Another Victoria's Secrets

We went to Cinere, where Rumah Bonita is, where they held a live performance on Rumah Bonita's Youtube channel. It is a monthly event they do, and I guess I was quite lucky to get a chance to be there in flesh (like, literally. LOL.) I've been loving Bonita's voice since like 2011, especially from the single 'Ari' by Bonita and the Hus Band. I was so thrilled to get the chance to finally meet her in person -- in her house!


So that Saturday night, after having dinner there (which made us feel a bit awkward for being a stranger shamelessly eating in a celeb's house LOL), we sat down on the floor and watched the performance. First, they had Mary Jane and Opik Bape duet playing Jane's songs. I instantly fell in love with her songs, for they're folk, indie, and sung by a woman. Totally my kind of thing!

FYI, Jane is currently recording her songs and I really can't wait for her album to be released. I'm a fan already. Check her Instagram for updates, guys!

Curly And Me

After they closed the live performance, some of the guests (who were mostly musicians too) had a jamming session till it was midnight. There was Rull Darwis, Jason Ranti (and wife and son), Arief S. Pramono, Budie Tanzania (and wife Carla and son), Nissan Fortz, Duta Pamungkas, and many others. Most of them are from Ruang Putih community in Bandung. I couldn't really keep up with all of the new faces and names that night, but the energy was super positive. Each of them performed 2-3 songs, and ended with Mba Bonita singing two of her songs with ukulele.

Opik Bape, me, Jane, and Metha

Metha, Mba Bonita, and me

After midnight, we (me, Icat and Metha) ended up in Kemang eating rice porridge and instant noodle in a warung because it was almost 2 a.m. (there was a traffic of local people 'parading' after late night prayer in Jalan Fatmawati so we had to take another route) and we were hungry but the places we knew were already closing. I was terribly tired and sleepy when I got home, but happy for sure. Thank you, Rumah Bonita for having us crashing the party!

the main gate

It's been almost two months and I didn't have time to write about this before but yes, I went to Soundrenaline 2016 this year. It was on September 3-4 at GWK and I got my 2-days ticket from a friend. I went with my vlogger friend Adit Comma on the first day and he made a vlog about that day you can watch below (I appeared there on minute 9:58 onward):


But tho I came with Adit, we went separate ways that I was watching the bands all by myself for hours. I saw Shaggydog at Louder Than Ever stage, RAN and Naif at A stage, Stars & Rabbits at the Avolution stage, and back to Maliq & D'Essentials at A stage. I met several other friends at the gig (Chika, Willy and Hans Aditya), although there were more who said they were also attending but I didn't get meet. The venue was too packed, although there were 4 different stages!

Jarwo Naif

David Naif (this shirtless act made so many girls went crazy)

I was so lucky to get this guitar pick that Jarwo Naif threw out at the end of Naif performance!

Stars & Rabbit

Kalula and Andi /rif

I couldn't afford being in the crowd too much I finally went to the Go Ahead stage below, just in time for Soundrenaline Project featuring Andi /rif, Kalula and Kikan singing. The crowd was getting crazier as Temper Trap was performing that night, but we called it a day and we (Adit and me) decided to go home as the band was starting their gig. It was the right decision, however, because my other friends who stayed till the end was stuck until 4 a.m. to get home!

Base Jam Reunion--our pop hero in the '90s

I came again the next day, just in time for Base Jam Reunion who played at the Avolution stage. I met a friend, Hans Aditya, again and we headed to see Efek Rumah Kaca performing at Go Ahead stage below. Then we headed up to Louder Than Ever stage to watch /rif, some other local bands, and then spent more time at the Go Ahead stage with Tulus, Kahitna and finally Bloc Party performing.

Efek Rumah Kaca

I didn't get to watch Simple Plan, the main guest star for the second day. I was already too tired but felt happy anyway for I met more friends there: David, Egi, Jojo, Rama, Ratu and Ical (who were actually working at the event). The whole 2-days gig was the longest music concert I've ever been (I don't remember about the 2012 Java Jazz but I guess I went only 1 day there) and also the best one because I like most of the line up (viva la '90s!). I dunno if I'd want to go to another 2-days gig it's too exhausting. But I'm so up for more live music concerts! Yay!

 
Last week was kind of crazy for me. I got a new Editor in Chief at work, got my aunt and her friends came to Bali (which isn't really that crazy but I had to manage one thing or two for their business here), and got my first event coverage task going on. So the Viral Fest Asia 2016 was held in Bali and I got this job to do together with my colleague from Jakarta, Aldio. While the group from Jakarta stayed in Bali Paragon Hotel for 3 nights, I had to go back and forth for two days all the way from Denpasar to Jimbaran.

one of the Thai artists I interviewed: the talented 18-year old Jannine Weigel

Aldio, Bang Rizki, Sheilla, Bara, Prisca, Bang Rizal, Alex, Zia, Anda, Levi and me

The first day of the session was Rise of Asia Forum which was held in Golden Tulip Bay View Hotel. I brought my motorbike and had Aldio rode it (and I was on the back) to go to GWK instead, to interview some of the artists. We had to wait for a while but when the other Indonesian press came we made new friends there while having our lunch at Bebek Bengil. The interview stuff finished at around 4 p.m. and we continued on tour around the GWK statue before we go back.

cool entrance setting

new friends, Indonesian press

The next day (I didn't get a passage for gala dinner that night so I went home) we started late and I got to the hotel at 4, after accompanying my new friends, the Global TV press, shopping for souvenirs. Anyway we all went to GWK at 6 p.m. and the event was about to start. I wrote the whole story at Brilio.net and the photos of the event there too. Still, I got some more here that I want to show off. So, enjoy these:

the colourful & shiny stage

me with Suran, Korean singer/songwriter

food truck

our dinner: pork noodle

JW from Hong Kong

the red carpet backdrop

Noh Salleh from Malaysia--I love his indie-folk songs!

 

press among the audiences

The concert finished at 12 a.m. and the EDM party continued till 2 a.m. But we decided call it a day and loaded a bus to get us to the hotel. Funny enough, the driver took us to the 24-h souvenir shop instead. It took us another hour to go back and forth from Jimbaran-Tuban-Jimbaran-Denpasar and I could finally get home at 2:30 a.m. It was so tiring, but I'm glad that I could make so many new friends now. This is what I like about working in the media (;


The vlog above is made by my friend Adit Comma who apparently also came to the gig. I was there on minute 5:08!

this is just a part of our big group

You must know that I've been busy that I hadn't post anything for almost a month now. Well there were new situations in my life with new friends, new boyfriend and new activities that I'm trying to adapt to. But Friday two weeks ago, on Sept 11, my sister and her husband called me at 3 p.m. and asked me to meet them ASAP at fX Sudirman for Bon Jovi Concert.

the situation while waiting for the show

So I hurried and took Go-Jek (which was my first time) and had to cut through such a desperate traffic jam all the way from Fatmawati. It was so frikkin' hot and tiring but finally I arrived at around 5 p.m. and met my sister and her big group (there were 18 of them). We then walked to the Gelora Bung Karno and picked the seats before it got too crowded. We got the seats at lower tribune area.

all smartphones were recording and lighting the audience' area

The performance was opened by Sam Tsui at 7 p.m. but I didn't enjoy it at all for the songs were completely unfamiliar and didn't relate to my ears at all. We had to wait for another 1 hour until Bon Jovi finally went on stage but it was very disappointing for me because their first four songs were all new and unfamiliar. I got bored and sleepy all over.

the whole group in three rows

But things went better once You Give Love A Bad Name (as I'd predicted to be their first song that night) was sang. For the next hour and a half, their old and new songs were sang in turn. I wouldn't say that I didn't enjoy the show at all because of course I did. Cross Road was the first cassette I ever bought when I was on 6th grade. But the show wasn't really that satisfying for me. Not as enjoyable as The Cranberries' I watched years ago at JRL.

our late dinner at Brewerkz: pork ribs, pork knuckle, sandwich, bacon wrap, and so on...

The performance ended at 10 p.m. and we had to once again walked by foot all the way from GBK to Senayan City for late dinner. We had all the pork menu at Brewerkz that night for 20 people of us and finished the feast at midnight. That night I didn't go back to BSD City but stayed in Jakarta for the next 6 nights instead. It was a fun urban backpacking like I used to do in 2001 staying over at my cousin's and friends' houses. Geez, how time flew and how things never changed (in this case, it's me who don't change)!

I just got home from Pacific Place. A friend I've known since I was 8 years old was performing his graduation recital at @America and this was my first time attending a recital. Andreas was one of the gank I played with back in the elementary years and our friendship goes in distant but a long way. The one thing that made Andreas special is because we share exactly the same birth date--and I guess, as it works everywhere else, childhood friends are somehow close at heart because we know their families and met them everyday back then.


Anyway I came to @America precisely a moment before the recital started and I met Andreas at the 'back stage' before he played so I guess a bit cheering could do. Andreas started by performing "Asturias" by Isaac Albéniz for major classical on solo guitar, then "Le Coucou" by Louis-Claude Daquin for minor classical on piano. Next, "Hackensack" by Thelonius Monk for minor jazz, still on piano, but with a band of guitar, bass and drum. He then played guitar again for "26-2" by John Coltrane for major jazz.

For his own music composing, he had "Tukang Nasi Goreng" for contemporary rhythmic that performed by his fellow students from Institut Musik Daya (IMDI) that reminded us to Stomp, with a plot of Indonesian daily scene of hawker food sellers on the street. Such a humble background for a great rhythm, that reminded me of "August Rush" movie where the kid could hear music in everything he heard on the streets. Andi, a friend I asked to come along, came during this performance, so he missed the more "serious" songs for it became more upbeat and fun till the end.


For the closing, Andreas had the Airbrass Bigband (complete with trumpets, trombones and saxophones) played an Indonesian children song, "Becak", by Ibu Soed but with his own arrangement for a more fun, funk and happy tunes. I enjoyed every bit of the music, especially the song choice because it's very Indonesian, that every Indonesian knows the song by heart. It is a simple and humble song but when played in such a complex yet beautiful arrangement, the music sounded more exclusive, "expensive" and brought happiness to the audience who listened to it (I even tapped my foot while recording the video!)

Andreas Nandiwardhana, Bachelor of Music

The last 30 minutes of the event was spent for speech from the principal, the graduation ceremony and another jam session. There, I met Arief, another schoolmate and also Andreas' best friend (we used to hang out together back in 4th-6th grade), and his fiancee, Sanny, and also Andreas' fiancee, Tri, along with his parents. It was a really nice and happy small reunion. I'm very proud of Andreas' accomplishment, especially because he's one of the longest friends I know. Proficiat!

Album "Selamanya", signed for me (;

I got this CD from The Overtunes and heard all songs from the album over and over again for the past 3 days. I am liking it! The music are colorful and very much different to be compared with other Indonesian music lately (say, the past 10-15 years). This band of 3 brothers brings out a fresh concept to the industry.

As I listen to the album, I found out why I love this band so much: they play the kind of genre I liked, even if it's still pop. I could hear a bit of Plain White T's, The Script, etc (well I can't say much about this because I'm not following today's music trend anymore). I've heard some of the songs on the radio ("Jatuh Dari Surga", "Dunia Bersamamu" and "Sayap Pelindungmu"), but never knew they sang all of it.

For me personally, I like "Alien" and "Mungkin" (the one reminds me to Plain White T's). But actually I like all of the songs. I could hear the whole album repeatedly. And "If It's For You" reminds me so much of Landon Pigg, Ed Sheeran or even Death Cab For Cutie--the kinds of pop/indie/folk I listen to. This is the kind of album you'll like listening to in a road trip or in your room before sleep.

I don't really understand music arrangement and composing technically, but I really enjoy the different arrangements they carry in each of their songs, with a clear vocal quality. Moreover, I haven't find anything to mock at (which I usually do to most Indonesian songs nowadays). Anyway, I'm saying that this is a must-have album for Indonesian, because The Overtunes really brings the tunes up to a whole new level!

by Ane Brun


She's got everything she needs, she's an artist, she don't look back
She's got everything she needs, she's an artist, she don't look back
She can take the dark out of the nighttime and paint the daytime black

You will start out standing, proud to steal her anything she sees
You will start out standing, proud to steal her anything she sees
But you will wind up peeking through her keyhole, down upon your knees

She never stumbles, she's got no place to fall
No, she never stumbles, she's got no place to fall
She's nobody's child, the law can't touch her at all

She wears an Egyptian ring that sparkles before she speaks
She wears an Egyptian ring that sparkles before she speaks
She's a hypnotist collector, you are a walking antique

Bow down to her on Sunday, salute her when her birthday comes
Bow down to her on Sunday, salute her when her birthday comes
For Halloween, give her a trumpet and for Christmas, buy her a drum


I'm liking this song because my boyfriend 'gave' this to me and I'd like to be this girl for him. <3>