If you were a follower of Singaporean alternative rock music in the Nineties, the name Concave Scream would sound familiar to you. In fact, they led the pack with their emotionally charged tunes along with luminaries such as Livonia and Force Vomit.
After the release of their third album, Three, the band seemed to have disappeared from the gigging scene. Playing sporadic gigs, Sean Lam (vocals/guitars), Pann (guitars/vocals) and Dean Aziz (drums) kept a low profile since the turn of the century. Aging Youth speaks to the trio (bassist Victor Low has left the group) and find out how Concave Scream is doing, why they are keeping such a low profile and their plans for the future.
The band line-up has constantly evolved throughout the years. The only thing constant would be both Sean and Pann in the band. You guys seem to work very well together.
Pann : In fact, all of us work very well together. That is because to me, playing in a band is all about brotherhood and making music comes later as a bonus.
Sean : Yah, I mean our friendship was there before the band. And that goes for every one of us, Dean and Victor included.
Your last bassist is Victor Low who is currently playing in the Observatory. Who did you invite to stand in when Concave Scream opened for the Observatory at their album launch?
Pann : Victor stood in for us at the gig.
Sean : Yup, that was also our last gig together.
With the exception of opening for the Observatory launch, the last time Concave Scream played was during Baybeats 2002. Why the inactivity?
Pann : It's a very long story. But I think, to sum it up, it's all about changes in life when I hit the 30s.
Sean : Yup, you probably heard this one before. Work and family commitments. Up till now, we’re still struggling to juggle all these and somehow get the music going again.
It's been 5 years since the release of Three. Are you guys planning to do a follow-up, not just any time soon or rather at all?
Pann : I will always love to do a follow up, but (there’s) no set dates in mind.
Sean : Yeah, definitely, and we'll probably call it "The Best Of..." :) -
There were rumours that Concave Scream and Humpback Oak had teamed up to do an E.P. What happened to that project? It's really interesting to note how Concave Scream evolved from playing acoustic-based tunes to its U2/ New Model Army influenced style to the 1999 shoegazer format. One thing that struck me was that there wasn't any acoustic ballads on Three. How did that change come about ?
Pann: People don’t get sentimental anymore when they hit the 30s. No lah. I didn't realise there's no acoustic ballads. Thanks for pointing it out.
Sean : The funny thing is we never planned for a change but somehow the music just evolved as we progressed as a band. I’m not sure how it came about. But I'm sure it has got something to do with 'the feel' at the particular point in time... not sure if I make any sense...
I love the vocal harmonies on your tunes. It creates a mini-choir effect which I feel is a signature Concave Scream sound. How do you guys craft such amazing harmonies?
Pann : I guess it's an instinctive way of harmonizing; we never really 'craft' them. It just felt that was the way to execute the melody of the song.
During your recording sessions, are there more than two sets of vocals recorded? Do you guys lay down more vocal tracks than you can replicate live?
Pann : Sometimes.
Who comes in with the song in the studio? Or is songwriting usually a collaborative effort?
Pann : On a song to song basis, some were written at home, some were written in the studio but the whole band eventually chip in to finish the song.
I understand from previous Concave Scream interviews that you guys love the simplicity of having just one word as a song title. Were there any songs that had more than 3 words? Would it kill you guys to have song titles more than 3 words?
Pann : I don't think the one word thing is cast in stone. It's just a preference...
What sort of influences were you guys absorbing circa 1999 while recording Three which happens to be my favourite Concave Scream album?
Pann : Paradise Lost, At The Gates, Garbage, New Model Army, New Order.
Dean : The Verve, Radiohead, Led Zepplin, Pink Floyd, The Doors, Budgie, the early Iron Maiden, Jane’s Addiction, The Fire Theft, Charlie and The Door Knobs.
Sean : Radiohead, Marion, Embrace, Air, Bjork, Mansun, The Divine Comedy.
I love how Three starts and ends with Dean hammering away at the hi-hat. I’ve always had this nagging feeling that “Three” is a concept album. Have I hit the nail on the head? Or am I just overtly sensitive?
Pann : I am not sure whether 'a concept album' is how we should classify it as such but I feel it was an album where it was thought out and planned before we recorded it. Hence maybe you feel it was conceptual.
I missed your last gig. Would the current Concave Scream sound be similar to that in 1999?
Pann : The songs will still have hints of Concave Scream but there should be some difference in style.
Sean : We would probably never sound the same ever, but then again, we sounded different in all our previous albums. ; ). As Pann has mentioned, there should be hints of us in the new direction... whatever that is going to be. : )
How did Dean get roped into Concave Scream back in 1998? Pann : We just called him to discuss about a possible collaboration. We had a few sessions and that was it.
Among Dean’s ex-Padres colleagues, you seemed to be the most low-key. Evan Tan is with the Observatory, Nigel Hogan is fronting IF now while Joe Ng is scoring "The Durian King". Why so?
Pann : I guess being low key is just a Dean thang. If things come, they come.
One thing which always fascinates me about you guys is the hair. In the current band scene, Amanda Ling of Electrico and Linda Ong of Lunarin have the best hair in the business. But they are both girls. Naturally, vanity is their prerogative. How did you guys maintain those shiny, luscious locks back in the good ol' days of the Nineties?
Pann : Eat more sashimi and take Omega 3 supplements.
Sean : Also, never wash your hair, so it gets all oily and shiny… Kakaka
I had long hair back in my student days. But it's always stringy. What type of shampoo and conditioner were you guys using?
Pann : Salmon belly, tuna belly, yellowtail, akagai, mekajiki....
Sean : Like I said... never wash your hair...
Have your parents ever asked you to cut your hair, Pann ?
Pann : My parent's hair even longer than mine; I always ask them to cut theirs. ka ka ka.
The Workmen’s Tools
Aging Youth asks the band to share their thoughts on their gear.
Sean
You play a Rickenbacker. What model would that be? Why the attachment to one?
Sean : It's a jet black 370/12 (looks like a 360 but has an additional 3 rd pick-up). It's the perfect rhythm tool for me as the 12 strings and the semi-hollow body give a rich distinctively 'Ric' sound plus the fact that it looks the works with the bling bling tailpiece. :)
How do you run your signal chain?
Sean : To be honest, I can't remember all that well, but my gadgets are Boss digital delay, flanger, reverb, super chorus, EQ, noise sup and tremolo.
What’s your preferred choice of amplification?
Sean : I don't really have a fave. We used Marshall stacks for recording but Roland tubes had never disappointed us on our live sets.
How do you like your string gauge and picks?
Sean : I use the factory medium-gauge 12 strings from Rickenbacker. And medium picks to take the abuse from the strings.
Pann
You play an Ibanez Iceman. Why the choice of such a guitar? The Iceman looks weird ass but cold. The dude from System Of A Down uses one if I’m not wrong.
Pann : I just love the shape of the guitar although it is quite cumbersome to play it. The balance of the guitar is weird as it is both head and neck heavy.
In the Erratic era where there were parts with high gain, the Iceman would hold out well. How does it do when you are delivering trippy and spaced out ambient lines on “Three”?
Pann : I guess it worked well for ambient stuff as well. The Iceman was used for the whole recording of Three.
How do you run your signal chain?
Pann : My signal chain is not fixed, but my favourites are pedals from Boss. That includes: Metal Zone, Digital delay 3, Chorus, EQ and Noise suppressor.
What’s your preferred choice of amplification?
Pann : Frankly I do not have much preference but Marshall amps usually screws up my sound during live performances whereas Roland ones give me the sound I like.
How do you like your string gauge and picks?
Pann : I use point 9 Daddario strings and use Jim Dunlop 0.96mm picks.
Dean
How’s your typical set-up like?
Dean : I go with the conventional setup- a snare, 2 toms, a floor tom, 2 crashes, a ride and a hi- hat.
What pedals and cymbals do you like to use?
Dean : For pedals, I started out owning a pair of Tama's Iron Cobra double pedals. I preferred lighter pedals back then because of an injury I sustained on my left leg years ago. But once the broken leg got mended, I switched to DWs. It's just one of those things u see in a mag and dream of buying one day - and so I did. Zijdian and Sabian cymbals are good and always reliable when it comes to achieving the various sounds that you want... but you know what? I don't own any. :)
What’s your preference for sticks?
Dean : Tama, Ayote and Regal. Some of these guys are light while others are heavier, depending on the kind of feel I'm looking for in the song. |
