You started dancing when you were young, why not join a more traditional troupe?
Robert Carter: With this company I found my home. The repertory and the artistic freedom I’ve been given cannot compare to dancing for another company. Then, there is the added bonus of seeing the world, which to me is priceless.
Is it easier than being in a classical ballet troupe?
Robert Carter: It can be hard, too. This is definitely not a company for those who need a normal routine. I’ve always said that the traveling can be more tiring than the work itself.
What is it like performing female roles?
Robert Carter: The difficulty lies in the execution. I focus strongly on fluidity and eloquence of movement. Women have a light quality in their dance that can be very hard to emulate, especially with more technically demanding roles. The advantage of being a man doing these roles is the ability to combine the elements of the female role with masculine strength to create something new.
What do you look for in a new dancer?
Tory Dobrin: Someone with a sense of humor. A team player, who can function well in the group. A good dancer.
Do you ever feel you’d earn more respect doing a classical ballet?
Tory Dobrin: Comedy is a very important side of theater, just as vital as drama. Both are equals before the public and both deserve the respect of the public.
Why don’t you have women in the troupe?
Tory Dobrin: There were women in the early days of the Trockadero. Seeing a man in a tutu was very funny, especially when the heavy body tried to appear light. A woman in a male outfit was just not so funny. And the women could also not really perform the male roles with enough strength to fully achieve the gender switch.
How has Trockadero evolved?
Tory Dobrin: Compared to 1974, things have changed a lot. Drag has become something that is not so unusual. However, as an-all male ballet troupe that uses drag as a vehicle for comedy, we are able to maintain a good balance between comedy and ballet. We remain close to our initial goal: to bring the joy of dance to the widest possible audience.
Tickets cost B1,700-3,000, and are available from Thaiticketmajor.com.
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What’s your all time favorite band? Who inspires you musically?
Elizabeth: Mine is Blur.
Jeremy: Mine is Radiohead. We are inspired by many people, but no one directly. David Bowie, Debbie Harry, John Hughes, even the TV show Freaks and Geeks—they are all important reference points for us.
How has online social networking helped your music career?
Jeremy: Well, when we started in 2009, Myspace was still quite a strong force in terms of online music. Now, radio stations, labels, and consumers use Facebook much more. We like Facebook a lot, it’s a great way to have direct contact with the people who like your music.
Elizabeth, you’ve contributed to iconic music magazine NME. What’s it like now being focus of media scrutiny?
Elizabeth: I definitely never considered myself a music journalist, I just wrote a few pieces here and there. When we started the band we didn’t think anything would happen with it, we were just having fun. I’ve always been a fan of music though, so it’s nice to go from being a fan to someone making it.
When writing about music, you must have dished out some critical reviews. Have you been on the receiving end of any negative comments?
Elizabeth: We’ve seen loads of them! We are at the point now where we are comfortable with negative press—any feedback is useful. We want to be the best band we can be! Usually negative comments comes from a place of truth.
How do you define your music?
Elizabeth: Weird pop.
If your songs were people, what would they look like?
Elizabeth: Our songs are different people, we write about characters. They’re probably a bit like us, just more extreme, more handsome, taller, funnier.
Jeremy, you’ve had a number of solo projects.
Is Summer Camp just a side project?
Jeremy: Summer Camp has overtaken my solo stuff. I always wanted to be in a band, so it’s fantastic to have finally found someone I can make that happen with.
What are your thoughts about your upcoming Bangkok gig?
Jeremy: We’re so excited to come to Thailand, it’s a dream of ours. We can’t wait to meet lots of lovely new people, plus we think Thai food is the best food in the world. We’ll be bringing our drummer Willliam, he’s great.
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Artist: Sky Band
Label: Parinam Music
Led by famous actor, screenwriter and director Kleur Kitti Cheawwongkul and Frank Pakachon Vo-onsri (an MC from TV show The Star), Sky Band put out a first album in 2009, produced and distributed independently. For their second album, the band has signed with indie label Parinam Music. Their first single “Mai Tong Klua” takes a simple but melodic pop line and combines it with big brass sounds for a 70s touch that works wonders with their lighthearted and humorous lyrics about life in the city during the floods.
Artist: Yokee Playboy
Label: Spisydisc
Following first two singles “Collagen” and “Ar Kad” released last year, Yokee Playboy’s back with his third single “Sen Chai,” a soft and sweet pop tune composed for his first child. The lyrics both inspire and touch as he describes his feelings for his kid as the greatest achievement in his life. Not that he could have pulled it off without his catchy sound and well-crafted lyrics.
Artist: Palmy Feat. Erlend Øye
Label: White Music GMM Grammy
No, you’re not hearing the latest single from Kings of Convenience, the folk-pop duo from Norway. But Erlend Øye, one half of the duo, is indeed on board for this single from Palmy. Well, just like the music and lyrics for “Crush,” Øye brings his trademark smooth, soft and beautiful pop to the Thai songstress. And don’t miss the beautiful cinematography in the MV directed by Chardchakaj Waikawee.
Artist: Barbies
Label: Smallroom
After the band Barbies led by Paopon “Tar” Thephasdin returned to the music scene with the single “Kon Wan Soos Tai” last year, the band follows it up with “Fun Suan Tua,” a much softer track. It tells the story a guy who dreams of being a khon dancer and works hard to get there. Resolutely an easy listening piece, it still manages to convey energy, in part thanks to the uplifting message it contains. And this is another highly recommended MV.
Artist: Electric. Neon.Lamp
Label: Sony Music
If you’re an indie fan, you might have heard of Electric Neon Lamp, as the band from Lampang played at Fat Festival in 2010 and 2011. The band has recently gone from being an independent group to joining Sony Music Thailand. Their latest single “Pawinee,” tells the story of a guy who tries to turn back time to before he broke up, delivered with a muscled pop rock sound despite the lovey-dovey vocals.
Artist: Polycat
Label: Smallroom
The energetic band from Chiang Mai, Polycat, rose to fame for their awesome synth sound. The self-avowed synth-pop band displayed all its electronic keyboard wizardry in its first single “Ta Ter Kid Ja Luem Khao.” But in their latest release “La,” they’ve seemed to have unplugged their Rolands and picked up some brass instruments, like trombones, for a more melancholic tone befitting of this end-of-relationship song.
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An adaptation of a beloved manga, Always, the first installment of the films came out in 2005, and instantly garnered a cult following. Almost five years after Always 2 (2007), Always: Sunset on Third Street concludes the trilogy. Set in 1964, Always 3 continues to trace the destinies of the same ordinary Japanese folk in the same ordinary Tokyo street, with the Olympic games and the world’s first live broadcast as the backdrop.
With our movie theaters overwhelmed with action, sci-fi and horror flicks—not to mention poorly plotted summer comedies—the very premise of this movie is a refreshing change. As the title bluntly states, screenwriter Simon Beaufoy (127 Hours and Slumdog Millionaire) takes the oh-so-British sport of fly-fishing to arid Yemen. Throw in stars Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt and you’ve got a pretty enticing package.
Our interview with director Chukiat “Madiew” Sakveerakul on why he took so long to make Home, 5 years after Love of Siam.
Our interview with actor Witwisit “Pitch” Hiranyawongkul of Love of Siam on Home and the release of his first solo single
Our review below.
Poj Arnon is back. After a couple of Hor Teaw Tak sequels, the director returns to his very first gay comedy, 2003’s hugely successful Plon Na Ya. This second episode sees the same gang return, still led by Jaturong Mok Jok but this time around they team up with Tao Somchai.
Artist: Buddha Bless feat. Krean Peace
Label: Independent
After releasing their first joint single “Luem Pai Kon” last September, the Buddha Bless crew teams up with Stamp Apiwat (under the name Krean Peace) once again in this lively pop-meets-rap single which sarcastically pokes fun at the beautiful-but-picky girls that they will one day no longer have the patience to deal with.
Artist: Anything Else?
Label: Parinam Music
The third single from three man indie-pop band Anything Else?’s album, More, tackles the issue of mistrust between couples, a similar theme to their previous single “Top Tuan” (having problems, boys?). This time, the tone is even more heartbreaking with a piano intro, sweet guitar, and silky soft vocals that drive home the hook.
Artist: Silly Fools
Label: Warner Music
After quitting RS Promotion last year, putting a hold on their singles, the rock band Silly Fools return with this impressive release. The lyrics, composed by Boyd Kosiyabong, focus on the empty moment after a long relationship, but are delivered with the band’s signature rock sound and an acoustic guitar that inspires a livelier mood.
Artist: “Tong, Jerry & Friends”
Label: Spicydisc
It’s been eight years since the song “Klab Ma,” by Two Days Ago Kids, the band led by Jerry Milindavanich and featuring Boy Trai Bhumirat on vocals, was first released, yet it continues to be one of the most played songs in clubs. Despite its success, the band has released one studio album. This year, Jerry teams up with Tong (P.O.P’s guitarist) and his artist friends for a special project called Tong, Jerry & Friends. Their first single “Por Dai Leaw,” is a melodic pop tune about a man who can’t get over his dark past.
Artist: “Zor Nok Hook Ta Toe”
Label: Monotone Music Production
Monotone is an enthusiastic group of artists who are so busy and humble that they never create projects using their own name, until now. But this special album, Zor Nok Hook Ta Toe, features singles from people in the Monotone and the Stu-Fe family. “Horizon,” their first single, which is composed and sung by Tua Monotone, offers a simple pop rock vibe, meaningful lyrics and an inspiring hook, making it very easy to love.
Artist: Burin Boonvisut
Label: Spicydisc
Covers of Apartmentkhunpa’s songs don’t always work, and “Mai Roo Jak Chan, Mai Roo Jak Ter” by Pop Calories Blah Blah springs to mind. But we have to say Boonvisut’s version of “Pra Kod Karn” is far better. The new sound arrangement keeps the same mood, while adding an old-school touch through the use of saxophone and trombone.
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This is Sean Penn as you haven’t seen him before: as an aging, washed up rocker who looks a lot like Robert Smith of The Cure, whose character is actually looking to track down a Nazi war criminal. Now that’s a premise that’s hard to resist. But it’s also one that’s hard to live up to. And yet, This Must Be The Place (the title of a Talking Heads’ song) works. The allure of 80-90s rock and Sean Penn’s persona do create instant curiosity, but it’s through the well-developed characters that the film manages to retain your attention, while plowing through some pretty heavy stuff.
You’ve been practicing music since you were young. Why did you end up becoming a songwriter? Why not a singer?
Actually I just wanted to be an artist. I formed a band with my friends when I was in university and sent the demo to Grammy, but we were rejected. After that we split, I am the only one who continued to do music. I had no idea how life was going to be as a songwriter, until I decided to join a songwriting competition hosted by Thai Appreciation Foundation and won the first prize. It allowed me to think that this job really exists. A job which allows me to play music wherever and whenever I like.
All of your songs become hits, but no one knows your name, how do you feel about that?
I don’t care if people know that I was the one who composed the song or not; I actually have someone specific in mind when I create a song. After I won that prize, I quit university. I was in my 4th year and my parents were so disappointed with me. I kept sending my songs to RS, Grammy and Bakery Music and eventually got accepted by Grammy. When the first song I wrote was released, I showed my parents. I wanted to show them that I can make a living with a job I love and that it wasn’t the wrong decision to quit studying.
Is that part of the reason why you came up with this concert?
No, actually. It’s like if I was a painter, after working on a series of paintings, they should be exhibited. I can’t hang my lyrics in a gallery, so I came up with a concert to showcase the songs I’ve written.
What do you think is the factor that makes your songs become hits?
I’ve been thinking about this a lot. I’m happy that my songs hit the charts, but sometimes I listen to other songs and I like them more. I feel like so many other songs should have reached a higher position than mine. But when my song hits the top of the charts, I think it must me because I’m lucky. Someone once said, “God is always standing by our side.” I think this might be true.
You’re not the one who sings your songs, is there ever any problem with the singer’s interpretation?
Yes, sometimes. Every time a situation like this happens, I throw the song away and compose a new one. I write each song based on my own experiences, so I need to discuss the meaning behind them so the band understands the mood and tone I’m going for. So if the way they sing doesn’t match what we’ve talked about, I’ll write a new one. There are also cases where the band comes asking me to write their story and I just can’t do it, unless I believe in what they’re trying to convey.
Are you bored composing only love songs?
At this point I’d say no. Well, everyone else directs me this way. I’m never asked to write about democracy or the rainy season, everyone just wants love songs. So I’ve got no time to think about other issues. Apart from a love story, I’d like to compose a story about prostitutes, I’m fascinated with what’s on their mind. And I’d want Burin Boonvisut [Groove Rider’s front man] to sing it.
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