a material sense, do drop us a donation in the link provided (any amount is fine!) We really appreciate all the support you can give! Thank you!
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/lion-city-rock/donations55m | Mar 10, 2023 - EP62: Meet the young turks... it's motifs!
"Young hearts be free tonight... time is on your side". Formed in 2019, motifs made waves in 2022 with their sparkling performance at Baybeats. Remarkably, that was only their third live appearance!
Almost as quickly as they formed though, the pandemic put the brakes on the band's aspirations; but in late 2021, they got going again – with a new drummer, no less – and a year later, they released their debut album, Remember A Stranger.
As a lauded young band from the Lion City, motifs seem to have a bright road ahead to tread. But why did a group of millennials and Gen Zers take on a decidedly Gen X genre like shoegaze? Join motifs' Els, JJ and Jolin (with a cameo from Paul) as they answer those questions and more...
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Links
Buy Kevin's new album Time Flies here
Follow motifs on their socials: Facebook & Instagram
Check out Remember A Stranger and mo' motifs music on Bandcamp & Spotify
******
Like, follow and subscribe to Lion City Rock on RedCircle, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible or wherever you get your podcasts. Give us a rating and review – it really helps others when they're searching for some good ol' Lion City Rock!
Let us know what you like or don't like by leaving a comment on The Fast Colors' Facebook and Instagram pages.
While we love doing this podcast, it don't come easy, or cheaply. If you would like to help us continue to make Lion City Rock happen in a material sense, do drop us a donation in the link provided (any amount is fine!) We really appreciate all the support you can give! Thank you!
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/lion-city-rock/donations58m | Mar 4, 2023 - Ep61: Creative coupling with Rae and Cravis
Meet Rae and Cravis, two young people from different backgrounds who met in the Music and Drama Company and began their life journey together. Rae currently hosts the show, Backstage Pass with MDC, which features Singapore's hot young music talents; while Cravis works with musicians and is a dancer too.
If you think about it, they, it seems, have done everything, everywhere and (nearly) all at once: Rae has been on TV, on the radio, presenting and performing on stage; while Cravis has been performing with musicians both here and from overseas (most recently with France's Maya Diegel). But surprisingly, they haven't released any music together... yet. So we had to ask: Why leh?
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Links
Buy Kevin's new album Time Flies here
Cravis' concert performance with Maya Diegel
Cravis' music and beats on Soundcloud and on Spotify
Rae presents Backstage Pass with MDC: Season 3 / Season 4
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Like, follow and subscribe to Lion City Rock on RedCircle, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible or wherever you get your podcasts. Give us a rating and review – it really helps others when they're searching for some good ol' Lion City Rock!
Let us know what you like or don't like by leaving a comment on The Fast Colors' Facebook and Instagram pages. While we love doing this podcast, it don't always come easy, or cheaply. If you would like to help us do better and continue to make Lion City Rock happen in a material sense, do drop us a donation in the link provided (any amount is fine!) We really appreciate all the support you can give! Thank you!
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/lion-city-rock/donations1h 3m | Feb 25, 2023 - Ep60: Selling the Dream with Richard Khan (The October Cherries)
When it comes to groundbreaking Singapore bands of the 1960s, we always cite The Crescendos or The Quests. But The October Cherries have often flown under the radar, much to Kevin's chagrin.
The October Cherries' drummer Richard Khan joins Kevin and Chris to share his experiences, from joining them after a chance meeting to getting stuck in Belgium to making it big with World Hits, and reveals...
...what happens when you don't appease fans in Asia
...how they ended up staying in a lady's house for four years
...and why the Truck album sounds the way it is
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Links
Buy Kevin's new album, Time Flies here
******
Like, follow and subscribe to Lion City Rock on RedCircle, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible or wherever you get your podcasts. Give us a rating and review – it really helps others when they're searching for some good ol' Lion City Rock!
Let us know what you like or don't like by leaving a comment on The Fast Colors' Facebook and Instagram pages. We appreciate you helping us continue to make Lion City Rock happen! Drop us a donation (click the link provided)
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/lion-city-rock/donations1h 6m | Feb 19, 2023 - Ep59: We look back at B-Quartet's seminal debut album
Tomorrow Is Our Permanent Address may be a line from e e cummings, but B-Quartet's debut album is one of Kevin's and Chris' favourite albums of all time. At least Top 3. Definitely in their Top 10.
The guys hit rewind on an album that is a no-holds-barred exploration of sonic landscapes – sometimes sharp as a razor, sometimes soft as a pillow, or sometimes, mellow like a, er, mellow thing.
But how did the band come to B? And why does this quartet have six members? All these questions and more are answered in this episode. Or maybe not.
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Links
Listen to Tomorrow Is Our Permanent Address here
Pre-order Kevin's new album, Time Flies here
******
Like, follow and subscribe to Lion City Rock on RedCircle, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible or wherever you get your podcasts. Give us a rating and review – it really helps others when they're searching for some good ol' Lion City Rock!
Let us know what you like or don't like by leaving a comment on The Fast Colors' Facebook and Instagram pages. We appreciate you helping us continue to make Lion City Rock! Drop us a donation in the link provided.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/lion-city-rock/donations1h 0m | Feb 10, 2023 - Ep58: Revisiting 1995 (Part 2)
Kevin and Chris finish their excursion into 1995 as they look at the year's most important music-related moments, including...
...the rise and rise of Kit Chan and The Lizards' Convention
...how Zouk got its groove back despite being closed after a drugs bust
...why a 38-year-old businessman wanted Anita Sarawak's bustier
...and why Kevin can't remember ever going to dance club Moondance or Pepper's, the Beatles-themed restaurant that maybe-but-not-quite-probably-didn't happen in Singapore
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Links
Pre-order Kevin's new album, Time Flies here
******
Like, follow and subscribe to Lion City Rock on RedCircle, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible or wherever you get your podcasts. Give us a rating and review – it really helps others when they're searching for some good ol' Lion City Rock!
Let us know what you like or don't like by leaving a comment on The Fast Colors' Facebook and Instagram pages. We appreciate you helping us continue to make Lion City Rock! Drop us a donation in the link.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/lion-city-rock/donations1h 4m | Feb 3, 2023 - Ep57: Revisiting 1995 (Part 1)
Chris thinks 1995 was, musically, a special year for the Lion City. With more media coverage, more gigs, and more music, 1995 looked poised to be even better than the years prior. But was it really?
In Part 1, Kevin and Chris look at what made 1995 special:
- Was it that local bands started opening for acts like Sheryl Crow and Bon Jovi?
- Was it that R.E.M. used the Singapore show for their Star 69 music video?
- Or was it that Mark and Don Richmond did a rap for the Perfect 10 Local Music Awards?
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Like, follow and subscribe to Lion City Rock on RedCircle, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible or wherever you get your podcasts. Give us a rating and review – it really helps others when they're searching for some good ol' Lion City Rock!
Let us know what you like or don't like by leaving a comment on The Fast Colors' Facebook and Instagram pages. We appreciate you helping us continue to make Lion City Rock! Drop us a donation in the link.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/lion-city-rock/donations1h 1m | Jan 27, 2023 - Ep56: The last chat of 2022 with Nelson Tan
Welcome to the final episode of 2022! Our guest stepped in at the beginning of the year to fill in the bass slot for The Fast Colors, so we thought it fitting that he'd step in to help us close the year as well: it's the marvellous multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter, Nelson Tan!
Fun fact: he used to be a Singapore Idol contestant! Another fun fact: he's the bassist for the instrumental rock band In Each Hand A Cutlass. Plus, he's recorded in Mandarin, Malay and English and is a fixture on the Singapore nightlife scene. So what does it really take to be a gigging musician here in Singapore? Join Nelson, Kevin and Chris as they figure how the Lion City rocks.
Links
Check out Nelson's music on YouTube
Follow Nelson on Instagram
More about Nelson on his Website
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Like, follow and subscribe to Lion City Rock on RedCircle, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible or wherever you get your podcasts. Leave us a rating and review – it really helps others when they're searching for some good ol' Lion City Rock!
We appreciate your help so that we can keep making Lion City Rock! Drop us a donation in the link.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/lion-city-rock/donations1h 33m | Dec 30, 2022 - Ep55: Lilac Saints say Halo again!
Rock never die! Just ask alt-rockers Lilac Saints, who've released a "best of" compilation called Halo Again, and are set to take the stage in Jan 2023 – more than 30 years after they banded together. The five guys have been friends since Sec 1 and although they've been through ups and downs, it's clear their friendship goes a long way.
Kevin and Chris catch up with drummer Desmond, guitarist Bhaskar and singer Ric in this no-holds-barred episode, where they discuss...
... whether doing original music is better because no one knows when you've made a mistake (Really? Surely not!)
... their song Gina – was really written about Kevin's wife (Coincidence? Surely not!)
... the possibility of their kids becoming Lilac Saints Redux (Impossible? Surely not!)
Links
Book tickets for their show on 6 Jan, 2023
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Like, follow and subscribe to Lion City Rock on RedCircle, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible or wherever you get your podcasts. Leave us a rating and review – it really helps others when they're searching for some good ol' Lion City Rock!
We need your help to keep making Lion City Rock! Drop us a donation in the link. We really appreciate it!
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/lion-city-rock/donations1h 5m | Dec 20, 2022 - Ep54: Surprise, Surprise - it's all about Truck
START YOUR ENGINES, it's TRUCK! Kevin and Chris react to this rarity in the Lion City's discography: Truck's one and only album, Surprise! Surprise!
Truck who, you say? Truck was a spin-off – and one-off – band, made up of October Cherries' members Jay Shotam, Benny Siew and Richard Khan. Surprise! Surprise! was, in essence, a reworking of the October Cherries' album, Dreamseller. But with added keyboards and synths. Does this album of psychedelic-esque songs work? Why are the vocals like that? Find out in this episode!
*Please forgive the sound – audio distortion inherent at source.
Links
Get in touch and get updates about Lion City Rock on The Fast Colors' Facebook and Instagram pages
Check out Truck's tracks
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Like, follow and subscribe to Lion City Rock on RedCircle, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible or wherever you get your podcasts. Leave us a rating and review – it really helps others when they're searching for some good ol' Lion City Rock!
We need your help: if you want to help us keep making Lion City Rock rock, drop us a donation in the link. Every little bit helps!
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/lion-city-rock/donations1h 0m | Dec 13, 2022 - Ep53: 30 Years of Rudra
Join Kevin and Chris for a chat with the world's pioneering Vedic metal band – Rudra!
Formed in 1992, the guys from Rudra – Kathir, Shiva, Vinod and Devan – have been rocking the world with their music, from Singapore to India to the US and beyond. The band share their musical journey and why...
... they decided early on to play "Vedic metal"
... hecklers don't bother them anymore
... and why Vinod will never delete that NSFW fan pic
Rudra's new album of originals, Eight Mahavidyas, will be out on 22 Dec.
Links
Get in touch and get updates about Lion City Rock on The Fast Colors' Facebook and Instagram pages
Follow Rudra on Instagram and Facebook
Check out Rudra's videos on YouTube
******
Like, follow and subscribe to Lion City Rock on RedCircle, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible or wherever you get your podcasts. Leave us a rating and review – it really helps others when they're searching for some good ol' Lion City Rock!
We need your help: if you want to help us keep making Lion City Rock rock, drop us a donation in the link. Every little bit helps!
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/lion-city-rock/donations59m | Dec 6, 2022 - Ep52: Remembering Naomi & The Boys
Although they had personnel changes through the years, Naomi And The Boys would be best remembered for its classic line-up of Naomi Suriya, her brother Robert, Moses Tay, Alphonso Soosay and Peter Thomas.
Naomi And The Boys had hits with Happy Happy Birthday Baby, It's All Over, I Know and many more, and Robert proved himself to be a prolific composer, writing most of the band's songs. Kevin and Chris look back at the band that, together with The Crescendos and The Quests, made up the "Big Three" of Singapore 60s music.
Links
Get in touch and get updates about Lion City Rock on The Fast Colors' Facebook and Instagram pages
The Best of Naomi (album, released 1968)
Someone uploaded the Naomi-led songs featured in Remembering... Naomi and the Boys' here
Read Robert Suriya's interview with Andy Young on the Singapore 60s blog
Read drummer Alphonso Soosay's recollection about his time with Naomi & The Boys here (from Andy Young's Singapore 60s blog)
Alphonso also wrote another article for Singapore Memory Project here
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Like, follow and subscribe to Lion City Rock on RedCircle, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible or wherever you get your podcasts. Leave us a rating and review – it really helps others when they're searching for some good ol' Lion City Rock!
We need your help: if you want to help us keep making Lion City Rock rock, drop us a donation in the link. Every little bit helps!
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/lion-city-rock/donations50m | Nov 28, 2022 - Ep51: Six degrees of separation: The Beatles' Singapore story
It's 1964, and The Beatles are here in Singapore! They were on the way back to the UK after their Australia and New Zealand tour. Although their stopover was only 55 minutes long, they planned a meet-and-greet with fans. But 3,000 of them stormed the VIP area, so that event was cancelled. Once the plane refuelled, the Beatles went on their way.
But there's more to the Beatles' Singapore story than that. And Kevin and Chris explore how Fab Four touched the Lion City's music scene. For example, did you know that ...
... there are issued-only-in-Singapore Beatles albums and EPs somewhere out there?
... John Lennon once visited Golden Mile Complex?
... The Thunderbirds and The Quests had minor hits with Beatles covers?
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Like, follow and subscribe to Lion City Rock on RedCircle, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible or wherever you get your podcasts. Leave a comment or review, and get updates on The Fast Colors' Facebook and Instagram pages.
Leave us a rating and review – it really helps others when they're searching for some good ol' Lion City Rock!
We need your help: if you want to help us keep making Lion City Rock rock, drop us a donation in the link. Every little bit helps!
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/lion-city-rock/donations57m | Nov 18, 2022 - Ep50: We look back at Banned In Da Singapura
Hey hey hey! It's another playback session as Kevin and Chris look back at Banned In Da Singapura by rock trio Boredphucks. Comprising Sanny Singer (vocals, guitar), JBoss (bass) and Wayne Thunder (drums) the album was a response to having the unique distinction of being the only Singapore band to be banned from performing in the Lion City (we think).
Banned In Da Singapura is a landmark album that's filled with some great rock 'n' roll music as well as some funny skits interspersed among the songs. But the band would leave Singapore soon after and relocate to Australia, where they shone as The Suns, making a name for themselves in the live circuit there.
Links:
Check out Banned In Da Singapura and other Boredphucks tunes on Spotify or YouTube.
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Like, follow and subscribe to Lion City Rock on RedCircle, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible or wherever you get your podcasts. Leave a comment or review, and get updates on The Fast Colors' Facebook and Instagram pages.
Leave us a rating and review – it really helps others when they're searching for some good ol' Lion City Rock!
We need your help: if you want to help us keep making Lion City Rock rock, drop us a donation in the link. Every little bit helps!
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/lion-city-rock/donations59m | Nov 11, 2022 - Ep49: Writing about music with editor Andy Chen
Our guest this week is Andy Chen (no, not that one!), the co-editor of No Finer Time To Be Alive, the only book that documents the indie years of Singapore music.
What did it take to put that book together? Will there be a sequel? Why isn't there more being done to archive Singapore's pop culture? And guess what Chris and Kevin will be ranting about this time?
The answers to all these and more in this episode of Lion City Rock!
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Like, follow and subscribe to Lion City Rock on RedCircle, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible or wherever you get your podcasts. Leave a comment or review, and get updates on The Fast Colors' Facebook and Instagram pages.
Leave us a rating and review – it really helps others when they're searching for some good ol' Lion City Rock!
We need your help: if you want to help us keep making Lion City Rock rock, drop us a donation in the link. Every little bit helps!
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/lion-city-rock/donations53m | Nov 4, 2022 - Ep48: We look back at Concave Scream's Erratic
1, 2, 3, 4! Kevin and Chris hit the rewind button on another iconic album from the 1990s – Concave Scream's Erratic! Released in 1997, Erratic spawned one of the biggest hits of the decade, Driven, and gave the band mainstream success.
Formed by Sean (vocals, guitar), Pann (guitar), Victor (bass) and Dean (drums), Concave Scream were one of the bright sparks of the Singapore music scene in the late-1990s, showcasing a wide range of musical tastes and styles, while still keeping a very distinctive sound that is undeniably theirs.
Kevin and Chris reveal their favourite tracks on Erratic, discuss what makes the album tick, and ponder that age-old question posed by the media back then: is Concave Scream really U2-lite?
Links:
Listen to Concave Scream's big hit, Driven – and here's Jasmine Sokko and Amanda Ling's version. Also check out Gone and Fade, both from Erratic.
Check out Sean Lam's Hanging Up The Moon on Spotify.
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Like, follow and subscribe to Lion City Rock on RedCircle, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible or wherever you get your podcasts. Leave a comment or review, and get updates on The Fast Colors' Facebook and Instagram pages.
Leave us a rating wherever you can – it really helps others search for some good ol' Lion City Rock!
We need your help: if you want to help us keep making Lion City Rock rock, drop us a donation in the link. Every little bit helps!
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/lion-city-rock/donations54m | Oct 28, 2022 - Ep47: We visit the Home Grooves exhibit (first-time reaction)
Kevin and Chris take a look at the Home Grooves exhibit about live music venues in Singapore – now going on at Esplanade-Theatres On The Bay – and give their unexpurgated review.
What did they like? What didn't they like? Could it have been better? Or is this better than nothing? What is Kevin's idea of a good local music exhibition? And why is Chris living in fantasy land?
All this and more in this episode of Lion City Rock!
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Do Like, Follow and Subscribe to Lion City Rock on RedCircle, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible or wherever you get your podcasts. Leave a comment or review, and get updates on The Fast Colors' Facebook and Instagram pages.
Leave us a five-star rating wherever you can – it really helps! We're trying to grow our podcast but we need your help: you can help us keep making Lion City Rock rock, by leaving us a donation in the link. Every little bit helps!
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Music: Lion City Rock Theme written by Kevin Mathews, performer by Kevin Mathews and Chris Toh. Tear Down These Walls written by Chris Toh/AWOL, performed by AWOL.
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/lion-city-rock/donations48m | Oct 21, 2022 - Ep46: The Good, The Bad & The Weirdest Gigs
With Singapore opening up it's doors to concerts once again, it's the right time for Kevin and Chris take a look at their favourite, worst and weirdest gigs they've ever been to.
Who had the best production value? Which band bored Kevin to tears? Which gig did Chris walk out of halfway through? Where was the weirdest place they've ever gigged in? All this and more in this week's episode!
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Do Like, Follow and Subscribe to Lion City Rock on RedCircle, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible or wherever you get your podcasts. Leave a comment or review, and get updates on The Fast Colors' Facebook and Instagram pages.
Leave us a five-star rating wherever you can – it really helps! We're trying to grow our podcast but we need your help: you can help us keep making Lion City Rock rock, by leaving us a donation in the link. Every little bit helps!
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/lion-city-rock/donations53m | Oct 14, 2022 - Ep45: The Continuing Convo with Chang Kang of Typewriter (pt.2)
GUESS WHAT? It's our continuing chat with Chang Kang, the lead singer of Typewriter AND an award-winning filmmaker in his own right!
This time, we discuss...
... whether having a music background helps when making movies
... how to convince a band that a video with them slow jogging is the right choice...
... and if Singaporean musos should sing in a Western accent
All this and more on #LionCityRock!
Links
Typewriter tunes: Bandcamp & Spotify
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Do Like, Follow and Subscribe to Lion City Rock on RedCircle, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible or wherever you get your podcasts. Leave a comment or review, and get updates on The Fast Colors' Facebook and Instagram pages.
Leave us a five-star rating wherever you can – it really helps! We're trying to grow our podcast but we need your help: you can help us keep making Lion City Rock rock, by leaving us a donation in the link. Every little bit helps!
Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/lion-city-rock/donations46m | Oct 7, 2022
