Written and photographed by Didi Kurniawan
I remember how a good friend of mine first introduced me to neo-folk band The Trees and the Wild. We were in the CD section of a famous bookstore in Jakarta when she excitedly shoved me the CD and said, “Di, you gotta listen to their song, ‘Irish Girl’! Believe me, this band is amazing!” At the time, I didn’t believe her. I took the CD, read the band name, and thought that the name The Trees and the Wild sounded too familiar, like a song by Matt Pond PA. So, I put the CD back on the shelves, an act I would regret later on.
It wasn’t until my next visit to Jakarta that I decided to grab their CD, Rasuk, released on Indonesian indie label Lil’ Fish Records. I listened to it in the car, and was blown away! Starting from how the first track keeps you in a state of anticipated silence waiting for the music to start, and then all of a sudden the drums of “Verdure” hits you, followed by the melancholic lyrics of “Honeymoon On Ice”, “Irish Girl”’s catchy beats that elicits you to move and sway, Remedy’s hushing vocals in “Malino”, the traditional vibes of “Our Roots”, the beautiful melodies of “Berlin”, guitar twangs of “The Noble Savage”, and the suddenly poppy sounds of “Fight the Future”. I totally hit eargasm when the grandeur sounds of “Derau dan Kesalahan” was playing, reminding me of Arcade Fire’s “Wake Up”, and their magical last song “Kata” with its soothing guitar melodies, and the sounds of gamelan ending the album perfectly. To say their record was good is definitely an understatement. TTATW’s music possessed me, and became the soundtrack of my 2009. Since then, I have tried to catch them live every time I was in Jakarta, but only managed to watch their free shows because the ticketed ones always seems to be sold out due to small venues and shiploads of fans. So, when I read their announcement on Twitter about performing in Rockin’ the Region at Esplanade, I was ecstatic!
On July 16, I dashed to Esplanade, waiting in anticipation for Andra Budi Kurniawan, Iga Massardi, and Remedy Waloni to start on 10pm. They totally rocked Esplanade starting with “Berlin”, creating a fun atmosphere among the crowd. The dynamic and energetic performance definitely made up for their lack of interaction with the audience. The gig climaxed with Remedy, Andra, and Iga battling guitar skills during “Derau dan Kesalahan” and “Our Roots”, crashing perfectly with the drums, bass and percussion. Not to mention the beautiful hushing and screams from backing vocalist Charita Utamy, completing their performance like a cherry on top of the icing. Their second performance the next day was just as great, adding “Fight the Future” to their set list. It was a magical experience seeing them live at a great venue like the Esplanade Waterfront Theatre. I will definitely want to see them live again, and so should you!
After the show, we sat down to chat with these nice lads, and managed to get this absurdly short interview asking questions they definitely have never encountered before.
What is your favorite song of all time?
Andra: “Agaetis Byrjun”, Sigur Rós
Remedy: “Every Breath You Take”, The Police
Iga: “Bohemian Rhapsody”, Queen
Which venue would you like to play at here in Singapore?
Remedy: Where [the band] Battles performed during Mosaic Music Festival 2009 [Esplanade Concert Hall]. Next time we hope to play inside instead.
What is your favorite song from your album Rasuk?
Remedy: “Berlin”, because it was the first song we made.
Andra and Iga: “Derau dan Kesalahan”, because it is challenging to play.
If you have the chance to collaborate with someone, who will it be?
Remedy: Steve Reich. Not Steve Vai, tolong digarisbawahi! Because he is very inspiring and I feel that I can learn a lot from him.
What are your views on Indonesia’s music industry?
Remedy: Generally, the music industry’s position in Indonesia is not yet clearly defined; it doesn’t have a strong foundation. For the long-term, our music industry needs attention and support from both the government and society.
What are your hopes for the development of music in Indonesia?
Iga: Indonesia needs a live house that is adequate for large-scale performances. It doesn’t have to be posh like Esplanade, just adequate in every aspect. There are still lots of economic and social disparities, resulting in difficulties in reaching a lot of the outlying cities. There are lots of talents that deserve recognition; they just don’t have it yet. We need a platform to organize everything. From a micro point of view, the development of music is healthy; it just needs to get organized.
Which bands and musicians do you recommend us to listen to?
Iga: Risky Summerbee and the Honey Thiefs.
Andra: Suara Sama, check them out!
Remedy: Traditional musicians from all over Indonesia needs to be more acknowledged.
If you can make music in another language, what language would it be?
Remedy: Spanish, because I’ve learned it before, and because I listen to a lot of Spanish songs, like Devendra Banhart’s “Carmensita”.
Iga dan Andra: African languages, inspired by Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
Kalau tiba-tiba suatu hari dipalak Cut Tari bagaimana?
Iga: Saya akan memberikan lebih dari yang dia minta.
Remedy: Pengalaman waktu dipalak dulu, pura-pura diam aja deh.
Andra: Rekam adegan pemalakan dengan video, lalu mengancam akan menyebarkan video itu dan memalak balik Cut Tari. (laughs)
This interview was conducted by Didi, Boy, Rere dan Ichateia. Big thanks to Teguh, Remedy, Iga and Andra for wasting your time with us. You guys are the best!
Check out their MySpace and the rest of the photographs on Flickr.
