There have been changes going on at the ricecookershop, both in terms of management and the shop itself. First of all we have been rearranging the furniture around, throw out some things and added others. It looks a bit different now, hopefully a lot more efficient in space usage. Our new friend Lena said that it now looks like a proper shop instead of somebody’s living room!

go see the changes:here

On the management side, we have Shammir (Basement Records) coming in as the lord of book-keeping and stocks! Also Wan Hazril (Cactus Records) as the 2nd in command of the unruly CD racks! Helping out regularly, will be Atia acting as the curatorial director of “not too grungy” aesthetics.

The old crew; constant cave-dweller Aiman (FRU/Dum Dum Tak) and me (Joe) will always be there as per usual, while free-agent Bebe Cobra will slot in his presence as long as his new baby boy is safely tucked away.

Thanks to Ahmad (ASAS), Rudy (Blastwork), Pijan (Gasoline Grenade) and many others who have been helping us out. Hopefully once everything is back in order, other currently secret “world domination” plans will be launched on you unsuspecting consumers.

OK! See you at the shop one of these days!

Cheers,

Joe

BTW; anyone of you good with electricity, bulbs and wires? We need an electrician friend to fix some lighting problems. Do drop in!

map: here

Anyone heard of this? Seein Red decimating Japan with the country’s own D-Beat heroes Framtid! Dang! With Japan being “just over there”, will someone ask Seein Red to come for a stopover or something?

Seein Red | Framtid Fan Page

OK guys, there are these two bands who have contacted me about touring round Malaysia, Singapore and the region. I’m pretty busy at the moment which means that I can help a bit here and there but a few cool organisers getting together would be better, so I wonder if you guys can help.

1. SCHEISSE MINNELLI | myspace.com/scheisseminnelli | Date: March 2009

Old-school early-80s American hardcore of the skate kind! Shit hot fun stuff. Features one American and a bunch of Germans based in Aschaffenburg, Germany. The band’s tour scheduled for March 2009 is now being planned with the help of Kunx Krass Kepala in Indonesia.

Those who wanna help with local dates, please contact the vocalist Sam (thedeadsmurfs at engineer dot com), please CC your email to me so I can see what’s happening and help out with what I can.

2. DIAS FELICES | myspace.com/diasfelices | Date: 2009

A 5-piece “melodic-hardcore” band from Buenos Aries, Argentina which have been touring the US this year. Listening to their songs on the band’s myspace really made my day. Beautiful pop-punk without the commercial gloss which reminds me of the late great FUN PEOPLE and bits of HARD-ONS without the speedy parts. A nice mix of excellent power-pop songwriting encased in melodious gritty punk rock, just like the classic FUN PEOPLE’s Steve Albini-produced “The Art(e) of Romance” album.

The band’s looking for a local label to release their recordings here and also looking out for a tour here next year. Those who wanna help with local dates, please contact the vocalist Milhouse (contacto at dias-felices dot com dot ar), and again, please CC your email to me.

BTW; two other bands are coming soon! WAR ALL THE TIME is again coming to tour in November this year and also, wait for it! CONQUEST FOR DEATH!

and to those who are curious on the majestic beauty of FUN PEOPLE’s The Art(E) of Romance LP, go download the songs here - trust me, you’d never regret it!

FREAKLUB is a new Wednesday night event at Cloth & Clef , and it aims to be a platform for musicians, visual and performance artists coming together, showcase their joys, and party.

FREE | Every Wednesday from 9 July | 9PM to 3AM
@ Cloth & Clef (30 Changkat Bukit Bintang)
DJ Hosts Raysoo & tootekool + special acoustic performances and visual guest artists.

ricenote: Haven’t gone and check it out just yet. It is in my neighbourhood so am sure we’ll be there soon. One thing stopping me now is the NO SMOKING rule. Hmmm.

Those who wanna join in and perform do email: youcanFREAKLUBtoo at gmail dot com.

In these dark days of friends unexpectedly leaving this mortal coil, I find Nick Cave prancing around in an old St. Kilda t-shirt with his mates in a London strip-club joyfully amusing. There’s nothing like going back to Ol’ Nick for a bit of serene sanity.

The video above is off the new single “More News From Nowhere”, the 2nd single taken from the exhilarating Dig Lazarus Dig album.

To old fans like me, here’s a piece of good news from the band’s label Mute:

Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds and Mute announce the first four albums in a series that will see the band’s entire album catalogue digitally re-mastered and remixed in 5.1 surround sound.

Each deluxe double-disc collector’s edition contains the re-mastered stereo album, the new surround mix, a specially commissioned short film made by acclaimed UK artists Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard plus single b-sides and exclusive sleeve notes.

nickcaveandthebadseeds.com

Our dear old friend Wan Hazlan @ Lan, the ex-bassist of the reggae/punk band Kuchalana, died around 1.30 PM today. Lan, affectionately known amongst friends as “Lang” (due to his Terengganu origins), was allegedly beaten-up severely by an unknown number of assailants after being abducted from the vicinity of the KLCC at about 10.30 PM last night.

Grieving friends and family are now at the KL General Hospital; some of them been there since 6 AM this morning. (written 2.20 PM)

To those who want to pay his/her respect, please do contact me or write here in the comments section.

========================================

UPDATE (11.35 PM / Wednesday, 16th July) - Lan’s jenazah is now on the way back to Kemaman, Terengganu. According to childhood friend and Kuchalana’s singer/guitarist Yus, it’s possible that Lan will be buried at around 1 or 2 AM this morning. Yus and Hakim are both back there to facilitate matters with the family.

========================================

UPDATE (Noon / Thursday, 17th July): According to Yus, Lan’s jenazah telah selamat dikebumikan at a cemetery in his kampung at about 4 AM last night. Yus also said that he heard from Lan’s family that the main suspect has been arrested, while one of the two accomplices has surrendered to the police.

Lan’s old band members in Kuchalana has a page of tribute to him: kuchalanas.blogspot.com

terima kasih to all the friends who have been getting in touch.

Yeap and the gang off on their 2nd Euro madness!

BTW, fellow Melbourne bands both featuring Pisschrist drummer Tim; ABC Weapons & Schifosi, are now broken-up. It is heard that Tim is migrating away from Australia.

Here’s the man who introduced punk rock to the Phillipines via his radioshow in the late 70s, he went on to inspire people like Tommy Tachango to form his band (Third World) Chaos and set-up Twisted Red Cross tape label introducing Betrayed, Phil Violators, Wuds, The Dead Ends etc. Howlin’ Dave also set up the Brave New World gigs, filling it up with Pinoy hardcore-punk bands that have become legendary in the Pinoy and also the whole Southeast Asian Punk history.

Younger scenesters of the punk persuasion may have forgotten the role played by this great man, but the legacy is all there for all who bothered to see. The Ricecooker would like to extend our utmost respect and gratitude to the Howler. Rest in Peace.

Howlin’ Dave was also credited with introducing Filipino radio listeners to punk rock and new wave music beginning in the late 1970s, through his program New Wave Nights. His choice to promote punk music was controversial among his fellow deejays and with his station, but his program developed a following, with spikey-haired teens soon showing up at the radio station, drinking gin and breaking bottles. Between 1980 to 1985, Howlin’ Dave would host the annual Brave New World punk concert, which he would close himself with his take on Sid Vicious’s version of My Way. - from Wikipedia

a comprehensive write-up about Dave:
The Last of the Singing Cowboys
by Eric S. Caruncho

Crux is yet another Australian band coming in to sample the sambal of Boleh-land during their Southeast Asian tour. Unlike Cut Sick though, the young band is more on the heavy, frantic & dark crust leaning (a bit like fellow Aussies Schifosi, sans the epic drama) and they are bloody good!

more info: myspace.com/cruxhc, and check out their itinerary for the shows all around the region below. These guys are going for a long haul, starting in Malaysia, and going through Philippines, Kalimantan (South Borneo for the uninitiated), Singapore & Java!

Before that, here’s a bit of a review for Crux’s debut 7″, now available at The Ricecooker Shop, written by Ken S for MRR:

Dark, throaty, female vocals growl over four tracks of blistering thrash that slows to build a brooding mood before turning back to a fast assault of up-tempo hardcore.

It’s refreshing to hear a band seemingly defining its own sound as opposed to “sounding like X,”and the lyrics have and introspective and thoughtful edge on otherwise staid punk topics. Cool.

-Ken Sanderson, MRR 296

9 copies are available at The Ricecooker Shop for RM15 each.

or if you’re reading from somewhere NOT Boleh-Land, the 7″ is available for $8 ppd from:

Another Day of Nothing Records, PO Box 22, Enmore, NSW 2042 Australia | email: anotherdayofnothing at yahoo dot com

read the rest of this entry

Tireless activist and friend of everyone, Toni Kassim died this morning, here’s a report by nunu:

Dear friends,

nunu

Women’s activist Toni Kasim dies
Malaysiakini | Jun 4, 08 10:47am

Well-known women’s activist Zaitun ‘Toni’ Kasim passed away this morning after suffering from a debilitating bout of duodenal cancer.

She died at 5am at her sister’s house at Taman Mesra, Batu Tiga, Shah Alam.

Zaitun, 41, had over the years advocated reform in laws that discriminated against women, and had held key positions in a number of women’s organisations.

more: here and here

More insights into the recent Daihila debacle.

Here’s what our good friend Steve Towson (from the Brisbane based band Steve Towson & The Conscripts) wrote to me via MySpace:

Just read the article on Daighlia and their following comments - some interesting comments and some hmm weird thoughts…

Steve

Another one of the primal rawk’n'roll originators bites the dust; up the punk, Bo!

Bo on Wiki

When we got back from Indonesia someone told us that Daighila’s Australian Tour was stopped-short from happening when the whole band was DEPORTED back to Malaysia! What an unfortunate incident. This had happened before with Spunky Funggy; the band was stopped at the airport in 2001.

Daighila was supposed to be there for 10 days, playing Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, Newcastle and Brisbane. Here’s what the band wrote on May 4th 2008 on their myspace blog:

“Dear friends…yes, we were sent back home from Melbourne by the Australian Immigration after being separated and interrogated for 6 hours and after being detained in their detention centre for another 24 hours. They ‘assumed’ that we came to find jobs and become illegal workers.

After all that had happened, whether it’s a case of discrimination, racism, or tyranny, we still believe in global DIY connection and friendship because no ones to blame but the discriminating system we are forced to submit to. Yet, we will never give up.”

- Daighila | myspace.com/daighila

There they go again!

more info: myprecious-sg.com

Hello good people,

Sorry if these pages have been rather stagnant. I’ve been sick since I got back from the Indon tour, nothing serious, just a long bout of heat-induced fever which was just starting to take hold when we played our last shows in and around Jakarta last Sunday.

Taking the train up from Yogya to Jakarta without air-conditioning killed me. That’s like eight hours of battling fatigue, interrupted sleep, red train dust and heat. Not to mention the fact that some smart kampung kid and his friends decided to stone the train halfway through the journey, and one big rock hit the side of my head.

Anyway, yesterday (Thursday, May 15th) I had a meeting with the Annexe’s management and crew about the shows booked at The Annexe. It appeared that a percussion group has taken over “the disko” where we have been doing our gigs. This means, there will no longer be any shows there. That is unless we get the new “owners” to work with us, but that would not happen just yet as we don’t even know who these people are!

There’s always the option of going back to doing shows at the gallery or the studio floors but such shows would need to be of very low numbers; i.e. around 150 pax and FREE entrance (as the management is wary about the permits needed).

The other option is to do shows right outside there at the main stage in the parking lot of Central Market. But then we’ll need to consider the higher cost of PA/Backline, security, etc. Not including the need for permits from the police and DBKL and all that bureaucracy bullshit.

Suffice to say that the honeymoon is over between the scene and the Annexe. It has been one and a half years, and now it’s time to find other venues. I would like to apologise to all the organisers affected by this change. I hope you guys and gals would find other venues in no time.

The Ricecooker Shop will be hugely affected by this but we’ll keep on keeping on. We’ll be there as long as we can hold the fort.

Cheers,

Joe