What projects are you currently involved in?
I’m currently spending most of my time and energy on my band, Airwaves on Fire. I’m also working on writing some more electronic-based music with EDM producers, and I'm co-producing a new Mando-indie rock project.
How do you juggle between work and music?
That’s a tough one. Work is definitely pretty demanding for me, but I’m pretty fortunate to have a bunch of awesome boys in the band who have a very similar work ethic and are committed to going the distance together. So I get them to do the heavy lifting while I just come along for the ride.
On that note, I don’t think work and music have to be necessarily mutually exclusive, even though I’m not in a ‘creative’ industry like audio, video, or design. I’ve met plenty of musicians who are now legit business contacts, and I gained a lot of new friends and supporters of my music through work.
What's the inspiration behind AOF's music?
We set out to write radio-friendly, almost-pop songs with catchy lyrics and melodies that people could relate to and scream along to. But we added a dash of our heavier influences. You can definitely hear a lot of Myspace hair and smoky eyeliner in our music.
Lyric-wise, there’s the usual boy-meets-girl themes (because that’s what makes the world go around) but I also try to include some social commentary. I try to inspire our listeners to open their eyes and never take the shit the world throws at you. Go out and ignite the sparks of the lights you want to see in your life.
I usually come up with a lyric hook first, which leads to a ‘mood board’ of chord progressions and overall lyrical theme of the song. I try to complete the first draft of the lyrics and melody on acoustic guitar or piano because I feel the key to a good song is to be able to still sound great even when you strip away all the layers of fancy arrangements. Then the best part is when the rest of the band comes in, throws all their ideas around, and it becomes a whole new beast.
Any plans for another EP or album?
We released our debut EP “A Little Spark of Riot!” about 2 years ago and we’ve been busy working on the follow up EP. We have a bunch of songs written, and we've been working closely with JD of Studio 21:05 and Pop Shuvit. He’s actually producing the entire EP. The first single “Ride or Die” featuring the lovely Kareema is already out on all major platforms, and if you check it out, you’ll see that we’ve gone back to our emo roots with heavier guitars and more screamo stuff. I’m actually pretty stoked for you guys to hear the whole EP in its entirety once it’s out!
What are your main musical influences?
I came of age musically in the late 90’s, early 2000’s. So that was the alt rock/nu metal explosion era. Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, Papa Roach, Yellowcard, MCR were just being played on the radio, and they were so much more relatable to me than BSB and Jay Chou (which was what everyone else in school was listening to at the time). From there, I worked backwards and discovered Green Day, Smashing Pumpkins, RHCP, Oasis and Nirvana.
Then I started going to local gigs and getting into Disagree, One Buck Short, Pop Shuvit, Bunkface, Lo, Naked Breed, and John’s Mistress. They’re still my heroes to this day. Thank you for paving the road!
Do you prefer performing solo, or in a band? Why?
Oh, band. All the way, man. I’ve always, always, always, wanted to be in a band. To be one of them filthy, greasy, smoky, delinquent band boys who would skip school to go jamming somewhere. Unfortunately, none of my friends would do that with me. So, I had to settle for going once a month when we could save up enough money left over after snooker and cybercafes. But those once-a-month sessions, those were magical. The first time we got a drummer competent enough to lock down a groove and play Californication, that was orgasmic.
Nowadays, I do play quite a bit of solo acoustic stuff, but I feel it’s really limiting in terms of stage presence and connecting with the audience. I’m the kind of guy who needs to get up in your face and make you feel something, and I can really only do that with my band backing me up.
How old were you when you first started singing?
I didn’t grow up in a very musical household, to be honest. My parents are the kind that would just listen to whatever that’s playing on the radio. Mom tried sending me to piano lessons when I was 7 but I got kicked out for disturbing the girls (didn’t need any classes to discover THAT talent). Took a few more years but was introduced to the guitar in high school by a cool cousin and kinda never looked back.
Like Kurt Cobain, I never really wanted to be the singer/frontman, I just wanted to be the song-writing, backup-singing, chord-slinging rhythm guitarist, and that’s where I started out in my earlier bands. Unfortunately, I could never meet a vocalist with the same creative vision and direction. So, around 10 years ago, that’s when I said, “Screw it, Imma just do everything myself” and started taking on lead vocals for my own songs.
What are your weapons of choice?
I write exclusively with my Ibanez AEG acoustic guitar, which was a gift from my mom for my 21st birthday. Now, my mom is the ultimate Asian parent: no booty, no booze, no satanic rock music. I was allowed to get were books. So it was really a big deal when she caved in and was like, “Take my card and go to Bentley.” I’m gonna hold on to that baby till it falls apart.
Onstage, I use my Audix OM-2 along with my trusty Jalan Pasar megaphone with an awesome paint job from Dirt Army at Gasket Alley – you gotta check them out for custom paint jobs if you haven’t already. I don’t play the guitar as much as I would like to nowadays, but I’m a Les Paul guy all the way. I’ve got 2 Epiphone Juniors with P90s (one of which I broke during the shooting of our last music video), a white Epiphone Les Paul Custom, an Epiphone SG, and a beautiful Dave Navarro custom acoustic named Jade for the unplugged sets.
An honourable mention would be my Ultimate Support brass knuckles mic stand which contributes absolutely nothing towards my tone, but looks badass as hell. Fun fact: this current stand is a gift from the band and some beautiful people after my original one got stolen. So if you see one of these on the market, don’t buy it, or someone up there’ll kill a kitten.
I’m gonna step out of the performing/recording box a bit for this one. I’d say if I had a chance to understudy someone, it would definitely be Gerard Way. He just has this crazy vision that’s so far ahead of everyone else, like that man knows the art of making art.
Also, the way he manages and leads his band members considering the fact that he’s a pint-sized dude and they are more technically proficient than he is. All without any egos getting in the way, that’s tough man. The band leaders are usually the loudest, biggest, baddest. But not here. He doesn’t have to be the alpha male to be the leader of his pack. Not to mention his charisma and live energy. So yeah I’d definitely understudy the heck out of him.
What are the challenges in getting your music out?
There’s no organic crowd. The same group of attendees and supporters at every local show. Nobody pays for music anymore. It’s too hard to sustain the creation of new music. And this year has definitely not been the best year across all industries.
But, I suppose Airwaves is rolling with the punches. Creating engaging content and playing live shows anywhere, anytime – these are the channels that get your name, your music, and your message out there. We’re leveraging on that to the maximum: building a community of believers, and working our ass off to be relevant.
The key is also to make people comfortable within the scene. If you really want to expand it and tap into the larger market. Lots of non-musicians are actually intimidated or turned off by the indie scene because “I don’t know anyone there” or “The venue so hot”. They'd rather go to a mall, the movies, or to a club. We need to make it cool again to go check out local music on a Friday night instead of always asking for ‘support’.
What's your message to young aspiring musicians, singers, songwriters?
Find your voice. Be genuine. Wear your heart out on your sleeve and if it gets torn to pieces, that’s just more gasoline for your creative spark.
Write. Write. Then write some more. There will always be people who see the beauty in your chaos, and you’ll only find them once you open yourself up to the world.
Never ever give up. Stay gold.
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