Page 57 - FFlyz-i32 (Low Res)

Basic HTML Version

FireFlyz | 55
You guys have named mostly musical
acts of the past. Are there any current
favourites that you listen to?
5 Seconds of Summer is good. They have
a very nice fresh sound. So do other
bands like Kings of Leon, Magic!, Dis-
turbed and Slipknot. If you are familiar
with the sounds of these bands, they
actually referenced all the rock acts that
we mentioned earlier.
Tell me a little bit about Jam 71’s first
album.
We have just recently released our first
single,
Rockability
and we are currently
in the studio working on our debut al-
bum. We have so far finished our second
song, with five others still in the pipeline.
What took you guys so long to release
this album?
We went through different life journeys.
It wasn’t until recently that we arrived
at the same point. Back then, we played
in different bands and we were bound
under contract. We were always away
from each other and it was difficult to
collaborate. The scene has changed and
it is now easier for everyone to come
together.
Are there any memorable moments as a
band that you would like to share with
our readers?
The first time we played
Rockability
live at Waikiki Bar was quite a sweet
moment. We had no idea how people
would respond but in the end it was nice
to see how people got into the song and
started to catch the words and sing along
to it. We played at Taiwan’s Life is Live
festival and we were the only Malaysian
band to be featured and the only band to
sing in English. We received very good
response there. Even when we went to
a local pub and asked if we could jam
for 10 minutes, we ended up playing for
one whole hour as the audience wanted
more.
What does Jam 71 hope to achieve for
2016?
We would like to have the album done
and give this band the opportunity to live
the dream that we want. It won’t be easy
but once it’s done we can play at festivals
across the world. It would be great if we
could show the rest of the world that
Malaysians are out there playing rock
music alongside other international acts.
Could you introduce yourselves to all the
readers of Fireflyz magazine?
Jam 71 consists of Leonard Theng, lead
vocals and rhythm guitar; Colin Jansen,
lead guitar; Adi Yamin Yahya, keyboard;
Daniel Soliano Guerzo, bass; and his
brother, Diosdado “Dado” Soliano
Guerzo, on the drums.
How did the band first get together?
We were friends for many years. We
used to jam with everybody and meet
up at clubs before we decided to come
together as a band. When asked how
many times we actually have jammed
together, one of us said more than 70
times. That’s how we came up with the
name Jam 71. This time we are no longer
just jamming but are sitting together
working on our debut album.
What type of music does Jam 71 play?
Our music leans more towards classic
rock but we do like a lot of other genres
like jazz and pop. Even back then, while
playing at local clubs around Kuala
Lumpur, we covered all types of music.
We, however, always have rock in us.
Who are musical acts that you are
highly influenced by?
We are very much influenced by musical
acts of yesteryears like Van Halen and
Steve Vai, whom I consider a guitar
player from the future because of his
technique. Jimmy Hendrix, Miles Ken-
nedy, Led Zeppelin, Janis Joplin as well
as bands like Rush, Toto, and 90s rock
bands like Nirvana, The Offsprings and
Greenday are all great musicians that we
looked up to.