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The Kids: Releases the soundtrack of our lives
Sun, 10/19/2008 10:58 AM | Entertainment
Welcome back to Underground Hum. It is time to lock yourself in the closet with a flash-light and start reading up on the latest music being made out there. Thank you again for the lovely emails. Keep them coming!
And now, on to the main stage:
Main stage:
And Here We Are, The Kids: The Soundtrack of Your Lives
I don't know what they're feeding kids these days. Whatever it is, it's not what I was fed as a kid. In a year of doing this column, and a few years prior to that, I've noticed that most of the scene's interesting new musical acts that I'm coming across are comprised of artists who were born when I had already entered puberty. On one hand, it makes me very happy to see so many kids exploring new musical territories and expressing themselves so easily. On the other hand, it makes me feel really old.
One of the new acts that has contributed to my neurosis about aging is And Here We Are, The Kids, a 20-person collective consisting of young people under the age of 18, playing intricately composed and emotionally provocative instrumental pieces.
Jamal Soemadipradja, spokesperson for The Kids, says, "And Here We Are, The Kids was formed in the year 2007, when we were all part of a class in Sekolah Global Jaya, known as 10D. The Kids comprises several active members, all of whom contribute to the creation of our songs. We are more of an orchestra than a band. Each of the songs was made by a different set of people, but produced under the The Kids' label."
Despite all being students from the same school, The Kids is not a school-initiated project. They came together driven by their love of music and desire to share their collective experiences as they enter adulthood.
"The reason our music is instrumental is because like any other soundtrack, it brings us back to the times that even words cannot describe. Our music is...the soundtrack to each and every single moment we shared together (pain, hardship, joy)," Jamal said.
The readers of this column may be familiar with Jamal's name as he was the subject of Main Stage a few months back under the musical moniker The Trees Are Alive. This persona writes emotional acoustic songs about the environment. Aside from The Trees Are Alive, The Kids also features members of hardcore band Another Good Day For An Airstrike. These varied influences and disparate sounds somehow seem to merge quite well in the music produced by The Kids.
The musical ingredients found in this orchestra are guitars, pianos, drums, various percussion instruments, a string section, and electronic samples. The full line-up of And Here We Are, The Kids consists of Agatha Tika Pangestuti (Guitars), Aristya Wismoyo (Drums), Alwin Daniel (Guitars/ Bass), Alrein Putrananda Wajong (Guitars), Benedicta Sherrine Budiman (Guitars), Danika Dwi Budiarti (Piano), Dylan Amirio (Guitars/ Bass), Gilang Kembara (Strings), Gema Sutan Assin (Strings), Jamal Soemadipradja (Guitars), Jessica Leofitri Mangunsong (Piano), Kamadiputra Surianegara (Drums), Hilary Vincentius Bennet (Percussions), Ivan Abednego (Guitars), Reynold Adi Putra (Percussions), Sasha Kohar (Strings), Sabrina Nissa R (Strings), Silkanzy Musrian Badjiser (Sampler), Timmy Soerianto (Percussion), Kevin William (Percussion).
Their instrumental pieces seem to be describing their own emotional growth. Each song begins with simple and seemingly naive guitar-work that gradually increases in complexity and slowly becomes decorated by well-placed orchestrations, all of which results in an experience totally different from then initial sound.
For those in need of comparative descriptions, I would say that the compositions on offer by The Kids are highly reminiscent of instrumentalists The Severely Departed (with their tiny flourishes), James Blackshaw (the intricacy and pathos of his guitar-work) and Verbose (sans blips and beeps, but with the same energy), mixed with a little more wide-eyed innocence permeating through the chords.
"We hope that everyone can enjoy the simplicity of our music as when it comes to music without words but just rhythm, people tend to have an open mind and can interpret the song as anything they want it to be. We want our music to be the soundtrack of our listeners' lives," says Jamal.
And Here We Are, The Kids are in the midst of preparing their first album, but for now the gorgeous sounds made by these cool kids are available at http://www.myspace.com/andherewearethekids. If you like their music, tell them so by leaving comments on their page.
Thus ends this week's Underground Hum. Do tune in next week for Reverb.
For all of you indie bands or artists out there, let us know if you have a gig coming up so we can include it in Reverb. Be sure to include the name of the event you're playing, what other acts are billed, time, place, date, and entry fee if any.
Be good!
If you have any questions or suggestions for this column please contact me at undergroundhum@yahoo.com
-- Paul Agusta
For all of you indie bands or artists out there, let us know if you have a gig coming up so we can include it in future editions of reverb. Be sure to include the name of the event you're playing, what other acts are billed, time, place, date and entry fee if any.
