More to local music than pop princesses and rock wannabes
By Christopher Toh, TODAY | Posted: 28 May 2009 1358 hrs

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SINGAPORE: It has been said that when they coined the term “underground music”, it referred to a variety of music sub-genres that usually developed a similar sub-cultural cult following, mainly defined by the lack of mainstream appeal, visibility and/or commercial promotion.

In the ’60s, it was the counter-culture of psychedelic music; in the ’70s, it was punk rock; in the ’80s, it was metal; and in the ’90s, it was post-punk, post-rock — post-everything, really.

But what happens when the previously designated underground or alternative music becomes the norm and the mainstream? In the new millennium, just turn on the TV, log onto the Internet, listen to the radio, and you get alternative music by the score.

Well, in times like these, as the Foo Fighters would say, we learn to love... well, the old stuff again. And not just The Beatles or Elvis or Glenn Miller, either.

Think the ukulele.

There are a bunch of people — like, two — on the island who have been busy putting the final touches to their shop and getting ready for a concert of their own: Glyn Chan and Simon Mok, who make up Ukulele Movement, an organisation set up to espouse the virtues of the ukulele.

After learning about the ukulele from a friend, Chan was hooked on the little instrument and, together with Mok, has been plugging the wonderful virtues of the uke.

Still, many people see the ukulele as the lowly cousin of the guitar — a very fuddy-duddy form of music, usually performed by bulky people wearing grass skirts and Hawaiian shirts.

“In this age, the players are totally different,” said Chan. “James Hill is one of them, another is Jake Shimabukuro. These are the new generation of players who will appeal to younger people.”

And they don’t just play Blue Hawaii or Happy Talk, said Chan. The genres covered include experimental rock, jazz, bossa nova and classical music.

“Actually, if you compare it with a guitar, the uke is easier and less intimidating to play,” said Chan. “It’s so hard to get good ukuleles in Singapore, though. Most of what you see cost about S$30 and they’re not good. Unfortunately, to a lot of people, that’s what a ukulele is, and it gives a bad impression.”

But Chan is hoping that the concert tomorrow, featuring Canadian uke player Hill, will change people’s minds.

And they’re slowly building a community. They’ve organised two jam sessions so far, which saw people from all walks of life coming together. And their fanbase is slowly growing. On Facebook, their fan page has already garnered over 200 members, with half of them probably coming from Singapore, she said, although she couldn’t confirm the numbers.

Awareness — or the lack of it — is a problem to surmount, she said, especially since even the staff at some music stores don’t know what a ukulele is. However, she’s not daunted.

“The ultimate goal is if we can make uke as known and popular and well-accepted as the guitar, that would be a dream come true. If more people play, we can get more gigs, get to see more activities... We just need to get people started and start learning.”

Another sound of the “underground” doesn’t have to do with string instruments. In fact, it doesn’t have to do with any instrument. We’re talking about a cappella music, of course.

While a cappella music has been around since the Gregorian chant was invented, over in Singapore, a cappella has often been dismissed and derided because of the — here’s that word again — fuddy-duddy image that it represents.

That and the fact that you hardly ever find an a cappella group anywhere except in shopping malls during Christmas season.

“It’s been so difficult to get any press support for any of our shows,” saidAngelina Choo-Sassarak, director of The A Capella Society, which has been around since 2001.

In fact, media support has been so lacking that she said they just send out monthly newsletters these days. “If they want to do something, then good! But if not, then it’s okay, never mind,” she told TODAY.

Said Simone Khoo, who sings with a cappella group Vocaluptuous: “I think, generally, the Singapore market is really small and people are not so willing to spend money on local music. There’s always that perception that it’s not as good quality or not as nice as when it comes from overseas. And local groups are a little bit harder to sell.”

However, in recent years, a cappella music has been given more and more recognition.

Vocal groups like Take 6 and Ladysmith Black Mambazo, for example, are just some of the big name vocal groups that have drawn crowds when they performed here.

And in a couple of weeks, one of the foremost groups from America, the Yale Alley Cats, is expected to draw a full house when they come to Singapore.

Local a cappella groups including Key Elements and Agapella will also be hosting their own show in the next couple of months.

According to Stanley Leong of Agapella, public interest has improved somewhat over the last couple of years. “Periodically, at our gigs, we get one or two people coming up and saying: ‘Hey, we want to join your group’. We hope to double our number,” he said.

Added Khoo: “When we perform, you’ll hear a lot of people say, ‘Oh, I didn’t know that a cappella groups sound like this.’ A lot of them are pleasantly surprised.”

However, it may be a while before being an a cappella singer becomes an economically viable option. Said Choo-Sassarak: “If you want to be a performer, you ought to be a teacher and have other viable skills, as well. Training is a very sustainable income, we are paid fairly decently — nothing compared to a financial consultant or a lawyer – but if you’re talking about someone like Babes Conde, you can make a decent amount.

“Even some of the younger ones we employ, at the tender age of 22, are making middle management income, because they don’t just sing — they teach, they get hired as trainers, all sorts of things. So there are opportunities. The challenge is how to keep bringing in new singers.”

- TODAY/yb