Some say that imitation is the best form of flattery but this group of music-makers does not intend to flatter anyone. Other bands copy foreign styles, but Strait Groove is dead set on sticking with local sounds. It is a bit like Singlish – sometimes it sounds kind of awkward, other times it feels unpolished but always, always, it will fill you with a knowing warm feeling that you’re right at home.
The band name “Strait Groove” exudes a local flavour (‘Strait’ refer to Singapore’s history as part of the Straits Settlements) – a much better choice, in my opinion, compared to the names they previously considered such as “The Clementi Collective” and “Heng Mui Keng Rock Band”.
The group started off with Ming Tuan, Greg, Zhenghong and another member who eventually dropped out before Ben and Dannel came on board. They are all part of Sheares Band at Sheares Hall where they all currently reside. Besides their place of residence, there are many things that bond the group together, a common love for music and –surprisingly –a love for food. As Ben puts it, “music is like food, it feeds me.”
If music be the food of love, play on…
But it is not all food and play for this home-grown band. Song-writing is perhaps the most challenging part of the process, especially because they are all students with other commitments. The band only meets for two to three hours, once or twice a week. Most of their frustration stems from the creative process.
Besides their place of residence, there are many things that bond the group together, a common love for music and –surprisingly –a love for food.
“Sometimes during the song-writing process, things don’t really come together because we all have different ideas about how the song should sound like but when the song comes together, that’s when it feels good,” said Dannel.
Zhenghong, who writes most of the lyrics, said that he is inspired by the “drama” that he sees in the hospital as a Medical student as well as the travel experiences of the band members, although he emphasized that the lyrics were not overtly narrative.
“And we also write about girls… mainly girls,” Greg added, to the amusement of the all-male band.
The band does everything on their own, from the singing to the recording and producing, in a little studio at Sheares Hall – a place they affectionately call their “home ground”. It is a place where they feel safe enough to experiment and be creative. Apparently, Ben once put bread on the drums to get a better tone. Even the photography and designs for the album is all done in-house. Without a professional band manager and a proper studio, it feels more than a bit indie.
“I guess this is the unique selling of the band because everything is so “D.I.Y” but at the same time it does not affect the quality of our music … the software we use is not very high-end but it gets the job done,” said Greg.
“And we also write about girls… mainly girls,” Greg added, to the amusement of the all-male band.
In December 2011, their debut album “In Stock Now” was launched. Interestingly, the name of the album was partially a word-play on the fact that Ming Tuan was in Stockholm for an exchange programme soon after the album was launched. 300 physical copies were sold out for $5 each but digital copies are also available for free download at their Bandcamp profile page. Zhenghong said that the launch of their album was not for making a profit.
“In fact, after we got all our earnings, we invited all the Sheares band people for a celebration and spent all of it,” added Zhenghong.
Since then, the group has started on their second album which promises new surprises for fans of Strait Groove. Not content to rest on their laurels, the band is experimenting with new arrangements and sounds for this next album.
“If you listened to the first album and then listened to the second album, you would think that we just went on a big, crazy adventure … the first album was very simple, no frills but the second album is more complex,” said Greg.
“There’s more collaboration … this album is more ‘democratic’, we will try to bring the song forward not just through our own parts but by critiquing other people’s parts” added Ming Tuan.
Their second album is scheduled to be launched in mid to end January 2013. The band hopes that the song “Time Train”, for which the album is also named after, will be a runaway hit.
The band has already played a few gigs, notably at the indie arts festival “Seed Festival Singapore” in December 2011 as well as at popular bar and nightspot, Timbre. Despite modest success in the local scene, the band is not looking for fame or fortune, only hope that their music will inspire more local bands to stay local.
Since then, the group has started on their second album which promises new surprises for fans of Strait Groove. Not content to rest on their laurels, the band is experimenting with new arrangements and sounds for this next album.
“I’m envisioning a day when Singaporeans are in Singapore, they can just imagine certain songs from local bands – one day when you’re walking along the Singapore River and you remember a local song – that’s what I feel is the beginnings of a culture. Singaporean artistes must start by being true to themselves and create music that reflects their local surroundings instead of imitating foreign styles. They might sound right but they won’t remind you of local places,” said Zhenghong
Just like the river which brings us life, let the sounds of “Strait Groove” take you back home.
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Zhenghong (Yr 5, Medicine) plays the acoustic guitar and is the lead singer.
Ming Tuan (Yr 3, Arts) and Dannel (Yr 2, Arts) play the electric guitar.
Ben Lim (Yr 2, Engineering) plays the drums.
Greg (Yr 3, Arts) plays the bass and ukulele.