UBIE

Articles from the star newspaper 12.03.2009

2009-03-12T14:00:00.009+08:00

...Rock n Roll..!!Thursday March 12, 2009
Ubie's revolution begins
By N. RAMA LOHAN
Playing music that’s often regarded as untrendy takes guts, but more importantly, passion. Local blues rock outfit Ubie knows this only too well.
Blues rock. Now there’s a genre you don’t see making waves in the local music scene today, be it on a full-scale commercial level or independently. For the uninitiated, blues rock laid the foundation for every format of rock that has appeared since (and this goes back to the 1960s), yet today a large section of the younger listening audience views the genre as old or untrendy ... actually, both!

Sure, there are bands plying this route, but little fortune has come their way. Luckily though, a small following has been generated, but this is nowhere close to the adulation received by Brit pop, post rock, rap rock or whatever other off-shoot that’s come away in the last decade or so.
Bold: Ubie set to lead the blues rock pack.
Defying musical strata and waving the blues banner fervently is local band Ubie. Having earned its stripes with a sterling debut back in 2003, Satu Jiwa Satu Hati (which had renowned producer Greg Henderson, no less, behind the board), the quartet is looking to extend its run in the Malaysian music scene once again with a five-song EP titled Revolusi.

Vocalist Hisyam, guitarist Jefri, bassist Ram and drummer Qatam are embarking on a revolution all their own, with down-home blues rock vibes as their guiding light. The quartet earnestly wants to spread its gospel of peace and love via its material, which fuses the blues of The Black Crowes and the belligerence of Guns N’ Roses.

"The concept of the band pretty much came together by itself ... I don’t recall it being a conscious effort. It just seemed that every time we jammed, a blues feel just naturally came out of us ... and even Greg Henderson told us that we should stay true to what we do best," Hisyam concedes during a recent interview.

The band got its first break contributing to a Wings tribute album, Spirit of Underground: Tribute to Wings. A trip east to Pulau Tioman in 2000 was the major break the band had been hoping for. "Sweden has its own version of The Survivor series, and we were invited to play for the contestants there ... that was a great experience!"

"Finding the perfect fit for the band took a while; for the longest time, the nucleus of the band remained Hisyam, Jefri and I," Ram chips in, also revealing that he and Jefri come from the 1980s hard rock boom. Drummer Qatam (who comes from funkmeisters Happy Nightmare) was the final piece in the jigsaw puzzle.

There is a common thread that binds the lot of them – Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd ... rock cognoscenti, basically. "I’m a hard core Led Zep fan ... I just can’t describe how instrumental the band is to me as a musician," Qatam enthuses.

The name Ubie naturally came from the Bahasa Malaysia word ubi. "While many words from the Bahasa Malaysia come from various other languages, the word ubi is one of a handful that was derived for the language proper ... and we thought that was cool," Hisyam shares.

Ubie adheres to a strict band work ethic, where the entire quartet is involved in the creative process, even if both Hisyam and Jefri contribute the basic ideas. "We really try to keep things simple because the arrangement of the songs is the most important thing ... we want the songs to breathe, since they have a life of their own," Qatam adds. And to paraphrase rock god Angus Young of AC/DC, "it’s not the notes you play, but the holes you leave."
Is Ubie for the common man, then? The band’s lyrics might suggest so, with subjects on materialism, greed and peace all rolled into a wholesome serving. While main men Hisyam and Jefri are left with literary responsibilities, co-songwriter and friend Norm (a lawyer friend, by trade) has continued to remain on the fringes, since the band’s debut album Satu Jiwa Satu Hati.
Toiling in a genre that has yielded little recognition in the Malaysian music scene makes life that much more difficult for a band plying this route, but according to the boys, a silver lining exists.
"Things are looking up a little bit ... recently, anyway. Listeners are more mature now and they are listening to more music," Ram reasoned. "I even saw a young band at a gig in Ipoh recently; a bunch of really young boys playing Led Zep and blues songs, complete with blues harp and all. This really augurs wells for the scene," Hisyam chips in.
"Before, bands were required to adhere to a particular musical programme, but that has eased up somewhat. Even the radio stations, TV and press are more supportive of our endeavours, but there’s still a long way to go yet. At least there’s encouragement, though," adds Qatam.
Line-ups for major concert events in the country clearly suggest some degree of ignorance to the existence of a nascent blues rock scene here. It’s all like a never-ending belt of reruns.
Instead of sitting back and hoping for the situation to salvage itself, Ubie chooses to take matters into its own hands. "We should do something about this. The onus on salvaging the situation does not lie entirely in the hands of the powers that be alone. We can’t wait for things to happen," insists Qatam.

The recording of this five-song EP has been pretty much a self-financed and DIY effort. Instruments that were put through their paces included that of vintage pedigree, including classic Fender and Marshall amplifiers. "We found ourselves soldering cables, creating isolation booths and what not," Qatam says.
Ram cites Paku and Rolling Sixers as contemporaries in the blues rock scene, suggesting that bands like these are few and far between because there needs to be a great understanding of sound, feel, arrangement, dynamic and groove. "I think the more mature bands have a better understanding of this," Qatam throws in his two cents worth.

Ubie hasn’t ironed out details on the promotion side of things for the EP yet, but for the time being, it is available via the band’s MySpace page – simply e-mail the band for queries.
Blues rock may only be a burgeoning genre in the face of modern rock, but this is guts and glory at its best. Getting a good dose does not require a time machine. Just pop Revolusi into a CD player and kick back with the vibes of yesteryear.
Visit www.myspace.com/ubieband for more details on the band or to purchase Revolusi.

UBIE press release 2nd album 21.02.2009

2009-02-25T16:57:00.005+08:00

...Rock n Roll..!!

LIVE AT LAUNDRY BAR THE CURVE - DAMANSARA UTAMA 12.11.2008

2008-11-12T17:18:00.001+08:00

...Rock n Roll..!!

VR 1 CAFE live PART 2 - 8.11.2008

2008-11-12T15:31:00.004+08:00

...Rock n Roll..!!

UBIE live video at VR 1 CAFE DAMANSARA INTAN (part 2)

2008-11-10T13:17:00.005+08:00

...Rock n Roll..!!

UBIE new song - TaR..apA..Paa

Cover song -FIRE !!

MY EVO FEST 26.10.2008

2008-11-10T12:42:00.003+08:00

...Rock n Roll..!!

Practice !!

2008-09-29T10:35:00.004+08:00

...Rock n Roll..!!

Live at VR-1 CAFE 27.09.2008

2008-09-29T09:34:00.008+08:00

...Rock n Roll..!!

happy hour jamming

2008-09-27T11:49:00.003+08:00

...Rock n Roll..!!

Waikiki Bar 14.09.2008

2008-09-23T14:50:00.003+08:00

last sunday 14th sept 2008 ubie's was invited from management of waikiki bar for a 45 minutes stage performing. Ubie's presented for about 8 song including original new track on ubie's next single.

...Rock n Roll..!!

One Heart One Soul

2008-05-21T13:51:00.003+08:00

...Rock n Roll..!!

PRESS CLUB SHOWCASE

2007-08-30T18:17:00.000+08:00

Pada 24 ogos 2007 bertempat di National Press Club Kuala Lumpur UBIE telah berbesar hati membuat persembahan untuk para wartawan kumpulan NSTP. Ramai yg hadir pd malam tu. UBIE telah membawa kesemua peralatan muzik sendiri demi untuk kepuasan sendiri dan juga para wartawan yang hadir. Respon yang diterima amat menggalakkan. UBIE teruja dgn sambutan yang diberikan. Lebih kurang 30 lagu telah dipersembahkan pada malam tersebut. Pihak management ubie telah memberikan saguhati berupa t-shirt logo UBIE utk para wartawan yang hadir tanda penghargaan UBIE .

Atas adalah gambar-gambar yg telah dirakam pada malam tersebut.

...Rock n Roll..!!

Gigs at Taman tasik titiwangsa

2007-08-08T18:33:00.002+08:00

Sham sedang tgk crowd yang melaut

http://tajulram@blogspot.com/

Qhatam dgn gaya boringnya

Seperti biasa lagak ngeri pemain bass UBIE

berpeluh JP tali gitarnya sampai 2 kali putussss....baru main 4 lagu tu

Sham sedang di temubual oleh M.K dari KLFM

Tulang belakang kumpulan UBIE

daH LER TU ram ooi...

...Hmmm...dah lama dah berehat dari buat show ni...dah setahun dah tak beraksi di pentas..Rasa kekok la pulak bila beraksi..he..he..he.. Pada 5 ogos 2007 yg lepas UBIE telah kembali beraksi..UARGGGHHH!! ...kali ni di KL jer kat Taman Tasik Titiwangsa anjuran Papita dan DBKL. kami main sebelah ptg. satu pentas dgn Joey BPR, kump KLANG dan penari2 budaya dari DBKL. ...ok laa show tu. sound system memang dahsyaaaattt teruknya... Malas ler nak cakap pasal sound sistem ni.. Lagi cakap lagi geram. Atas tu kami sertakan gambar2 semasa beraksi tu hari...

...Rock n Roll..!!

CLIP VIDEO UBIE - MUST SEE !!

2006-11-01T12:53:00.005+08:00

GEGARAN ROCK 29 JULY 2006

2006-08-01T11:35:00.000+08:00

Pada 29 July 2006 yang lepas Ubie telah dijemput utk mengadakan persembahan di Ipoh bertempat di Dewan Bulan Sabit Merah betul-betul bersebelahan Stadium Perak. Tengok kat poster kat atas tu siap ada peta lagi tu.. Konsert tu berlansung siang hingga ke malam..."Ambik ko" Konsert tu dinamakan GEGARAN MERDEKA Ubie dapat slot sebelah malam. Bersama-sama kami pada malam tu band Vibra, Wahab Band dan kumpulan MAY.

Vibra sebagai openning band. Diorang main Metal siap haedbanging lagi.Ubie menyusul selepas itu. Walaupun penonton yang datang tak ramai tapi respon penonton kepada Ubie alhamdulillah boleh tahan. Selepas Ubie muncul pula Wahab band. Band ini bawak lagu-lagu 60an dan juga lagu-lagu hindustan, siap bawak penari latar lagi...Band penutup siapa lagi kalau tak kumpulan MAY. Disini penulis serta anggota-anggota kumpulan UBIE ingin mengucapkan terimakasih kpd penganjur iaitu SZ STUDIO saudara Connie yang sudi menjemput kami untuk mengadakan persembahan pada malam tersebut. Harapan kami semoga anda Sukses selalu.

Ok lah...disini disertakan beberapa photo kenangan pd malam tersebut.

UBIE
Sham...dengan gaya tersendiri
Sham layan bassist dia pulak..
Sham sedang melayan solo Jp
Ram sedang plucking bassnya....kyusuk nampak..

'click ler kat sini'

http://tajulram.fotopages.com

http://tajulram.blogspot.com

WATCH CLIP VIDEO UBIE !!

LIVE AT

DATARAN MERDEKA!!

click here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72I5ntAwJFU

...Rock n Roll..!!

UBIE PRACTICE

2006-04-15T11:10:00.000+08:00

ROCK N ROLL..

...Rock n Roll..!!

UBIE: Ubie's T-shirt

2005-10-22T21:28:00.000+08:00

UBIE: Ubie's T-shirt

Artikel Ubie

2005-10-16T23:35:00.000+08:00

...Rock n Roll..!!

link

http://tajulram.blogspot.com

Ubie's articles in newspaper and magazines

2005-10-16T01:18:00.001+08:00

...Rock n Roll..!!

link

http://www.myspace.com/ubieband

Ubie's T-shirt

2005-09-28T23:14:00.000+08:00

Ini logo Ubie untuk T-shirt versi pertama..ini image zoom(gambar dekat) kalau anda tak nampak ayat logo tu adalah 'Makan, dengar ...layan... Logo ni untuk bahagian belakang T-shirt..Kalau anda rasa minat nak beli sila email kat Ubie..dan sila nyatakan size sekali.

Ini pula bahagian depan T-shirt.
P/s Tapi sori yer...errr....kalau anda perasan...kaki cameraman termasuk sekali ler dalam gambar ni..heeiii...rosak...rosak!!

Ini bahagian belakang T-shirt..(long shoot)

....dan yang ni...memperkenalkan model untuk T-shirt Ubie...siap posing atas vespa lagi..kata model ni...'posing atas vespa ler baru blues'...laa.....anda kenal tak sapa model ni??? Cuba teka dan email kan kat Ubie...kalau betul Ubie akan hadiah T-shirt...he...he...he...

...Rock n Roll..!!

...Laaa dia lagi.. tapi kali ni baru ler ok posing...tapi anda jangan terkejut T-shirt ni lengan dia telah dipotong oleh model ni...hmmm...lantak kau ler...janji blues...

T-shirt ni telah ditaja oleh salah seorang dari rakan Ubie yang tak mahu disebut namanya..tapi dikalangan Ubie dia dikenali dengan nama 'Black Sabatth'

Barangan lain akan menyusul nanti..mudah-mudahan'..ada sponser ker???

links
http://tajulram.blogspot.com
http://www.yob4ever.com
http://lanunmalaya.multiply.com

recording time..

2005-09-25T15:00:00.000+08:00

...yang tengah senyum nampak gigi tu adalah abang Mus. Dia ni antara orang yang penting dibelakang tabir Ubie. Orangnya nampak ganas..tapi hatinya baik...kalau orang tak kenal mesti cakap dia sombong tapi orangnya tak begitu...Kalau cakap pasal bola memang best sembang dengan dia..selalunya abang Mus ni kalau sembang pasal bola...sembang dengan pemain bass Ubie jer iaitu ram...rancak jer berbual dari bolasepak dalam negara sampai luar negara diorang sembang...tapi si ram ni macam bagus jer cakap pasal bola...yer ker ram...??

..salah satu daripada kegemaran sham iaitu menaip sms walau dimana jua berada...tapi bila tanya...'Buat apa tu sham?...dia jawab '..aku taip lirik laa...aku dapat idea nie...baik punya..!!
Ye ker...???

...Rock n Roll..!!

..Eh!..Qatam nie tengah dengar lagu ker atau tidur..??? rilek jer dier yer...Yg sebelah tu sesionist keyboard kami...saudara Syed....Dia nie first album Ubie pun dia session...lagu Satu Jiwa Satu Hati yang ada part keyboard yg sedap tu dia ler yang main...amacam sedap kan???..Sebenarnya Syed ni minat ngan Rap dan Hip hop, bila main keyboard jer mesti dia raping dulu....lagi satu dia juga seorang arranger muzik.....eh! banyak pulak aku promote si Syed ni...terlupa lak ini utk Ubie je laa...he...he...he... jgn mare....
links:
http://tajulram.blogspot.com

Recording time..

2005-09-22T22:43:00.000+08:00

Jp sedang menguji bakatnya sebagai sound engineer...he...he...Sebelah tu Jai pembantu sound engineer. Nampak terkejut jer Jai?

Sham sedang record vocal....
Pukul 3.00 pagi dah nie...tapi masih bersemangat!!

Ram sedang record bass sambil dibantu oleh Omar....pembantu sound engineer, kat pintu tu En. Qatam, masuk ler...apa buat intai-intai..! Mentang-mentang ler drum part dia dah abis...

Ram sedang record backing vocal untuk satu lagu Ubie..
Come on bro....you can do it!!

...Rock n Roll..!!

Haaa....ini dia orang yang penting di belakang tabir muzik Ubie...memperkenalkan sound engineer Ubie saudara Rashid..!! Untuk pengetahuan anda Rashid ni buat kerja nampak macam tak buat kerja jer....senyum jer buat kerja, nampak gigi jer...tapi hasilnya......Memang Puas Hati!!!
Lagi satu bakat si Rashid ni...tangan dia ni memang 'magic'...kalau bab repair barang elekterik memang dia pandai,...kalau member hantar barang rosak utk dibaiki....siap tu memang siap tapi bertahun!!!....he...he....he...jgn mare yer Shed..gurau jer

Practice...!!

2005-09-21T20:53:00.000+08:00

...Rock n Roll..!!

Ubie sedang sibuk mengadakan latihan di studio!!....Semangat nampak...!!

Ubie latest image

2005-09-21T20:35:00.000+08:00

...Rock n Roll..!!

1fst Ubie's album - 2003

2005-09-21T18:52:00.001+08:00

...Rock n Roll..!!

Keratan 1
1. Satu Jiwa Satu Hati
2. Beza
3. Pulang
4. Seperti dulu
5. Jangan Rugi

Keratan 2
6. Benci dan Kotor
7. Pelangi
8. Disini
9. Hidayah
10. Cahaya

Show Time..lets Rock n Roll!!

2005-09-20T23:35:00.002+08:00

...tengah perform nie.....tapi masa ni dah hujan dah...bertempiaran penonton lari..kecuali mereka-mereka yang "kalis hujan" saja yang masih ada depan stage..

..."Tan Sri Jp" playing his fender strats.

..Tengok tu...ramai peminat sedara Qatam nie..sampai semua kat belakang dia tekun tengok Qatam main drum..." Yeah!!

...Stage yang simple tapi sound not bad bro....

...Rock n Roll..!!

...Nampak tak payung kat bawah stage tu....Hujan ler tu....

Gigs at Penang

2005-09-20T23:23:00.002+08:00

...Rock n Roll..!!

...Yeah..yeah...yeah!!.....Ini masa Ubie show di Penang dalam bulan Mei yg lepas...masa siang tu tengah sound check...kul 8.00 pagi kena sound check tu...Malam tu apa lagi show time ler...!! ROCK N ROLL!!

UBIE"S MEMBERS PROFILE

2005-09-19T21:24:00.000+08:00

Nama: Hisyam b. Abu Hider
Nama samaran: Sham
Asal : Batu Pahat
Posisi : Vocal
Muzik Kesukaan : Blues, Rock, Jazz dan Raggae
Artis Pujaan : David Coverdale, Lenny Kravits. Robert Plant dan Tarace Trent Darby

Nama : Tajul Ihram
Nama samaran: Ram
Asal : Ipoh Perak
Posisi : Bass
Muzik kesukaan: Rock dan Heavy Metal
Artis Pujaan : Jaco Pastorious

Nama: Mohd Razuddin
Nama samaran : Qatam
Posisi : Drummer
Asal : Kuala Lumpur
Muzik kegemaran : Funk dan Rock
Artis Pujaan: Billy Cobham dan Dennis Chamber

Nama : Jefri Li
Nama samaran: JP
Asal : Gopeng Perak
Posisi: Gitar
Muzik kegemaran: Rock n Blues
Artis Pujaan: Jimmy Hendrix & S.R.V

UBIE's LINE UP

2005-09-19T21:17:00.001+08:00

Ubie : from the left Sham(vocal), Ram(bass), Jp(gitar) dan Qatam(drum)

2005-09-19T20:24:00.001+08:00

UBIE’s PROFILE

UBIE was formed in 1998 by four experienced musicians and has been together since then. In the band, we have vocalist Hisyam, guitarist Jefri, Qatam on drums and Ram on bass.

The band boys had been in other bands before coming together and are all experienced in terms of recordings and live performances. Aside from being friends, what brought them together was their interests and inclinations for pure rock and blues music; and naturally the jam sessions they had led to the birth of UBIE. Aside from being experienced musicians, members of UBIE are also technically capable and have a specialty for tube amps and classic and vintage musical instruments. All these aspects will be reflected in their music.

Through the years, UBIE maintains itself active by doing some recordings, live shows and as backing band for the local artists.
In recording, UBIE contributed to the album ‘Spirit of The Underground – Tribute to Wings in November 2000. UBIE also produced an album of its own in 2003, titled Satu Hati Satu Jiwa under the label of Music Valley. A song from the album, stayed at the charts for 14 weeks and even got to no 2 position.

The name UBIE is derived from the word ubi which is yam. This is an important plant and food source for the Malay community and the word appears in many Malay sayings, idioms, poetry, literature and songs. Ubi implies experience, knowledge and wisdom. This is the Malay contribution to the music of Rock and Blues.

The band operates out their own studio, which has the capacity for recording and has other groups practicing there as well. Aside from that the studio also does repairs and service work on guitars and tube amps. With all these background it is only natural that the band gave much focus to their creativity and sound. Being a Rock and Blues band, with the pure basics of electric guitar ,electric bass, drums and harmonica, the band’s main influence are the classic 60s and 70s blues/rock bands with a strong emphasis on guitar. In fact the band’s music can easily be converted into English without modifying either the music , melody or arrangement.

It is the band’s objective to promote the sounds of the blues and rock locally by producing a quality musical product on par with international and accepted musical standards or at least stamp Malaysia’s influence in the Rock and Blues music genre.