The last couple days I didn't do much exploring, mostly just slept and relaxed to make sure I was all ready for our first night of shows. We thought our first night was going to be Tuesday but then on Friday night they told us we were starting on Sunday.
Saturday night we all went up to the club, it's called Level 23, and watched the band that has been here for the last couple months. It's a six piece band just like us but they have a drummer, guitarist, bassist, and three female singers. They were not good at all, they were all in their 40s except one of the girls and they all looked like they were exhausted the whole show. They hardly ever smiled and all of their movements were so lazy, it looked horrible. So after we watched them we told them good job and then went out to another club to hang out for a little bit. It was so tiny and crowded that I only stayed for like half an hour and then came back to bed.
So then came Sunday, our opening night! All the instrumentalists got up around 10 to go set up everything and start working on the sound. Then around 3 Trina and I headed up to do our sound check with them. It took almost two hours to figure out how to make us sound alright. The equipment is so old that we sound like we're all muffled like a bad telephone call. We finally got it fixed up enough that it sounded alright for the night, they said we can work on it more throughout the week. After sound check we all went to dinner and then went back to our rooms to get ready.
At 8:30 we went up to the club to get ready for the first set. At this club we only do 3 sets on Sunday, and Tuesday to Thursday, then Friday and Saturday we do 4. And we end around midnight which seems so early to me now, I love it! The club was pretty empty for our first set but the few people that were there loved it, they clapped after every song and were hardly talking while we were singing. As the night went on more and more people came and we had everyone up and dancing, it was great! People really love white people here. Everyone I meet tells me how handsome I am, it's so funny. Most people don't speak very much English so all they say is, "You so handsome, what you eat?" I don't really know how to respond to that, so I just say thank you. Everyone is really nice here, well at least I think so from what I can understand ha ha.
Mondays are usually our day off here but tonight we are doing one set for the company party here at the Sheraton. So hopefully that goes well and the rest of the week too!
Monday, January 10, 2011
Friday, January 7, 2011
Motorbikes
I've been having so much fun exploring this city! I feel like I've seen so much already and we've only been here a couple of days. It's so nice to have this week off before we start working. Yesterday was a pretty busy day, we found out on Wednesday night that we were going to have to sing for the government here on Thursday morning. I guess the new band always have to do it so they government can approve them. They have never not approved of a band, but we still had to do it. So we got up at about 6:45 am, I don't even remember the last time I was up that early, and we headed up to the club to set up. We ran through the five songs we were going to do and got all the instrument plugged in and ready. The sound system is pretty nice here, except the equipment is very old. The microphone I will be using is held together with tape and there are pieces missing on it. The technician told me if it stops working I just need to shake it ha ha. But it works all the same. So after we got all set up we headed back to our rooms and got changed and then went back up to do the little show. I sang two songs, Trina sang two songs and then we did one together. It was pretty awkward because there were only like 6 or 7 guys there and they were all very old. They just sat there eating their breakfast and talking to each other, not even paying attention to us. After each song it was completely silent, but we made it through it and got approved.
After that we all went to breakfast and then went back to our rooms to sleep. Once I woke up Trina, Andrea and I went to dinner and then went out to this little coffee shop across the street to hang out for a bit. Once we were finished there we went and checked out a couple more malls, we found a cool arcade in one of them and then a bowling alley in another. And they were both within 5 minutes of the hotel, so cool! Then we went back to our rooms to relax for a little bit before going out again.
Around 11:00 Trina and I met in the lobby and took a taxi to this place called Crazy Girls. It was located on this street with a whole bunch of other bars and food vendors everwhere. We met our bandleader JD, and our drummer Jay there. We all sat outside at these little tables and just hung out. After about two minutes of sitting there I felt a tap on my shoulder and some woman holding a baby was asking for money. I told her no, and before I could turn around another woman selling books was in my face asking if I wanted one. I said no again, then another couple minutes later another girl came along selling cigarettes in a briefcase. It went on like this the whole time we were there, I got used to it after a bit but in the beginning it was so weird. After we were finished there Jay called his friend with some motorbikes to come pick us up.
When they arrived we each got on the back of one and took of down the streets. I was a little nervous after seeing the traffic and how crazy these people drive here, but actually since it was so late at night there was hardly anyone on the streets. It was so fun, they took us on a kind of scenic route so we could see some more of the city, well mostly just so I could see because they've all seen it before. It was a blast. They ended up dropping us off at another place called the Apocolypse, another club, but we just walked in for a minute and then walked down the street back to the hotel. It was a fun packed day!
After that we all went to breakfast and then went back to our rooms to sleep. Once I woke up Trina, Andrea and I went to dinner and then went out to this little coffee shop across the street to hang out for a bit. Once we were finished there we went and checked out a couple more malls, we found a cool arcade in one of them and then a bowling alley in another. And they were both within 5 minutes of the hotel, so cool! Then we went back to our rooms to relax for a little bit before going out again.
Around 11:00 Trina and I met in the lobby and took a taxi to this place called Crazy Girls. It was located on this street with a whole bunch of other bars and food vendors everwhere. We met our bandleader JD, and our drummer Jay there. We all sat outside at these little tables and just hung out. After about two minutes of sitting there I felt a tap on my shoulder and some woman holding a baby was asking for money. I told her no, and before I could turn around another woman selling books was in my face asking if I wanted one. I said no again, then another couple minutes later another girl came along selling cigarettes in a briefcase. It went on like this the whole time we were there, I got used to it after a bit but in the beginning it was so weird. After we were finished there Jay called his friend with some motorbikes to come pick us up.
When they arrived we each got on the back of one and took of down the streets. I was a little nervous after seeing the traffic and how crazy these people drive here, but actually since it was so late at night there was hardly anyone on the streets. It was so fun, they took us on a kind of scenic route so we could see some more of the city, well mostly just so I could see because they've all seen it before. It was a blast. They ended up dropping us off at another place called the Apocolypse, another club, but we just walked in for a minute and then walked down the street back to the hotel. It was a fun packed day!
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Vietnam!!
Alright I'm here, Vietnam! Our flight was nice and short, about an hour and 45 minutes, not too bad at all. Then we all grabbed our luggage and headed out to find our van to the hotel. Once we loaded up we all jumped in and headed off. The streets here are so crazy. Barely any traffic lights, everyone just goes when they want and there are so many scooters and little motorbikes everywhere. I can't even explain what the roads look like here, they are so jam packed you can't even see the ground. Every time we made a turn it seemed like we were going to hit someone or they were going to hit us! But we made it safe and sound. When we got to the hotel we were assigned our rooms and then all headed up to start unpacking. We are all on the 22ND floor, and the club we are playing in is on the 23rd, so we can just walk up a flight of steps and we are there! The rooms are amazing here, even nicer than the Hilton in KL. Everything is done with a touch of a button, you can turn on the lights, close the curtains, turn on the "do not disturb" sign, adjust the air conditioning, pretty much anything with a little button. The bed is huge once again, and so comfortable. The TV is a nice big flat screen again, but this time we have like 50 something channels rather than 20. The bathroom is quite nice, the shower has 3 shower heads, one above, and two on the sides, so water hits you from every angle. The laundry system here is so cool, we just put whatever we want washed into a bag and set it outside our door, then they wash it and come hang it up in your room for you by the next afternoon! The food is amazing too, we just have one place to eat, it's a really nice buffet and we can eat there three times a day. Then we are also allowed to order room service once a day after the shows if we want. The pool is really small and stays in the shade pretty much all day so it's not that great, but the gym is really nice. Not quite as big as the one in the Hilton but still nice. I think that's about all the details I know so far about the hotel.Today Trina and I went out walking around, she's been here before with the band so she took me and showed me around. There are shopping complexes and grocery stores and everything we need all right across from the hotel. We went to this place called Ben Thanh Market, it's just all these little vendors in this big building that sell everything from clothes to food to electronics and it's all dirt cheap. After that we walked around some more and headed to a grocery store so I could stock up on some soda. The only kinds I could find here so far are Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi, but I am OK with that! By that time JD, our band leader called us and we had to head back to the hotel because our luggage that we shipped was arriving. So we all got our bags and now I'm back in my room just about to unpack!
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Busy Times!
Wow, this week flew by, I can't believe we are all finished here! It seems like we just arrived and now we're all getting packed to leave again! All week the shows were great, it was pretty full every night because everyone knew it was our last week so they all made sure to come often to see us for their last chance.
New Year's Eve was crazy. There was a line out the door pretty much the whole night and the place was so packed and fun. We had these big confetti cannons all around the stage that were set to go off at midnight after we did the countdown but somehow during the second set our guitar player bumped the cord and all of the cannons went off early. We were all laughing so hard but I don't think the club management thought it was very funny. People still cheered loud when they went off but I think they were a little confused. We did 5 sets that night rather than just 4 and you wouldn't think that's a big deal but by that last set we were all exhausted. After all the sets we all stayed in the club and partied, I didn't end up getting to bed til about 6:30 am. Oh and we also beat the record for sales in the club on New Year's Eve, we beat it by 20,000RM!
Then Saturday night was our final performance. Not quite as crowded as the night before but still pretty good. The shows were all great and then afterward we all had to help take down all the instruments on stage and get everything packed up. When we finished with that it was about 4:45 and then we all went out to breakfast. So then again I didn't go to bed until about 7:00 am.
I slept in a little today and then I'm just going to hang out all day and relax!
Tomorrow is our last night here and it's the first night of the new band. They're called All Access, I'm pretty excited to go watch them to see what they are like. After that we have to be up and ready to go by 11am Tuesday. We fly out to Vietnam around 2:30! I'm so excited for the next chapter of this adventure!
New Year's Eve was crazy. There was a line out the door pretty much the whole night and the place was so packed and fun. We had these big confetti cannons all around the stage that were set to go off at midnight after we did the countdown but somehow during the second set our guitar player bumped the cord and all of the cannons went off early. We were all laughing so hard but I don't think the club management thought it was very funny. People still cheered loud when they went off but I think they were a little confused. We did 5 sets that night rather than just 4 and you wouldn't think that's a big deal but by that last set we were all exhausted. After all the sets we all stayed in the club and partied, I didn't end up getting to bed til about 6:30 am. Oh and we also beat the record for sales in the club on New Year's Eve, we beat it by 20,000RM!
Then Saturday night was our final performance. Not quite as crowded as the night before but still pretty good. The shows were all great and then afterward we all had to help take down all the instruments on stage and get everything packed up. When we finished with that it was about 4:45 and then we all went out to breakfast. So then again I didn't go to bed until about 7:00 am.
I slept in a little today and then I'm just going to hang out all day and relax!
Tomorrow is our last night here and it's the first night of the new band. They're called All Access, I'm pretty excited to go watch them to see what they are like. After that we have to be up and ready to go by 11am Tuesday. We fly out to Vietnam around 2:30! I'm so excited for the next chapter of this adventure!
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Final Week
I can't believe that it's the final week. Although some days seemed to drag on forever, for the most part these past three months went by so fast! This week is going to go by really fast too because we're going to be so busy, we have rehearsal to learn a couple new songs for the big New Year's Eve party, we have to get our bags all packed and ship one of them by Thursday, get our new Visa's ready for Vietnam and still perform every night. There's lots to do but it's exciting!
Now back to last Sunday. We went to that dinner that the GM of the club cooked for us. It was so fun and so delicious! We were all in this tiny little apartment, the whole band plus some of their girlfriends, the guy and his girlfriend, his mom, two sisters, one of their husbands, and their daughter. It was packed, I wish I would have remembered my camera, but I didn't so I'll just have to get some of the pictures from everyone else. Anyway they had so much food for us. There were dishes full of rice, chicken curry, something called dhall, stir fried veggies, this bean curd stuff, naan bread, spicy chicken, lamb curry, jars and jars of different kinds of home made cookies, cakes, cheesecakes, and I think that was everything. By the time we all finished eating we were so stuffed and there was so much food still left! After we ate we exchanged gifts, I got 4 new watches from Jay, our drummer. They're really cool, I got a white, green, yellow, and blue one.
Once we were finished there we went to this club called the Skybar. It was across from the Petronas Towers on top of this hotel. It was so pretty, again I wish I had brought my camera, but everyone else took tons of pictures. This place wasn't like a crazy dance bar or anything, just a nice place to chill, they had lots of couches and chairs all surrounding the pool and it was open air. It was really cool. All in all the night was a blast, even though I couldn't be home with my family, this kind of made up for it and kept my mind off of it.
Then last night the shows were pretty empty but we still had a good time. I think this week might be kind of slow in the club until New Years Eve, then it's going to be packed and I can't wait!
Now back to last Sunday. We went to that dinner that the GM of the club cooked for us. It was so fun and so delicious! We were all in this tiny little apartment, the whole band plus some of their girlfriends, the guy and his girlfriend, his mom, two sisters, one of their husbands, and their daughter. It was packed, I wish I would have remembered my camera, but I didn't so I'll just have to get some of the pictures from everyone else. Anyway they had so much food for us. There were dishes full of rice, chicken curry, something called dhall, stir fried veggies, this bean curd stuff, naan bread, spicy chicken, lamb curry, jars and jars of different kinds of home made cookies, cakes, cheesecakes, and I think that was everything. By the time we all finished eating we were so stuffed and there was so much food still left! After we ate we exchanged gifts, I got 4 new watches from Jay, our drummer. They're really cool, I got a white, green, yellow, and blue one.
Once we were finished there we went to this club called the Skybar. It was across from the Petronas Towers on top of this hotel. It was so pretty, again I wish I had brought my camera, but everyone else took tons of pictures. This place wasn't like a crazy dance bar or anything, just a nice place to chill, they had lots of couches and chairs all surrounding the pool and it was open air. It was really cool. All in all the night was a blast, even though I couldn't be home with my family, this kind of made up for it and kept my mind off of it.
Then last night the shows were pretty empty but we still had a good time. I think this week might be kind of slow in the club until New Years Eve, then it's going to be packed and I can't wait!
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Christmas!
Wow, it's been almost a whole week since my last post. I better get at least a couple more posts in before I leave to the next adventure! This past week has been....eventful. I was sick all week with a cold, then to top it off on Tuesday night I got the stomach flu. I thought it was food poisoning but it lasted almost the whole week so I'm pretty sure it wasn't just that. I was miserable, during the day all week I felt so weak and dizzy so all I wanted to do was sleep, and stay next to the toilet. Then at night when we had shows it was horrible. I would do the set, run up to my room, and then hurry back for the next set and repeat all night long. Not a whole lot of fun. Luckily though by Friday night, Christmas Eve, I was feeling a little better and then by Christmas day I felt almost all the way better! So at least I got to have a nice Christmas.
At the club on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day they had a cover charge to get in the club, this was the first year they were going to try it out. So we were all kind of worried that it would be empty because they were charging 170 RM just to get in with one free drink. That's like 50 bucks, expensive right? But people either really like us or were really bored those nights because we had a great turn out on both nights! We all wore Santa hats and got to wear something red to be festive, so that made it more fun too!
Also I received a couple packages this week and it made my whole week. I was so excited to have something to open for Christmas! Thanks everyone! Even though I couldn't be home with friends and family for Christmas it was so nice to have little reminders of home.
Since we had to work Christmas the GM of the club is cooking us Christmas dinner at his house tonight. So he invited our whole band and anyone else that we wanted to bring and we're going to eat and exchange secret Santa gifts at his place. It will be so nice to have a home cooked meal, I'm sure it won't be a traditional Christmas dinner but I know it will be great no matter what it is! I still can't believe we are in our last week already! I'm so excited to get out of here, it's been a great experience and I've had a lot of good times but I'm ready for something new, and a place where I won't get sick so much! Well that's about all I've got. I hope everyone had a great Christmas, I love you all!
At the club on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day they had a cover charge to get in the club, this was the first year they were going to try it out. So we were all kind of worried that it would be empty because they were charging 170 RM just to get in with one free drink. That's like 50 bucks, expensive right? But people either really like us or were really bored those nights because we had a great turn out on both nights! We all wore Santa hats and got to wear something red to be festive, so that made it more fun too!
Also I received a couple packages this week and it made my whole week. I was so excited to have something to open for Christmas! Thanks everyone! Even though I couldn't be home with friends and family for Christmas it was so nice to have little reminders of home.
Since we had to work Christmas the GM of the club is cooking us Christmas dinner at his house tonight. So he invited our whole band and anyone else that we wanted to bring and we're going to eat and exchange secret Santa gifts at his place. It will be so nice to have a home cooked meal, I'm sure it won't be a traditional Christmas dinner but I know it will be great no matter what it is! I still can't believe we are in our last week already! I'm so excited to get out of here, it's been a great experience and I've had a lot of good times but I'm ready for something new, and a place where I won't get sick so much! Well that's about all I've got. I hope everyone had a great Christmas, I love you all!
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