Neil Zaza Taipei Sept 2017

Neil Zaza in Taipei Sep17
Neil Zaza Live in Taipei at The Wall Live Music on 24 Sep 17

Neil Zaza Taipei Sept 2017 is the 24th stop of his tour after 23 shows in China for almost 1.5months.

We ran on a very tight schedule for the Taipei stop as we had three things to accomplish.

  • First was the show on 24 Sept 2017 at The Wall Live Music.
  • Second, was a guitar clinic at iRock Music Centre.
  • Third and last, was a video shoot of Neil Zaza in Taipei.

The Wall Live Music has been a great partner for the Taipei stop. They took great care of Neil from the time he landed to the time he departed from Taoyuan Airport. Special shout out to Jemp who tirelessly looked into every detail. 謝謝Jemp和公館的熱情招待!

The clinic at iRock Music Centre was an intimate session with lots of great questions from the attendees. Just want to say a huge thank you to Hank of EGO Eletronic and 阿民 of iRock Music Centre. You guys made everything work so smoothly and so easy. The clinic was live streamed on EGO’s Facebook page and there were questions from viewers outside of Taipei that came in as well. Below is the live recording of the clinic.

Lastly, we squeezed in time for a video shoot for Neil Zaza in Taipei with 阿陸. It was a fun time shooting both outdoors and indoors. I must say it was very efficient. Special thanks to 阿鬼 of Ghost Note Guitars for the use of the studio as well.

After Thoughts

Great partners are hard to come by. For this Taipei stop, we had such great partners whom we can call brothers. We are sure that they had our backs and are doing their best in everything. I was a little concern having so many parties involved in such a short stop. Friction can easily arise as some do not know one another personally before Neil Zaza’s Taipei stop. Upon arrival, this concern quickly dissipated. It was apparent that while they have their own expectations in being involved, they were as equally committed to help each other fulfilled one another’s goals. I truly believe that this was the key to the success of this stop and we love this team of partners. Till we come back again Taipei!

Here are some photos from the Taipei stop, which you can also find on our Facebook Page Album.

[srizonfbalbum id=1]

Live Stream Life on Twitch 1st Gen Graduates

LSL 1 Group Photo
Here's Live Stream Life 1st gen graduates. 5 out of 8 of them taken during SHINE Fest Twitch booth! From left to right, Samuel, Xinhui, Hugo, Jonathan and Charlie. Missing Apple, Jensen and Jared. We will try and get a proper group photo soon! =)

We are happy to announce the Live Stream Life on Twitch 1st Gen Graduates under eSports Academy of SCOGA (http://scoga.org). The graduates went through 8 hours of classroom time with practical assignments  ranging from topics like understanding Twitch & live streaming, basic branding, basic public speaking, getting in front of the camera, etc. We fielded them at the Twitch Booth during SHINE Fest to give them experience in hosting and being in front of the camera with the more experienced and established celebrities on Twitch in Asia. So good to have Dan (Thailand, Twitch Handle: dansuperblog), Ashley (Philippines, Twitch Handle: ashlili) and Bianca (Philippines, Twitch Handle: sliceofbiancakes) with us during SHINE Fest weekend. This was their first time ever being in front of camera covering a festival. You can watch videos of the graduates and celebrities in action at SHINE Fest at https://www.twitch.tv/scoga/videos/all, including live performances of various artistes at the ION Stage. We know that it is not perfect but everyone needs to start somewhere and this is their huge baby step out in pursing their dreams. Kudos to their courage in challenging themselves. Huge thank you to the team in SCOGA who put in so much effort and thought to this and to Twitch who have been such great support to these youths with dreams to become a full-time live streamer one day.

Each of them had to do their individual pitch to Aftershock PC, Secretlab and Samsung for a REAL pitch after the classroom sessions. Nerve wrecking for many but they did well! Some did cliched some sponsorships through the session. Ooohooo!!

Each one of them had increment in their Twitch Live Stream views since they first signed up in May till just before SHINE Fest last week of June. Three of them registered an increase of a minimum 55%! With the increment, many received their affiliate status on Twitch within a few weeks after the classroom sessions. A few others are fast reaching the criteria. 

Our eight gradautes are noobs in many ways more than one. Love how different each of them are but super supportive and encouraging to one another! Here's to our Gen 1 Twitch Live Stream family! <3 <3 <3

Below are the simple profiles of all eight of them. Please go check out their live stream on Twitch and lend them your support by following, subscribing, donating, cheering and chatting while they are live.  I know they would LOVE to chat with you from gaming to anything (or almost) under the sun. =)

Apollonoia aka Apple

Hello! I'm the captain and jungler of Girlaxy, and I'm known as Apollonia N Kiss with my sister! I aim to create opportunities for women in the gaming community and also other fellow gamers! I enjoy providing online content in hopes to cheer people up through streaming and youtuibe videos! I'm also actively spreading positivity in hopes for a change! PARTY!

Twitch Status: Affiliate

Twitch Live Stream Schedule:
Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri
1900 - 2300 or later

Ng Xin Hui aka xndlxss

I play mainly Overwatch and I represent Team Asterisk. Vesuvius as a flex DPS/Support. I love embarrassing myself with facepalm moments live.

"Very outspoken with a touch of class, our resident quotable quote lady who streams with much grace, I guess..." - chaosbeans

Twitch Status: Affiliate

Twitch Live Stream Schedule:
Mon-Fri 2000-0000
Saturday-Sunday 1500-0000
Subject to changes cause she has school on some days that aren't fixed

Samuel Chan aka sequinoxhs

Streaming has found me many nicknames, either 'Most Handsome Hearthstone player in SEA' or 'Saltinox', which stems from the way I react to RNG when playing Hearthstone, which I believe is the biggest source of entertainment for my viewers. Otherwise, I aim to make my stream an educational one and I try my best to go in-depth on my plays.

I also like to play homebrew decks to high ranks, which is probably fresher than watching the usual few meta decks.

Twitch Status: Partner

Twitch Live Stream Schedule:
Mon Wed and Fri
1930-late

Jonathan Lim aka eternaljon

I'm a variety streamer who enjoys strategy games as well as story driven single player experiences. My channel is a place for everyone to chill and have a good laugh.

"Always punctual for breakfast, a good listening ear, loves to disturb you but thats how he shows he cares for you." - Xndlxss 2k17

Twitch Status: Affiliate

Twitch Live Stream Schedule:
Weekdays 1900-2300
Weekends: All day and subject to availability

Charlie Lijia aka chaosbeans

Casual gamer that streams Magic: The Gathering, Diablo 3 and many other games on the PC and mobile. Provides food for thought, in game and in life.

"Affable personality, super smiley, radiating warmth and always ready to lead a hand. Also vlogger expert extraordinaire!" - xndlxss

Twitch Status: Broadcaster 

Twitch Live Stream Schedule:
Tues, Thurs & Fri
2100 - 2330
Weekends streams depending on availability

Jensen Cheng aka jubojuiceski

My twitch channel is a place for me to show the competitive side of gaming that I have to offer. I compete with the young and talented players around the South East Asian region.

Twitch Status: Affiliate

Twitch Live Stream Schedule:
Mon,Tues,Thur,Fri : (1030PM - 2AM)
Sat & Sun : (Subject to availability)

Hugo Wong aka owinyx

Known as the 1 trick Lucio SG in overwatch competitive Season 2 and Tilt Train, I am a competitive Overwatch player and a free agent. I love to entertain my viewers by stupid plays/Strats and raging on stream.

"Patient, carries you in overwatch, sometimes get tilted but overall 10/10 would play with again." - xndlxss 

Twitch Status: Affiliate

Twitch Live Stream Schedule:
Mon-thur 2030 - 2230
Fri : 2030 - 0100
Sat : 1400 - 1800
Sunday : 1400 - 1800
Schedule is until August. Subject to change.

Jared Beins aka slyfoxlovertv

Ex-professional gamer that now plays a variety of games to entertain the crowd.

Twitch Status: Affiliate

Twitch Live Stream Schedule:
Monday to Friday: 5am to 8:30am
Saturday: 5am to 12 noon

Neil Zaza in China & Taipei Jul & Aug 2017

Great news: Neil Zaza in China & Taipei Jul & Aug 2017.

Neil Zaza is coming back to Asia this year again, to China and Taipei! Neil is doing 20 stops in China this time round. Friends in Taipei, Neil is coming as well and he has not seen you all for a while. If you happen to be in these cities, do drop by and have a great time with Neil Zaza.

Neil Zaza China 2017 Poster 1

China Tour Cities & Dates

DateChina City
21 July 2017Xuyi, Jiangsu
22 July 2017Shuyang, Jiangsu
23 July 2017Xuncheng, Shandong
27 July 2017Changchun, Jilin
28 July 2017Yanji, Jilin
29 July 2017Daqing, Haerbin
30 July 2017Suihua, Haerbin
1 August 2017Qiqihaer, Haerbin
4 August 2017Masterclass in Beijing
5 August 2017Huojiang, Henan
6 August 2017Bozhou, Anhui
8 August 2017Wujiang, Jiangsu
10 August 2017Jingdezhen, Zhejiang
11 August 2017Lishui, Zhejiang
12 August 2017Jinhua, Zhejiang
13 August 2017Shaoxing, Zhejiang
15 August 2017Jiangxing, Zhejiang
16 August 2017Cixi, Zhejiang
17 August 2017Zhoushan, Zhejiang
19 August 2017Tiantai, Zhejiang

For more information on the China tour and shows, go to http://www.guitarchina.com or
http://mogu7.com.

 

Taipei Show at The Wall

neilzaza Taipei 2017 Banner

Date:24 August 2017 (Thursday)
Time:Doors open: 19:00・Show: 19:30
Venue:THE WALL公館
Price:Early Birdy: NTD$ 700 / At the Door NTD$ 850
Facebook Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1533303583381035
More details & Tickets: https://thewall.tw/shows/neil-zaza

 

Have a DanZZan Date 단짠 데이트

Bringing together Singapore and Korea Indie Artistes

Three Singapore indie artistes and five Korean indie artistes performed at SHINE Fest the first weekend of July. HubbaBubbas (SG) and G-Urban (KR) rocked the stage with Uptown Funk, while Becka (SG) and WABLE (KR) serenaded the audience with That’s What I Like at the ION Stage on 30 Jun 2017 evening. On 1 July 2017, each of the eight artistes did set of 15-20min performance of their originals at *SCAPE Bandstand 5-8pm, including a few collaboration covers.

Six out of eight singles are released Internationally (except Korea) on 29 June 2017.

Listen to the released singles of 단짠 데이트 DanZZan Date (Sweet & Salty Date) on Spotify -  http://spoti.fi/2trtEnC

Korea Single Release Dates of 8 featured artistes:  

  • Jul 12 - BECKA & WABLE
  • Jul 26 - HubbaBubbas & G-URBAN
  • Aug 9 - Jean Tan & Pureunhaneul Kwak
  • Aug 23 - Dawn of The Day with Jennifer Chung (guest artist from US)
  • Sep 13 - Gonne Choi with full album launch

Keep a look out for announcement about the Singapore artistes heading to Korea to perform late Sep/early Oct!

 

 

 

Photos at SHINE Fest 2017

Videos at SHINE Fest 30 Jun 2017

 

 

 

 

 

 

단짠 데이트 DanZZan Date Coming to SHINE Fest

단짠 데이트 DanZZan Date Album Cover
단짠 데이트 DanZZan Date Album Cover

After last year’s sessions of Magic Behind the Music under songwriters.sg, we have been quietly putting together a Singapore-Korea collaboration album, 단짠 데이트 DanZZan Date, consisting of eight indie singer-songwriters from both countries. 단짠 데이트 DanZZan Date means Sweet and Salty Date in Korean. Each of the 8 singer-songwriters wrote a song on the theme of food and love, expressed in their own unique interpretaion and style. We are delighted to update you that the album is almost ready to launch!

단짠 데이트 DanZZan Date is an initiative by SOOS OIO in Singapore with Leeway Music & Media Inc in Korea. The objective of the album is to bring indie artistes of Singapore and Korea together for an exchange and to help them increase their reach in both country through collective promotion. As a sophomore album of this collaboration, listeners can expect a light pop listening experience through the unique indie style and personalities of the eight artistes.

After a few months of selection in Singapore and Korea, we have our eight artistes – three from Singapore and five from Korea. Each of the artiste has a unique music style and personality. We love the process of different artistes coming together in a project like this. Do check out the artistes featured in this album. Follow their social media and keep a look out for the release of their songs in 단짠 데이트 DanZZan Date.


WABLE (Korea)


G-Urban (Korea)


Dawn of the Day (Korea)


Pureunhaneul Kwak (Korea)


Gonne Choi (Korea)


BECKA (Singapore)

HBBBS Climbing SquareHubbaBubbas (Singapore)


Jean Tan (Singapore)

Find us at SHINE Festival 2017:

1. 단짠 데이트 DanZZan Date Performance at ION Stage

The artistes of 단짠 데이트 DanZZan Date will put up an hour performance at SHINE’s main stage in front of ION Orchard with a mixture of solos and also joint performances between the artistes from Singapore and Korea. Let the artistes of 단짠 데이트 DanZZan Date kick start your Friday evening at SHINE Fest with their music.

Date: 30 Jun 2017 (Fri)
Time: 6.00pm-7.00pm
Venue: Stage outside ION Orchard

2. THE MAGIC BEHIND THE MUSIC – 단짠 데이트 DANZZAN DATE

Magic Behind the Music is back this year! Come and join the artistes of this album in a casual chit-chat session about the music and also the indie music scene of both Singapore and Korea. Together with Jake Lee from Leeway Music & Media Inc, the artistes managers, Pauline Phoon of SOOS OIO, and the artistes in the album, it will be an exchange of music culture between Singapore and Korea.

Date: 1 July 2017 (Sat)
Time: 1.00pm-2.30pm
Venue*SCAPE – MEDIA HUB (Level 5)
2 Orchard Link Singapore, 237978 
Free Admission but registration is required due to seats limitation.
Register at: https://www.shinexscapetdp.com/new/2017/6/12/magic-behind-the-music-danzzan-date

3. 단짠 데이트 DanZZan Date Artistes Solo Performances

If you want to hear more from 단짠 데이트 DanZZan Date artistes, head to *SCAPE this Saturday evening for a solid 3-hours line up. Grab yourself some snacks and drinks and hang out with your Singapore emerging talents and also indie artistes from Korea.

Date: 1 Jul 2017 (Sat)
Time: 5.00pm-8.00pm
Venue: *SCAPE Bandstand
2 Orchard Link Singapore, 237978
Free admission

5.00pm – 5.15pmGonne Choi
5.20pm – 5.35pmBECKA
5.40pm – 5.55pmDawn of the Day
6.00pm – 6.15pmWABLE
6.20pm – 6.35pmG-Urban
6.40pm – 6.55pmHubbaBubbas
7.00pm – 7.15pmPureunhaneul Kwak
7.20pm – 7.35pmJean Tan
7.40pm – 8.00pmDanzZan Artists Collaboration

4. 단짠 데이트 DanZZan Date Booth

While you are busking in the festivities of SHINE Fest, drop by 단짠 데이트 DanZZan Date booth in front of Mandarin Orchard Singapore Hotel (333 Orchard Road, Singapore 238867) to browse & purchase albums of the artistes and find out more information about them. Keep a look out for announcement of Meet & Greet time slots at the booth with the artistes too.

A special shout out and thanks to National Youth Council and SHINE Fest for your support in this project. Appreciate all the hard work and literal sweat that each one of you put in. <3 <3 <3

For updates, follow songwriters.sg Facebook Page.

The SOOS-Tube BootCamp Dream





The SOOS-Tube BootCamp Dream is to have an event whereby participants with a passion come together to learn and create online videos, in an encouraging and collaborative environment. This became a reality last Saturday on 27 August 2016. With a clear focus to have participants who are passionate about content creation, I made a hard decision not to have popular YouTubers and celebrities to headline this event. Instead, I invited speakers who work behind the popular online names whom I believe are able to give a different, and perhaps a broader perspective on content creation. This is to draw participants who sincerely want to learn about online content creation. As some of you might have guessed, this means fewer opportunities for sponsorships and also publicity. I am thankful for the generous sponsorship from Resorts World Sentosa (Special shout out to Andrea, Paul, Sharom, Wee Giap, Adzim, Saufi, Shaun, Addy, Danny, Andzhorie, Wak Jan, Bobo, David, Edmund and Jun Kiat) , APACTix (Chad, Shawn, Roy, Shamie, Diana & Cynthia), AYAM Brand (Herve & Norman), and Pezzo Pizza (ZX, Bronson, Angie, Angela, kitchen staff at Sentosa branch who had to make pizzas earlier than usual working hours!), plus partners like OneClickWonders and KCON.TV, made this all possible. Sincere thanks to Richard Frias and Mylen Yamamoto who put things on hold & flew half way round the world to do this with us!

SOOS-Tube Bootcamp Group

Just the night before on 26 August while we were setting up the theatre, I looked at the vastness of this beautiful 1,600 seat hall and asked, “O God, I am super thankful for this beautiful theatre but why did you give me such a big space when I only expected a small turnout?” Potential. The word I got was POTENTIAL. It was shaking me up a little with the realisation that the journey SOOS-Tube Bootcamp starts the participants on, SOOS-Tube is going through as well. The seats remind me that it is possible to fill up 1600 theatre and even larger spaces. Just like how each of the participants has the potential to have thousands and thousands of views and subscribers, making an impact in many people’s lives.

As much as we all want to start with a big bang, with huge numbers and fanfare to brag, most start with humble beginnings and hard work. Same for the SOOS-Tube Bootcamp. Same for many of us. We all worked extra hard, and I am thankful for faithful friends who are like family who came alongside. It takes time to build, sometimes years. There were moments when I questioned the practicality of this dream and thought maybe it was just one of those crazy ideas. There were times when I wanted to drop it completely, or maybe postpone it. When I took a step back, I concluded: “isn’t this all part of life?” I am glad I pushed through to tell the beginning of the story. Yes, the story is still being written just like each of the participant’s journey. I hope that each of the participants will also push through to do what you are passionate about. There are many times we need to adjust and improve, to make things better, but do not lose hope. It is the process that makes us ready for the bigger things ahead!

I was blown away when I saw participants taking out pens and notebooks, diligently scribbling while the speaker sessions were going on. These small actions are cues to me that what was put out  is of value to the participants. When I saw the groups persevering to finish the video challenge, my heart went all out to help them succeed. Murphy’s Law did find its way somehow, while some groups had problems with their editing software and the crazy upload rush meant slower Internet speed, etc all of us did it TOGETHER. It is heart warming to see how groups were helping each other despite having the same time crunch and dealing with various challenges. A special shout out to Group SnapDeaf, who overcame loads of obstacles to get their video up.

53% of the groups are new to video content creation, with new YouTube channels set up. We are so proud of all of them that they completed the challenge by uploading their videos within 4 hours during the SOOS-Tube Bootcamp. The time constraint is designed to help participants to have the first-hand experience in the possibility to create videos within a short time frame, even for beginners. This proves that frequent and consistent video posts are possible and they will definitely get better over time with experience.

Below are the judging criteria for the videos. The top three groups get an opportunity to pitch for a CJ E&M USD 10,000 video production grant! So keep a look out for updates on the grant winner.

JUDGING CRITERIA
CONTENT (Message, Story, Purpose, Clarity, Fluency, etc)40%
PRODUCTION (Quality of video, effectiveness of communicating the content and purpose, etc)30%
ENTERTAINMENT VALUE (Ability to captivate audience, “shareability“ of the video, etc)20%
VIEWS OF VIDEO (Actual number of views of the YouTube Video – Promotion part of things. The numbers will be limited by time but everyone in the challenge has the same amount of time to garner views so it is relative to each other.)10%
If two groups collaborate or help each other in one way or another, we will award 10% to both groups. Maximum is 10% per group.

 

The Challenge Results

Here are the top three groups and a special mention of a video by our amazing deaf participants doing the video for the first time:

If you want to view all the videos submissions, you can go to https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmTAFGPkmrFaDyYgDsvJQ-Iqm1q38_MT9. Some of the participants took their videos off from public viewing after the SOOS-Tube BootCamp but quite a number are still available. Do subscribe and like their videos, and even share if you love it, as this is a very practical and tangible way of showing your support!

Photos of the Bootcamp can be viewed at https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1632725063685330.1073741833.1518417041782800&type=1&l=5f5b009983 

AYAM Brand Instagram Challenge

We had a whole bunch of AYAM brand products like sardines and tuna at the event with 20 x $100 AYAM Brand Hampers to be won in the Instagram challenge! The participants had loads of fun and these two fine gentlemen had their little game for the stash.

 

We’ll be Back!

We are not going to stop after the first SOOS-Tube Bootcamp, just as we want to encourage the participants to continue creating content after the bootcamp. We will come back next year, hopefully, bigger and better! So keep a look out for us.

 


 

Winning Videos

Here are the winning videos for your easy viewing but do check out the other videos at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmTAFGPkmrFaDyYgDsvJQ-Iqm1q38_MT9:

 

FIRST: 5 Makeup MUST HAVES! IMHO | Soos-Tube Bootcamp by Jynn Looi

SECOND: PUMP X Resorts World Sentosa by PUMP Do You

THIRD: Can You Help Me? by The Hidden Good

SPECIAL MENTION: SnapDeaf by Deaf Video Singapore

Event Page and Event Details: https://www.soos-oio.com/event/soos-tube-bootcamp-2016/

Special Thanks to:

  • Samantha Danielle Lee, who has been an amazing support especially with her lovely smile!
  • Daniel Ho, who has supported this in many ways than one.
  • Richard Frias, who immediately agreed to come when I told him the idea
  • Mylen Yamamoto, who came even though her own wedding is happening a week after the bootcamp.
  • Lucian Teo, whose humble spirit and support in this has been such great encouragement.
  • Tiffany Yong, who volunteered her help, even as a last minute stand-in when the emcee MIA.
  • Marilyn, who has volunteered since David Choi days.
  • Nic Khoo, who believed in this dream and supported in many ways.
  • Very dear friends who have been so generous with encouragements and practical support.
  • I am very blessed and thank God for each of you! To God be the glory! =)

SOOS OIO at SHINE Fest 2016

SOOS OIO SHINE Booth
Our booth is parked right next to the stage in front of Mandarin Gallery! Interesting enough, we got “upgraded” to the stage when there was no performances happening there.




SOOS OIO had a little booth at SHINE Fest this year, a very pleasant surprise when NYC invited us to be part of their community fair! As we are launching songwriters.sg, the focus of this booth is geared towards music. We had no products or merchandise to sell but with a passion to gather people for music. So out goes the pop-corn man and here comes the sound man, setting up a simple Sing and Play, i.e. open mic session.

Krysta anchored the Sing & Play sessions, playing the guitar for all those who wanted to come up and sing! She herself garnered quite a bit of crowd over the 3 days as she played and sang. We were glad that everyone had fun over music, be it those who sang, played, or watched. =)

We want to say a HUGE THANK YOU to:

  • SHINE Fest committee for all the hard work and sweat in putting this up
  • NYC for the booth which gives all of us, especially the musicians to come forward and share their music in Orchard Road
  • Nizam for the amazing sound at our booth
  • Firdaus for the amazing sound at the stage, and being SUPER AWESOME!
  • Alex, Krysta, Tricia, Keona and Li Kai for taking care of the booth
  • Movement Music for the Reverend Guitars to jam
  • All who came and made it such a fun & memorable event for each and everyone of us!

Here is one of the videos of Krysta doing an impromptu duet with Shah whom she met the first time at the booth. For more videos, you can go to https://www.facebook.com/soos.oio.sg/ or https://www.facebook.com/songwriters.sg.

 


What People Think

Here are some of the feedback and testimonies we received from those who came to the booth. Thank you SHINE Fest for putting everything together!

Ezekiel @ SHINE Fest
Here’s Ezekiel’s FB Post about sharing a few of his own originals!
I love the passion and energy that surrounds SHINE Fest; the many talented performers that stepped up to our Open-Mic sessions, as well as the encouragements I received from the audience after performing my own compositions. Shine Festival was truly a laboratory to check out the test tubes of up and coming social and creative experimentations that our youths are undertaking, as well as a place to foster broader and deeper connections amongst likeminded creative Singaporeans. – Ezekiel Ang (26 year old guitar teacher)
Fiona @ SHINE Fest
Fiona and PeiRong are friends from Uninhibited Spaces, our neighbouring booth, who became great friends and supporters of Krysta!

 

Keona @ SHINE Fest
16 year old Keona had her first taste of singing in the streets of Orchard Road and she did amazingly well! I believe she has won herself some fans out there. =)

 

Ho Li Kai @ SHINE Fest
One of the winners of Neil Zaza Guitar Contest, Ho Li Kai, came by to lend his support with his crazy guitar skills! Oooohoooo! Thank you Movement Music for providing Reverend Guitars for jamming at the booth!

 

It has been a very liberating experience for me during the Shine Festival 2016.
There has been many amazing talents and emerging potentials whom I had
the privilege of engaging in conversations during the festival.
And in most of the conversations, many had spoken about their dreams
and passions of what they are hoping to achieve. Many had taken up the
challenge and to some the privilege of performing to crowds with their
original composition or their covers of songs. The very fact that they
were hoping to share their talents and passion has deeply encouraged
around what would I do with my hopes and passion in my life. Indeed
their energy and hopeful living has been a fantastic experience for me
to be bless with. – Alex Tan, volunteer at the SOOS OIO Booth in SHINE Fest 2016

 

Krysta @ SHINE Fest
Krysta is a volunteer at the booth. We are super delighted that she soared beyond giving out flyers but drew a crowd for the 3 nights. So proud of you!

Neil Zaza – the Guitar Papa

Neil Zaza I'm Alright Video with 2 Winners



Neil Zaza finally arrived in Changi Airport on 14 Jun 2016 (Tue) after the long wait of slightly more than 6 months. In my heart I was praying that all his baggage arrived in good order, especially his guitar. I spotted him at the baggage belt after about 15min wait. He got all his stuff rather fast, kudos to Changi Airport. Within the first 5min of receiving him, I popped the question if he needed wifi and passed him a hot spot dongle. The flight-wearied face suddenly lit up and immediately I got a big hug from him! Wifi is the way to make friends within a minute! >_<

Neil Zaza Guitar Contest

First thing lined up for the day was sound check the next day. Following that, a video recording with the 2 winners of the Neil Zaza Guitar Contest. I put Marcello Brandon (winner) and Ho Li Kai (Runner up) in a whatsapp group chat a few days before to make the necessary arrangements. Brandon arranged to collect his prize of a brand new Reverend Guitar with compliments from Movement Music the day before to prepare himself for the big day! Their excitement geared me up for Neil’s arrival. Excitement is contagious and so is their passion!

When they finally met their guitar hero in person, Li Kai was shaking up so visibly but I am sure Brandon was as well but hidden beneath his cool demeanour. I believe the most nerve wracking part was to play I’m Alright together with their guitar inspiration. The atmosphere in the Media Hub at *SCAPE was super charged up with PASSION. The three guitarists filled the room with energy that was explosive! I looked around and everyone had smiles on their faces, enjoying the moment.

The part that deeply touched me was the bonding and love the two young gentlemen have for each other, strangers until the whatsapp group chat. There is a mutual respect between these two that I admire. They worked through with Neil how the song should be played while waiting for Daniel Ho (@oneclickwonders) and Samantha Lee (@simsumsam) set up for the video recording.

I love the fairy lights and the two round light thingy (pardon my pathetic vocabulary!). My favourite part of the video is at 1:56-2:02. The few seconds of wordless communication captured by the camera hits home for me that this is the community that SOOS OIO is about. Established artists who have gone ahead are great inspiration for the next generation, forming relationships and communities to fire each other’s passion. I believe that these two young men will spur each other to be better in their guitar skills and fuel each other’s passion in the road ahead. I have somehow lovingly called them Neil’s Singapore Kids already. So Neil Zaza is unofficially the Guitar Papa!

Brandon & Li Kai have fun at the Recording Set
Brandon & Li Kai have fun at the Recording Set. By Daniel Ho (@oneclickwonders)

Neil Zaza Guitar Workshop at *SCAPE

The cosy room was packed with almost 30 participants anxiously waiting to learn from their guitar hero. It is a pity that Neil’s iPad decided to act up 30 min before the workshop. After much troubleshooting, with our fantastic sound guy Nizam exploring all possible solutions, Neil used his iPhone back up backing tracks for the workshop. As many of you know, Singaporeans are not the most participative and responsive crowd, especially in a classroom & workshop setting. Yet in this workshop, the opposite was true. It was fascinating and amazing to see how interested the attendees were. They raised their hands to ask very good questions and once again, the PASSION for guitar was oozing out of everyone.

Neil Zaza Guitar Workshop
Neil Zaza Guitar Workshop
Neil Zaza Guitar Workshop Team Photo
Neil Zaza Guitar Workshop Team Photo. Thank you to one of the attendee who offered to take this photo for us!

Neil Zaza Live in Singapore at Esplanade

A big shout out to the production team! Neil was completely blown away by the sound when he took off his in-ears during sound check just to busk in the quality of sound in the Recital Studio. Neil’s supersonic fingers on the guitar fret sounded so crisp and clear which not many sound systems can relay. I broke the usual rule of no photography allowed in Esplanade to no flash photography, wanting everyone to be able to capture their piece of memory in the show. The audience was amazing and it was so good to see you at the Meet & Greet session after. I love the fact there the age range of Neil’s fans ranges from pre-teens to adults!

Neil Zaza - the Guitar Papa
Neil Zaza in Esplanade 2016. By Daniel Ho (@oneclickwonders)

Conclusion

I want to thank the amazing team, lean and mean in a super awesome way. Each of you has made the week so memorable and I want to thank:

  • Neil Zaza – Your music reflects who you are in person – AMAZING!
  • Samantha Lee – What do I do without you?! =)
  • Daniel Ho – You are way more amazing than the photos and videos you take!
  • Angus Sham – You have quietly taken such good care of Neil Zaza. I did not even have to worry a single bit!
  • *SCAPE – Special shout out to Kenneth and Japheth who provided great support.
  • Esplanade – Special shout out to Jacklyn, Ben, Hock Hoe and your team. Awesome work!
  • Nizam – The sound guy for the workshop & video who gives 110%!
  • Wenling – For responding to the call for merch help so last minute.
  • Movement Music – You guys set up your booth so impressively and tirelessly for two days. Appreciate all the support you have given to us, especially the Reverend Guitar for Brandon.

One lesson that came across so clearly this week is that passion is contagious and infectious. Neil’s passion for guitar has inspired Brandon and Li Kai. When these three come together, their passion is crazy explosive dynamite. My conclusion is when passionate people comes together with respect and appreciation of each other, the effect is greater than addition and multiplication, but EXPONENTIATION.

"<yoastmark

For more photos of Neil Zaza in Singapore: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1606091413015362.1073741830.1518417041782800&type=1&l=7ddc0f3e73

Life of a Guitarist – Neil Zaza

Life of a Guitarist - Neil Zaza




Do you have a stereotype about musicians and their life? We get up close with Neil Zaza to find out a little more about his journey as a guitarist, including his perspectives on some important things in life. Neil Zaza is coming to Singapore this June to do a Neil Zaza Live in Singapore show at Esplanade and a guitar workshop at SCAPE.

Here are the questions posed to Neil Zaza and some of his answers are refreshing surprises!

  1. How did you discover the guitar and decide that you want to be a guitarist?
  2. What were some of the sacrifices you made to pursue music?
  3. Was there an event in your music career when you felt it was pivotal? Why?
  4. What are some of the key factors that contribute to your success as a guitarist?
  5. What are some of your everyday disciplines and practice routines as a guitarist?
  6. Tell us about the most difficult period in your music career? How did you overcome it?
  7. What were some of the social pressures you face while pursing a career in music? How did you handle them?
  8. What does stability in life mean to you? How does your music career relate to your definition of stability?
  9. What is your advise to a young person who is aspiring to be a professional musician?

Q1: How did you discover the guitar and decide that you want to be a guitarist??
Find out what is the life changing epiphany for Neil Zaza when he not only chose guitar but HAD to play it.

Q2: What were some of the sacrifices you made to pursue music?
The commonly asked question about sacrifice is resolved for Neil Zaza by living what he love and living what he does. Find out more about his perspective on sacrifice.

Q3: Was there an event in your music career when you felt it was pivotal? Why?
The pivotal moment for Neil Zaza was not a huge stage or receiving a prestigious award but the one moment when he became addicted.

Q4: What are some of the key factors that contribute to your success as a guitarist?
Neil Zaza defines his success in its longevity, which is not an easy feat. Neil Zaza has been a professional guitarist since 1987, with almost 30 years of experience!

Q5: What are some of your everyday disciplines and practice routines as a guitarist?
A consistent and regimented practice schedule is a must for musicians but for someone who has paid his dues of over 10,000 hours quality practice in the early days, find out how Neil Zaza’s work day looks like.

Q6: Tell us about the most difficult period in your music career? How did you overcome it?
“There are good bad days and there are good bad years.” Find out how serious things get for Neil Zaza.

Q7: What were some of the social pressures you face while pursing a career in music? How did you handle them?
Be SURPRISED by the social pressures Neil Zaza faced!

Q8: What does stability in life mean to you? How does your music career relate to your definition of stability?
Neil Zaza’s definition of stability is simple but stabilising.

Q9: What is your advise to a young person who is aspiring to be a professional musician?

Besides loving what you do, Neil Zaza touches on a deeper wisdom in sustaining your pursuit of music. Find out what what Neil Zaza means when he calls himself a “lifer”.

This simple yet revealing interview with Neil Zaza has shifted some stereotypes on musicians and guitarists. Neil Zaza’s single mindedness and positivity anchor him for the many storms that have taken out many on the same road. What are some of your struggles and your perspectives with regards to the areas mentioned in the interview?

Neil Zaza 2016

"Where words fail, music speaks." - Hans Christian Andersen

SOOS OIO is proud to kick-start 2016 with the announcement of having Neil Zaza in Singapore this June 2016. Guitar enthusiasts and Neil Zaza's music supporters have a chance to be immersed in his high energy melodious guitar solos with technical brilliance live in Singapore.

SOOS OIO is about encouraging, equipping and empowering. Through Neil Zaza, we hope to inspire guitar enthusiasts in Singapore to take a step, and many more to come in the future, to honing their skills and have fun through it. Thus, more than just enjoying Neil Zaza's music performance, a workshop is also arranged so that guitarists in Singapore get a chance to rub off some of his musical brilliance, not just technical but his passion! Neil Zaza has also kindly agreed to have a guitar contest, providing free download to the backing track and tabs to his very popular song "I'm Alright". So guitarists, time to perfect the song and show your prowess! The winners have the opportunity to record a video of them playing the guitar with Neil Zaza in Singapore. Movement Music has sweetened the prize of the top winner with a Reverend Guitar worth at least S$1200. Ticket holders of both the Neil Zaza Live in Singapore show and Neil Zaza Guitar Workshop receives a S$100 discount when they purchase a Reverend guitar from Movement Music with details below. 

Ticket sales for both the show and workshop start on 15 Jan 2016 (Fri) 12pm.

Below are the links to the events details:

Perhaps you have noticed the smile of Zaza when he is on the guitar. This smile brings much pleasure to the audience seeing him enjoying what he does. The journey to success is never a bed of roses, even a bed of roses has thorns that prick. Digging a little deeper, we want to know the sweat and tears behind Neil Zaza's smile on stage. We presented some questions to Neil Zaza about his journey before his arrival to Singapore. Hopefully his story might resonate in some of you as motivation and inspiration. The videos will be released one by one before his arrival to Singapore. Follow SOOS OIO on YouTube or any of our social media for the latest updates! 

Hashtag #neilzazasg and #soosoio when you posts comments, photos or videos on any social media about your guitar journey or Neil Zaza's coming to Singapore so that we can be your cheerleader along the way!

Use Your Ticket to Purchase Reverend Guitars from Movement Music at a Discount

  1. Please proceed to http://www.movementmusic.com.sg/#!catalog-guitar/cg70 for Reverend Guitar Catalog.
  2. Email Movement Music at enquiries@movementmusic.com.sg your ticket to Neil Zaza Live in Singapore or Neil Zaza Guitar Workshop, indicating the Reverend Guitar you are interested in. Movement Music will contact you to assist you with the purchase.
  • Please note that for all pre-ordered items the lead time will be 2 weeks (dependent on availability of stock from Reverend Guitars USA) and a 50% payment has to be made upfront. The lead time of 2 weeks will start after the 50% payment.
  • The remaining 50% is to be paid in full upon delivery of the guitar
  • For pre-orders, only Direct Bank Transfer option is available
  • Price quoted includes delivery of the guitar to the selected address