Sounds like Asia

Acclaimed local band Boy Thai wowed the crowds early this month with their performance at the “Asia Music Festival 2013” held at Eastwood Valley Golf and Country Club in the resort city of Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia.

The lads made waves on the social networks too, with one blogger offering a glowing review of Boy Thai’s performance on the second night. “Boy Thai was my favourite and the crowd’s favourite,” inid2tell.blogspot.com, enthused. “They were all young and smartly dressed. At least two of them were very good looking too! Physical appearance aside, these boys were very, very, talented. This group was highly entertaining. They electrified the whole venue with their brand of music - a fusion of classical Thai and upbeat western rhythms.”

The group, who is invited to play at this inaugural festival, organised by Sawarak Tourism Board, is in fact the second generation of Boy Thai. Put together by their label Pisces Music in 2010, the six members, who range from 21 to 31 in age, are following up on the success of the first generation of Boy Thai, who included Sekpol Unsamran. aka Koh Mr Saxman and Narongrit Tosa-nga, the brilliant ranad player who portrayed Khun In in the blockbuster “The Overture”.

The new line-up features Saranyu Suwannasoonthon (saxophone), Pakee Navee (bass), Ekkapong Saelim (drums), Weerasak Hambuppaka (keyboard), Paron Yuenyong (ranad) and Arnon Suttjaridjun (Thai percussion/flute).

The energetic Boy Thai showcased their signature fusion of traditional Thai and western music in a way that perfectly suited the festival’s Asian theme. 

Among the crowd’s favourite was a reinterpretation of Herbie Hancock’s “Chameleon” that prominently featured the ranad and a surprisingly medley of Isaan tunes.

Applause and screams rang out during the solo performance on the ranad by Paron, winner of the 2010 edition of Thailand’s Set Trade Youth Music Competition, while saxophonist Saranyu almost got mobbed by the crowd as he came down to mingle during “Malibu Sunset”, a sweet Kenny G style by Singaporean composer, Jeremy Monteiro.

Excitement rose to hysteria level as the boys swung into their final number “Burmese Long Drums”, a classical Thai tune which saw bassist Pakee showing off his rap skills and Arnon and Ekkapong battling it out on percussion with long drums and a conventional drum kit.

Another crowd pleaser at the festival was Anthony Dassan Yen Party from India who had the audience up on their feet and dancing to folk tracks and spectacular vocals. The Foxy Girls from Indonesia with their super model looks, served up dangdut (Indonesian pop) hits that had everyone grooving in to the night. 

From neighbouring Brunei, came pop idol Fakhrul Radzhi with a set of hits that thrilled his thousands of fans.

Other artists taking part in the festival were Bembol Rockers (Philippines), V Star Band (Korea), Soesah Tidoer (Indonesia) and Trithai (India). 

Host Malaysia presented its leading artists in different genres including Starlets Band, Hevance, Bob Yusof, The Mountain Wind Band and Melissa Francis.

With a venue surrounded by lush greenery and a carnival-like ambience with food stalls offering famous Asian dishes, a Superbike zone, a tattoo zone and vendors showing off handicrafts from various countries, the first Asia Music Festival Miri, succeeded not just in promoting the culture of Asia but also in showcasing some of the best talents in the region.