If you’re like me and the rest of the world, Daylight Savings has kicked us all in the face as we tried our best to get this week started! Yet, this week isn’t just any normal week! It’s the start of the most thrilling music festival SXSW!!!!! With so many artists vying to grab everyone’s attention at the event, I hope I can silence the noise and give you one recommendation worth heeding. This Friday, the 17th of March 2,017 at Palm Door on Sabine a 40 minute set from Lightcraft will promptly begin at 21:00. This band has travelled from Indonesia, where they have taken all of Asia by storm, and will make a tremendous impression in North America this week. You’ve been warned!
Briefly, I spoke to the band’s frontman Imam Wisaya Surataruna about his upcoming adventures with Lightcraft during SXSW and after speaking with him and listening to a few of his songs, I knew this wasn’t an opportunity that shouldn’t be taken lightly!
Hailing from Jakarta, Indonesia, lightcraft have been making music together since 2004 and their atmospheric, anthemic indie rock/dream pop has been featured in the Indonesian and Malaysian editions of CNN, Rolling Stone, Nylon, Seventeen, and Time Out. The band have toured in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan, Singapore, India, South Korea, the US, Canada, and the UK and have appeared at festivals such as Liverpool Sound City, Canadian Music Week, Singapore’s Music Matters, and Zandari Festa in Seoul. This week they’ll be making their first-ever appearance at SXSW in Austin, Texas.
Q.: With around 2000 bands at SXSW to choose from, why should people watch lightcraft?
A.: “Since we’re coming all the way from Jakarta, this may be your only opportunity to witness our live show for a long time. We’re going to do our best to blow some minds with our melancholy-wrapped anthemic sound too. We’ll also be playing a few new songs that night and are hoping to create a unique and unforgettable experience for everyone.” –Imam Wisaya Surataruna
Q.: How does your Another Life EP compare to your previous work?
A.: “Our last album, Colours of Joy, was released way back in early 2014, so there was a two-year gap where we had the chance to explore more sonically and lyrically. We’re going to release our third full-length album in either late 2017 or early 2018 and we thought it would be perfect if we came out with an EP to act as a bridge towards it, while at the same time showcasing some of the newer songs that we’d made. That’s how Another Life was born. We took a different approach to the songwriting process with the tracks on the EP, and although there are still hallmarks of lightcraft in there, we believe the EP gives a glimpse of our maturity and evolution as individuals and as a band.” –Imam Wisaya Surataruna
Spoken like a true creative entertainer! SXSW is the best place to go and sample different artists that are from a variety of places on this Earth, it’s humbling to know that many performers from other countries make it a goal to present their passion in Austin, Texas with so many sacrifices. It’s only our right to go and discover what’s available at the festival.
Again the band’s SXSW showcase:
March 17 Austin, Texas @ Palm Door on Sabine (9:00pm – 9:40pm)
lightcraft released a new EP in November 2016 called “Another Life.” Here is the music video for the title track from the EP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Inherit Love, I AM,
#StyleHeirs.
