A great taste of Mocca

I want my baby boy to grow up listening to Mocca!

Ever since they performed at IAF 2003 at Victoria Hall, I have always adored Mocca, which has sold 300,000 of its first album My Diary. My first encounter with them was when our band Karib Gembira was performing some latin-jazz pieces just before Mocca did... So that's how we got to know Mocca :) However, last night they did it MUCH BETTER: continuous interaction with audience and tighter timing between their musical phrases.

(Click image for soundclip: On The Night Like This)

It is now 2005 and I was stunned by the harmonious integrity of the quartet (singer/flute/bass/lead guitar/drums) backed by carefully defined rhythm guitar/piano/sax/trombone/trumpet section.

Oh by the way:

• Arina Simangunsong is the one that skillfully switches between vocal chords and flute at her will.
  
• Toma, the bass player, always plays solid on bass and many times sang in harmony with Arina.
• The drummer, Indra, is like a machine with fuzzy logic - accurate but not to mechanistic, which I very much enjoyed.
  
• The guitar player, Riko does it just right. He is constantly in the "zone" making sure everything is right on the back burner.
• Ihsan plays such a sweet picking job. His stance makes him look very much "out there"
  
• Agung, the pianist, plays accordion but does not use the bass buttons - I promised to him that I will send him a book on accordion bass buttons :)
  
• The sax player, Mira, plays it so well... but wait... she also plays clarinet and flute! Very charming in her intonation...
  
• Tommy hits the high C on trumpet effortlessly (too bad that he did not do much solo like Mira did).
  
• Dian was super on trombone. However, his conga technique still needs to be developed; his open tones, muffed and closed slaps are not yet clearly defined - as far as choice of rhythm is concerned, he should have played Son Montuno rhythm for the acoustic session.

My pregnant wife Rani, who is now entering her 34th week, could not sit still and neither could I! We were probably the most obnoxious fans at that time. It was great that we could get Arina's attention throughout the show... A true interaction between perfomers and audience.

What I noticed from last night's performance was the way Arina communicates her message to the audience... Her gestures and expressions were confident yet witty.

Since I don't know how to describe their genre perhaps I could try to explain it to you in this set of words:

Charming, Engaging, Sweet and Mystifying....

All in all, you should try to catch them tonight at Esplanade outdoor stage. You will definitely see Rani and I near the front of the stage.
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Mocca were nominated for Favourite Artist Indonesia at the 2004 MTV Asia Awards held in Singapore. They've just released their second album, Friends, which will be available at the gig.

Go early to get the best seats at the Esplanade outdoor stage!

Details:

Friday February 4, 2005
7:30-8:15pm The Marilyns
8:45-9:30pm Mocca

Saturday February 5, 2005
7:30-8:15pm Serenaide
8:45-9:30pm Mocca
10-10:30pm Mocca

Sunday February 6, 2005
7:30-8:15pm Couple
8:45-9:30pm Mocca
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PS: The Marilyn's should go to JB instead of Esplanade. They are a worthless piece "kepiting"!

PSS: Mocca is WAY WAY WAY much better than Sheila On 7 or Cokelat or any of those that most Indonesians teenagers adore - Mocca serves a healthy diet for all ages!

A splendid combination of Flute and Vocal Chords by Arina
(Click image for soundclip: I Think I'm In Love)

Riko does it just enough to add some soul to the accompaniment

(Click image for soundclip: My Only One)

Accurate yet fluid... that' s Mocca's brass section!

Poster signing for the fans