Soldier Of Sound: Julio Singho

Interview with Julio Singho, multi-instrumentalist, pre-school teacher and radio DJ at TraXX FM. He plays bass for the band Blister, and sessions for several other bands as well.

What projects are you currently involved in? 

I'm working on my very own "casual" interview show. I've interviewed a bunch of great people in the local music scene and I'm just finalising the design for it. Besides that, I'm finally back in the studio with Blister for our extremely long-awaited album. Yes, I know many have been talking about it for years. But there are various reasons why. We'll get to that later. *smiles*

How do you juggle between work and music? 

It's not easy. Balancing my time between a day job as a pre-school teacher, a part-time radio DJ and a musician can drain me mentally, physically and emotionally. There are some nights where I only get 3 to 4 hours of sleep but once the task is done, it's the best feeling ever!

Once I'm done with my day job, I dive straight into my music work. My only off day is Sunday. *laughs* It's really all about balancing and segregating my time between music and a 9-to-5 job.  

What's the inspiration behind Blister's music? 

Life. Lyrically, we don't filter the reality of the society that we live in. If we're pissed off about something, we write about it. If life is good, we write about how amazing life is. In terms of the music and melodies, we're inspired by everything around us. We don't limit ourselves in listening to other genres. Yes, our core is rock-n-roll but we actually really love r&b and jazz. *laughs* We're inspired by sounds as well. Like Little Richard when he heard the sound of the train chugging near where he lived. That's where the beat of rock-n-roll came from. 

How's the writing process like for Blister? 

Ah...this question. Well, the thing about Blister is, we are a bit of an OCD band. I wouldn't say we are perfectionists, but we go into very detailed stuff when we write. Back in the day when we first started, it was the basic 4/4 timing and blues-rock chords or riffs, which is really fucking cool but as time went by, just like many musicians, we evolve. Our mindsets change and that contributes to the way we write. We don't limit ourselves anymore. 

If our drummer, Zach, were to come up with a really cool groovy beat, we'd go, "Hey, do that again!" and each of us would bounce off ideas to make it into a "new" Blister sound. Or, I would come up with a full song that I wrote at home and I think it's really great but then when I go into the studio and the other guys would go, "Hey, why don't we add in this part? Or cut that part and put this in instead? "and I would go "Holy shit! Why didn't I think of that?!".

Ramon, our lead guitarist, who is in Australia right now is sending over tons of amazing riffs and chord progressions that is, to me, unlike anything I've ever heard of. The way he's writing these days is really different. It must be the weather there. *laughs* 

Kayvin has been a great addition to the band. His riffs are great and he's a really tight guitar player as well. That boy can come up with riffs on the spot which we really love. He adds that extra punch in the band that we didn't know we needed.

Our vocalists, Mario and Darian, are on another plane. They think deeply about what to write because they feel it the most. They add to the theme of the songs with words that complement what they feel. They've even started writing songs on the guitar these days. Hooray for us instrumentalists. *laughs* And man, their chords are really weird and unorthodox but we love it! 

We're constantly evolving, changing and growing as rock enthusiasts. That is why this album has been taking an extremely long time because there was always something missing, y'know?  We don't want to release an album that's half-arsed and then after it's released, we'd go, "Aw man! We could have added this or that!". But knowing us, after this release, we'd still do that. *laughs* But I guess we'd improvise in our live shows then. We knew we could do better but now in this first album, we have the core of each song which feels right, right now. It feels right as the "introduction" of Blister. We've joked about how this album has taken longer than Guns n Roses' "Chinese Democracy" and Tool's latest album. *laughs*

When is the album coming out?

Mid 2020. But we have more than 50 songs, which will be out in the next few albums maybe. But we'll see how this first album goes.

What are your main musical influences?

Rock-n-roll from the '50s and '60s. But as time went by we evolved.  We are listening to different stuff these days. Stuff from back then as well as rock and other music of today. We are influenced by a lot these days. Basically, we are sponges of rock. Ba dum tss.

What was the first song that you learnt on guitar and bass? 

"Fall To Pieces" by Velvet Revolver. There's a story I tell everyone who asks me this. When I was about 12, I was into hip hop. I had just picked up the guitar and learned a few chords. My oldest brother, Ramon, who is my bandmate and guitar teacher, came into my room one night and said, "I want you to learn 'Fall to Pieces' by Velvet Revolver in half an hour and if you don't do it, I will break this fucking guitar over your head!" I was scared shitless! He is 7 years older and he was much bigger than I was and he was the strict brother at that time. So I nervously learned that damn song. He came back exactly half an hour later and just said, "Play". And I did. When I was done, he just said, "Okay" and went to bed. I was like, "What the fuck just happened?". Three years later, that same guy asked me to join the band.

I can't quite remember the first song I learnt on the bass, but the first song I jammed with Blister when I was 15 was  Gavin Degraw's "I Don't Wanna Be". I remember entering the studio and I was nervous because I was already a huge fan of Blister. The guitar riff came in and the snare hit off to signal the bass to come in and I knew from then on I had found my purpose in this world. And it is to play with these great guys. After we were done with that song Zach was laughing behind his drum kit because he couldn't believe that Ramon's and Mario's kid brother could actually play the bass.

What are your weapons of choice?  

It would always be the bass, man. Fender to be precise. My main weapon is my white American Fender Jazz with passive pickups. I've tried effects, but at the end of it, it's the tone of this Fender which makes my nuts vibrate. I bought this Fender bass from a good friend of mine, Aftaz, who sold it pretty cheap. Being a huge fan of Flea of RHCP, Aftaz understood what sort of player I am. He recommended that I should get it. I bought it and it was the best decision I've ever made. Even till this day, whenever he watches me perform, he'd say that he regrets selling me the bass because of its awesom tone! What I usually do is, I'll cut the mids to zero, push the gain up to somewhere between 80 and 100 per cent, with the highs usually on maximum. I don't know if it's right or wrong, but it gives me that exact tone that I wanna hear. Sounds like thunder to me. That rumbling full tone. Not loud, but full. 

My second weapon would be the acoustic guitar. I really love how Jimmy Page strums his chords and I am heavily influenced by Pagey in terms of acoustic guitar playing. He's so cool. Third would be the mandolin.

If you had a chance to either perform or record with one of your idols, who would it be? 

If Elvis was alive, it would be him. If John Bonham was alive I'd wanna record with Led Zeppelin. I don't care if John Paul Jones was there playing bass too. I just wanna record or play with them. I'd also wanna play or record with Michael Buble, Charlie Puth because of the cool bass lines in his songs and Ariana Grande because I have a massive crush on her. *laughs* 

What's your message to young aspiring musicians?

Just do it! Musicians are music magicians. Don't ever limit yourself. Write songs. Get up on that stage. You've only been given one life. Utilise it fully! Remember, not everyone is blessed by God to have musical talent. If you have it, there is a bigger reason that you are chosen to have this gift. Don't waste it. Use your power. Be humble and grateful because no one likes an arrogant musician. And practise your craft! Even if it's for 15 minutes in a day, just practise. The more you grow as an artist, the more you'd feel good about yourself, okay? 

Fill the world with your music. And never hesitate to come to me to have your songs played on air. I support Malaysian music to the core. We have to support each other in order for the fans to support us. Malaysian music is wonderful and we can push it globally. Always believe!