MySpace a place for friends

Suaka was born in the summer of 2001. With heavy metal as the main element from the beginning, they have infused their music (and will continue to do so) with Indonesian traditional music through creative explorations of various indigenous Indonesian melodies.

Founded by members of legendary Queens band Laughing Amigos and displaying a wide range of influences from classic Metallica to Samba Sunda to System of a Down, Suaka had their first audition at New York City’s famous CBGB in February 2004. Shortly thereafter, they played at ACME Underground and soon were rocking venues throughout the city and elsewhere, blowing audiences away with their unique stage presence and sound.Early highlights of their career include a live performance for CUNY-TV at Brooklyn College and KarateRice’s first ISFEST in August 2005. Suaka recorded a 6-song EP entitled “Indonesia” in 2004, and a second EP called “Jangan Padamkan Apimua” in 2005.

While developing a devoted core of American metal fans, Suaka has maintained close ties to the Indonesian community by performing at events such as “Gebyar,” an Indonesian cultural night in 2004. They opened for legendary Indonesian band GIGI at a tsunami relief concert in New York in April 2005 and on GIGI’s US East Coast tour in September 2005. These shows were so amazing that they led to an invitation to headline an Indonesian music festival in Los Angeles in October 2005, which was a smashing success.

Suaka’s first album, EPISODE 1, was released in 2007 and was produced by Cipta G. Moehammad of Stonedeaf Music. CaDik Design directed the video for the first single, “The World is on Your Shoulder.” In September 2007, Suaka toured Indonesia, including a now-legendary show in Bandung and culminating with the headlining slot at the MAXX NOISEFEST in Jakarta. They have had significant radio, TV, and magazine exposure in Indonesia. Cipta G. Moehammad played lead guitar for the Indonesia shows, and took over the slot permanently following the departure of longtime guitarist Marcel Ferdinand in late 2007.

2008 brought more changes. Current drummer Daisuke Nagashima (GORO, Bullet Proof Junkies) joined the band in March 2008 and started playing shows in April after only a handful of rehearsals. In addition, the creeping gentrification of Williamsburg forced the band to relocate their rehearsal and recording studios elsewhere in Brooklyn. Now that they are settling in to the new space and the new lineup, Suaka are working on recording and planning a tour for 2009.

Stay tuned for more…

You can buy the CD by emailing us here on myspace or clicking this link for CDBaby. if you are in Indonesia, you can get it at Ishkabible 0218317791, Aksara Record 622175920347 / 62217199288, or www.i-rockmusik.com.

For bookings for Indonesian and Asian shows and CD availability contact Panji 08122335845.