Launch of "Awaken The Dreamer"

Hey guys!

It's been quite some time since we last updated this space.

That's because we had been rather busy with recording our unofficial debut EP: "Awaken The Dreamer" which will be released sometime in May!

The reason why it's unofficial is because the main focus of this EP is to help me (Rach) to raise funds to go to Bethel School of Worship in Redding, California from June to July. (to know more, go to www.awakenthedreamer.wordpress.com) So in a way, it was kinda unplanned. For such a young band like us, we feel that we have quite some time more to go before releasing an official one which will definitely include some deep spacey tracks for sure. Watch out for it in the not-so-near future...

In the meantime, you can certainly look forward to the crisp, acoustic sound of our upcoming EP. It consists of 5 originals, including "Dreamer", "Love & Water" and "Heart Conversations". They are mainly songs that we've been performing all over the island over the past 2 months, plus one that we have never done before for the public.

As the title suggests, "Awaken The Dreamer" hopes to unlock the chambers of lost and broken dreams, and release a new wave of the bold and the beautiful.

We truly hope that this album will inspire more people to pick up from where they left off, young and old, to start building (or rebuilding) a fortress of faith that will seal the destiny hidden within each being.

Visit the website (once again, it's www.awakenthedreamer.wordpress.com) and leave us some comments or encouragement etc. More details about the EP release date will be out soon! So, stay tuned!

Besides the EP, we also have been practicing hard for TWO upcoming gigs next week! One's at Greenrich Secondary School - a 2x20 min sets for academically-challenged kids. I'm pretty excited about this because I think these kids really need a lift to know that they truly are special and they have a future brimming with possibilities ahead of them. We'll be doing mostly a mix of our originals + songs like "On The Side of Me" , "Meant To Live" and "Fix You". Should be cool.

Second one's the Red Lantern Showcase at Next Page Pub. (yes, we're in. they made a mistake haha) Those who are interested are more than welcome to pop by Next Page Pub at 17 Mohammed Sultan Road next Sat at around 10pm to catch us! We'll be performing a mix of covers and originals (2 of Yinky's! Yay!!) and the cool thing is, our friends, Soul2Soul will alsoul (haha) be performing that night! SO come!!! Facebook or text us for more info! I gotta warn you though, the place is pretty small. So be prepared to stand. You have been warned haha..

Till next time.

wildly thrilled,
rach

Cove's Take On Red Lantern Selections!

Yinky's right. This Red Lantern Selections thingy was REALLY too AWESOME and STRANGE, and certainly warrants a blogpost. Yes, even from yours truly. =)

First of all, I'd like to clarify that I wasn't peeved with my "gramps" - the dude (his name is chung-yi!) who came to tell me how proud he was of me. To clear things up, he merely clasped my face with his man-hands (which were surprisingly smooth) and hugged me. Nothing more =) It's not that I was shy/offended. For the record, I just don't really like people to touch my face lest it breaks out. Ah...Vanity! But please feel free to pat my head or give me a hug if you wanna show me affection. =) My "weak spots". But anyway, that was real sweet of him. Yinky, no fists required. Not this one anyway. =)

Back to the event! I think Yinky did an awesome job of summarizing it, but here's my take on things.

Initially, I had thought this event was gonna be some small scale audition attended only by fellow aspiring bands, a handful of friends, and perhaps some judges. Well, it really started off like that. Everything matched my expectations - small platform, oriental decor, a few bands sitting around waiting for their turn etc. The event even started early, though the sound people arrived late. No sound check. No warning. It was more ad-hoc that I had expected.

However, a few moments before Soul2Soul went up, expats (a big group of Aussie dudes and dudettes) just poured in from outta nowhere!! When Soul2Soul started playing, it was mayhem. Everyone loved it! And the place was buzzing with so much joy & enthusiasm. They were irresistible with their mean renditions of popular pop songs! I couldn't stop grooving along!

When it was our turn to go up, (we were last) we were wrecked by nerves, though funnily enough, we didn't show it to one another. Confessions only took place after our set and we admitted both our hands were shaking during the gig! LOL. Anyway, we took to the stage and did our usual set. (Love & Water, Mistakes, Dreamer, Fix You by Coldplay and Heart Convos) It was very fun talkin' to the audience, 1/5 of whom (mostly expats) I already kinda knew from talking to them prior to our set. They were so responsive and attentive. I loved how rowdy they were too sometimes. More alive than most of the crowds we've performed to - even though they were MUCH quieter than when Soul2Soul were belting out their tunes.

So imagine our shock when we received many positive comments after our set. It warmed my heart to hear that people really dug the originals. I was genuinely surprised to hear grown men (foreigners!) coming up to us and telling us how much they liked it & how beautiful it was etc. I was especially humbled when one guy said "you guys should do more originals rather than covers." to which I replied "why? Is it because we didn't do a good job?" He floored me with his matter-of-fact remark "no, it's because your originals are much better than the cover. Keep doing your originals. It's beautiful..Oh.. absolutely beautiful. the two of you work really well together" AHHHHHH!!!! At that point, I was ready to drop dead on the floor and felt more proud than ever of Cove Red and my AMAZING partner, Yinky. =)

Then yet another Aussie guy (can't remember all their names...Gingko nuts, i need you!) came up to us and told us how much he liked it and said if he were to own a pub, he would invite us to be his resident singers. Too bad he lives in Australia and is going back on Saturday. =)

I still can't believe we actually did a gig in a PUB! The funniest thing is that we did original songs that celebrate love, faith, relationships, dreams, failures-victories, and one with the word "PRAY"... I'm truly blown away!! Especially by the response we got - even though I sang with a bad flu, we played a few wrong chords and made some mistakes here and there. I know it's truly all Him and His presence at work. *hands up*

What an awesome night... I dunno if we'll be selected for the Red Lantern Showcase on 2nd May.. *fingers crossed* I sure hope so because this is what I believe Cove Red is about. Being unconventional and invading dark (or dim) places with bloody good songs!

Pumped,
Cove

"red lantern" auditions

tonight's event seriously warrants a blogpost.

ranked a little lower than the sikh centre experience and humanist gatherings, :p, this was definitely one of the strangest (+ most awesome) places we've played at.

firstly, the place looked like.. this.

i felt like i'd stepped into one of those channel8 ancient china tv drama sets.

secondly, i knew it was gonna be held in a bar, but it didn't really hit me till i told my aunt where i was gonna be playing today.. "i'm going to be playing in a bar... (did i say bar? oh my. a bar..wow.. what is she gonna think..)" 

it looked like a pretty placid performing space in the beginning, but once it got to like 930pm all these expatriates came trickling in, and by the time our friends soul2soul played, it was packed full of very tall, chatty, drinking men (+ a few women). 

besides, when it was their turn to play, all the guys lining the 'aisle' cheered for "sharon!" as she made her way through, like she was an old friend. it was pretty funny.

similarly, rach has this magnet in her that attracts strangers like kids to an icecream uncle :p (no double-meaning intended). they just seem to naturally gravitate toward her and vice-versa (i think). gibby (a loaned gibson) was a great talking point cuz alot of them just started talking abt how beautiful she (gibby.. or..) was. haha. so even before we were up on stage, she'd made like 5 friends in the audience (in all of 15 mins or so).. 

according to our sources, the audience was mesmerised (though from our p.o.v. it kinda looked the reverse, i.e. bored :) ).. and a few girls from the adjacent karaoke section came out to listen. the funniest part for me was just the incredibly enthusiastic + friendly expat crowd. and how rach was like a fish in water.. there was an extra-friendly dude who treated rach like his granddaughter or something when we came off stage.. along the lines of "i'm SO proud of you!!", going a tad overboard.. hahaha.. she did not take to that very well. i said i was sorry for not punching him back.

she's been wanting to play in clarke quay + i think tonight she got her wish. or at least the beginning of it.. :)

by the way, someone wished us "happy easter!" as we left! i thought that was pretty funny. nobody here (sg) ever wishes 'happy easter' and moreso not in a pub ;)

as for playing, my oh my. we were freakin' nervous + shaking. made some mistakes (maybe we shld get rid of that song in our future sets..) but with good originals, it don't matter too much. :)

please supplement, Cove.

this post has too many smilies.

gnite!

Red

highlights of ooom5

*people clapped for us!! (and listened!!) ok just exaggerating but it's the warmest response we've gotten ever :)

*wow, i can't ever get the solos 100% right during the actual event (i know it's quite stupid b/c i made them up myself + they are beyond me).. 

but some pple commented on my playing and really liked it so, yay! more than 50% correct notes.. :p anyway, that's pretty faithful to the phenomenon i experienced way back while playing classical music. tension and nerves cut down my hit-rate to like 75%...

*i was really impressed by the quality of the ooomers (for lack of better word)! really solid guitar skills and voices most of the time. call me biased but my favorite act was rach + syltra's KT Tunstall cover! they were so perfect.. much better than the original :p

*made a bunch of new friends (as usual)! learnt (as usual) that this is a crazy small world (probably 2 degrees of separation so far as s'pore is concerned).

*this is nuts. this is the stuff i dreamed for singapore to have in 2006. when i first met jon how @ the espl library cafe (SAC) i was really excited to c that he had open mic.. and then complained to him tt i didn't have anyone to sing with.. haha. and now, almost 3 yrs later...

 

*next up: singing 3 covers to RJ peeps next thurs! RJ!!!

lalala

Red