BARRICADE

WEBSITE: www.myspace.com/barricadesound
COUNTRY: Singapore STYLE: Progressive / Alternative / Rock

BARRICADE IS STILL A “YOUNG” BAND ONLY STARTING OUT IN OCTOBER 2008, HOW MUCH DID THE EXPERIENCE OF PLAYING IN OTHER BANDS HELP YOU TO GET THE BAND GOING?

Yeah. The experience is a lot and useful though. Before barricade was formed, we played gigs with each of our own previous individual bands. Like hell yeah, it gave us 1st blood in knowing the performing experience.

HOW MUCH DOES THE MUSIC YOU ARE MAKING WITH BARRICADE DIFFER FROM WHAT YOU HAVE PLAYED BEFORE?

We decided to mix it all up to one fine sound. From what each of us had played before, we decided to produce the core of our mixed genre in Barricade’s music. It doesn’t differ that much though, cause we have our main influence and all of it would be quite some of a similarity. Jyeah Jyeah!

DO YOU LIKE TO WRITE MUSIC THAT HAS A CERTAIN MOOD OR ATMOSPHERE?

It depends, sometimes randomness helps a lot. We would tend to write music after digging good music from the big bands and aim to write better then them. Sometimes the mood or atmosphere that we produce in our song-writing would be somehow of a soaring feeling and we let the audience define our songs in a different meaning as how they look upon it. Lol!

I WOULD LIKE TO TWIST MY PREVIOUS QUESTION A BIT… DO YOU FIND THAT YOU WRITE BETTER SONGS IF YOU ARE HAPPY OR ANGRY ABOUT SOMETHING?

Yeah. Letting out your emotions in writing songs would be better. Cause you have better understanding to the song and yet would be more meaningful not just to ourselves, but to who ever that feels the same way.

YOUR VOCALIST HAS A REALLY STRONG VOICE AND IT FITS YOUR MUSIC WELL. WHAT IS THAT “UNIQUE” FACTOR THAT EVERY BAND MEMBER BRINGS TO THE BAND THAT MAKES YOUR MUSIC SOUND GOOD IN THE END?

Errrm. Each of us do squeeze our brain cells in writing. As told, we would bring up what we have before and somehow fit in as one good tune. Yeah, and we’re glad to have a vocalists who fits in the music we’re creating. Drink honey tea, helps smoother your throat. Teeeheee.!

WHAT SUBJECT DO YOU FIND YOURSELVES COVERING THE MOST WITH YOUR LYRICS?

Mostly it would be about the surroundings on what is happening around us. Our lyrics would be indirect not too straight forward as in like you’ll understand it upon reading it. There would be many things that you could relate it with but it’s up to the individual. We have our own logical conversion to our lyrics and you can have yours too. :D

HOW MANY FINISHED SONGS DOES THE BAND HAVE AT THE MOMENT AND DO YOU PLAN TO RECORD AN EP OR AN ALBUM ANY TIME SOON?

Currently, we’re on the run in finishing our 4th song. Yea include that, we have ourselves 4 originals. Yea if everything goes well, we would be releasing our EP late this year.
But as we go…we would improvise the songs so it’s hard to tell when it will be out.

GOOD NEWS IS THAT YOU MADE IT ONTO THE LINE-UP FOR BAYBEATS 2009, CHECK OUT THE WEBSITE HERE; WWW.BAYBEATS.COM.SG . DO YOU SEE THIS AS A GOOD START FOR THE BAND AND A PLATFORM TO PLAY BIGGER AND BETTER SHOWS LATER ON?

Yeah. It is somehow kind of a breakthrough for us. Being a new band, playing for a big show, totally nerve wrecking or wadeva (goshhh.!) We’re just glad that we made it through this far. Hard work would be placed 1st in our overall attitude.

Good chances will come if you have great attitude. If we continue working hard, who knows we might be playing and touring with the big bands on Bigger and better stage. For example Underoath…geez we’re wondering when whether those guys would step their foot in this country …dying to see them live ahahaha. Wooooo! That’s awesooome!!

BASED ON YOUR EXPERIENCES; HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE CURRENT MUSIC SCENE IN SINGAPORE?

Hmmm. It’s just that listeners and audiences need to discover more bands in the local scene. We have lack of support. There are much better bands in our local scene that has the potential to go far thus, lack of exposure. Let’s make a difference and its up to you guys to give those supports :)

I’VE BEEN ASKING THIS ALLOT LATELY BUT DO YOU GUYS GO OUT TO WATCH OTHER BANDS ON A REGULAR BASIS AND HAVE YOU EVER LEFT A GIG AND FELT MORE INSPIRED TO BE A BETTER MUSICIAN?

Yea we do watch other bands performed as we support our own local talent and yeah, we do get inspired by them. Everyone wants to produce songs that make people happy so yeah we try to make our song even much better than we heard thus, making us to be better musician as a band.

WHAT CAN PEOPLE WHO HAVE NEVER ATTENDED A BARRICADE PERFORMANCE EXPECT TO SEE AT YOUR SHOWS?

Hmmm…they could expect to see our front man Rico is now bald and not having his hair to impress the crowd with his head banging technique ...LOL. Okay let’s get serious. They would expect a different kind of sound from a happy-swinging mood to down-low tempo breakdowns. Our music may be vary as it will evolve from a radio-friendly kind of sound and back to the underground roots.

I ASKED YOU EARLIER IF YOU WERE PLANNING TO RELEASE AN EP OR ALBUM ANY TIME SOON; WHAT ARE SOME OF THE GOALS YOU WOULD LIKE TO REACH WITH THIS BAND IN 2009?

One of our aimed this year is to play at Baybeats09 which we will in a few months time and so the plan on the EP released which we expect it to be done by late this year if things go according to plan. And we would like to build up our fan base. To continue exposing ourselves through be it a major or a minor gig. Yeah we ain’t bossy.

ANY LAST COMMENTS / ADVICE OR PEOPLE YOU WOULD LIKE TO THANK?

We would like to thank those who gave us their full support, be it our family, friends, boyfriend/girlfriends and our fans. We really appreciate it a lot. And we would like to thank you, Neil van Zyl, sir for giving us the opportunity to be featured on your Blog. We’ll keep you guys update.