Superman is Dead (SID), punk rock pioneers of Bali, were born and bred in Kuta Rock City. The band is three chord attitude-heavy young men, by name : Bobby Kool (lead vocal, guitar, a dog lover and a graphic designer) , Eka Rock (low ridin’ family man, beer drinker, laid back bass and backing vocal and a warm smilin’ Rock ‘N Roll bandman, IT warior), Jrx (low ridin’ beer drinking Rock ‘N Roll prince charming, drummer and a hairwax junkie, Bar owner) The name ‘Superman is Dead’ started its’ evolution from Stone Temple Pilot’s “Superman Silvergun”. The name moved on to “Superman is Dead” cause they like the idea that there’s no such thing as a perfect person out there. SID actually stumbled together in ’95, drawn by their common love of Green Day and NOFX. Their influences soon extended to the punk ‘n roll genre a la Supersuckers, Living End and Social Distortion, and here they stay. They say what they wanna say, how they wanna say it. In your face, to say it precisely.
SID public image, self described, is “Punk Rock a Bali” (think raw energy of NOFX vs Social Distortion supersonically fueled with beer-soaked Balinese Rockabilly attitude). History? SID produced their first three albums independently (the boys worked years of crappy night jobs), with fabulous, small scale indie labels 1997 “Case 15″, 1999 “Superman is Dead”, 2002 “Bad Bad Bad”(mini album, 6 tracks).
In March 2003, SID finally signed with Sony-BMG Indonesia after extended negotiations regarding their right to sing the majority of their tracks in English and have full artistic rights over their ‘image’!! With that decision they single handedly became the first band from Bali to be invited to sign with a major recording label in Indonesia, the first band in their nation to be recording majority of songs in English and the first punk band in Indonesia to get the national exposure and promotion that working with a major label in a third world country provides. And so the history of Indonesian Punk Rock begins!
Wednesday, 28 April
6:30 p.m. – Korean Studies Auditorium
Viet Nam, 2002 (107 min)
Vietnamese with English subtitles
Director: Viet Linh
Cast: Duong Don, Dung Nhi, Trang Minh, Thuy Nga
Early 20th century, northern Viet Nam. Nguyen (Dung Nhi), a westernised nobleman and landowner, befriends Tam (Duong Don), a “dan day” (three-stringed instrument) player after the latter is accused of murder. Nguyen hides him in his estate, making him a supervisor and a confident, but in doing so, Tam is forced to leave his lover, the singer To (Thuy Nga). A life-changing event forces Master Nguyen to turn his back on everything modern, burning his own Western furniture and clothes, and forcing his villagers to destroy their few modern possessions, including tools, books and toys. Tam, seeing the land sliding into misery and his master retreating into madness, tries to help him and his people.
Mê Thao is interesting for what it tells us about Vietnamese culture and Vietnam’s perception of itself. There are many themes in this movie: the conflict between modernity and tradition; the complexity, rigidity, and violence of traditional class relations; the ambiguous role of the colonists (both seen as oppressors and as liberators); and a repressed sexuality.
There are many impressive scenes in this movie including a stunning visual where dozens of giant lanterns are lit and set free in the night sky, a tradition re-invented for the movie by the superb director Viet Linh (The Traveling Circus). Also remarkable is the “cat tru” chamber music, a thousand-year old art that plays a decisive role in the film, and sounds like a Vietnamese version of the Blues, as harsh, plaintive and moving as its American counterpart. -Gilles Tran
CSEAS is proud to announce our newest weekly feature–a song of the week! Using technology from Grooveshare, CSEAS will bring you a new Southeast Asian inspired tune each week. This song may be accessed from the main page of our site or through the post describing the song. We hope you enjoy this new aspect of our weekly programs and look forward to your comments/suggestions/etc. The first song of the week is noted below:
Dengue Fever is Chhom Nimol – who sang regularly for the King and Queen of Cambodia – Ethan Holtzman (keyboards), Zac Holtzman (guitar), David Ralicke (horns), Senon Williams (bass) and Paul Smith (drums). The band’s music has been featured in a number of film and television shows including CITY OF GHOSTS, MUST LOVE DOGS, BROKEN FLOWERS, HBO’s hit series TRUE BLOOD and twice on Showtime’s, WEEDS. They have released three albums, Dengue Fever, Escape From Dragon House, Venus On Earth and released their DVD/CD soundtrack to the documentary Sleepwalking Through The Mekong on April 14, 2009.
The band’s eponymous debut was mostly covers of Cambodian classics. Their second album, Escape From Dragon House, written almost entirely by the band, was more psychedelic, freer, looser and more experimental than the debut. Their next release, 2008′s Venus on Earth, consisted entirely of original material, with several songs performed in English, furthering the band’s overall goal to fuse American and Cambodian styles. In 2009, the band earned kudos for the DVD/CD soundtrack release of the documentary film Sleepwalking Through The Mekong, which chronicled their 2005 trip to Nimol’s homeland during the water festival. They also wrote and performed in front of live audiences a commissioned soundtrack for the 1925 silent film classic The Lost World.
Earlier this year, the band curated a collection of classic Cambodian rock songs from the pre-Khmer Rouge era called Dengue Fever Presents: Electric Cambodia. (exert taken from the band’s MySpace page)
Wednesday, 21 April
6:30 p.m. – Korean Studies Auditorium
Philippines 2005 (107 min)
Tagalog with English subtitles
Dir: Emmanuel dela Cruz
Cast: Jacklyn Jose, Angelo Ilagan, Al Cris Galura, Miguel Guno, Pierro Rodriguez
Music: Jessie Lasaten
Emmanuel dela Cruz’s first feature film Sarong Banggi derives its title from a Bicolano folk song that one of the characters used to sing to her baby as a lullaby. It’s a melancholic song that sets the mood of the film employing different variations in tempo and rhythm.
Melba (Jacklyn Jose) is an aging prostitute who is hired by a group of friends for Nyoy (Angelo Ilagan), the group’s birthday boy and only virgin. When they discover that Melba isn’t actually the mid-twenties hottie she described herself to be, they diss her and head out to the nearest bar to catch younger girls for the birthday boy. Nyoy who seems to have something more in his mind, wanders from the bar and back to Melba. Melba and Nyoy develop a bond that we later discover, is something more than friendship. From the makers of Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros, Sarong Banggi earned Official Selection status at ImaginAsian (NYC) and CineAsia (Barcelona), and won Jaclyn Jose the 2006 Urian for Best Actress. –Francis Cruz
Friday, April 23 at 12:00 pm in the Center for Korean Studies Presented by Anusorn Unno, Ph.D Student – University of Washington; featuring Marcus Ferrara, Dr. Ehito Kimura and Dr. Ben Kerkvliet
The Red Shirts’ uprising which emerged right after the 2006 military coup and has intensified over the past four weeks represents significant changes in Thailand’s political landscapes. Streets in Bangkok which were used either by “the student movement” in the early and mid 1970s or by “the cell-phone mobs” in 1992 or by “the Yellow-Shirt Alliance” in 2004-2006, are now occupied by ordinary people from and of the upcountry in their attempt to express their political grievances and concerns. It is also the first time in Thai history that a Prime Minister has been brought to the negotiation table with protest leaders in a television live broadcast, and also the first time that such an uprising has forced the military back to the barracks. Several academic attempts have been made to make sense of these changes. The Red Shirts’ uprising, some argue, shows that the paradigm of an urban/rural divide (which implies that “rural” elects the government but “urban” overthrows it), is no longer tenable. Others maintain that the ruling elite conspiracy theory has also been discounted. In addition, the idea that there is a “class war” has also been debated and critiqued. The panel will discuss a crucial moment in Thailand’s political history and examine it through the perspectives of both Thai and international observers.
Interested in the publications we post in our weekly announcements? Â Now, you can access all of these publications on our Goodreads profile at http://www.goodreads.com/uhcseas.
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Yuya Yagira, Cannes Best Actor, 2004.
Originally uploaded by yasmin the storyteller.
Jangan lupa dan jangan lambat, tuan-tuan dan puan-puan, cewek-cewek dan cowok-cowok, chaps and chapesses, ladies and gentlemen.
See you all tonight, inshaallah, at the screening of ‘Nobody Knows’ (Daremo Shiranai), Yasmin Ahmad’s pick of the best film of 2004 by far, from anywhere around the world.
Wednesday, 14 April
6:30 p.m. – Korean Studies Auditorium
Indonesia, 2009 (103 min)
Indonesian w/English subtitles
Dir: Ari Sihasale
Photography: Yudi Datau
Cast: Rangga Raditya, Lucky Martin, Mamiek Prakoso
Music: Ipang & Ridho Hafiedz
KING depicts the struggle of a poor village boy Guntur (played by newcomer Rangga Raditya) aided by his trusty sidekick Rada (Lucky Martin) trying to fulfill his father’s (Mamiek Prakoso) rigorous physical training program for him to become a badminton champ. His longtime idol is the legendary Indonesian badminton player Liem Swie King, from which the film takes its title. The story, written by actor/producer Ari Sihasale (Denias: Senandung di Atas Awan) making his directorial debut, serves as a nice reminder of the nation’s former glory in the racquet sport. Young and old alike will be mesmerized by the idyllic, postcard-like scenes shot beautifully by director of photography, Yudi Datau (Denias: Senandung di Atas Awan). The film captures the majestic grandeur of the mountains, hills and green fields of stunning Central Java. Look for Indonesia’s badminton greats making cameo appearances, including the legendary Lim Swie King, Hariyanto Arbi, and Ivana Lie. -Nauval Yazid, Jakarta Post
Waves lap up on a deserted beach, the sound of the surf booms in high fidelity. The effect is mesmerizing, sleep-inducing even. An effort must be made to not drift off, because there is a movie to watch. This romantic drama is set in Takua Pa, ground zero for the cataclysmic tsunami of 2004 that claimed thousands of lives in the beach front resort. In Wonderful Town, Na (Anchalee Saisoontorn) works at a rundown but well-scrubbed hotel that doesn’t see many guests these days until the arrival of Ton (Supphasit Kansen), a handsome young architect overseeing a beachfront development. Na and Ton play their parts — she, the curious, reticent housekeeper; he, the shy, grateful guest — but another game is afoot, slipping around the edges of their customary roles. The faintest blush, a lingering look, a gift of oranges from the market, a conversation that goes on a little longer than normal. They’re falling, ever so softly, in love in this carefully calculated, quiet drama with nuanced performances by the lead actors, beautiful cinematography by Umpornpol Yugala and a haunting, awe-inspiring score by Zai Kuning and Koichi Shimizu. Watching the drama unfold feels real, like you are there. Yet it’s also dreamy, with a lyrical, surreal ending. Winner of the New Currents Award (Pusan International Film Festival) and the Tiger Award (International Film Festival Rotterdam) -Thanks to Wise Kwai @ thaifilmjournal.blogspot.com and Nathan Lee, NY Times
Doris Duke Theatre, Honolulu Academy of Art, Honolulu, HI, USA
$25; $20 Academy members; $10 students with ID
April 16 & 17 at 8 p.m.
April 18 at 4 p.m.
Honolulu’s diverse dance communities are integrated in this innovative program showcasing professional and semi-professional dancers, who will perform either in pairs or in concert with a musician. The program includes the premiere of a new contemporary ballet piece Minou Lallemand choreographed for Duets; Japanese dance set by Gertrude Tsutsumi; Korean dance by Halla Huhm student Mary Jo Freshley; Balinese dance by Desiree A. Seguritan, and a special appearance by Los Angeles-based Simeon Den, back in town to perform a poignant modern-dance duet about mortality. Three sets of three duets (no longer than five minutes each) will be performed, with two brief intermissions.
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