KUCHING – Reggae music is not new among listeners and music lovers. The 2nd edition of Asia Music Festival this coming October 3-4 in Miri, Sarawak will bring you Reggae Ambassador of Indonesia, Ras Muhamad. He will entertain you with reggae music that will leave you mesmerized

Ras Muhamad believes that through the power of music especially Reggae, people can share and learn each other’s cultures through the messages it conveys. To find similarities and common ground, setting aside petty differences and finally celebrating life and all its dynamics through music. Such as the core and heart of Reggae, it’s a universal expression and a message of love.

Ras Muhamad musical influences other than Reggae, Ska, Dancehall and Rocksteady ranges widely from Hip-Hop, Indonesian traditional and pop music, Jazz, Metal and World Music. Besides Bob Marley, his Reggae “heroes” are Lee Perry, Peter Tosh, Augustus Pablo, King Tubby, Sizzla, Garnett Silk Gregory Isaacs and a very long-list of others. Lyrically, he draws many inspirations also from Hip-Hop icons such as Rakim, KRS-One, Nas and Wu-Tang. If one listens closely to any of Ras Muhamad’s tune his rhyme structure has subtle undertones and akin to a Hip-Hop lyricist.

Not just active in the Reggae Culture, Ras Muhamad challenges himself to collaborate with other genres in the Indonesian music industry. To express himself as an artist and give the “Reggae breath” to other forms of music is challenging to an ever-growing and evolving artist.

As an example, Ras Muhamad collaborated and recorded music with Indonesian Pop Icons such as Glenn Fredly, Tompi and Element. Indra Lesmana, a jazz legend in Indonesia also had experience in working with the Reggae Ambassador of Indonesia. Renowned, Indonesian Punk Band Superglad also collaborated with him in 2013 for their album.

Lyrically inclined, musically dynamic and Jamaican-influenced yet still Asiatic. Oneness Records boldly releases Indonesia’s first Reggae international album on July 25th 2014, Ras Muhamad’s “Salam”.

Among the many awards he received are; 2013 Nomintaed Best Reggae Composition for “Negeri Pelangi” by “Anugerah Music Indonesia, 2013 Best Reggae Song “Prosa Tinju Lima Jari”, 2012 Best Reggae for Indonesia Cutting-Edge Music Awards.

Watch Ras Muhamad performing on stage at Asia Music Festival to be held in Eastwood Valley Golf & Country Club, Miri, Sarawak. Other confirmed line-up this year includes SoulMate (India), Salammusik (Malaysia), Pancake80 (Philippines), Pisco (Taiwan), Retrospect (Thailand), Masia One (Singapore) and Mad August (Malaysia).

Presale tickets is currently on sale only at RM25 for adults and RM10 for children/student (aged 3-18) at http://asiamusicfestival.net/tickets/ . Tickets also available from all STB’s Visitors Information Centre located at Sarawak Tourism Complex, Kuching (+6 082-423600), Jalan Melayu, Miri (+6 085-434180) and Jalan Tukang Besi, Sibu (+6 084-340980).  Door-sale ticket are priced at RM30 for adults and RM15 for children/students.

KUCHING – The second edition of Asia Music Festival this coming October 3-4 will be enlivened by the presence of the Malaysian band, MAD AUGUST.

The band consisting of 4 members who have their own musical skills and are ready to amaze the audience with their live performance for the first time in Miri, Sarawak.

The concept behind the name “MAD” is actually an abbreviation of a philosophical slogan – “Make A Difference”. It pledges that everyone can make a difference in life, even with a least of strength and the words “August” which in numeric 8 refers to success, opportunity and strength.

MAD AUGUST plays Modern Rock and Emo Rock music. They create an icon via music as a medium to manifest their ideology. This icon is a leader, an image and a symbol of encouragement about living life to its fullness with courage.

Asia Music Festival promises an extraordinary weekend of fun, music and more, against the stunning backdrop of the venue, Eastwood Valley Golf & Country Club. A mixture of live music will be featured throughout the two days event and will include a mix-genre of music from regional, national and local talent.

Other than MAD August, the confirmed line-up of performers includes SoulMate (India), Ras Muhamad (Indonesia), Pancake80 (Philippines), Pisco (Taiwan), Retrospect (Thailand), Masia One (Singapore) and Salammusik (Malaysia).

Presale tickets are still on sale only at RM25 for adults and RM10 for children/student (aged 3-18) and available online at www.asiamusicfestival.net . Tickets also available from all STB’s Visitors Information Centre located at Sarawak Tourism Complex, Kuching (+6 082-423600), Jalan Melayu, Miri (+6 085-434180) and Jalan Tukang Besi, Sibu (+6 084-340980). Door-sale ticket are priced at RM30 for adults and RM15 for children/students.

Thinking of purchasing a house?This could be your dream house!. Last Saturday, Naim Holdings Berhad launched their exclusive SouthLake Permyjaya development at the the ground floor of Permaisuri Imperial City Mall, Miri. Among the attendees was the Guest of Honour, Yang berhormat Datuk Dr Lee Kim Shin, Assistant Minister for Communitcations and Assistant Minister for Sports, Tourism, Sarawak , The distinguished Mayor of Miri City Council, Mr Lawrence Lai and Senior Manager of NAIM, Mr Zamry Ibrahim.  Before I proceed, here's a brief info of NAIM Holdings Berhad.

NAIM HOLDINGS BERHAD or better known as NAIM was incorporated in the year of 1993 with a start of its very first office at Bandar Baru Permyjaya. It's first project was developing the low-cost housing and also building the Pujut 7 bridge across Miri River which had given them much chances to grow. By now, they had more than fingers count awards and recognition from the state itself. I believe that's how they gained their brand name and reputation which give their customers the confidence for being so supportive after all these years.  For more information on the company and their projects, click here.
 

Back to the main topic, SouthLake is a chic, upmarket and precinct-based enclaved which as been master planned based on an appreciation for the environment, security and a healthy community living. Spanning over 450 acres,comprising of residential and commercial based components, its main feature is a 30-acre lake which provides the community with boundless lake side activities. One of the highlights of SouthLake is the Clubhouse,a nexus that promotes a close-knot community with facilities such as Badminton, squash and tennis court, Multi-Purpose Hall, Olympic sized swimming pool and much more. There will be educational centers, schools, commercial buildings and a Hospital within the vicinity as well.

What sets SouthLake apart from the rest is the SouthLake Innovation New Generation (SLING) lifestyle which focuses on four main components which is,

1. Exclusivity - A Clubhouse with full recreational facilities.
2. Rejuvenation - A 30-acre scenic lake for all your outdoor activities,lush landscaping and a river flowing across the township
3. Security - Precinct-based and a guarded sanctuary for total peace of mind living
4. Connectivity - Smart-security features and high-speed broadband ready homes.

During the launch, NAIM introduced 2 components  within the SouthLake which was the Terraces Homes located in SouthLate Willow Moss Precinct and their Twin VIllas, which are semi-detached homes located in River View Precinct.All houses in the SouthLake Permyjaya is categorize as NAIM Signature Collection. What is this NAIM Signature Collection about?

Under this exclusive property brand, the costumers will get to enjoy products with branded finishes, multi-tiered security, benefits of integrated developments and value added services.

In his speech, Mr Zamry Ibrahim also urged customers to take advantage of the early-bird discount which is offered for a limited time only. Twin Villas are currently selling at a special price starting from RM 793,888 meanwhile Terraces ranging from RM 558,888 on wards. As for now, the project is already on its progress,and NAIM is is hoping the show house will be completed  by the end of this year and hopefully these two components that was mentioned earlier  would be completed within 2 years. In addition to that, the early bird customers free legal fees for S7P, free clubhouse membership, free High Speed Broadband(UNIFI),free Smart Security System with CCTV,web-enabled arming and disarming alarm, a panic button and a Central Monitoring System (CMS), free security guard services for 6 months (at precinct entrance) and pre-installed underground gass piping.

If you wish to know more about NAIM or Southlake Permyjaya, click on the link below for their website or their Facebook.

MIRI : (+60) 85 - 491000 , KUCHING : (+60) 82 - 422001 , BINTULU : (+60) 86 - 339666
Official Website : www.southlake.com.my 
OR 
Facebookpage : www.facebook.com/southlakepermyjaya
OR
Drop by at their office at the location below. 
Miri Sales Office : Lot 223 - 226, First Floor, Permy Mall, Bandar Baru Permyjaya, Miri.

KUCHING, Friday – The Malaysian famous DJ Roundhead has been added to the Borneo Jazz main program performing both nights on the 9 and 10 May 2014. The 9th edition of Borneo Jazz will dedicate a special DJ slot right after the mainstage show each night held at the Pavilion, Parkcity Everly Hotel in Miri, Sarawak.

Crowned as the ‘Malaysia DJ Champion’ 3 years in a row when he entered the Malaysian DJ Championship competition from 1995-1997, DJ Roundhead has recorded a long history in the Malaysian music industry with accumulation of at least 20 years performing as a DJ. Among the best moment in his artistic career is representing Malaysia in the Rotterdam Love Parade in the Netherlands for a crowd of 10,000 strong on a 34 wheel trailer while proudly flying the Malaysian flag in front of his console. He also has served as a DJ residency in Melbourne, Australia for a year before returning to Malaysia and currently attached fulltime to TraxxFM in Kuala Lumpur. Roundhead was the producer, composer and the song writer for Malaysia’s very first techno group Asian Tech for Sony Music Malaysia in 1994.

He started career with humble beginnings but at the peak of his career, he never considered himself a celebrity. His passion is music so when he was in high school, he would work part-time jobs during the weekend just to blow it all away on CD's and records. That made him the "go-to-guy" when it came to house parties from high school all the way to college. Roundhead would bring his own player and set up his own mini console and rock the crowd at the party. He did it for free of course, but only after college he join a company during the 90's called Clubworld Entertainment that supplied DJ's to entertainment outlets around Malaysia, where then only he started his professional training.

Explaining on his early passions and influences, Roundhead stressed that he was heavily influenced by the styles and technique of DJ Jazzy Jeff, DJ Terminator-X, DJ Rob Base, Jam Master Jay when it came to hip-hop and Frankie Knuckles, Masters at Work, Armand Van Helden and CJ Mackintosh when it came to dance music.

For Roundhead, the major challenge for any real DJ is being able to perform under pressure. Studying the crowd that you are about to perform to can be real nerve wrecking because everyone has different taste in music. A real DJ can tell if a record or a song is going to be a hit or a dance floor filler. The most interesting bit in his humble opinion is studying the crowd earlier before any performance without undermining their expectations of entertainment. Eye contact plays an important role once he hit the stage.

Building a real relationship with the music played for his own approach is very important. According to Roundhead, knowledge is the key for everything. It's the main ingredient for a DJ like him to know what he is playing. “When you have knowledge of what music is all about, diversity becomes your ultimate weapon. Being able to perform just 1 particular genre might make you good in your craft, but being able to play any concept or genre and the showmanship that comes with it makes you immaculate” he added. Deciding what record to play next comes from the heart and soul, not to mention observation of the crowd and being confident.

DJ Roundhead is welcoming his fans and festivalgoers to Miri next weekend to celebrate the Borneo Jazz. “You have already gotten tickets to a world class event with world class performers supported by world class sound and lights. The DJ set will introduce to you the sound of the Future Past. Never experienced before in Malaysia. Classy, sexy, and prepare yourself to get lost in bass” he added. 

Sarawak Tourism Board, the organizer of Borneo Jazz has added value to the programme format this year by adding a Club Setwith DJ Roundhead after the nightly stage shows. Although the organiser encourage the public to come to the 2-nights festival, those who are only able to attend the clubset will be allowed in after midnight at a cover charge of only RM10.

Eight international bands has been confirmed for this year’s festival. Program detail as well as the pre-sale promotional tickets to Borneo Jazz are still available online at www.jazzborneo.com .

KUCHING, Monday – Outside of prize winning or free tickets to the festival, there is one reasonable option available to all music fans; volunteering. It’s not wrong to enjoy free music this way, but doing something you’d love, the money will seem less relevant.

For the next two weeks to come at the Borneo Jazz, Rose Au has embarked on the sixth year as a volunteer. She not only did this in Miri for the Borneo Jazz but Sarawak Cultural Village in Kuching has also become her playground during Rainforest World Music Festival.

Really feel glad to be called back to help Borneo Jazz again this year and Rose will always make a return every year, for the love of this wonderful Jazz event that she has contributed in building from scratch in Miri.

Retired lawyer, but now teaching tour-guides, Rose Au Nyat Jun or Rose Au as she is usually known really enjoys doing things she loves. She found volunteering work as something that is very interesting to do in life.

“Volunteering is enriching, being given an opportunity to learn new skills, share and train first time volunteers. Not all paid jobs are necessarily fun jobs, volunteering is unique, rewarding to be part of Borneo Jazz - our State’s growing festivals”, says Rose.

Rose has been freelancing as a DJ with Radio Television Malaysia (RTM) for 20 years and used to present “Just Jazz” with RTM for many years. She’s been in the tourism-related industry for 13 years and it naturally follows that she loves to be involved in tourism. During Borneo Jazz, she will be assigned as the liaison officer to the performing bands normally of a foreign country. Very familiar with Sarawak’s tourism product is an added advantage to her task, as she can play well the part of an Ambassador for the state tourism.

“Music lovers should come over to Miri next month. Borneo Jazz offers a very charming ambience, beautiful garden setting, people are ever ready to help and there is good food. Not many places in the region have such mixes!, she added.

Borneo Jazz is organized by Sarawak Tourism Board. The volunteer program at the festival provides a learning platform for all the volunteers. Although ideal attributes will vary from role to role, all volunteers must be able to conduct themselves in line with the Festival’s core values, which is integrity and teamwork.

Running over the weekend 9-10 May at the Parkcity Everly Hotel in Miri, Borneo Jazz promises two days of fine jazz music with great food and a craft bazaar at a very beautiful beach resort ambience. The festival will be featuring bands from countries never featured before and also bands having repertoires that are unique. The performing bands will cover a wide range of jazz influences with participating jazz bands from Georgia, Germany, Cuba, Martinique, Indonesia, United Kingdom, Malaysia as well as Sarawak’s own jazz artist who has established well in the music circuit in China.

Pre-sale promotional tickets are still available at only RM50 for adult single entry and RM95 for a 2-day pass. This offer is valid until 8th May and can be purchase online at www.jazzborneo.com . Child ticket promotional offer is only RM25 and RM45 for a 2-day pass. After the promotional period, door sale tickets will be RM70 for a day adult pass and RM130 for a 2-day pass. Children tickets at the gate will be RM30 for a day and RM50 for 2 days.

KUCHING, 24 March – Early bird tickets offer for the upcoming Borneo Jazz in Miri, Sarawak are now on sale at www.jazzborneo.com.

Early bird tickets priced at only RM30 for adult single entry and RM55 for a 2-day pass. Children under the age of 12 years will enjoy RM15 on each purchase of single entry ticket during this period and RM25 for a two-day pass. This offer is valid until 31 March 2014. After this offer, ticket price will increase to RM50 for adult for single entry and RM95 for a 2-day pass. Children tickets will be RM25 for one day and RM45 for 2 days. These will be available until the event day itself when ticket prices will be RM70 for adult for a day and RM130 for a 2-day pass. Children tickets at the gate will be RM30 for a day and RM50 for 2 days.

Running over the weekend 9-10 May at the Parkcity Everly Hotel in Miri, Borneo Jazz promises two days of fine jazz music with great food and a craft bazaar at a very beautiful beach resort ambience.

Now in its ninth year, the festival will ensure wonderful Jazz music in an exotic setting. Apart from the stage, the program this year will showcase marching bands from school bands who have participated in international competitions. They will kick off the programme daily. After the stage shows, those of you who have not had enough of the jazz music, you will be able to have a jam session with your favourite bands. For those who still want to party, we will have a Club Set with a well known DJ at the venue.  

The lineup this year is without doubt an exciting one. The festival will be featuring bands from countries never featured before and also bands having repertoires that are unique. Borneo Jazz will be featuring a band from Georgia - Iriao, which is an ethno-jazz band and their repertoire has been recognized by UNESCO as being a masterpiece of oral immaterial heritage.

 

Brassballett from Germany – the first and only show worldwide where musicians will play their instruments and dance at the same time, a unique performance not to be missed. Vocal Sampling – salsa band, and all-male a-cappella musical group from Cuba. They are a very well-known band and a crowd pleaser. In the last 2 years, a capella acts have been a show topper at Borneo Jazz. Their album “Cambio de Tiempo” was nominated for 3 Latin Grammy Awards. Mario Canonge - a great virtuoso and showman playing creole jazz with West indies rhythms from Martinique/France, also a first Matinique band at the festival. YK Band from Indonesia who will feature Jazz from Samarinda with hints of Borneo flavours. Anthony Strong – hailed as “England’s new jazz superstar" from UK. He beat Gregory Porter, Michael Bublé and Harry Connick Jr. to become No. 1 on the iTunes and No.2 on the www.amazon.com jazz charts in the USA.

 

From the local scene, Diana Liu the Sarawakian born artist who plays various jazz, bossa nova, gospel and funk/soul and will represent Malaysia/USA/Taiwan. Among members of her band will be our very own Lewis Pragasam who will be on drums. Another Malaysian band will be Junkofunc, a highly energetic rhythms with a touch of soul and lashings of func. The group plays a punchy brass, powerful vocals and pounding rhythm section. 

 

For more information on the festival program and for details of ticket outlets please log on to www.jazzborneo.com. 

SARAWAK, Malaysia – The 9th edition of Borneo Jazz is set to take place in Miri, Sarawak and volunteers are still needed to ensure a successful event.

The festival will be held on 9 – 10 May and will feature various kind of Jazz music from around the world. The festival will also feature arts and craft bazaar which will represent the unique cultures of the people in Borneo.

Every year, Borneo Jazz are powered by the volunteers that come from various background of individuals or groups to run the activities. Within the festival, volunteers will be assigned to various divisions such as technical and operational, logistic as well as marketing the festival. The volunteer program is designed to provide an overall understanding of the operational aspects of the festivals in order to ensure the success of the musical events organized by Sarawak Tourism Board.

Those interested to volunteer during Borneo Jazz 2014 may register from the Borneo Jazz website atwww.jazzborneo.com . The completed volunteer application form must be submitted to mona@sarawaktourism.com for processing. The successful applicants will later be notified via email or telephone.

The Borneo Jazz volunteer program provides a learning platform for all the volunteers. Although ideal attributes will vary from role to role, all volunteers must be able to conduct themselves in line with the Festival’s core values, which is integrity and teamwork.

The festival organizer will provide T-shirts to be worn while on duty. The volunteers will be assigned to perform duties on shift, which covers day or night festival program. The volunteers maybe needed to run the selected management areas a few days before the festival starts in order to ensure festival readiness.

STB has also opportunities to volunteer at other events in Kuching, the Borneo World Music Expo (BWME) to be held on the 16-18 June, the Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) to be held on 20-22 June and the Asia Music Festival on 9-10 October in Miri. The application for all events is made through its respective websites at www.borneomusicexpo.com, www.rwmf.net and www.asiamusicfestival.net

MIRI, Sarawak – Borneo Jazz has announced its lineup for 2014. The impressive line-up this year includes acts who have really made it big in the world of jazz. This is in line with year of ‘double celebration’, the Visit Malaysia Year 2014 (VMY 2014) and Visit Sarawak Year 2014.

Among the bands that will be performing will be Iriao, an eight-piece ethno-jazz band from Georgia. Iriao’s repertoire is based on Georgian authentic folk instrumental and polyphonic music, which has been recognized by UNESCO as being a masterpiece of oral immaterial heritage. However the band aims not to modernize the unique polyphonic Georgian music but to saturate and adorn it with jazz elements. This is the first time that a Georgian band will be performing at the Borneo Jazz.

Another interesting line-up is Vocal Sampling, an all-male acappella musical group from Cuba who are expected to be a hit at this year’s Borneo Jazz festival. They are a very well-known band and a crowd pleaser. Their album “Cambio de Tiempo” was nominated for 3 Latin Grammy Awards. In the last 2 years, acapella acts have been a show- stopper at Borneo Jazz.

Other popular jazz bands listed for this years’ event will be Brassballett from Germany – the first and only show worldwide where musicians are dancers at the same time. They will perform a choreographed show whilst playing their instruments. Mario Canonge – a great virtuoso and showman playing creole jazz with West Indies rhythms from Martinique/France, will be the first Martinique band to perform at the festival. YK Band from Indonesia will feature Jjzz with hints of Borneo flavour. Anthony Strong – hailed as “England’s new jazz superstar” from UK. He beat Gregory Porter, Michael Bublé and Harry Connick Jr. to become No 1 on the iTunes and No 2 on the Amazon.com jazz charts in the USA.

From the local scene we have Diana Liu, the Sarawakian born artist who plays pop, jazz, bossa nova, gospel and funk/soul. She and her band members will represent Malaysia/USA/Taiwan. Among members of her band will be Malaysia’s very own drum virtuoso, Lewis Pragasam.

Entry tickets will go on sale in the last week of January 2014.  More can be read at www.jazzborneo.com. Updates also available via STB’s Twitter account @SarawakTravel and Facebook at Sarawak Travel.  Or you can also view the ticket information via the Borneo Jazz 2014 page.

The annual jazz festival, now in its 9th year, will be held in Miri, Sarawak from the 9th to 10th May.

This annual event is organized by Sarawak Tourism Board, supported by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture Malaysia and Ministry of Tourism Sarawak; and endorsed by Tourism Malaysia.

VOLUNTEER APPLICATION FOR 2014 FESTIVALS IN SARAWAK NOW OPEN

 

Registration is now open for the Rainforest World Music Festival, Borneo Jazz and Asia Music Festival 2014 volunteer programme. 

SARAWAK, Malaysia – The 17th annual Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF), to be held in Kuching city as well as the 9th annual Borneo Jazz and 2nd annual Asia Music Festival, both to be held in Miri city, Sarawak is currently accepting applications for volunteers.

The 2014 RWMF will be held on June 20th - 22nd, while the Borneo Jazz 2014 and Asia Music Festival 2014 will be held on May 9th – 10th  and October 3rd – 4th respectively.

The Festivals are made possible year after year because of the hard work of over 200 volunteers yearly. Next year, all the three Festivals are looking for individuals or groups to help in the logistics, technical and operational aspects of the event management, event marketing and its operational plan. This volunteer program is designed to provide an overall understanding of the operational aspects of the festivals in order to ensure the success of the musical events organized by Sarawak Tourism Board.

Those interested to volunteer for these musical events in Malaysia may register respectively on RWMF website at www.rwmf.net, Borneo Jazz website www.jazzborneo and Asia Music Festival Website www.asiamusicfestival.net. This is only the application process where those interested in taking part are registered, while the successful applicants will later be notified via email or telephone.

The festival event management areas will require volunteer skills as liaison officer for performing artists, as well as schleppers for handling of the musical instruments among others. These volunteers are required to work during the workshop as well as concert and practice sessions. Volunteers for the event marketing management will participate in sales promotion, product development of festival tour packages, management information, media and public relations program as well as Media Centre operation. Event operation management areas will oversee the site readiness, vendor management, admission and gate operation, event secretariat, equipment and materials preparation and transportation.

The volunteer program has seen many repeated volunteers and it provides not only a learning platform but also a time to get together. Although ideal employee attributes will vary from role to role, all volunteers must be able to conduct themselves in line with the Festival’s core values, which is integrity and teamwork.

With more than 500 officials, media and performers making up the team at the Festivals, the volunteers are sure to meet new friends, sharing experience, learn the new skills, and most importantly gaining new experience in event management.

The festival organizer will provide T-shirts to be worn while on duty. The volunteers will be assigned to perform duties on shift, which covers day or night festival program. The volunteers maybe needed to run the selected management areas a few days before the festival starts in order to ensure festival readiness.

Closing date for Borneo Jazz and RWMF submission form is on 4th April 2014, while Asia Music Festival submission form will close on 4th September 2014.

Other information about the Festival such as the program, packages and many more will be updated on each websites from time-to-time. 




Note : Guidelines for the form is as follows

Borneo Jazz : Programs > Internship & Volunteers > Download the form at the bottom of the page.

Asia Music Festival : Programs > Volunteers > Download the form at the bottom of the page.

This was my second event coverage under Sarawak Blogger and for someone who plays music, Music festivals are something to really look forward to and since this was the first time it was held here in Miri, I didn't know what to expect, what genre of music would be played or how the audience would be like. Thanks to Sarawak Bloggers and Sarawak Tourism Board, I was given the opportunity to cover the event under Media Pass. So in this my sharing and my point of view on the day itself.

As i was occupied that morning, i didn't managed to attend the tree planting ceremony and the press conference but I took the effort of coming early to the venue and see how things was going prepared before the actual event starts.

I arrived at the venue around 2pm and slowly people starts coming in to check out the booths,the logistics were busy with the instruments, the sound engineer was busy fine tuning the audio and visual equipment. Im impressed with Sarawak Tourism Board and EastWood management as there was so many things to do and everything was organized.

So after checking out the venue, met a few Radio Djs, Kiyoshi from Hitz.fm, Afick from Era and Daffy from Radio Brunei. Awesome people I must say! Chit Chat with them till it was around 4pm and after that Kiyoshi and Afick started to giveaway free 2 days pass to the festival, and us being the over-friendly bloggers, helped out.

As the sun sets, more and more people starts filling up the musical corridor,Bob Yusof took the stage and sang a few of his numbers. One thing i realized a bout Bob, He is much more smaller in real life then in TVs or pictures*hahaha*. His voice was superb and i love his quote which goes like this "musik itu tiada sempadan,dari mana pun kita, musik menyatukan kita" which translate to " Music has no boundaries, where ever we come from, music unites us". None the less, Bob Yusof is an all rounder, traditional music, pop, u named it, he can sing it.

First international band to go on stage was Soesah Tidour (Susah Tidur = hard to sleep) from Indonesia. Dangdut never sounded so nice till you heard it live. One of my favourite song played by them that night was Salome( Satu Lobang Rame Rame), i know it sounds kinda kinky in our language but I think it means something else*i hope*.. But the beat was catchy.. the song got stuck in my head for about a week.

Bringing the traditional music with a modern pinch was Tritha from India. Her music was something new to my ears, no its not the type of music you hear from the Hindustan Movies you watch on the weekends, Its very unique and at the very beginning of her show, i totally cant brain her music but after a few songs, u tend to get the vibe. To explain it here its totally impossible I must say, if you were there, you'll know what i mean. But if you weren't, too bad :P

Bembol Rockers with Kamal Musallam. I love this guys.. From the way they played their music, I can tell that their music was influenced by Elvis and talking about Elvis, U know its a taboo just to sit down and listen to it. U gotta get up and rock and roll! Double bass and semi hollow guitar to Elvis like music, what could go wrong?

Last performance of the night was Vstar from Korea. Who say u cant rock a modern song with traditional instruments? They played quite a number of Kpop hits such as  Nobody and Gee by Wonder Girls. They made a rendition of Let It Be by The Beatles which was totally awesome and got the crowd singing. And finally, they played one particular song that is well known all around the world and when you hear that song, u know its Korean. can you guess?   Check the picture below to find out. 

So for the 2nd day of the event, I attended the press conference  which started around 10am. After that it was free time so we decided to chill and checkout the preparations for the second day as it was a Saturday and we were expecting more crowds that day. As the sun slowly goes down the horizon, we can see more and more people coming in and checking out the booth, enjoying beer and good music..

Around 2pm, the Media was invited to attend the press conference with YB Lee Kim Shin,Mayor of Miri and Dato Rashid Khan regarding the future plans for Miri. The next big event thats has been planned for Miri is Country Music Festival which is going to be held on February 2014. They also mentioned that the country music festival would be an annual event and Miri will be the host for the event for the next 5 years.

Back to the main stage, the first band to perform on the second day was Mountain Wind Band which consist of 5 band members, playing country music. It didn't took that long before the crowd created a line and start a Poco - Poco dance sequence. 

Next up was another local Iban artist that goes by the name Melissa Francis. I've heard of her name but never really got the chance to listen to her music except during semi-drunk/totally drunk karaoke sessions back at the longhouse during Gawai or Christmas. Her voice really caught me by surprise as I didn't expect that her voice would go that high and still sounded good. 

Third up was the Starlets band. Yes, they performed on the second day too. Honestly, I didn't enjoyed the 2nd day performance compared to the first day. Maybe it was the song selection or my expectation was too high.

This is one band that I was looking forward to see was Fakhrul Razi and Camouflange. It was because I know the drummer and the keyboardist personally. I didn't knew who was Fakhrul Razi until I did some research when STB released the list of performers for the event and  I listened to one of his songs by the title "Salahkah Aku" and straight away fell in love with it. The best part of all was hearing him sing the song live. Literally just a few meters away from me. *hahaha..fan boyyy*

Up next was the Boy Thai Band. From the name you can guess where these boys came from. Delivering a super energetic performance and I can tell that the saxophonist was the favourite among the girls, judging on how the girls went crazy when he starts going down the stage, walking around the the musical corridor  engaging the crowd.. Some even took selfies with the saxophonist. That was something new..  One of my favourite performance by them was when the bassist starts to rap in Thai.  Although I have no idea what he said but it sounded gangsta. XD

The energy that the Boy Thai Band managed to transfer to the next performer, which was Anthony Dassan Yen Party. Indian music full of energy mix with over excited crowd and wallah! suddenly everyone knows how to do the Bhangra dance including me..Hahahaha..

 
And the last one to perform that night was Foxy Girls from Indonesia. First song that came out from the speakers was their rendition of Aku Yang Tersakiti by Judika. This song is one of my favourite song due to the lyrics. I can relate so much to this. Back to the main topic, Foxy Girls gave a superb dangdut performance paired up with the famous "gelek gerudi".  As the night comes to an end, double thumbs up to the performers for the memorable first ever Asia Music Festival.

Here are the main points that I would like to highlight during my experience as Media during the event.

• The distance between Media Center and the Main Event area is too far. Its really quite troublesome to move to one point to another point because of the distance.
• Limited Wi-Fi coverage. Usually I don't complain much on Wi-Fi coverage as I depend a lot on my mobile data but since during this event, my phone  was having issues with network coverage, I didn't managed to "tweet/instagram on the go" as Wi-Fi was only provided at the lobby area.
• Pit Pass - No security was seen at the pit area, public can easily go into the pit area without a pass and stay there as long as they want. We ended up asking the Schleppers to help up and asked the public not to enter the pit area as it was getting a little too crowded.
• Venue - I would prefer if the event was held in an open area similar to Rainforest World Music Festival and Borneo Jazz Festival as I find it quite scary/unsafe to organize an event on a floating platform. When the crowd starts jumping, I can feel that the entire platform was wobbling. 

Apart from those 4, i can still say that Asia Music Festival was a great event. As it was the first ever, there's still a lot of rooms for improvement for the event. Once again I would like to thank Sarawak Tourism Board and Sarawak Bloggers for this opportunity to cover this event. Looking forward to cover more events in the near future.


As for pictures,you find them HERE and HERE.

And finally.....