"It's a new dawn comin' round..." And she's right here on our podcast! Our guests are Dawn Parry, host and presenter on newdawn.fm , and Joe Eades, the A&R Coordinator of Jukebox Judgement, a show where some of the top producers in the world give their reviews about new music from around the world. Back in February, Singapore was the first Southeast Asian country they featured on Jukebox Judgement and they're all set for the next batch of Lion City rockers (episode drops 1 Nov, 3pm SG time)....
Oct 31, 2024•56 min
Back in the 1990s, The Substation was The Place To Be for many musicians, artists, actors, filmmakers, performers and well, just about anyone who was into the arts. But while the building may be gone, it's thanks to people like Yuni Hadi and Kim Dy-Liacco who ensure that The Substation is still A Home For The Arts. They share what The Substation is up to and how they continue championing artists in the Lion City and offer tips on what artists can do (psst: just drop them a DM, apparently) Psst! ...
Oct 26, 2024•59 min•Ep. 109
How can young musicians develop their brand? Should we follow what's trending in the music scene? What does it mean to "make it" as a musician? Find out the answers to these questions and more with our guest, Club Mild guitarist Tan Peng Sing. Peng Sing has worn many musical hats – not only is he a musician and a champion of local music, he was the music director on radio, the founder of the record label Where Are The Fruits, and now, if we read his LinkedIn profile right, he's the Senior Manage...
Sep 29, 2024•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 108
We're sorry this is so late. The past few weeks have been strange at the Lion City Rock pod. But we're back with this new episode featuring a chat with young singer-songwriter, Benny's . A true music fan, Benny's wears her musical heart on her sleeve and her songs reflect her thoughts about life, the universe, and well, just about everything. Benny's attracted attention sometime back when concertgoers took to social media after her performance at the Esplanade was interrupted by an unexpected gu...
Sep 06, 2024•48 min•Ep. 105
It's the return of Leo! Yup, Leonard Soosay is back! This time, he's joined by Josh Wei to talk more about their plans for 'Weed - Tumbleweed Studios, that is. The pair started Tumbleweed (conveniently located at The Esplanade) because they felt younger musicians needed a conveniently located jamming studio that's also affordable. And did we say it's conveniently located? * recorded at Tumbleweed Studios in June **also, check out our Lion City Rock playlist , which we want to be an introduction ...
Aug 08, 2024•56 min•Ep. 106
Chris and Kevin took time to catch up in this episode where they talk about the LCR schedule, money money money, our guitar-toting PM, Chris' new anime fetish – Bocchi The Rock! , and Kevin stacking up his Substack. They prattled on for so long we just had to cut it sho- ****** LINKS The Lion City Rock Playlist Power of Pop Substack Bocchi The Rock! trailer 1 / trailer 2 Bellied Star Spotify Follow Lion City Rock Facebook / Instagram Listen to Kevin Mathews' music ****** Like, follow and subscri...
Jul 22, 2024•44 min•Season 4Ep. 105
It's all about Star power! Bellied Star , that is. Young rockers Audrey, Ethan, Marco and Mitch have been making a splash on the scene in the last 18 months with their exuberant rock and energetic live performances. With their debut album, SPUT , just out, Bellied Star is keeping the Lion City rockin' with songs like 'Skinning', 'If You Mind' and 'Perpetual Notion'. Hot take: If Bellied Star is the future of Singapore rock, we're in good hands. *recorded May 2024 ****** LINKS Get tickets for Bel...
Jul 10, 2024•51 min
We're a few weeks late with this one, but hey, that's Life. Our guest is returning friend of the pod, Art Fazil, who's back to share more about what's been happening in his life, the Ramadan Moon album he recorded earlier this year, and what it takes for the Singapore scene to get off the ground. Again. *this episode was recorded mid-May ****** LINKS Art Fazil Follow Lion City Rock Facebook / Instagram Listen to Kevin Mathews' music ****** Like, follow and subscribe to Lion City Rock on RedCircl...
Jun 28, 2024•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 103
Orchard Road – Singapore's most famous road! – is more than just a shopping belt. Back in the 1960s, it was the home of tea dance venues like the famous Golden Venus. In the 1980s, shopping malls like Far East Plaza and Centrepoint were hubs for scores of teens. And for four years running, Orchard Road was the site of Singapore's biggest street party, Swing Singapore! Those are the stories we know. But there's more to this stretch of Singapore than meets the eye. In this special episode – in con...
May 20, 2024•1 hr 30 min
When The Observatory's debut album, Time Of Rebirth , was released in 2004, it was an eye-opening (ear-opening?) experience for listeners. Filled with rhythms and grooves, along with a smattering of the experimentation that the band would go on to do, it was lauded by critics. It was even picked as an album of the year by the media - well, one media outlet. But now, 20 years later, does the album stand up to the test of time? Kevin and Chris share their observations about this classic Observator...
May 11, 2024•41 min•Ep. 101
Who's that girl who blew up the Internet singing with Crash Adams? Why, that's Shazza, our Lion City Rock guest today! The singer has been making waves in recent times, and she shares all about her music journey so far: dropping her debut album last year, appearing on the Times Square billboard, and getting more than 20mil views online for her collab with Crash Adams. And to think the only questions we prepared were "what's your preferred breakfast?" and "what's your favourite colour?" ****** LI...
Apr 26, 2024•58 min•Ep. 100
Anthropologist and author of Sonic City Steve Ferzacca joins us this week to talk about his book and why a Canadian academic (that's Steve, btw) ended up writing about the Singapore music scene. Along the way, he shares his memories of the late Jimmy Appudurai-Chua; gigging with a Straydog in Vietnam; and what money has to do with making music and getting it heard (apparently, a lot!) ****** LINKS Get Sonic City: Making Rock Music And Urban Life In Singapore Borrow the book Chatting with Straydo...
Apr 13, 2024•49 min•Ep. 99
Everything is Coming Up Roses this week! The band have been busy over the past 12 months: they released a single, 'Utopia Reimagined: These Corners', saw personnel changes, did several gigs to hone their chops, and put together a new eponymous EP, which will drop on 5 April (or has dropped already, depending on when you hear this!). Singer and bassist Emily and guitarist Darius break down the new songs and share what else is coming up on their horizon. ****** LINKS Listen to Coming Up Roses Foll...
Mar 29, 2024•44 min
Back in 1994, Padres , a Singapore indie band - or you could call them a supergroup - released their debut EP, What's Your Story? It was a collection of thoughts about life and love and everything else the youth of Singapore were going through - but with electric guitars, bass and drums. But who were Padres? And what's their story? Only one way to find out... ****** LINKS Listen to Padres' What's Your Story & more Conversations with Joe Ng (Pt 1) Conversations with Joe Ng (Pt 2) Follow Lion ...
Mar 15, 2024•46 min•Season 4Ep. 97
Best known as an actor and theatre practitioner, Lim Yu Beng embarking on a new journey as a singer He chats about his debut album, Notes To Self and why he's made the leap into the world of music. Along the way, he also talks about... Why having good friends who support you is important Appearing in Zack Synder's Rebel Moon How not to get caught while singing in the stairwells PLUS! Lim Yu Beng's Music Recommendations: Art Fazil Alemay Fernandez Haneri ****** LINKS Listen to Lim Yu Beng’s Notes...
Mar 02, 2024•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 96
It's a new year and a new series! Kevin and Chris are back with more about what makes the Lion City rock. Recently, there were several entries in the All Things New concert series that emphasised musicians playing original music. But why does it matter? What kind of music do audiences expect? And why is it only seen for music gigs and not others, such as stand-up comedy? PLUS! Lion City Rock Recommendation: Lim Yu Beng’s Notes To Self ****** LINKS Follow Lion City Rock's Facebook and Instagram L...
Feb 17, 2024•50 min
Goodbye '23, Hello '24! It's the end of the year as we know it, and we feel... well, this is the episode where we tell you what we thought of 2023. Thanks for making this year such a memorable one! ****** LINKS Follow Lion City Rock Facebook and Instagram Listen to 4Christmas and Kevin Mathews' music Listen to KayMac Music Listen to Rondo Vitale ****** Like, follow and subscribe to Lion City Rock on RedCircle , Spotify , Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Give us a 5-star rating a...
Dec 29, 2023•45 min•Season 3Ep. 94
It's Christmas, baby! And guess who we have as our Lion City Rock holiday guest? It's RINES , baby! This singer started spreading her wings in recent times with releases like 'Little Bird', 'When You Fall' and 'Clown', but the relative newcomer is an ol' sweet soul when it comes to music. She was bitten by the music bug years and years ago, running around her father's CD shop when she was young. By the time she started singing in pubs, RINES had already imbued a variety of musical styles - and h...
Dec 23, 2023•46 min•Season 3Ep. 102
From her early days as the lead singer of Allura to a fruitful solo career, Inch Chua hasn't been afraid to shake things up - whether as a musician, an actor, or even a chef (who else would name a dish Sting Tang Tong?). She shares her thoughts about her journey as a creative, what it means to be part of a scene going through its peaks and troughs, and why she has so many things on her metaphorical plate at the moment. (Please excuse the audio quality. This chat was recorded backstage at the Axe...
Dec 17, 2023•41 min•Season 3Ep. 101
Jean Seizure has been in the public eye as a child actor, but since has since become one of Singapore's notable singer-songwriters! 2023 has been quite the year for Jean - she recently capped of the year with an award for being one in the Top 5 "Rising 65" chart on Spotify (for the track ' Tell Me '), and she has been creating content for platforms like TikTok et al. Is this a new wave for Jean Seizure? Listen to the episode to find out! ****** LINKS Follow Jean Seizure Listen to Jean Seizure's ...
Dec 10, 2023•40 min•Season 3Ep. 100
When it comes to the Lion City's hip-hop scene, someone who's making a wave in recent years is ABANGSAPAU . He's one of the new breed of rappers that have inspired the young(er) generation of music fans in Singapore. In this special chat, he talks about his love for rap, and how one fateful gig changed his life forever. Kevin's and Chris' rant and raves this week include, commercialising X'mas, why they both could be stans of ABANGSAPAU and Kevin's new mix of an old Yuletide track, 4Christmas . ...
Dec 04, 2023•40 min•Season 3Ep. 99
The Axean Festival last month featured 50 music artistes taking the opportunity to strut their stuff for the audiences at the Goodman Arts Centre, but did it achieve its goals? We don't know, we didn't organise it. But we can tell you what we liked and didn't like. Especially since we have our favourite gig guy Bas Linders in this episode to share his views. Meanwhile, Chris and Kevin wonder if such events are a good idea – and what could be done to make them better. Should the bands get togethe...
Nov 25, 2023•57 min•Season 3Ep. 98
THIS WEEK: It's the incredible tale of J.M3 ! Recorded in early October, we sat down with the Singapore hip-hop artiste who has been making waves not just in the Lion City but in the region and beyond. Her hit 'Hot Sauce' has been featured in the US TV series, Kung Fu ; 'Tap Out' was in the movie, Joy Ride (starring Everything Everywhere All At Once actress Stephanie Hsu), and she has even got her music on video games! So how did J.M3 (aka Jamie) get her start? She shares how she went from danci...
Nov 16, 2023•56 min•Season 3Ep. 97
Meet Aeriqah, a musician whose introspective tunes have captured the hearts of fans both in Singapore and overseas. How else can you explain her picking up the Best Duet (Viewers Choice) prize at this year's California Music Video Awards for her song 'Maybe', a duet featuring Umar Sirhan? From forming a circle of like-minded friends in the music scene - including the likes of RENE and Jean Seizure - to becoming one of the Lion City's rising stars, the singer-songwriter has grown into her own, wi...
Nov 12, 2023•54 min•Ep. 96
Ti-i-i-ime seems to be on Lim Kiang's side. As a founding member of Straydogs, he was responsible for helping to shape the sound of Singapore's Sixties, thanks to songs like 'Freedom', 'Mum's Too Pampering', 'Cold Morning' and 'Repent'. The band captured the harder rhythms that earlier bands like The Quests and The Crescendos lacked. Now, nearly 60 years later, Lim Kiang shares what it's like to still rock out with Welcome To The Machine, arguably Asia's only Pink Floyd tribute band. Not bad for...
Nov 07, 2023•45 min•Season 3Ep. 95
It may not seem like it, but our guest Joe Ng has probably worked on more movies than, er, Fann Wong, Chin Han and Tan Kheng Hua combined! (*We could be wrong - maths is not our strength.) But let's tick off those that we know: Confinement, The Maid, Gone Shopping, One Leg Kicking, Eating Air, Rule #1, Zombiepura, Unlucky Plaza, Bait, Battle Of The Damned, Sex.Violence.FamilyValues., Republic of Food, G Saat... you know what, you can check out his IMDB page yourself. Anyway, in this concluding e...
Nov 02, 2023•44 min•Season 3Ep. 94
"Hey Joe, where you gonna go..." well, if it's Joe Ng, then he went from fronting synth-pop duo Corporate Toil to promoting bands as a record executive to becoming an award-winning music composer for film. But just how did he do it? Find out what he really thinks of... working with Richard Claydermann being the co-star of Mee Pok Man having a band name like "Joe Ng and Friends" ****** LINKS Listen to Joe Ng's music Get tickets to see Confinement featuring Joe's music Listen to Kevin Mathews' mus...
Oct 27, 2023•44 min•Season 3Ep. 93
You'd have to be living under a rock not to know about Shye . She's one of the hottest names in the Lion City these days and no wonder: In the past five years, Shye has released 4 EPs, 1 album, received a slew of awards, gigged around the world, and played support acts for some big names in music-dom (most recently for Grammy winner Daniel Caesar). And she's only barely 21! It seems like there's nothing she can do that can't be done. In this episode, she talks about... ... that billboard in Time...
Oct 20, 2023•44 min•Season 3Ep. 92
Wanna know what the sound of 50 bands from the region (and then some!) is like? Then head to the Axean Festival 2023 on 28-29 Oct, 2-10.30pm . This multi-genre showcase will feature rising music stars from countries like Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar, Vietnam, The Philippines, Indonesia and more! To tell us more about it is Piyapong "Py" Muenprasertdee, one of the co-founders of the festival. He gives a little insight into what you can expect at this year's edition and why they're adopt...
Oct 13, 2023•59 min•Season 2Ep. 91
After a years-long absence, one of our favourite live bands, Great Spy Experiment, returns to the stage this weekend at the 2023 Baybeats festival! So to help you prep for the gig, why not check out this previous chat with the GSE's lead singer, Saiful Idris, as he shares how the band became one of Singapore's most exciting live bands of the 2000s. ****** LINKS Our review of Great Spy's The Flower Show Riots Listen to Kevin Mathews' music: KayMac Rondo Vitale Kevin's Time Flies album New remixes...
Oct 05, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Season 3Ep. 90
