Live at Chocolate Bar's Halloween Party Gig!

(Photo taken by James Toh (Supertzar's Lead Guitarist)

The Misfit Ramones were invited by the organisers of Soft.com.sg & SOFT's Band Collective Singapore (SCBS) Halloween Party Gig held at Tanglin Community Centre's Chocolate Bar last night and we had a blast. It was an intimate event with fellow bands and guests in attendance, enjoying the atmosphere and ambiance of the bar and the music being played. It was a small venue, so in terms of the sound, every instrument played manage to cut through, so it was pleasant for us to play and for the audience to hear as well. Granted, our kind of music may be out of place in such a intimate setting but judging from the reception during and after our set, I guess it went pretty well so I'm happy with how it turned out.

A couple of prominent individuals in our local scene were in attendance such as James Woo, owner of local music forum www.soft.com.sg, Donald Poh, popular photographer in the scene who have shot for numerous local gigs and also Ron of Blueprintstudios.org, famous for recording local gigs and posting them on his gigvideos page on Youtube. We planned a setlist that would be relevant to the Halloween theme so we played a lot of Misfits classics, a cover of Turbonegro's I Got Erection and also a cover of our drummer Mizar's Malay horror band, Zombie Kampung Pisang Band's Hantu Tetek. The crowd requested for an encore so we settled on our original, Bird Shit and that was it.

Supertzar who were the final act for the night were brilliant with their Sabbath covers. Frontman Peter deserves a bigger stage with his persona and presence while the rest of the bands were real tight, especially James Toh on lead guitar and Antonio Lee on bass, both armed with sick individual skills that were showcased from time to time in their set. Val on drums keeping everything together on drums and there you go, a bunch of talented individuals coming together to make one great band. Very entertaining stuff.

I am really glad the our set went well and everyone enjoyed themselves through the night cause my team disappointingly lost 3-5 to our rivals Arsenal, so you know, this really made up for that disappointment. Even made friends with a fellow punk rocker, Joe Sarre, who's from UK's South London scene, giving us compliments and offering to get us beer after the show. :)

Ron of Blueprintstudios.org recorded our entire set. You can watch it on his Youtube page. All links related to this post will pasted below.

Local Music Forum: SOFT
Blueprintstudios.org: www.gigvideos.com
Supertzar: Supertzar Singapore

LiveoMusic.com Made in Singapore!

(Photos taken from LiveoMusic Facebook photo album)

Last Saturday The Misfit Ramones were invited to perform on LiveoMusic.com's Made in Singapore program where the show invites local talent to perform on their set to be shown live on their website. It was the first time they are inviting bands instead of their usual repertoire of acoustic, solo or electronic acts so we are honored to be added into their first show with a full band setup.

It was also our first time to be performing on such a platform so we didn't know what to expect. We were really glad that the guys over at Liveo were playing good hosts by making us and the rest of the bands feel welcomed and at home as soon as we arrived. I am impressed at the setup of the studio, complete with cameras, screens, lightings and other gadgets I am not too familiar of. For a moment, it really felt like those AOL Sessions I am used to watching on Youtube! There's even a backstage area complete with sofa sets and coffee table for us to relax before we go in to the studio to play. A good place for us to sit together and chat with the other bands we just got to know on the day. Again, very impressed at the professional, yet 'homely' and intimate setup of the studio.

On to the performance, we were not really sure what to do or expect since we are used to our crowd singing, jumping around, even snatching our mics during our sets, but we just soldier on anyways. I really appreciate that the guys over at Liveo were encouraging before and after our set, which made me personally more relaxed as I was initially slightly intimidated at the whole concept of the performance. Looking back at the video of our performance, one major flaw is the inaudible guitar volume on our first song, 'Bird Shit'. Maybe it was due to the fact that we didn't manage to soundcheck before our actual performance due to a minor internal problem. But the guitar was more prominent on our second and third song 'CSI I Love You' and 'I Just Want A Seat' so that was a saving grace for us. 

Overall I take this experience as a good platform to showcase our talent and an opportunity to network with the people in our local music industry. Liveo Music are brave enough to do something to promote our music scene so any bands with the opportunity to appear in this program should grab it with both hands. I hope that Liveo continue their good work and who knows, someday they're gonna be a fixture in our local music industry, attracting bigger names or even overseas bands to appear on their show instead of humble bands like us. 

Lastly, more plus points to the Liveo team in how quickly they uploaded our photos and videos into their Facebook page and website. Within a few hours after our shows, they are all up for public viewing. Now that's what I call efficiency!

Watch our performance here: The Misfit Ramones Performance on LiveoMusic.com

LiveoMusic.com website: LiveoMusic.com

LiveoMusic Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/liveomusicsg

The Misfit Ramones go LIVE!

My band, The Misfit Ramones, will be appearing on LiveOMusic.com, Asia's first Live video station this Saturday! Our segment goes on air from 3pm-5pm and we will share the spotlight with fellow local bands such as our friend Nuriman of Iman's League/Rancour who will be performing his solo materials off his Crossing Rivers EP. Other acts include The Rejeks, Mutators and Victoria Street. 

We will be playing 3 songs (Bird Shit, CSI I Love You, I Just Want A Seat) for this show. This is our first time performing in such a platform, so we hope we don't screw up much as we always do cause there's no 2nd takes if you go LIVE! 

For more information visit their website www.liveomusic.com or their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/liveomusicsg . Catch us in action from the comfort of your computer screens this Saturday, 3-5pm, LIVE! Spread the word guys. Cheers!

Invincible Youth Returns!

When KBS Invincible Youth decided to end its series in December last year, I was a little distraught since it was one of my favourite Korean variety shows at the time. So when it was announced earlier this year that the PD will be bringing back the show for a brand new season, complete with a new lineup and format, I was jumping for joy on the inside and have been waiting patiently for more updates.

PD Kim Ho Sang announced in August that IY will return for a 2nd season and will premiere sometime around November. Rumors have been rampant the past few weeks on who will be part of the fixed cast from the MCs to the female idols. My dream lineup would be Boom, who recently returned to the media spotlight after completing his mandatory military service, as MC and the staple G7 would consist of Kara's Jiyoung, f(x)'s Sulli, Secret's Hyosung, Rainbow's Jaekyung, miss A's Min, Dal Shabet's Subin and After School's Lizzy. That would make a sick lineup considering the variety pedigree they have.

Alas, the lineup was announced to the media 2 days ago and I must say I'm satisfied with the cast they came up with. Here's a more detailed breakdown.

MCs

Boom - Simply a crowd favorite. Would be able to entertain the girls with his ssanti (cheap) or sleazy antics that he's famous for. Also helps that he's always keeping up with the trends in the idol world so he would easily fit in with the G8.

Lee Soo Geun - Accomplished entertainer who appeared in the ever popular 2 Days & 1 Night and Gag Concert. Good addition to the team.

Ji Hyun Woo - Not too familiar with this guy, so I'm not too sure what he can bring to the table. But am very interested to see how he holds his own against the other 2 more popular MCs.

G8 (Previously G7)

SNSD's Sunny - The only returnee from Season 1. Everyone loves Sunny. Have always been the number 1 standout female idol when it comes to variety. Also the most useful when she was in G7 with her surprisingly good farming skills. Undoubtedly the leader of the G8 as the old head with her experience.

SNSD's Hyoyeon - Fans have been crying out for Hyoyeon to be appear more in variety shows and now they have gotten their wish. Excited to see her as a permanent fixture in a popular variety show.

Kara's Jiyoung - Kara's maknae (youngest) Kang Jiyoung would definitely freshen up the show with her energetic and bubbly personality. Will be the darling of the group considering she is the maknae of this G8 as well.

miss A's Suzy - To be honest, I am not too thrilled with this. I was hoping for Min, who seemed a better fit in this kind of variety show. Even when Suzy acted in Dream High and appeared in Running Man, she doesn't seem to give it all. Hope she can prove me wrong this time around.

Sistar's Bora - What Bora can bring to the team is her athleticism that she have showcased time and time again during Idol Track & Field meets. Her enthusiasm would also be able to brush off against the others during work and play.

f(x)'s Amber - Pretty sure she's in just to provide a different dimension to the team due to her tomboyish looks and nature. But from what I've seen in a couple of shows she appeared in, she's a sporting character.

Rainbow's Woori - Not sure about her variety skills but certainly an eye-candy! So no complains from me regarding Rainbow's rapper. :)

Jewelry's Yewon - The lesser-known member of the G8, a newcomer compared to the rest of the girls. Hope she can make use of this show like how T-ara's Hyomin and Secret's Sunhwa used it to catapult their status to superstardom in the variety world and put her group Jewelry in the spotlight.

So there you go, a breakdown of the season 2 cast. Personally, I can't wait for the premiere of the new season. Invincible Youth Season 2 will premiere on the 11 November 2011 in Korea, so mark that date fans!

Singapore 0-3 Jordan

(Photo by AFP and Reuters)

As it stands, we are currently bottom of Group A after 3 rounds of play with 0 points in the bag. We will have to win all our remaining matches and hope for other results to go in our favor for the slimmest chance of progressing to the next round. As a die-hard fan, I can't bring myself to be pessimistic of our chances but at the same time, I'm also a realist and with 3 games left, it may be too high of a mountain to climb for our Lions. In other words, mathematically possible, virtually impossible.

I was there at the Jalan Besar Stadium, just as I have always made myself available for every other Lions competitive home game since 2004, sitting at the Gallery stands with the boisterous LATW (Lions All The Way) crew, who are gaining steady popularity for their voice and unwavering support. I believe that the final scoreline is flattering to Jordan as Singapore have more possession but lacked creativity to open up Jordan's defence and when they manage to create those chances, they are not clinical enough. On the other hand, Jordan took their chances with open arms, the first being a free header from the far post, the second a set piece which fooled everyone including keeper Izwan Mahbud and finally the third goal which the Singapore defence allowed Ahmad Hayel to run past them easily and slotted the ball to the bottom corner. All are soft goals which can prevented if not for our lapses of concentration.

With our hopes of progressing now hanging by a thread, maybe we can use the rest of the matches for the players to gain some invaluable experience and look forward to the next best thing, qualifying for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup which will be hosted by Australia. On a side note, I am very impressed by Khairul Nizam's short cameo in the 2nd half. Quick and fearless. Reminds me of a young Noh Alam Shah. Aleksander Duric's replacement in the future? 

175 and counting.

For a player deemed to be on a decline by the media and public, 4 goals in 2 games including a hat-trick in the 5-1 win against Bolton last night is not a bad way to silence your critics. Well yes, Bolton were hapless last night, conceding 4 goals in the first 25 minutes with a shocking performance from Adam Bogdan in goal, responsible for letting in the 3rd and 4th goals. But what was impressive was how cool and clinical Frank was in front of goal. The 1st and 3rd goal was a perfect example on how to finish and put away your chances from the Chelsea veteran.

Special mention to Daniel Sturridge as well, scoring the other 2 goals and constantly tormenting the right flank with his pace and trickery. Looks like it's going to get even harder for Anelka and Kalou to break into the first team.