The Bands Performing on D-Day

Dragon Red
Masterminded by Landslyde, of the former Poetic Ammo fame, Dragon Red started out at the end of 2001 with the guitarist Amil Khan and the vocalist Adam Lobo and subsequently to evolutionary changes in the composition, currently features Manshaan Singh on the drums and DJ Nas T on the decks. The name Dragon Red was chosen because according to Chinese scripture, the dragon represents strength and courage and the color red represents power and passion which are the elements needed to succeed in the local music industry.

The Band started out playing both the underground and commercial scenes where they managed to land some high profile gigs which included the Asian X-Games tour as well as the ESPNSTAR KL XTOUR and the Peter Stuyvesant Breakaway Party.

The band also won the AIM award for Best New English Artiste and continues being a force to be reckoned with by being tied with 8TV in their “Campus Tour” showcase. The second single “Holocaust” has regular airplay on the airwaves and has been number one on the HITZ.FM’s Malaysian top ten for 5 weeks (and counting) running. And on a more serious note, the band will be the first band ever in Malaysian history to be playing in the annual MusikFest in Pennsylvania this August which would be the biggest Musical fest in North America.

Official website: http:// www.dragonred.com

One Buck Short
Founded by Hafiz (previously on bass) and Rahul (guitars) in high school, along with Imran on drums and Mundzir as the vocalist, this awesome foursome of APITT and HELP students with a love for So-Cal Punk began playing shows at school events and battle of the bands competitions before coming out in the local scene with a handful of experience.

Their debut single ‘That Day’ from their EP ‘Where Is The Mouse?!’ managed to break through to the Top 5 on the Hitz.fm Malaysian Top Ten with the band promoting their release with performances at both low-key underground shows as well as high profile shows such as ‘Rock the World IV’, ‘Rock the World V’ as well as the Asian X Games. The band was also nominated as the Best Newcomer artist in the first ever Hitz.FM Malaysian English Top 10 awards held in 2004.

Measuring their talents and quality shown, OBS was offered a management contract by Zeal Management in mid 2005 to pursue their next objective – a full album recording deal. Currently the band is putting finishing touches on their debut album under the hands of talented producer / arranger Greg Henderson. With the first English single, “FAST TIMES” and first ever Malay single by the band, “KELIBAT KORUPSI” blasting through the airwaves in Malaysia and Singapore, One Buck Short’s upcoming album, “HALAL & LOVING IT” is already regarded by many as one of the most anticipated releases.

Official website: www.onebuckshort.com

Tempered Mental

Tempered Mental comprises singer/bassist Melina, drummer Jimmy and Zack, a session guitarist.

Formed in February 2002, the band's music is described as "radio-friendly progressive rock with dark overtones". Its unique sound is a combination of precise, rhytmic drumming, hard-edged guitar licks, and fluid liquid basslines, completed by Melina's melodic vocals.

The band's debut single, Honestly launched on April 15, 2004 at The Jazz Bar, Orange perfectly encapsulates their sound propelled by inventive guitar work, an intricate bass line and a smooth vocal delivery.

The band has four other original numbers namely, Your Ingenue, Pure, All Bad Things and Mistrial making their rounds among fans.

Tempered Mental counts among its influences The Smashing Pumpkins, Tool, The Roots, A Perfect Circle, Creed and Stone Temple Pilots, to name a few.

Band Website: backyardpub.com/music/temperedmental.htm
http://www.myspace.com/temperedmentaltm

Seven

A young bunch of high-school buddies – Bobo (Guitars/Vocals), Armand (Guitars), Imran (Saxaphone), Josh (Drums) and Brian (Bass) - from different bands decided to form a sideproject band after school one day in 2002, with the intention of venting happy love feelings.

The members of Seven come from many different backgrounds in terms of musical influence which include metal, rock, RnB, house and jazz. As time went by, their material matured and the band was prioritized. Seven's members comprise of music, mass com, and business students hailing from colleges such as Sunway College, KDU College, The International College of Music, and Akedemi Seni Kebangsaan. With Iqram (Bobo) on lead vocals and guitar, Brian on bass, Imran on the sax, Arrmand on guitars and Josh on drums, Seven's music has been described as jazz over rock and even sax rock.

Seven is a highly mystical number and often found underlying grand schemes of existence - days of the week, wonders of the ancient world, pillars of wisdom, rays of creation, levels of hell, colours of the rainbow, musical notes, even Shakespeare's ages of man.

Band Website: www.myspace.com/sevenlah

Ask Me Again

Ask Me Again was formed in November 2005 and consist of a bunch of young musicians from Subang Jaya and Petaling Jaya; Faiz – Vocals, Shiresh - Lead Guitar, Michael - Rhythm Guitar, Calvin – Bass, Shanjeev – Drums that make music based on their various musical backgrounds.

By combining heavy riffed guitars and heart-thumping drums with catchy bass lines and hamster-on-cotton-candy-running-on-a-ferris-wheel-ish vocals,they ended up getting confused on what musical genre they landed on and are still not very certain on the kind of music they play. One things for sure, they know how to rock the stage without being too serious and are here to stay. AskMeAgain is currently working on their 2nd demo.

Band Website: www.myspace.com/askmeagainmusic
amp.channelv.com/askmeagain

Flow

The band was formed in mid 2005, started with Akashah (derbucksters) and Afiq(prosthesis) who wanted to play like a reggae feel tune.

The band members consists of Azizi Johari (vocals), Khairul (guitars), Akashah (guitars), Kamal (bass) and Afiq (drums).

So, they decided to call Kamal(prosthesis) to fill in for bass and Harsall(hollow of Hate) on vocals. After a few jamming sessions, the band thought that they needed to add more “colour” to the music.

They called their friend Khairul(hollow of hate) to fill in for guitars. After a few months had past, Azizi(Upon Arrival) came in and replaced Harsall because Harsall is studying at Penang and it was hard for the band to jam or play gigs. Flow recorded one of their first original compositions which are Summer’s Dream and Destiny at Iseekmusic and released their first demo in September 2005.

In early 2006, the band reissued their demo with an additional song called Fortune Cookie. Between January 2006 to June 2007. They’ve been creating new songs and playing gigs all around Kuala Lumpur and Klang Valley.

Band Website: www.myspace.com/flow679

Beat the System

BEAT THE SYSTEM consists of four energetic youths filled with passion for music.

With SAM (vocals/emcee), STEWART (guitar), SELVAM (bass) and GERALD(drums) they deliver a energetic and vibrant show each time on the stage.

With Nu-metal and rap rock as major influence, each of their shows get credited for great showmanship, tight music and great song arrangements.

Having released their self-titled demo (available FREE), they are making the way to the local music scene while speaking positively for the youths of this generation through their songs.

Band Website: www.myspace.com/beathesystem

H.I.X

HIX // Housed In eXile was formed back in early 2004 when there were 5 members in the band, 2 of which was taken from Creamson. The band started off as nothing serious at first but as the band progressed, they realized that playing at respectable gigs is not that impossible of a dream. Unfortunately, in 2005, Shariman(former bassist) and Kamal(former drummer) decided to focus on their roles in Creamson therefore they had to leave HIX.

Just when Izrin and Luq thought things could not get worst, Amirul; their former lead guitarist had to exit the band due to his studies and University allocation in Perak. With just 2 members left, HIX's future at that time seemed nonexistent. Until the arrival of Ejat and Azwan. Ejat was introduced to Izrin at a party held by their friend Faiz(Ask Me Again).

After a few jam sessions, Ejat was invited to join the band as their permanent drummer and he agreed. For a short while, Luq had taken the duty as a bassist/vocalist however the band agreed that he can't pull it off and they needed a real bassist. The news of HIX looking for a bassist got to Azwan who was bandless at the time. Since Azwan posesses good skills in playing bass and songwriting and was also a familiar friend to both Luq and Izrin, he was added to the lineup in December 2005.

Now the band is writing more and more songs for an EP and hopefully by the end of the year, there will be one for purchase. The band won the Photofest Battle of the Bands in 2006 but they're still beginners at best. However, they promise to try their best to present to everyone better songs and quality stuff as they keep on learning and progressing to establish themselves in the Malaysian underground music scene.

Band Website: www.myspace.com/hixband

Defyne

After a gruelling series of band lineup changes over the past few years, Defyne is now all set to rock the stage now that it has an ideal ensemble of members. Founded by Navin Jude, Defyne portrays evidently through its music and lyrics that it is out to set an evolution.

The first member to be recruited by Navin was his own sister, Carmen who decided to leave her former all-girl band. Since Navin had a band without a drummer and Carmen was a drummer without a band, they were perfect to match.

Navin plays the role of songwriter and together with Carmen as lyricist, jams in their home studio. Nithi, the lead guitarist, was suggested to Navin through some friends. Nithi’s old-school metal background combined well with Navin’s modern metal influences and together, they composed many songs.

Manosh’s induction into Defyne as the vocalist was essential for the progress of the band. Navin watched his performance with his former band, liked his style very much, and thus took the opportunity to recruit him when his band had disbanded. Navin also found out that DJ Diskreet was a student of Bionic DJ School and after witnessing his skills, included him in Defyne’s lineup.

Though currently with a sessionist playing bass for them, Defyne’s main aim after Rock Genesis is to take on a permanent bassist. Defyne’s EP called Give & Take will be out soon and this CD will be the first of many more to come.