Boo Jian Wen Jeremy
Don’t call us a band. We are a show. – Xenovibes.
The Show
Their Performance in Singapore
Tickets & CD Giveaway
Sneak Preview
“Xenovibes is coined to describe the instruments I play, the fact that I cover all aspects of music production – the business of doing music, writing music, creating sounds, performing it, marketing it, packaging it, putting it on stage and bringing it across the world,” Shueh-li Ong, founder of US-based Xenovibes, says to UrbanWire.
“‘Xeno’ is foreign, ‘vibes’ is expression, Xenovibes means foreign expression; it doesn’t matter who or where or what equipments we use. The lifestyle of Xenovibes is to promote positivism and world peace,” she explains, before laughing goodnaturedly at the last, and very Miss Universe cliché, item she mentioned.
“For example, don’t throw the old away for the new or don’t snub your nose at the old because the new is better. Everything has a place in this world.”
Listening to the Xenovibes for the first time is a surreal, almost jarring, affair. Otherworldly sounds, created from a theremin , ring from the speakers, against a peculiar juxtaposition of the traditional and electronic instruments. Voices, sometimes distorted, echo an implicit tune.
This unusual mix is motivated by Ong’s violent resistance to being typecast. She says, “Xenovibes is me saying, ‘I’m not a piano player. I’m not a violinist. And don’t think that just because I’m a Chinese girl, I play the violin. Don’t marginalise me and judge me on my appearance.”
She also described herself as “adventurous”. In the same interview with UrbanWire, she shares, “Once, I had a sore throat and I wrote a song based on that. People usually go, ‘I’ve got a sore throat. I can’t sing today.’ But I think, ‘Okay, I’ve got a sore throat. What can I do about it? I have to finish the song!’ So I’ll create something that uses what I am today.”
It’s clear that their fans reflect the personality of Xenovibes. John Anthony Martinez, the other core member of Xenovibes, said to UrbanWire, “The fans I met have always been curious people. They tend to be engineers or musicians.”
Hearing that, Ong chimes in, “Yeah, you would think that musician, being the same kind of people, will get bored and go, ‘Yeah, I’ve seen that. I don’t have time for that’, but they like it.”
Their Performance In Singapore
Xenovibes has come down to Singapore to throw a concert at the Arts House that’s slated to open this Friday, 20 Jun. Like many of their shows, Shueh-li and John will be working with a guest performer, namely trumpeter-keyboardist ‘Face’ for this show in Singapore.
This show is also for a good cause, as they will be raising funds for The Business Times Budding Artists Fund .
You can purchase tickets from the Arts House , or read on to find out how can you stand a chance to win tickets to a show at their Opening Night on Friday. The concert will end on Sunday, Jun 22.
Together with Xenovibes, UrbanWire will be giving away 5 pairs of tickets to their show. Simply answer the question below:
Name one instrument the Xenovibes use in their music.
a. Theremin
b. Piano
c. Violin
Send your answer, name, I/C number and contact number to contest.urbanwire@gmail.com by 10pm, Jun 19. (Contest closed)
In response to youths’ love for photography, Xenovibes has organised a photo competition. After joining Flickr, upload any pictures you took during their concert or any photograph you think represents the Xenovibes.
The person who takes the best picture wins a Xenovibes CD album.
To give you an idea of how Xenovibe’s music is like, UrbanWire has uploaded 2 30-second sample tracks, one from each CD they’ve released so far.
‘Recalcitrance’ – XV I CD: Shueh-li Xenovibes
‘Music From Another Land’ – XV II CD: Music From Another Land
If you’re interested in their music, you can purchase their CDs.
Pictures Courtesy of Xenovibes.
Xenovibes will be having a concert on the 20, 21 and 22 Jun. Tickets are available at the Arts House box office at $45 or $60 (drink included).
For more information, please visit http://www.xenovibes.com/