Maton Guitar Factory Tour
3 Comments Published by Kevin Broken Scar on Wednesday, July 30, 2008 at 5:19 PM.
Warning: this is a picture heavy post.
Jeremy and I went to the Maton Factory out in Blackburn to meet the maker of Jeremy's custom made Maton acoustic. For you acoustic guitar enthusiasts out there, here's a glimpse of the factory in pictures.
The wood in the drying process
George, our tour guide. He's worked at Maton as a guitar builder from the early Maton days
Jeremy's guitar maker. His name is Andy (if I'm not mistaken). He runs the Maton Custom Shop and he builds guitars from the start till the end.
One of the custom jobs
Sweet wood!
The painting and finish department
This is where the pickups are made
The finished custom models
After this experience, I realise that there's a lot of work put into making acoustic guitars. A bulk of the process is still done by hand. Also, I now know that the acoustic guitar is not as delicate as I thought it was. If something breaks, it can be fixed. It may not be easy as the whole guitar needs to be taken apart, but it can be done. All you need is the right tools and skill.
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Broken Scar's album, Midnight In St. Kilda is available on www.mytracks.com/brokenscar
Jeremy and I went to the Maton Factory out in Blackburn to meet the maker of Jeremy's custom made Maton acoustic. For you acoustic guitar enthusiasts out there, here's a glimpse of the factory in pictures.
The wood in the drying process
George, our tour guide. He's worked at Maton as a guitar builder from the early Maton days
Jeremy's guitar maker. His name is Andy (if I'm not mistaken). He runs the Maton Custom Shop and he builds guitars from the start till the end.
One of the custom jobs
Sweet wood!
The painting and finish department
This is where the pickups are made
The finished custom models
After this experience, I realise that there's a lot of work put into making acoustic guitars. A bulk of the process is still done by hand. Also, I now know that the acoustic guitar is not as delicate as I thought it was. If something breaks, it can be fixed. It may not be easy as the whole guitar needs to be taken apart, but it can be done. All you need is the right tools and skill.
______________________________________________________
Broken Scar's album, Midnight In St. Kilda is available on www.mytracks.com/brokenscar
It was raining pretty much all day yesterday. It wasn't all that heavy though. It's probably as heavy as a light drizzle in Malaysia but it was definitely freezing. It continued to rain at night but it sounded really heavy. Since it has been raining all day, I could have easily dismissed it and just move on with the program but I took the time to cease the moment. It sounded heavier than usual, as if people were throwing sand or little pebbles on the roofs and our windows. So I stuck my hand out the window to check out what's happening and when I looked at my arm, there was tiny specks of ice on my sleeve! It was hail! How exciting. I've always wanted to see and feel snow, but hail is pretty cool too. It was an awesome experience, coming from Malaysia where it hardly ever happens (although it has hailed before in Sunway on various occasions) but anyway, it was still exciting.
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Broken Scar's album, Midnight In St. Kilda is available on www.mytracks.com/brokenscar
______________________________________________________
Broken Scar's album, Midnight In St. Kilda is available on www.mytracks.com/brokenscar
I don't know what got into me but I've been terribly forgetful these days. Notice the new header? That should have been up way back when the online EP was launched. It was meant to coincide with the launch. There was also meant to be a biography update on all the websites, myspace, reverbnation etc but somehow I totally forgot about it and it never went up. It is up now though. Oh well, better late than never yeah? Check out the new bio HERE.
Anyway, I apologise for the lack of updates. I've been caught up with all kinds of things and it's been a crazy ride but it is all good though. Enjoying every moment of it. If you're wondering, what's happening with Broken Scar, here's some news.
I've teamed up with the very talented Zach Tay on guitar and we'll be performing as a duo for the up coming Ondergronds gig. So if you're in town, come check out the Broken Scar duo's sound. It'll be heaps of fun.
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Broken Scar's album, Midnight In St. Kilda is available on www.mytracks.com/brokenscar
Anyway, I apologise for the lack of updates. I've been caught up with all kinds of things and it's been a crazy ride but it is all good though. Enjoying every moment of it. If you're wondering, what's happening with Broken Scar, here's some news.
I've teamed up with the very talented Zach Tay on guitar and we'll be performing as a duo for the up coming Ondergronds gig. So if you're in town, come check out the Broken Scar duo's sound. It'll be heaps of fun.
______________________________________________________
Broken Scar's album, Midnight In St. Kilda is available on www.mytracks.com/brokenscar
Somehow, no matter how great a band sounds from the audience's perspective, if the musicians on stage aren't happy with their stage monitor sound, they'd be really pissed. By them being pissed equals poor delivery caused by the irritation which ultimately mean that they are pissed at the engineer. I so happen to be in that position last night.
I still don't think it's my fault because it was such a last minute thing, I was called in to do the show 30 mins before the bands went on and some of the lines were faulty. The mix sounded good though despite these issues. But somehow, there's just this bad feeling that floats around you when people don't understand how much work you've put into it and not appreciate you for it. Oh well, it's just one of those nights. If things like these don't happen now, they'd eventually happen anyway. Plus, things like these give me the opportunity to learn and make mental notes.
Mental note #1: Don't take up last minute gigs.
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Broken Scar's album, Midnight In St. Kilda is available on www.mytracks.com/brokenscar
I still don't think it's my fault because it was such a last minute thing, I was called in to do the show 30 mins before the bands went on and some of the lines were faulty. The mix sounded good though despite these issues. But somehow, there's just this bad feeling that floats around you when people don't understand how much work you've put into it and not appreciate you for it. Oh well, it's just one of those nights. If things like these don't happen now, they'd eventually happen anyway. Plus, things like these give me the opportunity to learn and make mental notes.
Mental note #1: Don't take up last minute gigs.
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Broken Scar's album, Midnight In St. Kilda is available on www.mytracks.com/brokenscar
If you look on the right side of this blog, you'll notice a new music player in the side bar. It's the reverbnation music player containing all the Broken Scar songs, so please feel free to give it a listen.
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Broken Scar's album, Midnight In St. Kilda is available on www.mytracks.com/brokenscar
______________________________________________________
Broken Scar's album, Midnight In St. Kilda is available on www.mytracks.com/brokenscar
Comedians vs Musicians
1 Comments Published by Kevin Broken Scar on Monday, July 07, 2008 at 11:13 PM.
This came up in a conversation the other day and I mentioned that comedians should be given a break. People tend to complain that comedians recycle their jokes at shows. According to some friends of mine who went to see Russell Peters, they said that they were disappointed because he recycled most of his jokes and they've heard or seen them already, not from previous shows but online. The problem is, the jokes weren't meant to be seen or heard via online bootlegs. Of course Russell is going to use the same jokes, they are part of his "set". The same goes for other comedians.
It's funny how comedians are given a hard time for "recycling" their set. You mean they are supposed to use all different jokes every night? It's like telling a band they have to play new songs every night. It doesn't work that way.
Musicians and bands on the other hand are celebrated for the same songs they use in their sets night after night. A band would record an album, release it and go on tour to promote it for at least a good year, playing the same songs night after night. If the band has more than one album, there's a slightly higher chance that they'd play the hits and slot in different songs from their larger repertoire.
The bottom line is that I think comedians should be given a break. I'd watch Russell Peters over and over again and the jokes are still funny to me. It's all in the head, it's all about perception. If you can watch the same band play live twice, you can watch a comedian perform live twice. Simple as that.
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Broken Scar's album, Midnight In St. Kilda is available on www.mytracks.com/brokenscar
It's funny how comedians are given a hard time for "recycling" their set. You mean they are supposed to use all different jokes every night? It's like telling a band they have to play new songs every night. It doesn't work that way.
Musicians and bands on the other hand are celebrated for the same songs they use in their sets night after night. A band would record an album, release it and go on tour to promote it for at least a good year, playing the same songs night after night. If the band has more than one album, there's a slightly higher chance that they'd play the hits and slot in different songs from their larger repertoire.
The bottom line is that I think comedians should be given a break. I'd watch Russell Peters over and over again and the jokes are still funny to me. It's all in the head, it's all about perception. If you can watch the same band play live twice, you can watch a comedian perform live twice. Simple as that.
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Broken Scar's album, Midnight In St. Kilda is available on www.mytracks.com/brokenscar
Live On Malaysia Hari Ini
2 Comments Published by Kevin Broken Scar on Tuesday, July 01, 2008 at 5:40 PM.
I was backing up some pictures onto DVDs and I stumbled upon these pictures. It triggered some great memories and I realised I haven't made a post on it. So here's a very delayed one.
We were recording Alda's bass parts for Shooting Star and Until I Fall the night before and I think by the time I got home it was close to 3am. We had to be at the TV3 studios by 7am.
Alda getting his make-up done.
There was a lot of waiting around, so naturally, we entertained ourselves.
More waiting around, inside the studio this time.
We finally go live
Okay, stand by...
Performed Shooting Star live. It's a good thing I wore black instead of my usual red t-shirts because I would have blended into the backdrop. Haha.
A glimpse of the studio.
The interview was in conjunction of KLPAC's open day. We talked about the event and then I played Shooting Star live. Judging that we didn't get enough sleep and it was so early in the morning, I think we were still very coherent and we did great. The entire crew were very friendly making it a very chilled out experience. It was also freezing in the studio. Filming studios are always freezing, I guess to keep the gear from over-heating. Fun times being on TV.
Thanks to Justin again for the awesome Taylor.
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Broken Scar's album, Midnight In St. Kilda is available on www.mytracks.com/brokenscar
We were recording Alda's bass parts for Shooting Star and Until I Fall the night before and I think by the time I got home it was close to 3am. We had to be at the TV3 studios by 7am.
Alda getting his make-up done.
There was a lot of waiting around, so naturally, we entertained ourselves.
More waiting around, inside the studio this time.
We finally go live
Okay, stand by...
Performed Shooting Star live. It's a good thing I wore black instead of my usual red t-shirts because I would have blended into the backdrop. Haha.
A glimpse of the studio.
The interview was in conjunction of KLPAC's open day. We talked about the event and then I played Shooting Star live. Judging that we didn't get enough sleep and it was so early in the morning, I think we were still very coherent and we did great. The entire crew were very friendly making it a very chilled out experience. It was also freezing in the studio. Filming studios are always freezing, I guess to keep the gear from over-heating. Fun times being on TV.
Thanks to Justin again for the awesome Taylor.
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Broken Scar's album, Midnight In St. Kilda is available on www.mytracks.com/brokenscar
I have a new found love. The love of a sweet sounding Rhodes piano. About a year ago I heard this song called "Found" on the Mighty To Save album by Hillsongs and I never really paid any attention to it. Whenever I heard the song, I'd go, "that is such a slow song" and my mind will just switch off. That was a year ago, when I knew nothing about the Rhodes and its distinct tone.
Over the course of my life as a musician, I've heard of the Rhodes and I've seen heaps of people play it live but somehow it never struck me as sounding any special.
Today, I revisit "Found" and I've completely fallen in love with the song for various reasons.
1. The beautiful sound of the Rhodes. I used to think that the tremolo sound would irritate me but that's the character of its tone that appeals to me now. The resonating low end and the sparkle of the higher notes just makes it sound so unique.
2. The simplicity of the song in terms of instrumentation. It's just one guy singing and playing the Rhodes.
3. The honesty through the song. It's so stripped down with such a slow tempo giving the song such a vibe that just captivates me.
4. This song is also very different from all the other Hillsongs stuff. It's not as noisy, recording wise mainly because it's just a voice and the Rhodes without the mess of a big ensemble. I never liked the idea of 6 backing vocalists, a choir and a sea of people singing the same melody line anyway. It just becomes a mess. The structure of this song is also pretty different. I like how it progresses very slowly.
5. All of the above aside, I found that I could connect with God through this song which matters the most to me.
I've been listening to this track on repeat for the past two days. Simply beautiful.
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Broken Scar's album, Midnight In St. Kilda is available on www.mytracks.com/brokenscar
Over the course of my life as a musician, I've heard of the Rhodes and I've seen heaps of people play it live but somehow it never struck me as sounding any special.
Today, I revisit "Found" and I've completely fallen in love with the song for various reasons.
1. The beautiful sound of the Rhodes. I used to think that the tremolo sound would irritate me but that's the character of its tone that appeals to me now. The resonating low end and the sparkle of the higher notes just makes it sound so unique.
2. The simplicity of the song in terms of instrumentation. It's just one guy singing and playing the Rhodes.
3. The honesty through the song. It's so stripped down with such a slow tempo giving the song such a vibe that just captivates me.
4. This song is also very different from all the other Hillsongs stuff. It's not as noisy, recording wise mainly because it's just a voice and the Rhodes without the mess of a big ensemble. I never liked the idea of 6 backing vocalists, a choir and a sea of people singing the same melody line anyway. It just becomes a mess. The structure of this song is also pretty different. I like how it progresses very slowly.
5. All of the above aside, I found that I could connect with God through this song which matters the most to me.
I've been listening to this track on repeat for the past two days. Simply beautiful.
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Broken Scar's album, Midnight In St. Kilda is available on www.mytracks.com/brokenscar
