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CANNONBALL
Alternative / Pop
Based in: Indonesia

Formed : 2006
Members:
SISKA SALMAN (vocals, guitar), KIKI MARINO (drums, others),
TYO'HARA (guitar, back voc), ADE YOTOLEMBA (guitar)
Label: SUPREME RECORDS (independent). (Distributed by VIRGO RAMAYANA)

FAQ
is this a duo or a band?
Kiki answers:
We started as a duo, Kiki Marino & Siska Salman.
But then we found our 'steady band-partners', that's what we refer to them.
We've known them when they're still with their former bands.
But since they decided to join our duo-wagon steadily, we set a band-partnership contracts.
As a unit, we're one family now, as band on stages and in studios.

when did this duo/band start?
we started in September 14, 2006.
That's when we did our first gig on Rebel Stars Open House Party, a clothing-store owned by Kiki. (www.rebelstars.com)

how did you get your band name?
we drew our moniker from The Breeders's song, Cannonball, from their 'Last Splash' album.
We used to cover that song in our early shows

interview with our French Producer, Dominic C. Conducted by EmpressBooks.com
Cannonball and Dominic C shoot for success:
how an Indonesian band went to 1 on the indie charts in Indonesia Summer 2007
Index of Newsletters
Take a French music producer and two well-known Indonesian music personalities and load.
What results is a hot bullet that shoots up the charts in a region that was hungry for new takes on solid pop. Producer Dominic C oversaw the young group’s rise to early fame on radio and television, and is gearing now to cement the early success with follow-up projects for his pop music discovery, "Cannonball." The Empress is wowed to bring you the story of a unique band that will continue to ignite the Indonesian indie scene, and beyond, with excitement.
Kiki Marino (drums, bass guitar) and Siska Salman (lead vocals, guitar) are Cannonball, the 1 indie band in Indonesia.

Q: Briefly comment on how you, a French musician and music producer, came to recognize and believe in the Indonesian group Cannonball.
Dominic C: I'm French indeed and have been living in Indonesia for 10 years. I'm first of all a photographer, but I have also worked in the music industry (The Silencers, Astonvilla) when I was living in Paris.
Music, along with photography, has always been a passion of mine, and this is why I've always kept an eye on Indonesian artists, some of them being very interesting and unique. I then co-produced Nextofkin’s debut album in 2006, and also made it possible for them to be hired as a support act on Astonvilla's Indonesia tour the same year. On this tour, I met with Kiki Marino (ex-Esnanas), a drummer hired by Nextofkin for these gigs, who talked about his new band project, Cannonball.
Astonished by his drumming technique (I’m myself a drummer apprentice) and his personality, I later decided to executively produce Cannonball’s debut EP, which is due for formal release in June 2007, featuring the song "Why He, Why Me", my very first attempt in songwriting.
Q: Was their steady-paced rise to fame a surprise to you, or something you knew would come from the work and talent of the group?
Dominic C: Well, Cannonball’s debut EP has not been released yet (at the time of this interview), but two of their tracks have already been aired by some major Indonesian radio stations. "Why He, Why Me" off the forthcoming EP was 1 for three consecutive weeks last April, on eight Prambors FM stations, one of the biggest networks in Indonesia. So, yeah, it came like quite a surprise to us, because we didn’t expect such success that so soon. Actually, I decided to produce Cannonball because I believe in them and their talent, so I feel excited that many people already like their music. That helps the band to get more and larger venue gigs contracts; it’s important for Cannonball to perform live on a regular basis, since that’s what they love the most. They’re also conscious that nowadays a band can survive only by performing as often as possible, especially in Indonesia, where piracy is everywhere. At the same time, however, we want to stay humble because we know that we haven’t achieved anything in terms of industry recognition yet… Our idea then is to "let’s perform as much as possible first, wait for the release of the album, and if sales are reasonably ok we’ll be able to look back at all that we did together since the end of last year and make our next moves from there. But believe that we won’t rest ~ we’ll quickly work on a second album ~ Cannonball is a gathering of passionate people, and they live for with music "24-7"....
Kiki (this time on drums) and Siska stylin’ the groove.
Q: With Cannonball now the number 1 indie band in Indonesia, do you think they’ll become more commercial or remain true to the style of music fans have come to love?
Dominic C: Once again, let’s wait until the official release of the album, but I don’t think being commercial is a problem. Cannonball intends to find the right balance between "money" and "spirit". That’s not easy, indeed, but I believe Siska Salman and Kiki Marino, the two people who are the frontrunners of Cannonball, are smart, humble and pragmatic enough to arrange a successful and long musical career for themselves.
Q: Describe how you helped develop the band’s sound and musical approach. Which bands and other musicians in the band’s formative years influenced their present day music?
Dominic C: I’m 40 years old, and I’ve been very much influenced by the sound of the 80’s (my favourite band has always been Ultravox). Siska and Kiki are quite younger than me, and they moreso have been influenced by 90s music. I believe that the forthcoming album will be a mix of both influences. We did fully agree on many points, though; the tracks, for example, had to be melodic and guitar oriented.
Q: Has TV and increased radio exposure in Indonesia increased the band’s popularity more than you expected? In what ways?
Dominic C: At the time of this interview, TV and radio exposure is excellent, and it has definitely helped the band more easily get contracts for several gigs in the near future. I believe foremost that this exposure has increased Cannonball’s popularity among professionals in the music business. We and those professionals both will see how large the fan base has grown when the album is released.
Kiki and Siska performing live earlier in 2007 with other band members.
Q: You must be very proud of the success of the song you wrote, "Why He, Why Me" on Cannonball’s January 2007 debut EP. Please comment on how and why you came to write the song.
Dominic C: Basically, the lyrics of "Why He, Why Me" are about my deep love for a perfect woman, and also about fortune and luck. The concepts were: Why am I so fortunate as to have fallen in love with the perfect woman, while others are not so lucky? Why can't lovers consummate their feelings for each other, or a family becomes separated, for external reasons or a twist of fate such as an earthquake or tsunami for instance? This song is a question to God, indeed. Indonesia has been struck by so many natural, economic or political disasters in recent years that this question seems legitimate. Okay, flashback: last September my love for that "perfect woman" had grown so high that I wanted to display it in an original way. If I dedicated a song to her, I believed it would make her fall for me, once and for all. I then started to work on the lyrics, and Siska Salman (Cannonball’s vocalist & guitarist) came out with such a moving vocal melody that it strengthened my motivation in songwriting, my first experience ever. Cannonball and I further worked on arranging the song in a quite Ultravox way, and the final result was so appealing that I instantly decided to produce Cannonball’s debut EP. As Cannonball liked the song very much too, we then wanted to include the track in the forthcoming EP, re-arranging it in a more acoustic way to fit the main mood of the album. When we got into the recording studio, two months later, we were still so in love with our Ultravox-sounding version of "Why He, Why Me" that we finally decided to include it as a bonus track.
Q: Briefly comment on upcoming projects, music CDs, etc., in the works with Cannonball.
Dominic C: I of course will follow up with Cannonball in the coming months, as their album will be released soon. I will probably work again with them on a second album, but I’m also planning to produce a young and very talented female pop singer, who’s also got great potential. I like her voice and personality a lot. I really believe in my feelings and my ear when it’s about music. When I decide to produce an artist, I need to like his/her work of course, but also him/her, too, as a human being. It’s the same way I need to feel when I shoot a model. If they don’t have skill and personality, there’s no life in their talent.



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