Underneath the Photographs

Music Video Shoot: Night Two...

2005-06-02T18:57:00.000+08:00

As you can see... I'm as happy as a peach. Don't ask me why peaches are happy, I've just heard that they are. I'd like to thank everyone who has helped in the making of the music video. I will name names at the end of this entry. Now to my favourite part... photos!

After seeing the photos for the first day, a friend of mine, Ez, complained that it was boring cuz there were no portraits. So Ez, here are a whole series of photographs inspired by your complaint!

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

PEOPLE

• Mien, the creative mind behind the video. She rocks!
• Clarice, who produced and got everything organized. She rocks!
• Tao, the art director. What you see in the room is his creation. He rocks!
• John Goh, who lit and shot everything so wonderfully. He rocks!
• I Wei, assistant art director. She had a hand in beautifying the set. She rocks!
• Joy, who brought the character to life. She rocks!
• Yan, the second actress who acted on her birthday. She rocks!
• Shab, who assisted the production and helped out. She rocks!
• Mom, who never complained about the mess we made. She rocks!
• Chin Hor who pressed record for a spy-cam and carried heavy rocks. He rocks!
• Angie, who will spend precious time editing the whole video. She rocks!

EQUIPMENT

• Red Head lights sponsored by KOMAS
• HMI lights, gels, monitor & tripod sponsored by Picture Creation Productions (Jon Yap)
• Panasonic DVX-102, filters & gels sponsored by Red Communications (Lina Tan)
• Standby camera and tripod sponsored by Chin Hor
• DV Cameras sponsored by Amy and Mien

FOOD

• Most meals not sponsored by Tiam Fatt. But they get a mention for serving great tasting food and extremely speedy cooking methods
• Drinking water and snacks provided by mom

PROPS

• Pig’s heart for only 70 sen from the SS2 market
• Aquarium sponsored by Jerry Soon
• Photography sponsored by Arxetures (Tan Chin Choy)
• Photos at discounted price from E-Six
• Old television sponsored by grandma
• Boxes courtesy of the Tan family
• Empty film canisters sponsored by a photo shop in Central Market
• Plants courtesy of the Tan family
• Comfortable mattress and pillows taken from the Tan residence

Music Video Shoot: Night One...

2005-05-30T02:08:00.000+08:00

The video shoot for Drown With Me's music video began tonight. The preparations though, began weeks ago. Part of the preparation was to get some posters done and some photos taken. So the band finally got ourselves together and took some glamour shots, which you may catch a glimpse of in the following photos. We promise to put up the glam-shots in a gallery soon. The excitement and anticipation building up to tonight was exhiliarating. It is our first music video, and from the looks of it, it will be an edgy one.

Here are some photos from tonight, mostly of the Fallen Leaves Wall Shrine which is the feature wall in the main character's room.

L-R: I Wei (Asst. Art Director), John Goh (Director of Photography), Tao (Art Director), Clarice (Producer), Joy (Lead Actress), Mien (Director).

Fallen Leaves would like to show our appreciation for the people involved in visualising Drown With Me and giving it a life beyond radio. We are extremely appreciative and grateful for them using their talents and not asking for anything back in return. These people make us happy!

Drown With Me: Music Video: Synopsis

2005-05-17T15:00:00.000+08:00

Here it is, straight from the e-mail of the director. Slightly controversial, but no need for worry, there's nothing explicit... mostly suggested.

DROWN WITH ME-synopsis

-try to keep up with these random thoughts and pictures – try listening to song at the same time- it will confuse u even more- exactly my point-

Band. Freeze frame. Picture. Put down picture. One wall covered totally of band pictures. Spy cam: she took her hand out of her shorts. Her face flushed. Must have been masturbating. Messy room. Empty aquarium like an altar. Embrace wall. Hit wall. Curse wall. Tear wall. burn pictures. Gather ashes. Put in pot. Cut pics. Sprinkle in aquarium water. Pot grows plant. Mini dump in aquariums: used undies, used condoms, used teddies, album cover, pig’s heart, eggs. She strip tease the plant. 2 cups of milo. Ashes mix in. She swallowed one. Flirt with plant in pot. Angry. She toss the other milo at the plant. Plant in aquarium. She stares at it. Save the plant. CPR. Just got messier. Plant uprooted on floor. Quite dead. She sleeps with it. (or die with it, we don't really know.)

End here.

Version 2 ending
Or with hope:
She opens door. See girl holding a pot. Look inside. A single seed in pot.

Act in Fallen Leaves debut music video!

2005-05-16T15:53:00.000+08:00

Greetings earthlings!

Fallen Leaves will be making our first music video at the end of this month! Which happens to be May... just in case you only read this much later on.

We are looking for 2 female talents to act in our long overdue music video for Drown With Me. Please e-mail fallenleaves@gmail.com, or call me at 012 372 0588 if you are interested to be auditioned for the parts.

Please help forward this email to your friends whom you feel may be interested. Spread the word! We need to find the right people immediately so the director can start working with them.

Thank you so much!

Frappin' in Melaka

2005-02-03T22:12:00.000+08:00

Starbucks Music Series:
(Starbucks Melaka Opening Ceremony)

Venue: Starbucks Mahkota Parade
Date: 5th February 2005
Time: 6pm to 8pm
Performers: Fallen Leaves, Bed Sheet Wonders, Broken Scar

Yes... KLUE and Starbucks have done it again! They're bringing good music to the people who like sipping expensive coffee while surfing online on their laptops wirelessly. If you have no idea what I'm talking about... then head on over to Melaka this weekend!

We promise you that it'll be a performance to remember. For one, I won't be there to sing and flick my long hair around. Philip and Michael will be taking over singing duties. Secondly, we'll be joined by Sue from Her Reverie. We'll be doing some of her songs as well. Don't you just love collaborations?! I do!

The gig is called the Starbucks Music Series at Starbucks Mahkota Parade. Apparently, this gig is celebrating the opening of the first Starbucks outlet in Melaka. Hooray for globalization and cultural imperialism! What happened to hanging out at our good ol' kopitiams? Where coffee didn't cost the same as a scoop of Haagen Daz ice-cream and old men sit and chat about the degradation of our society. I better not say too much... or else they'd probably cancel our slot. Oh by the way, we still haven't gotten our Starbucks vouchers from our last performances at their outlets. If you know someone who works in management, please let them know.

Everyone... have a weekend roadtrip down to Melaka. There's no better time to do it! Below is a photograph taken with my trusty Canon Powershot G2 a few months ago of one of the spots you can visit while you're there. Melaka is a beautiful place and one of my favourites in Malaysia. The food is yummy too. The boys and Sue will treat you to dinner.

Zildjian Crash or Hyundai Crash.

2005-01-30T13:57:00.000+08:00

All drummers have to own a crash cymbal. Be it Zildjian, Sabian or Paiste bla bla bla.... But have you heard bout the Hyundai Crash? It has a unique sound. Unlike other crashes that goes "tssh" A hyundai crash sound like "BANG". And once hit, it's gone. And it cost a lot too. So save it for the best Song.

Not long ago, i crashed my Hyundai into a toyota Harrier. My car was terribly wrecked, but the harrier was in perfect shape accept that the farting paip came down. My bumpur's gone, my bonet's gone and my radiator blew. So i went to the police station and made a report and amazingly the police officers were very friendly! And guess what, they thought i was Andrew Tan from Malaysian Idol and when i told them i wasn't, they checked my name and they thought we were brothers as my surname is Tan as well.

A lesson to learn. Before heading to the police, my victim, as in the car i knock, her husband came over. And he was one arrogant man. Instead of asking for my hp number and my insurance company (as he wanted to claim from my insurance) he insisted for my Identification card. I told him you have no rights as a normal citizen to request for my IC. He pressed on and raised his voice. I gave him a sarcastic smile and said i'm not giving it to you. He went on saying what's with me and what is my problem not giving in to him. I said i'm going to the police station and they will do all the necessary things. Not you, cos you are not a government officer. So another man (foreman) stepped in and backed me up. So if anyone on the road asks for your ic, never ever give it to them. They don't have the rights to do so.

Fallen Leaves NEED a WEBSITE!!!

2005-01-22T19:31:00.000+08:00

Fallen Leaves need, want, desire, long for, a striking, pretty, new, website.

Go to our forum powered by JamTank to read the full post. Feel free to contribute to the discussion there, or post a comment here.

Please be our new web designer and design our website. We promise to buy you presents every Christmas till you're 73. Upon your 73rd birthday, we'll buy your grandchildren presents instead. We'll save you the hassle of busting your aging brain thinking of what presents to buy.

Other benefits include free taxi service for one year and travel insurance for your next holiday. You can now go snorkelling without fear.

Tsunami Aid Day

2005-01-08T21:39:00.000+08:00

I woke up today with very little expectations. I wasn't sure how many people would actually attend the fundraiser. And I was even more apprehensive about how many people would actually pay attention and listen to the bands. I was prepared to play to 5 listening ears (Yes, one of those 3 people is deaf in one ear). And I was also prepared to put my ventriloquist skills to use during the other bands performances by throwing my voice to create the majestic illusion that 237 people were listening, cheering, and screaming, "I want to have your baby!"

Luckily for those attending, I didn't have to resort to revealing my hidden talent as many came. It wasn't crowded, no. But for a day sprinkled with rain and a location in some corner of a Sentul suburb, the turnout was great! What was even greater was that the collections superseeded the expected RM5000 to about a total of RM14,000. What was the greatest though was the spirit of all those involved and all those who came. The solidarity and unity was a welcome change to our 21st-century world filled with violence, war and death.

To read more about Tsunami Aid Day, head on to JJ Resources, which is run by Jochebed, who was the co-organizer of this event, along with Chin Hor.

Fallen Leaves performed 2 sets, and played with Sue, of Her Reverie, as support. The rest of her band couldn't make it, so we jammed with her on stage. Others who performed were Sam and Qings & Kueens. We had a great time performing to great people. I must say we were much more relaxed than we were than in recent gigs... must be Uncle Pete's advice starting to kick in. We talked with the crowd, dedicated songs to individuals, and raised more than RM100 as a band through CD sales for the tsunami relief efforts. It rained every time I sang. But the rain was a welcome reminder as to the purpose of the event. The skies kept the atmosphere right on this day. Light rains, just like tears, fell throughout.

I was inspired and decided to sing 'All I Can Say' by David Crowder. I began, "If the tsunami victims were to say any prayer at this point of time, or sing a song... it'd probably be this one."

Lord I'm tired
So tired from walking
And Lord I'm so alone
And Lord the dark
Is creeping in
Creeping up
To swallow me
I think I'll stop
Rest here a while

Chorus:
And this is all that I can say right now
And this is all that I can give
And this is all that I can say right now
And this is all that I can give (That's my everything)

And didn't You see me cry'n?
And didn't You hear me call Your name?
Wasn't it You I gave my heart to?
I wish You'd remember
Where you sat it down

Chorus:
And this is all that I can say right now
And this is all that I can give
And this is all that I can say right now
And this is all that I can give (That's my everything)

Bridge:
I didn't notice You were standing here
I didn't know that
That was You holding me
I didn't notice You were cry'n too
I didn't know that
That was You washing my feet

Chorus:
And this is all that I can say right now
And this is all that I can give
And this is all that I can say right now
And this is all that I can give (That's my everything)

Yes, we wish them all hope and peace; things we speak easily about, but may never truly understand their significance until we lose them...

Farren Reaves!

2004-12-08T11:51:00.000+08:00

Hey guys!

Check out the radio ad we did for Music Canteen! Have a good laugh while you're at it! And once you're done, go check out the other radio ads. Here's our pick of the lot, the ad by Tempered Mental.

Jamtank: Urban Musicians Alliance

2004-12-06T02:01:00.000+08:00

Here are excerpts of some of my comments in JamTank recently;

Musiccanteen christmas compilation CD reviews...
Man... haven't been here for ages, and I'm greeted with even more bitching and in-fighting.

RM28 for an album produced by Greg Henderson and featuring 17 artistes is too expensive? *sigh* We all know that producing an album has all kinds of costs, and they need to be covered. Let's not talk about pricing being the factor of Malaysian music's downfall... how about the consumers being the very reason?

As for 'how low have we sunk?'... if this is sinking low, we'll be sinking lower in times to come. And hopefully the day will come when our local bands will have access to recording well produced albums of their own.

Not here to pick any fights, just thought since everyone was sharing their opinions, I'd share mine too. I'm sure we can all disagree without becoming enemies.

'Negaraku' Rock Version....
What the heck is going on here? Since when is someone's English such a factor in how he/she should be treated?! Unless I've missed out on some history as to why ivango is hated, then I apologize. But I see nothing wrong with posting in broken English. English is not a native language of most people. And you'd be surprised at how broken most Europeans' English are! So let this Malaysian go... if he can't speak his own language, then go ahead and give him a hard time, but English?! Damn... it shows how much we're still colonized up till now... we condemn each other cuz 'we no speaking Engrish'

Fallen Leaves Christmas Gig (18th Dec 2004)
Hey... thanks for your kind words. Everyone has been stating that our song has a gothic quality to it... I've never really listened to goth rock, so maybe I should and find out what everyone is talking about!

Musiccanteen christmas compilation CD reviews...
Oh yes, before I forget... since a few of you have already picked Tempered Mental, Naked Breed, and One Buck Short... I'll go ahead and pick someone else. On second thought... I'll stick with popular opinion.

I like the arrangement and the verses of Naked Breed's Carol of the Bells very much. It's got an edge to it.

And Tempered Mental's rendition of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen was beautifully executed. I absolutely love Melina's voice. That mid-tone is beautiful. And yes, the band is as tight as a straight man's arseh*le.

I'd pick Fallen Leaves' What Child is This as well, but that'd be biased.

A URL issue

2004-12-06T01:35:00.000+08:00

It is with extreme excitement that I announce to you that the URL, www.fallenleaves.com is finally available for the band to purchase! For years, that URL had been taken by some poet... I think so. My memory fails me. That was the reason why we've been having www.fallen-leaves.com instead. But now, the time has come for us to take what was rightfully ours. All those of you who are interested to work on our superlicious website can contact us at fallenleaves@gmail.com. The invasion continues...

The Invasion has begun...

2004-11-30T17:04:00.000+08:00

We Want You!

2004-11-30T15:13:00.000+08:00

Attention!
Fallen Leaves are now forming street teams! Be one of the first to be a part of this historically revolutionary international movement!

What are street teams?
Street teams comprise of human beings, extra-terrestrial creatures, and various other living organisms that aid the band in any way possible. They spread the word about Fallen Leaves' albums, merchandise, gigs and performances. They will also create publicity for the band. Some examples of publicity stunts you may be a part of in the future are:

Street teams will go around with CD players playing Fallen Leaves CDs. They will wear t-shirts with the print: Listen to the greatest band in the world! They will approach people on the street an invite them to listen to the music without talking or saying anything. This stunt, the public’s response and expressions will be video recorded and posted.

Street teams will walk around with old-school stereos blaring Fallen Leaves music, wearing t-shirts with the print: I’m listening to the greatest band in the world!

The main function of these street teams is to create a continual buzz for the band. Street teams exist for the purpose of getting the band noticed and not allowing others forget about the band. They will not stop until they make the band famous!

How can I contribute?
Below are some avenues that you may want to explore:

Design & Visualization

Research & Development

Publicity & Promotion

Web Design & Maintenance

AV team (video recording, soundman, instrument tech, crew, photographer)

iTeam

Benefits for those in the street teams:
1. Access to limited edition merchandise.
You’ll get your hands on items that are exclusively for those in street teams only. i.e.: ‘Listen to the greatest band in the world!’ t-shirts will only be given away to those who participated in that publicity stunt.

2. Be the first to know.
You will be the first to know anything and everything regarding Fallen Leaves. New releases, recordings, albums, gigs, parties, gatherings, new merchandise, discounts, promotions… like we said, just about everything. You will also have the privilege to purchase anything before it's released into the market.

3. Be invited to exclusive parties.
You’ll be given invitations to special Fallen Leaves events, parties, and gatherings organized and put together by others in the street teams. i.e.: house parties, BBQs, picnics, exclusive performances, road trips.

4. Get to know the band.
No one has access to the band like those in the street teams. You’ll make friends with the band in no time.

5. Miscellaneous benefits.
We want to hear from you what other benefits you would like to have and you may see them added to this list in the near future.

Who should join?
Select as many as appropriate.

a. I am a fan of Fallen Leaves.
b. I think Fallen Leaves makes good music and would like to help.
c. I really love Fallen Leaves; I’m an ultimate fan!
d. I am adventurous. I like going out and doing new, fun, crazy stuff.
e. I like Fallen Leaves and would like to support them in their efforts.
f. I think this is gonna be fun and would like to give it a try.

Score:
0 – You shouldn’t join.
1 – You may want to try this out.
2 – You should give this a go.
3 – You MUST join!
4 – You should consider this a potential career path.
5 – Kiss your parents goodbye, and leave home.
6 – You are a gem! We’ll have celebrations in your name!

We are looking for people from all over Malaysia and across the globe. If you live in Alor Setar, Melaka, Bahau, Miri, Tanjung Rambutan, Brisbane, Portsmouth, anywhere... it doesn't matter. WE WANT YOU!

E-mail us at fallenleaves@gmail.com with your name, age, location, contact details and comments.

Looking forward to hearing from all of you,
Fallen Leaves

She-bot and Fallen Leaves?

2004-11-29T09:34:00.000+08:00

I'll leak some inside information about the great shake-up happening in the Leaves camp. As part of us taking things more seriously and behaving like a proper band, we're starting to form street teams. And lucky for us, we have young, passionate, and enthusiastic people volunteering and willing to help us out. I won't spill too much of the beans as I love surprises... giving as well as receiving them. But here's a preview of what two talented people designed and drew for us in the past couple of days.

From En. Some graphic design montage which I think looks really nice and would fit right into one of the pages of a future CD sleeve.

From Jeremiah. A first draft of a manga piece he conceived for our promotional and commercial use. I know it's not perfect, but I like it very much. Notice how the leaf from her hand is actually falling and coming nearer to the viewer? I must admit that I was moved when I saw this drawing... a sense of euphoria and pride, like that of a father's. I felt so touched that he actually came up with the concept, and drew this in a day, or at most two. It puts the band to shame. We've been taking our music for granted, and if people believe in us enough to waste their time on our things... it's time we start wasting time on our things too.

This post is dedicated to everyone who helps us believe in ourselves.

Thank you.

MPH In-store Christmas Performance

2004-11-23T14:53:00.000+08:00

Fallen Leaves will be performing again this Christmas season!

Recently, we've recorded a song for Music Canteen's Christmas compilation. So we'll be in Mid Valley on the 18th of December at 4:30pm to perform 3 songs, one of them being What Child is This?, the song we recorded for the Christmas compilation.

Here's a list of all the performers and details of their performances:

MPH One Utama:
Saturday, 4th December 2004
3:00pm

One Buck Short

Juwita Suwito

Y2K

Naked Breed

MPH Mid Valley:
Saturday, 11th December 2004
3:00pm

Qings & Kueens

Dragon Red

Kohl

Shelley Leong

MPH Mid Valley:
Saturday, 18th December 2004
4:30pm

Fallen Leaves

Edge of Fire

Pete Teo

Naked Breed

MPH The Curve:
Sunday, 19th December 2004
3:00pm

Altered Frequency

Peter Brown

Tempered Mental

Doze

An Indie Yuletide

2004-11-06T15:49:00.000+08:00

This here is an article that appeared in the New Straits Times on the 5th of November 2004. It seems NST has been showing a lot of love for local indie music in recent times. The article is about the Christmas album we contributed a song to. We did What Child is This? as we wanted to do something slower and more meaningful. Our rendition is 'interesting'. You'll have to hear it for yourselves.

Here's what they said about us and our track:

Who’d have thought this bunch of Christian rockers could sound so dark? In a good way, of course. Goth of the Led Zep sort is mixed with a pinch of Billy Corgan’s brooding (reminiscent of Smashing Pumpkins’ Disarm) to generate a track that should only get better with each listen.

Click on the photo to read the article in its whole.