For the tracks you can hear. All recorded at Canalot Studios in London (except the acoustic ones which are recorded at home!):
John Dang: Singer, Songwriter, Backing Vocals, Some piano, some guitars.
Michael Choi: Bass & other instruments
Tim Vanderkuil: Guitars
Jamie Norton: Main Keyboards, Wurlitzer, Organs
Pete Harris: Guitars
Chris Robinson: Guitars
Miguel 'TAT' Hico: Drums, percussion
Thanks also to Rachel & Reina my wonderful string players and Haley for beautiful BVs on 'Tonight Tonight'.
Influences
Back in the 80s I had a bigger sister (I still have a sister but she hasn't grown so she's no longer bigger). She would indoctrinate me with really unashamedly big smiley POP sounds and make me do dance routines with her (and they were awful). We'd listen to Wham! Duran Duran, Queen, Bruce Springsteen, Boy George, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston - that kind of thing. She'd wear blue eye shadow, big hair, stripey tops with those dance leggings thingies from FAME(which i notice have come back in fashion. why oh why??!). She'd also try to dress me up in girls clothes and I'd refuse...but she was bigger than me then.
Oh the scars! :)
A few years later, with Yuppydom fading fast, Dynasty, Dallas and big hair all falling out of fashion and the chancellor declaring an economic crisis I was thrown into my teenage angsty music phase: Nirvana (of course) radiohead, U2, REM and later people like Jeff Buckley, Coldplay, Bob Dylan. But it wasn't all depressing! There were always the great american rock bands around giving me a kick of adrenaline - your G'n'Rs, Bon Jovis and Aerosmiths playing at full volume on my stereo.
In 1994 I did the other mandatory thing and started a rock band with a school friend, writing my own stuff for the first time and keeping the friends family crowd happy by occasionally throwing in some T-Rex, Otis Redding, Bowie, Blondie and anyone else we could work out!
Post school, I stuck to the program, did the usual thing and started listening to lots of old records: rat pack stuff, Motown hits, older bands...even jazz (but I'm sorry to say it bored me - I guess that'll come later when I go through my mid life crisis). I'd like to think I was maturing musically but I think i was actually inspired by the fact that soul and swing made much better conversation and background music when I had a date around for dinner. It was always more succesful than pop or rock bands and so I learned to love it. :)
Soooooooo where does that leave you regarding my influences? More confused than ever? Well I suppose...a great big hodge podge brit-pop-rock mixture and I guess it's all underwritten by that 80s/early 90s Pop music my sister used to play. It's music that I used to love listening to - those fantastic feel-like-summer pop songs and those big, epic sounding U2 tracks. That kind of thing!!
Sounds Like
It varies from the acoustic to the pop to the rock...but people have said David Bowie, U2, Robbie Williams, Alex Lloyd and Jeff Buckley amongst others. All my heroes so I guess that's a good thing! Well, let me know what I sound like to you ok!
I am a singer, a songwriter, musician and music producer.
I was born in little town in Vietnam, raised in the UK and I'm now working in Bangkok and Manchester (UK). My life is consumed by music! Music and songs.
I'm currently writing and producing for several very talented artists and bands, from both indie and major labels. As a singer I'm also working on my own material. It's funny because I can remember being fresh out of university looking for a record deal...that was the dream - to get signed and get my CD out! Well these last few years I've been lucky enough to work with some of the very best people in the music business and I'm a lot more patient. The best things in life are worth waiting for! :)
My favourite quotation: .."life should not be measured by the number of breaths we take but by the number of moments that take our breath away"..
I believe that if you have a dream you should follow it! Let nobody tell you that it can't be done because it can! You just have to reject all other possibilities! Believe in yourself, work your butt off and go for it. Things have a funny way of working themselves out!
So here I am and this is my life. I'm just stumbling along, making lots of mistakes along the way but progressing slowly! Feel free to add me if you like the music or enjoy my random musings on the blogs. It'll be lovely to have someone to share this journey with me. :)
whats up nize to see ya back bro
ahh ok..hahaha..i thought you you are..lol
