Contact: Marcia Tan Mobile: 9739 3023 Email: marcia@19sixtyfive.com.sg FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ONE OF SINGAPORE S BEST-KEPT SECRETS TAKES THEIR INFECTIOUS HUMOUR OUTDOORS 7 November 2012 - BARF or the Budak Arts Revolution Festival makes its debut with all things Singaporean on 8 December, 2012. Those in the know and with the secret codes would have heard of Budak Pantai, five very Singaporean males who have come together year after year to fulfill their hearts desires: to make music. Offering tongue-in-cheek versions and mash-ups of perennial favourites and popular hits through acoustic accompaniment mixed with vocal improvisations, the musically creative quintet can turn anything into song. And so for almost two decades, Budak Pantai has entertained audiences - both locally and overseas - with their storytelling in a song, accompanied by in-your-face humour. These five funny men have staged sold out concerts at the hallowed stages of the Esplanade - Budak Pantai In Your Face (2004), Sheep, Angels and The Mexican Guy at the Bar (2005), Budak Pantai Unplucked (2006) and Happy Songs for a Great Recession (2009). Since Mother has always taught us to share, they reckon it is time to take their unique brand of music outdoors for a change, so that many more can busk in their love and laughters. With BARF, the group aims to create Singapore s most anticipated annual family concert. This year, BARF is expected to be a showcase of all the wonderful things that make Singapore, well, Singapore. From yummilicious chilli crab and Milo dinosaurs to talented local artistes, Don Richmond, multi-talented singer, songwriter and producer who is not only devoted to his craft but also charms
audiences with his smooth vocals and engaging personality and Siti Zahidah, winner of 987FM's The Next Big Thing, who may not be as long in the circuit as Don, but has already made a name for herself as a musical storyteller. Your sounds make me dance all weekend. - Facebook fan Purplish Pink Brought a friend along and she has been Budak-ed! - Jean Teh Brought my mum to see Budak for the first time today and she sang along to your songs laughed at your jokes thank you for the wonderful performance, which made her so happy! - So Zhangting BUDAK ARTS REVOLUTION FESTIVAL BARF will not be purely Singaporean if visitors do not get to shop, so yes, one-of-akind merchandises like T-shirts and tote bags made specially by Handmade Movement will be up for sale. Handmade Movement envisions to be a platform for local artisans to reach out to the community and encourage appreciation for unique items that are handmade with love and attention. Also setting up shop at BARF is Oddyssey, a place full of odds and whatnots likened to our beloved karung guni man. Armed with a passion for everything vintage, the collector possesses a charming collection of eclectic toys and furnitures from heavy typewriters to refurbished chairs and sofa frames. As the year winds down, embrace your Singaporean roots at BARF and be grateful for the charm of our sunny shores and our people. BARF promises a night of good food, great music and ginormous fun.
About Budak Pantai For one, they don t sing a cappella. Well, not that much anymore anyway. For over 10 years that they were doing a cappella, Danny didn t know what to with his hands when on stage. So he brought along a guitar. Today, they re stuck with this ensemble 5 men and a guitar. It s also hard to describe or categorise the kind of music they do. Saying it s eclectic is putting it nicely. If there s a musical equivalent of stand-up comic, Budak Pantai is it. Their voices were once described by a concert reviewer as unremarkable but the same reviewer also said they were most entertaining. To these 5 men, that was as good a compliment as any, because their only goal is to entertain. Links Website Myspace Facebook Youtube They are unabashedly irreverent with their music. They sing about why men have nipples; they turn My Heart Will Go On into a square dance; they even sing the recipe for baking a cake! They have a break-up song and a retrenchment song. But it is precisely this irreverence that has endeared Budak Pantai to a huge following in Singapore, including company executives, prominent commercial and government organisations and (God help us) school kids. In fact, today, they have started to take their brand of music to schools, where they uhh hope to educate young minds about the joys of irreverent music making. Whenever they perform, it s usually standing room only. If you like music, you will like Budak Pantai s clever interpretations. And if you enjoy comedy, you will certainly love this group. Contact www.budakpantai.com myspace.com/budakpantai facebook.com/budakpantai youtube.com/user/budakvideos Company Name Contact Email 19 SIXTYFIVE Marcia Tan / Yelyn Yeo +65 9739 3023 / 9684 6338 marcia@19sixtyfive.com.sg / yelyn@19sixtyfive.com.sg
About Don Richmond Don Richmond is a Singer/Songwriter/ Composer and Music Producer. He burst onto the music scene in 1998 when he released his debut album Skrooloose to critical acclaim. The album featured the single Stellarblowout that became a radio hit and it landed him his first composition job for a feature film City Sharks. The soundtrack spawned Don s second radio hit Darlin Don t You Know. Don became a powerhouse in the industry after winning two awards for his second album Bent : 2005 Compass Award For Best English Song and 2004 Winner Of The Life! Theatre Award For Music/ Sound Design. Don was also the creative force behind Singapore Radio Station 987FM where he helmed the Creative Producer spot for 3 years. His proudest moment in radio came as one half of The Don And Drew Show: The First Commercial Radio Show in Singapore to be podcast and subsequently aired in the US on The David Lawrence Show. Together with his radio partner Andrew Crothers, they went on to release a few singles on radio. Be My Valentine was voted Best Local Song 2006 and Bouncy Bouncy Smack Smack tore the roof down in 2007, winning Best Local Song 2007 and hitting Number 10 on 987FM s Top 100 Countdown (A feat never before achieved by any other local act). Being equally comfortable behind the producer s desk, Don has produced radio hits such as Girls And Boys (CCCrush), Later Tonight & So Bonafide (Mark Bonafide), Round And Round (Alicia Pan) and Hey Girl. (Mark Bonafide Ft. Vanessa Fernandez) He has worked with local artists such as X Ho, EN-X, David Tan (Electrico), Asha Edmund, Hady Mirza, and Taufik Batisah. Don has also composed music for Discovery Channel documentaries such as Men Made Marvels and Samurai: Behind The Blade. Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/don-richmond/8499042415?fref=ts
About Siti Zahidah A storyteller, Siti Zahidah writes about the unspoken stories of the people she has met in her life. Their happiness, struggles, turmoils and inspirations are showcased in the lyrics and melodies of her songs. Not wanting to be just a passive advocate of music, she decided to take a step further by embarking on a musical journey as a singer/songwriter in 2009 and has not looked back since. Within a short period of time, Zahidah has managed to garner the attention of many with her songs and live performances. Zahidah's most notable performances include being the opening act for Copeland in their farewell tour in Asia, as well as Youtube twin sensations, Jayesslee. In July 2011, Zahidah's song collaboration with The Lion Story, Lagu Teman, won the award for Best Local Song (Singapore) during Anugerah Planet Muzik 2011, an annual award show for the regional Malay music industry. In a bid to challenge herself as a musician, Zahidah entered 987 The Next Big Thing, a singing/ songwriting competition organized by Mediacorp's 987FM, and was crowned the Champion. Zahidah has just released her debut EP entitled Ethereal. The 5-track EP includes her first Malay single, Malam Ini. The second single, First Love, is currently on airplay on local radio stations. Understanding the grey area of music genres, Zahidah does not encourage the concept of putting any labels to her music. Instead, she strongly believes in enjoying the music as it is. Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/zahidahmusic