The parade of foreign artists comin

The parade of foreign artists coming to perform here in Manila continues, with big-name stars topbilling shows almost every week. What we don’t get a lot of, it seems, are artists from elsewhere in Southeast Asia. This was thankfully remedied with a visit from a delightful indie folk act called Stars and Rabbit from Indonesia just this past weekend.

Indonesian indie folk act Stars and Rabbit
The band is composed of guitarist and percussionist Adi Widodo and vocalist and main songwriter Elda Suryani. I can’t remember the last time a musical artist from Indonesia came to visit the Philippines, outside, perhaps, of Anggun some years ago. We have local indie stalwart Clem Castro, aka Clementine, aka Dragonfly Collector, to thank for making this happen.

According to Clem, Stars and Rabbit’s management contacted him through his indie label Lilystars Records about possibly distributing the duo’s self-titled debut album here in the country. The negotiations eventually evolved into a live performance as part of the band’s Asian tour, which happened last Sunday night in local alternative music hangout Saguijo.

“We just came from playing in China, in Guangzhou,” Elda told me inside the venue a couple of hours before they went onstage. “I can’t believe we’re here in Manila!” While her partner Adi was laidback and a bit shy, Elda was animated and gregarious as she talked about how the band was formed and their musical influences.

“Adi used to play in a band with my ex-boyfriend,” she said. “Back then I knew [Adi] and I would be working together on our own project.” Elda is a big fan of 90s alt-rock chicks like Alanis Morrisette, Sheryl Crow and Jewel. “Now I like listening to artists like Sia and Imogen Heap.” She points to Adi. “He’s a big fan of Coldplay.”

Results (Indonesian) 1:

The parade of foreign artists coming to perform here in Manila continues, with big-name stars topbilling shows almost every week. What we don’t get a lot of, it seems, are artists from elsewhere in Southeast Asia. This was thankfully remedied with a visit from a delightful indie folk act called Stars and Rabbit from Indonesia just this past weekend.Indonesian indie folk act Stars and RabbitThe band is composed of guitarist and percussionist Adi Widodo and vocalist and main songwriter Elda Suryani. I can’t remember the last time a musical artist from Indonesia came to visit the Philippines, outside, perhaps, of Anggun some years ago. We have local indie stalwart Clem Castro, aka Clementine, aka Dragonfly Collector, to thank for making this happen.According to Clem, Stars and Rabbit’s management contacted him through his indie label Lilystars Records about possibly distributing the duo’s self-titled debut album here in the country. The negotiations eventually evolved into a live performance as part of the band’s Asian tour, which happened last Sunday night in local alternative music hangout Saguijo.“We just came from playing in China, in Guangzhou,” Elda told me inside the venue a couple of hours before they went onstage. “I can’t believe we’re here in Manila!” While her partner Adi was laidback and a bit shy, Elda was animated and gregarious as she talked about how the band was formed and their musical influences."Adi digunakan untuk bermain dalam sebuah band dengan mantan pacar saya," katanya. "Kembali lalu aku tahu [Adi] dan saya akan bekerja bersama-sama pada proyek kita sendiri." Elda adalah penggemar besar dari 90-an alt-rock ayam seperti Alanis Morrisette, Sheryl Crow, dan permata. "Sekarang aku seperti mendengarkan artis seperti Sia dan Imogen Heap." Dia menunjuk ke Adi. "Ia adalah penggemar besar dari Coldplay."

Results (Indonesian) 2:

Parade artis asing yang datang untuk melakukan di sini di Manila terus, dengan bintang besar-nama topbilling menunjukkan hampir setiap minggu. Apa yang kita tidak mendapatkan banyak, tampaknya, adalah seniman dari tempat lain di Asia Tenggara. Ini untungnya diperbaiki dengan kunjungan dari tindakan rakyat indie menyenangkan disebut Bintang dan kelinci dari Indonesia hanya pekan terakhir ini. indie Bintang tindakan rakyat Indonesia dan Kelinci Band ini terdiri dari gitaris dan perkusi Adi Widodo dan vokalis dan penulis lagu utama Elda Suryani. Saya tidak ingat kapan terakhir kali seorang seniman musik dari Indonesia datang mengunjungi Filipina, di luar, mungkin, dari Anggun beberapa tahun yang lalu. Kami memiliki pendukung indie lokal Clem Castro, alias Clementine, alias Dragonfly Kolektor, terima kasih untuk membuat ini terjadi. Menurut Clem, Bintang dan manajemen Rabbit menghubunginya melalui label indie-nya Lilystars Rekor tentang kemungkinan mendistribusikan self-titled album debut duo di sini di negara. Negosiasi akhirnya berkembang menjadi pertunjukan sebagai bagian dari tur Asia band, yang terjadi Minggu malam di tempat nongkrong musik alternatif lokal Saguijo. "Kami hanya datang dari bermain di Cina, di Guangzhou," kata Elda saya di dalam tempat beberapa jam sebelum mereka pergi di atas panggung. "Aku tidak percaya kita di sini di Manila!" Sementara pasangannya Adi itu enak dan sedikit pemalu, Elda animasi dan suka berteman saat dia berbicara tentang bagaimana band ini dibentuk dan pengaruh musik mereka. "Adi digunakan untuk bermain di band dengan mantan pacar, "katanya. "Saat itu saya tahu [Adi] dan saya akan bekerja sama dalam proyek kita sendiri." Elda adalah penggemar besar dari 90-an anak ayam alt-rock seperti Alanis Morrisette, Sheryl Crow and Jewel. "Sekarang saya ingin mendengarkan artis seperti Sia dan Imogen Heap." Dia menunjuk ke Adi. "Dia penggemar Coldplay."