The Star Online: Entertainment: Music
The Star Online: Entertainment: Music |
| Let's talk about pets on 988 Posted: There's a special bond and love between humans and animals. The Feature (Monday-Tuesday, 9am-10am) THESE days, some animals, like cats and dogs, are more than just pets. They are also companions. There's a special bond and love between humans and animals. What should you know if you want to adopt a pet? The Feature explores this topic. Morning Up VIP (Wednesday-Friday, 9am-10am) Fang Wen Shan may be one of the most acclaimed Mandopop lyricists but he was initially interested in film directing upon entering the entertainment industry. Though he has not realised the dream (yet), he has never abandoned the idea to be an auteur. Music Gets Crazy (Monday-Friday, 1pm-3pm) Like Justin Bieber, Yean Huang Jun Yan was discovered in 2010 when his homemade videos were posted online. But, unlike the globally-recognised teen pop star, Yean's career was not as smooth sailing. His new album, Love Ain't Wrong (Ai Mei You Bu Dui), is self-funded. Tune in on Wednesday to support Yean's relentless spirit in pursuit of his dream. Pasar Malam (Monday-Thursday, 8pm-10pm) In the hotseat this week is Malaysia's established actor Jordan Voon Shao Ping. His acting has matured in recent years, winning critical acclaims from viewers and critics alike. Join 988 DJ Leaf on Thursday as she speaks to the affable actor. There's a special bond and love between humans and animals.Go, Go Weekend – Health, Touch & Go (Saturday, 7am-8am) Even the most healthy and nutritious food, if not consumed correctly, can be bad for you. For example, you need to be careful when consuming bananas. Why? Find out more on the show on Saturday. For more information, log on to 988.com.my. Download the 988 app or stream it online at 988.com.my. |
| New horizons for Two Door Cinema Club Posted: ONLINE EXCLUSIVE: The Irish indie-pop outfit has no qualms about going mainstream. GONE are the days when Irish trio Two Door Cinema Club (TTDC) performed at old, musty pubs barely filled with (drunk) listeners. After its debut release Tourist History in 2010, the band – comprising Alex Trimble, Sam Halliday and Kevin Baird – shot to fame, climbing music charts around the world and bagging the Choice Music Prize for Irish Album of the Year. By the time the lads rolled out their second album, Beacon, in 2012, the band's music has been used many times over in films, TV commercials and videogames. Even Academy Award-winning film director Danny Boyle, who was the artistic director of the 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony, chose Trimble to perform at the grand international sporting event. These days, TDCC is busy shuffling between cities around the world, performing before thousands of screaming fans at a time. "We don't get back to Ireland very often, but when we do it's mostly time spent hanging out with our families and drinking Guinness," vocalist and bassist Baird told Star2 in an e-mail interview. The band is involved in more than 40 music festivals this year alone. With the band's meteoric rise, some are concerned if it will water-down its one-of-a-kind electro-pop stylings to appeal to the masses. Baird said candidly, "It is such an irrational concept to us. We're doing what we've always done. We write music we love and play shows. If more people start liking the music and more people start coming to the shows, how can that be a negative thing? "We wrote Undercover Martyn in 2007 and not many people knew about it until 2010. Many more people know about it in 2013. It is exactly the same song now as it was then. Humans are fickle. They want to feel like they like something no one else does because that means it is cool. Then when more people start to like the song that they like, they throw demerit onto us for 'selling out'. Irrational." TDCC announced in July that the trio has left French independent label, Kitsuné, and signed with major recording label, Parlophone Records (which is now under Warner Music) who has a repertoire of artistes ranging from Coldplay to Kylie Minogue. "We had four great long years with Kitsuné and we left on great terms. We felt it was time for a new beginning and challenge, so we opted for a new contract with Parlophone," Baird explained. He went on to share that they "wanted a label that could push us more internationally" but assured fans that doesn't necessarily mean a change in TDCC's musical direction. Nevertheless, he added the band is always experimenting with new sounds anyway. Asked if the move to a bigger label will result in limited control in making their own creative decisions, Baird responded, "This is the reason that we didn't sign with a major label from the beginning. We needed time to grow and express ourselves. We're in a position now that we have a following and we've sold records. We know what we're doing and Parlophone respects that." The group recently released an EP, Changing Of The Seasons, under its new label. Baird said the band has started the process of writing materials for its third album, due possibly in 2015. TDCC will be performing in Malaysia at the annual creative arts festival, Urbanscapes. He assured festival-goers, "They can look forward to an energetic show. We love playing live, especially to people who've never seen us before. It'll be pretty obvious that we're having a good time up onstage." >> Urbanscapes Big Weekend will be held at the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang (MAEPS) in Selangor on Nov 23 and 24. Tickets, priced at RM 227 (pre-sale), RM247 (regular sale) RM397 (all-access pass), can be purchased online at ticketpro.com.my or at selected music stores around the Klang Valley. Tickets to the Satellite Shows at KL Live are also available at RM177. For more information, visit urbanscapes.com.my. |
| Posted: After toiling for a few years in the casino circuit in Las Vegas, Imagine Dragons has hit the big time. The little drummer boy from Las Vegas, United States, has become the year's most unlikely rock star. OK, Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds isn't exactly little. He's 193cm tall. But his band is making an even bigger noise. Imagine Dragons' Night Visions is the second-biggest-selling rock album of 2013, behind Mumford & Sons' Grammy-winning Babel. The single Radioactive has sold 4.4 million and spent 13 weeks at No. 1 on Billboard's modern-rock chart, making it the fifth-biggest alt-rock hit of the past 25 years. The band's three videos – last year's It's Time, Radioactive and the new Demons – have been viewed more than 100 million times on Vevo. "We had no idea this would happen. We're so used to being our own thing, building an organic audience slowly, like we've done for three years," said Reynolds. "I remember when Night Visions was going to come out (last September), we said if it sold 10,000 the first week, we'd be ecstatic." Well, it sold 83,000 and debuted at No. 2 on Billboard's album chart. After 53 weeks, it remains in the Top 10. To be clear, Reynolds isn't the band's drummer – Daniel Platzman is – but in concert, the hyperkinetic frontman runs around the stage pounding on six drum setups, from a Japanese taiko to a concert bass drum. Is he channeling his inner marching-band drummer? "I never did marching band," Reynolds, 26, said. "I played saxophone in jazz band. I had piano lessons from (age) six to 16. I did grow up playing drums – I took lessons for a few years – and played in high school garage bands. I was a drummer before I was ever a singer. I sing a lot more percussively because of that. I think growing up playing drums changes how you write melodies." Was he a hyperactive kid? "100%! I have had ADD my whole life, depression, anxiety. I think that's probably a common thread for most artistes. I could never pay attention in class, always getting in trouble, always getting in detention for talking." But it wound up OK when Reynolds hooked up with some fellow musicians while attending Brigham Young University in Utah. After a couple of personnel changes and a move to his hometown of Vegas, Imagine Dragons ended up with a guitarist, drummer and bassist who all had studied at the prestigious Berklee College of Music. The band toiled for a couple of years in Vegas casinos, playing six hours a night, before hitting the road as indie-rock unknowns. After self-releasing three EPs, Imagine Dragons worked with big-time hip-hop producer Alex Da Kid, (Eminem, Nicki Minaj). On Night Visions, he helped them add hand claps and a big drum sound. "We've always been rhythmically focused," Reynolds said. "I grew up on urban radio: 2Pac, Biggie. Making that association with Alex was huge. He helped us take it to another level and maximise what we felt was the most important part of Imagine Dragons – rhythm. He really helped us get that kick drum sound or the snare to hit harder." They also added Vegas touches. "You can't help but be influenced by Vegas," Reynolds said. "Lights, noise, nobody sleeps. We grew up playing in casinos, where you're competing with slot machines and bikini blackjack dealers. So you create music that is a little larger than life – just like Vegas." Indeed, Imagine Dragons has a flair for anthemic arena rock, with shades of U2 and Coldplay, and even ambitious gimmicks such as Reynolds zip-lining over the crowd while playing a drum. The band has been gigging so hard that Reynolds had to have a polyp removed from his vocal cords a year ago. "It was from singing too much," he said. "After that, we had to make rules: only three shows in a row and then a day off to recuperate. Even right now, I'm on a steroid because we broke our rule of three in a row. We just couldn't say no to this We Day show in Canada." Another casualty of their grueling schedule: The singer missed his daughter's first birthday last month. "I had to celebrate it with her a-week-and-a-half later," he said. "I had a day off in Oregon. That's where my wife's family is from, so we celebrated there. It was a bummer for me. This will be my second Thanksgiving that I missed. But it's like any job; you have to make sacrifices. My wife's a musician, so she understands. But it's been difficult – the hardest part of everything." But there have been some unforgettable rewards – such as meeting his idol Rivers Cuomo, of Weezer, who told Reynolds that he loved Imagine Dragons' music, or playing to festival crowds of 50,000 to 100,000 people. But nothing may have been more satisfying than the letter Reynolds received recently from his third-grade teacher, Mrs. Rivers. "I hadn't heard from her since third grade. She said: 'I saw your band on TV.' It was a sweet letter. I got in trouble back in the day, and now, it's come full circle." Not bad for a hyperactive drummer boy. – Star Tribune/McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
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