I recently met Tom in Bangkok; he is a travel/guidebook and adventure writer based in Thailand (check out his guides to Cambodia and Angkor Wat out on excellent MOON Publishing), and also former guitarist of Bangkok garage punkers Pussy and the Learjets. In brief, the kind of person I consider a hero. Check more Learjets here:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQCRufJnPlM

Tom is also the author of Sacred Skin, a very interesting photo book on sak yant, Thailand’s sacred tattoos, and the first on the subject in English. Expect to see a review cum interview up here soon if I won’t be able to place the article elsewhere… meanwhile, I have started my trip and I am in India. All is in a state of blur at the moment as many things are boiling and will be coming up extremely soon… some very good things for this poor little Monkey!!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMZ8DO9F4Mo

Ok, I’ve just finished watching TAQWACORE and what’s better than penning down my fresh opinions in Monkeyrockworld? Nothing, especially as this is so much up my alley of interests. I do not want to be annoying retelling stories you may read elsewhere on the net, but in a nutshell, Eyesteel Films produced the documentary on the explosion of “Taqwacore”: what the heck is that? Muslim punk rock baby. Yep… if you can get more controversial than that, please try to explain it. Named after the famous novel “The Taqwacores” by Michael “Muhammad” Knight (which is another movie all to itself, not to be confounded with this one), TAQWACORE is the first wave of American punk bands (and well, all spectres of punk as we go from the almost ska outbursts of the Kominas to the full-on crusty sludge of Al Thawra) who earned a reputation for bringing it out on a quite impressive coast-to-coast American tour. This movie documents that trip on the “Green Van” of Taqwa (the Muslim concept of God consciousness), the reception from the American Muslim punks, a paradoxical road trip ending with a real punk performance at Chicago’s American Muslims conference. The Taqwacores really bring a spark of excitement in the otherwise dull, middle-class, plastic American punk contemporary scene by bringing new lymph into the movement. It is definitely interesting.

As a musician who has extensively toured the USA, I can relate to most of the episodes and I can say that it was not this first part of the movie who got me. Even now in this movie, America looks so flat, and dumb. I honestly cannot believe how I would have sold my mother to land a green card and live there, just 5 years ago. You don’t have to be a Muslim Islamist punk to raise the attention there, as it looks like by only flatulating you would probably get the same effect. It is extremely funny how the Taqwacores use this “paranoia” to make fun of the media and their attention to this new “revolution”. This makes everything look so inspiringly “punk”, to me, today. Also it looks quite indicative  that the movie has been produced by a Canadian company… as if the subject matter would be good to be touched, but only with a stick.

Anyhow, the BEST part of the movie is actually when two of the Kominas‘ guys leave the USA to relocate to their ancestors’ land, PAKISTAN. The images of the country are beautiful, and may prove to be extremely shocking to the average American or Western viewer, but not for me, not anymore. Well, the guys form a new band, they fly Michael Knight in, and they manage to organize a show on top of one of Lahore’s city center buildings avoiding South Asia’s cast differences, and giving it back to anyone in the truest punk movement of the whole movie. Seeing Knight screaming “Bush is a son of a bitch” in Urdu, however quite jaded elsewhere, looks pretty apt here.

My critics are essentially two, tough: firstly, it seems like these Kominas guys cannot do anything but getting high on excellent Pakistani hash and slurping weed milkshakes before Knight’s arrival. Although I’d probably like to taste the same stuff, I just think this makes the whole “movement” appear idiosyncratic just to the lowest form of punk “rebellion”. Getting high is great, but takes you nowhere, especially in a country with zero punk history such as Pakistan. Second, this Michael Muhammed Knight, doesn’t have the grip I imagined. As a Muslim, and as “Imam of the Taqwacores”, he loses his discourse into too much portrait of Americanism I guess he originally tried to distance himself from by writing “The Taqwacores” . Although he is a brave young man carrying on a torch and making an impact, I am unsure how to explain myself; my feelings come from years of observation of behaviors totally embedded in most American rock musicians, of all passes of life, which I sensed in Knight. I though he, once in Pakistan, should have left ol’ Sam’s ghost back home… instead, I could really feel it was still there, haunting the grounds.

Anyhow, you HAVE TO watch this movie as it is a document and a proof that something, in rock and American society, is moving and changing. Hopefully I’ll be able to follow up the investigation on music in Pakistan as I plan to visit next year. Any information, query or contact regarding Pakistani bands, musicians or artists, please send them my way.

Anarchy in the PRC di Marco Ferrarese

Questo e’ il libro di David, Inseparable – the memoirs of an American and the history of Chinese Punk Rock che potete acquistare su Lulu.com. Ne faro’ presto una recensione in inglese, abbiate pazienza, prima o poi arrivera’ anche su questo sito.

Vi rimando anche alla mia storia del Punk Cinese, uscita su SENTIREASCOLTARE e China Files.

Breve Storia del Punk Cinese (Parte 1) di Marco Ferrarese

Breve Storia del Punk Cinese (Parte 2) di Marco Ferrarese

Buona lettura, e per oggi si chiude con l’Asian Punk Rock corner.

I am happy to announce the digital release of BRUTAL POKHARA’s first installment of extreme Asian music’s compilation… this collective based in the beautiful land of NEPAL has had the great idea of trying to collect a snapshot of what today’s extreme music scene has to offer in the greater Asian region… such a challenging task, I’d say, ended up with some non-Asian bands thrown into the blender for a balance.

Anyhow, if you are as curious as me to listen, and especially listen for FREE, to some unknown and hideous spew of Asian hostility, this is a great opportunity to start with. The beauty of this compilation lies in its (obvious) abundance of bands from the almost oblivious South Asian scenes;  countries such as Nepal, India, Pakistan (oh yeah) and Bangladesh are all represented, giving (at least to me) a first ever glance of extreme music crafted in such odd destinations for the average Western listener.

Yours truly participated getting a slot for WEOT SKAM, the only Malaysian band represented, although I am not actually playing on the recording.

The following is a comprehensive list of the bands and the respective countries, with download links included:

OCCULT SCIENCE OF METAL- SET-1       DOWNLOAD

• Cyborg Cataclysm-GOTHICA, Nepal
• God Wants My Blood-NARSAMHAAR, Nepal
• In Glorificus Luctus(The Mourning After)-KALODIN, Nepal
• Skyggegast- COMBATH ft. Svartalv( ex-SATYRICON, GEHENNA), Norway
• Gloomy Sunday-NÅE, Norway
• Mass of Materia- JAHILIYYAHA, Bangladesh
• Grim Shutdown-EVIL CONSCIENCE, INDIA
• Present Chaos- PLAGUE THROAT, India
• Maid of the Mist- WEIRD ANXIETY, India
• Unison of Beast- ISOLATION IN INFAMY, USA
• Reek of the Rotten- VILE IMPALEMENT, India
• Man Whore meets Women Whore- XAITAN KAUN?, India
• Perang Suci- LOST ANOTHER, Indonesia
• Soul Destruction- ALIEN GODS, India
• Infernal Torment- SATANIZE, Turkey
• Blasphemy ov a  Diabolic- INSANE PROPHECY, India
• Medical Malpractice- PAEDIATRICIAN, Hungary
• Malapetaka Dunia Fana- EXALEIPS, Indonesia
• Acrimony of Terrorism- DARK CARNAGE, India
• Insurrection-CENOBITE, Hungary
• Viper’s Den- DEI TETRA, Thailand
• The Uncaring Strokes of the Master- MYOSIS, Pakistan
• Revolution Has Begun-ANALGESIA, Morocco
• Bacterial in Flesh-AUTHORITY, Indonesia
• Riot of Blood-CHROMATIC MASSACCRE, Bangladesh
• Burial Ground- DIONYSUS, Pakistan
• Sabbatical Repugnant-HYDRO, Indonesia
• Dherai Laajj(Tribute to the Legend)-THE GRUNGY MORPHINS ”The Gorkha Metal Warriors”, India
• The Silent Scream-MEYNOM TURR, India
• Lord of Kaos- KRAZY ELECTRONS, India
• Futile Dogma: DARK DESOLATION, India
• Retribution-CROW BLACK SKY, South Africa

NOISEDOOM-SET-2    DOWNLOAD

• License to Kill-BIDROHA, Nepal
• Charsi Malang Moola Saray-MARG, Pakistan
• Knock Out- WEOT SKAM, Malaysia
• Fragmented to Live-CATW, India
• Primal Wants of a Divine Creation-DARK MURDER SCHEME, India
• Aakash Chayatiyo- FUL’STOP, Nepal
• Vendetta-VENDETTA, India
• You May Call Me a Dreamer  But I am Not- ESCALON, USA
• Break Down-TAKATAK, Pakistan
• The Malice-PROJECT BERKLEE, Pakistan
• The Rising-ZERO TRANSITION, Nepal
• Walking Alone- HOURGLASS PRISIONER, India
• Pseudo Showcase- WHAT ESCAPES ME, India
• IntraNervous- HEISENBERG, India
• Cradle to Grave-REVOLT, Pakistan
• Blood Tears-PISAKAS, India
• Slave of a Broken Fate-DARK GUREE A MORT, Nepal
• We, Happily Everafter-NOIZY AKADEMI, India
• Coup De Grace- ARCANE DECEPTION, India
• Dream Slayer-ODYSSEY, Pakistan
• We Can’t- IF HOPE DIES, India
• Lost in Thoughts-RAJIV KHADKA, Nepal
• Misery in You-EXILED SANITY, India
• Ammunition- AGE OF CHAOS, India
• Yes, tODAY is Doomsday-BURN THE WATER, India
• Sworn Annihilation- DEMENTIA, Pakistan
• A Lullaby for the Souls-ELVISH MIRAGE, India

Ok, year 2010 and the beginning of this 2011 have not been that prolific for Monkeyrockworld. Without getting into too many details, I just would like to say that having to deal with an Asian university flamboyant requirements and trying to jet start a freelance writing career, without counting house and “da wifey” administration, is not the ideal situation to sit down and write. I also didn’t travel that much, in the first place, although yes, I do have many reports about Sri Lanka and my return to China still to pen down. Anyways, what I care to write now is about something I got back in. I did not think this would happen, but eventually, it did: I’m back into the music scene again. It seems I cannot get rid of this passion of mine; for it is too strong to be neglected… so let it be. I did not think also that an apparently sleepy place like Penang could hide so much underground talent… I knew Malaysia was full of hardcore, metal and punk, but all those kids seemed like hidden under rocks until three weeks ago more or less, when I shot a few emails here and there resulting in fast ties with the cream of the crop of East Asian punk, some metal and hardcore scenes.

This also resulted in a quick and crucial acquaintance with the guys in WEOT SKAM, Penang’s longest running thrashcore band. And here I am after a few words over some iced lemon tea and roti canai, being the lead shredder in the band: yesterday I played my first ever show in Asia, and first show in almost 4 years. This is quite an event that has to be documented with a show review. I decided that, as long as I will be involved in this kind of music in Asia, I will dedicate ample space to it on Monkeyrockworld. For two reasons: MonkeyROCKworld… but so far, there has not been a lot of ROCK, excluding many great, beautiful ancient stones I visited in the greater Asian region. And second, because to my knowledge, there is NO WEBSITE written by a white guy in Asia documenting its endeavors in the exciting, booming alternative music scene. So, as a motivation booster and a plan for personal research and desire to bring great news to the music world, here I come to fill a void… Asian bands, if you are reading this thanks to the power of the SEO science, please get in touch.

SCUM FUCT LABOUR, May 1^st 2011 @ Soundmaker, Penang -- Gig Review

Featuring: Deng Deng etc. (KL), WEOT SKAM (Penang), Hui Si Di Dai (Penang),  Nonserviam (Penang), Angkara (Kulim)

First of all, let me tell you, Penang has a rock venue called Soundmaker, situated on the first floor of a quite anonymous building along Pengkalan Weld, Jetty area. Keep the Jetty to your left, walk for about 400 meters and look on your right on the opposite side of the road: when you see the poster of a black bomb on a yellow background, oh yes, that is where you gotta climb up. This place is amazing and remembers me of a more professional squat, in the sense that the atmosphere is totally DIY/underground, but the show room is big, and the stage pretty professional, with PA and everything.

First on stage were 等等etc. or better Deng Deng Etc. from KL, Soundscape recording artists. Three strait-chinese guys who, despite a not so good turnout, delivered one hell of a gig. Churning out a blend of different influences from their amps, they came out as a prehistorically aggressive version of “Bleach” era Nirvana, spazzed out by total grindcore outbursts of screaming rage, and sophisticated jazzy parts. Deng Deng etc. really surprised me because they definitely had a sound of their own, and it was a shame they had to open, especially being the out of town band.

Second, yours truly and WEOT SKAM hit the stage. It’s not a good habit to rave about your own band, so I’d just cut it short saying that according to Kit Yeng who does not understand anything about hardcore punk yet, we were perfect because the crowd had a hell of a good time. Greatest moments: me playing guitar using the top of some kids’ heads, and the drummer losing the beat and start jumping all over the drum set. It just felt good to be able to release some hate on stage after 4 years, and I felt like I popped some cherry at the end of it. Wow. Next month we’ll be supporting Earache’s own Wormrot so I guess things are profiling high for the band.

Hui Si Di Dai took the stage as the third band: this is Cheong’s band, the guy behind the whole Soundmaker thing. This band is a powerful experimental rock combo, with tight drumming, and jazzy guitar parts… the two songs they played tonight were graced by the stage presence of another tattooed Chinese singer, extra drums the real singer was strumming like crazy, and good vibes. They probably got off stage way too early, but definitely left the crowd wanting for more.

Next there was probably someone else but I’m sorry, I had to go downstairs to eat something and have a drink. The thing is, in this Malaysian shows the bands play for a very short time, sometimes less than 20 minutes. If this feature keeps the variety high and the suck-balls level low, it is definitely easy to miss a band. So when I got back in, Nonserviam were playing. They feature WEOT SKAM’s bassist Leon on vocals and are a Chinese death metal band deeply rooted into the Scandinavian sound. You could see and hear how they sport In Flames t-shirts and riffs… Leon is a great front man, tall and really comfortable in dominating the stage and the front rows of rabid kids grasping his arms and legs at each of his massive growls. Without being too extreme, Nonserviam are a classy death metal band able to blend melodic and powerful riffs with a more lethal execution of crunching fast tempos. I may say tough, the only criticism I can appoint is that besides Leon, the other band members get too busy with their instruments, and forget they are actually facing a crowd. I’m sure these young chaps will improve this aspect overtime. Their musicianship, on the other hand, is great and able to  deliver some great songs which can be instant classics. Definitely, one of the best bands of the night. Check out their official video:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=btLdyaj1EZ4

Last were Angkara from Kulim, a small township at the edge of the forest of Kedah state. Man, if they were not Malays and I closed my eyes, here it is Mob47 performing in front of me!! Total classic crust/d-beat as it can be played by a bunch of Finnish thugs. They had the looks, with those spiked jackets all plastered with patches of bands such as Krighshot, Tragedy, Mob47, Wolfbrigade and so on, and they had the crusty skills and speed, but I must say, a little bit more of originality would do Angkara a lot of good. Do not misunderstand me: they perfectly do what they want to do, but I think they have to pass the idolatry phase, and move on to craft a sound more of their own. If they did that, oh my!

All in all, the evening was quite fantastic and gave me infinite happiness. Not only because I got back on stage again, but especially because it was cool to be in one place where people are actually enjoying the local bands, and do not strike any stupid pose or act like they’ve seen it all before. This was the biggest problem in Europe, let me tell you. The reason why I decided to get back into this, and here in Asia, is simply because here there is still a lot of energy, involvement, and excitement. I guess I am just lucky because it appears this is the place to be for punk, rock and metal, these days and age.

So keep tuned and sorry to the other bands for the lack of pictures, but our SD card decided to play a delayed April’s Fool game and ate up half of them leaving us with the WEOT SKAM pictures only… Well, it will be for the next time…

The night was dark (and I have to tell you I am sorry for the video recordings), but you cannot really help when your country just switches off the generators and the electricity is non existent anyways: the moon was our lamp, the torchlight opening up the vision of the night… together with the cigarettes’ burning ends and the flashes provided by some lighter. And of course, Kit Yeng’s flashlight. The blues poured down the night’s throat like an ungodly wine… we needed a real singer, and we needed it bad, before Monkey Motherfucker decided to make it even worse… enjoy the RAWK from Myanmar first and most primitive BLUES PUNK, offered by the one and only BAGAN TIGERS… 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiP5Nn2e84U

Monkey Motherfucker & the Bagan Tigers “Damn It, We Need A Singer”
performed live in Bagan, Yarkinnthar Hotel Road, Myanmar