Who has influenced your music?
Personally, I like Gustavo Santaolalla. The Verve and Doves have also been driving influences. We played a show with Knellt and seeing them live has definitely shaped how we write our material.

How has the local music scene changed since you first started?
There are more YouTube artists now.

Do you think there’s enough support for young musicians starting out?
There’s definitely growing support. But I also think musicians should empower themselves by creating their own platforms to perform and showcase their music.

How has your music changed since you first started out?
We will always have a soft spot for sweet melodies but at the same time, we're also trying to quench our thirst for a heavier regime.

What was the best gig you’ve ever played?
ZoukOut had the best sound check. For actual gigs themselves, the turnout for our launch show at the Esplanade was fantastic.

Have you ever had any embarrassing moments on stage?
We’ve had shows where everything didn't work for us—sound, equipment and other technical difficulties. Fortunately, that hasn’t affected us too negatively. It just makes us want to do better.

Being in a band can be tiring, what keeps you going?
The band is our escape from the daily grind. It's a time when we meet and have a good laugh, a nice supper and just bask in each other's company. I see our practice sessions as hang out time and tours as holidays. It's nice to share new experiences with your loved ones.

What’s next for you?
We're hitting the studio soon to record new releases—either split releases with friends, or just on our own. We’re going for a heavier sound and will be adding more substance to our material.

Interview: Kessara Thanyalakpark

Director of Sena Development, on Sena Fest, the new community mall set to open on Charoennakorn Road at the end of this year.

What’s the potential for this area?
Charoennakorn has never been this lively. Before the BTS arrived, it was pretty quiet, but now we’re seeing condos and demographics we’d rank from B+ to A. We did a local survey and found that some people just go to Siam to buy two bottles of liquid soap—and they don’t cook anymore. They live in condos, which means less space, and more time spent shopping. Sena Fest is here to serve this neighborhood’s new lifestyle.
What’s the future for the Chao Phraya?
Expect bad traffic but a lot of energy. The CP project on the riverside (see page 8) is enormous and I believe it will change the face of Charoennakorn Road completely. People won’t just cross the river to have some Chinese food at a hotel: this road could soon turn into a weekend destination. I think Sena Fest and the CP project will bring new life here.

Interview: Natapree Pichaironarongsongkram

Executive director of Chao Phraya Express Boat Company, on their community mall project, Tha Maharaj, and boutique hotel Riva Surya.

Why develop projects along the river?
We are a ferry boat company that has been operating on the Chao Phraya for a very long time. We want to show people how beautiful life by the river is, or even life on the canals, like Bangkok Noi and Bangkok Yai. We would like to promote water transportation and living closer to the river by launching as many projects here as possible. We’ve organized a nine temples tour, now we’re doing this community mall and next is Riva Surya.
How has the neighborhood changed?
Today we see more people ignore the river and head straight to the city. But Koh Rattanakosin has its own distinct charm and we really want people to care and come back to the river instead of only hanging out in Siam and Sukhumvit.
How is your mall being received by locals?
We’ve had pretty good feedback. Our designer company, Contour which has done work for community malls like J Avenue and Rain Hill, did a survey of foreigners and Thais in the area. College students in the area are scared of the amulet market and want a cool place to hang out.
Do you think that the river could ever reclaim its status as the heart of Bangkok?
Even though you can’t really compare the two cities, I believe Bangkok is a kind of Paris of Asia. We have a river which has a unique character and culture—something that could be in the top 10 wonders of Asia.

Interview: Theinruj Toranavikrai

Founder of property blog Thinkofliving.com

Why are Charoenkrung and Charoennakorn so hot right now?
All these projects have been in the pipeline for many years. Asiatique held on to its land for a long time until they found the right concept. What’s changed is access to mass transit options (BTS Saphan Taksin and BTS Krung Thonburi) and the condos which have increased the population density in the area.
Will we see both banks develop at an equal pace?
Well, it’s going to take a long time. The level of development on the Thonburi side is so different right now. Bangkok is only developed on one side whereas a city like Paris has a much higher overall density than ours.
Is Rama 3 Road next?
Rama 3 Road is extremely long, too long. There’s no sense of community, it’s all new, so it’s completely different from Charoenkrung. There is no shopping, no busy sidewalks. It’s just a highway that cars race through—it’s not a destination. People don’t see a reason to go there and the mass transit is not convenient. So Rama 3 will take time. Let’s see when some new condos and malls come up in the area.

Interview: Jason M. Friedman

General Manager of The Siam

Why the riverside?
We were so fortunate to get the land. We want our guests to not only experience the river but live with it. When people travel, they want to see the traditional old houses, palaces and culture. And Dusit is one of the most historical locations in Bangkok. Tourists don’t really care for Thonglor and Ekkamai.
How do you see the river changing?
We want to be the best hotel experience in Thailand and to present Bangkok as the best city in the world. We’ve been in the industry for so long and now we want to share our love [for this area] through this.
And what about other riverside developments?
The river is really happening. Many places like Asiatique and Supatra understand the river’s appeal.
What about the surrounding areas and residents?
The canals need to be properly cleaned, then Bangkok would be even more wonderful. We know it’s getting crowded in the city so we would like people to see our resort and hopefully that would attract them to the river, too.

To work up the crowd, I… give them some bass. More Bass. Lots of Bass. And if they want more, I'm tossing them a seabass.

My last best gig was… at Cargo in London. Great club, great crowd. Also, a place called Grelle Forelle in Vienna which was really cool. It's not often you get to see a club with an entire wall full of speakers in your face.

I like it hard when it comes to… Uppsss. I never like it hard though, I always try to manage things in a possible, easy way. Being hard is too difficult.

My poison of choice is… airline food.

No girls… no party!

When the going gets tough… I'm off to sleep.

Marcin Czubala headlines Super 0 | Party like ‘Your Mama’s Friend.’ on May 19 at the newly renovated Loof.

I love mystery. As a kid I wanted to be a magician or an archeologist so that I could dig up something mysterious.

I wasn’t an outdoor kid. All I did was read books and watch movies alone.

Bookstores were my favorite place when I studied in the US. I would be there for hours reading books and magazines till late at night. I was interested by novels but had no confidence to become a writer.

I came back to be a soldier in the Thai army for six months. I didn’t want to do it because I was kind of against the whole idea of the army. But I had to come back because it was required by law.

Being a soldier was pretty boring. I thought I would feel frustrated being under such strict rules, but I wasn’t. It was like going back to school again. All I had to do was wake up at 4am and train until noon.

There is internal politics everywhere, even in the army. I saw that soldiers are professionals; they also want to get promoted like everyone else.

I started my new life after the army without any plan. I felt out of place here. All my friends were in the US and I didn’t know where to find new ones.

I had no motivation to be a writer. I just wrote some English novels while working as a movie critic for the Nation Weekend magazine. I watched lots of movies back then.

I asked Praew magazine about writing short stories for them when they contacted me for an interview. They said yes and that’s what kick-started my writing career.

I’ve never thought my writing was that important or gave value to society, so it was a real surprise when I won the S.E.A. Write Award in 2002. I thought they would focus on serious novels, but this cemented my desire to become a professional writer.

I’ve never felt any pressure having a famous father [Suthichai Yoon, Nation Group’s Editor in Chief]. I’ve never really gone out much so I didn’t know what people’s expectations were.

Becoming a journalist like my father was never my plan. I love routine: to go to work by day and to go home in the evening.

Media is now in the hands of the people, so it’s hard to maintain steadfast principles. I think the media is in a period of transition. The fact that you can write and post something online, doesn’t make it news. Journalists are still the main reliable source of information but they have to adapt to technology.

I’ve come under attack from some parts of the media because I support an amendment to Article 112 [the lèse majesté law]. It’s a sensitive issue, so I understand why they are so angry at me.

I want to live in a society where we can have an argument without violence. When disagreements occur, one side shouldn’t be painted as traitors. It’s an immature society that fights without reason. We should accept that there are different opinions and faiths.

Loving your country doesn’t mean that everything is good and you can’t criticize it. Specific issues should be considered individually. If we don’t talk about these problems now, it might be too late in 10 years time.

If the definition of being a traitor is disagreeing with the majority, then yes, I might be one. But from my viewpoint, I love Thailand in my own way.

I opened Typhoon Publishing House nine years ago because I wanted to slow down my work. Writing lots of column inches burns a lot of energy.

I now plan to open an e-book shop and website, www.bookmoby.com I plan to make it a society for book lovers, writers and book designers to share their work and get noticed. I want it to be as open as Youtube or Facebook, where you can share your work freely.

I love Japanese philosophy and culture. I fell for their artistic simplicity when I studied in the US. I even thought of becoming a priest in Japan where they can marry and have children. I couldn’t be cut off from the world like a Thai monk.

All I can do is travel there. I’ve had works like Kagami no Naka o Kazoeru (Counting the Inside of a Mirror, 2007) and Zayuu no Nippon (My Desk-Side Japan, 2008) translated and published in Japan. I am also an occasional columnist for Esquire in Japan.

My life is quite straightforward because I live in the city. Now I dream of being more outdoorsy. I used to go trekking and camping in the forest and it felt so good. I’ve been planning to take a trip with Japanese friends for years but have not yet managed it.

I never think about success. All I do is focus on finishing the work at hand.

I will consider myself successful when I have no passion to do anything new, and I content living a routine life.

In 1999, Cultural Medallion winner and contemporary local artist Lee Wen created the provocative interactive video work World Class Society for Nokia Art Singapore. In a sepulchral room imbued with white and designed like a prison cell, one visitor at a time watches, through a white cloth tube, a close-up of Lee dressed like a typical servant and delivering a bombastically satirical speech replete with the words “World class.” Visitors are also required to fill up a questionnaire at the end of the exhibition and receive a badge. More than 13 years later, Terry Ong turns the table on the artist in an interview format reproduced based on the original questionnaire.

About yourself
Lee Wen, male, 54 going on 669.

Your income per year?
Tell you after i submit my tax returns.

Do you consider yourself very poor/poor/middle-class/rich/very rich?
I sleep under shelter from the elements, i go where the action takes me, the only time i feel poor is when my money cannot buy what SHE (the one i lay with) wants.

Where would you like to live in other than in Singapore?
Italy or Mali.

If not creating art, what would you rather be doing?
Making love or music if not lunch.

Do you think Singapore is a sophisticated city?
Used to be but not anymore. when the white man cheated the sultan it's been downhill all the way.

Do you think Singapore is a renaissance city of the arts?
No but trying ah very hard.

What is the most important thing in the arts?
Humanity, love, compassion and giving serious critical responses.

What is the most important thing in life?
Love.

Lee Wen’s solo exhibition Lee Wen: Lucid Dreams in the Reverie of the Real is on through June 10 at the Singapore Art Museum.

Why did you choose this particular piece for restaging?
As I grow older, I am more sympathetic to Lear and curious about his character. He’s such a negative authoritarian figure but also capable of love. The piece digs into the deep reservoir of what it means to be from this country. Like Lear, our government constantly asks, “Do you love me? And if you love me, do this.” It’s also intercultural like Singapore.

The performance was first staged in Japan. How different are Japanese and local audiences?
The Japanese are used to going to the theatre. But the audience here is still very young. We’re just trying it out. I’m always comparing us to Japan, the first Asian country to be cosmopolitan and modernized. One day, I want Singapore to be like Tokyo.

What is the biggest challenge melding the Eastern and Western aspects of the piece?
With Western storytelling, there’s a beginning, middle and end. But the Asian way is done through memory. It’s abstract. Though more imaginative, it is less realistic. Audiences are not used to it.

What would you like audiences to take away from the performance?
I would like them to be open, enjoy the music and not to worry if they understand. Singaporeans are always in examination mode. They worry if they have the correct answers. But this is not a test of whether they are artistic. Just enjoy the theater downhill all the way.

Lear Dreaming is on May 31-June 1 at School of the Arts (SOTA).

What inspired you to set up Canta~Latt?
The lack of artisan craft products in Singapore, but some hard working and determined people are changing that. Check out farms associated with the Kranji Farmers Association.

How do you ensure that your cows stay in good health?
A balanced diet is essential to ensure quality milk production and optimal health. It’s also important to establish a good relationship with the animals. In fact, I actually name my cows Suzy, Lara and Gio; it helps me bond with them. And a happy cow gives you happy milk!

Does the size of the herd affect product quality?
Size isn’t an issue so long as the entire process of feeding, milking and working the milk is consistent and you don’t cut corners. At the moment, we have more than 100 cows and process 300-400 liters of milk a week. If we’re able to garner enough support from the public and then get approval from the authorities, the plan is to grow the herd to at least 400 cows.

How important is craft farming education to you?
I receive at least four or five letters a week from school teachers and parents wanting to visit us for educational tours. There’s a huge push globally to revive craft food culture, and I wanted to bring the movement to Singapore. I believe my farm can provide lots of learning opportunities.

What’s your favorite way to consume milk?
I like it in any form. But I especially love adding milk to my spaghetti, using a recipe I learnt from my granny.

What can we look forward to?
The collection—Let the Weak Say I Am Strong—will bear the label’s signature DNA and tactile touch and see a progression from the acid designs of my diffusion line pH3. The 30-odd piece collection draws inspiration from the strength and fragility of industrial materials, fusing together a palette of midnight ink, brittle porcelain whites and the shine of industrial metal.

Thoughts on local fashion? 
While there has been much headway made in the local retail scene in recent years, more time and effort will be needed to steer the scene to that of an international standing. It’s also heartening to witness more design-centric labels gaining a following here, but there is undeniably a gap for young Singaporean labels to set up shop. The good news is, I believe that our consumers are ready for much more and it will be exciting to see how our retail landscape will morph within the next few years.

Future plans?
Currently, we have received great interest from several overseas multi-label boutiques and are stocked in several local and international stores in Hong Kong and KL. We are excited and hope to bring the label to more cities such as Korea and London later this year.

Any tips for young local fashion designers?
Be prepared to work really hard and never let go of your vision. Stay true, grounded and curious.

I wanted to be a Secret Agent as a kid. I was very fat, but won the long jump trophy when I was in Primary 5.

I was also really good at chapteh (a round, flat rubber circle base, with colorful feathers coming out of the top) and used to challenge boys in classes above me, during recess. Plus, I was a demon at ping-pong.

My parents taught me that the most worthwhile ventures are made with love. I get inspired when I realize the interlocking shared experiences of life, and how beautiful and fragile it is.

Live with love in your heart and mind, from moment to moment.

I’ve never been caught committing a felony.

Politics is a very dirty game that turns its participants into very dirty people.

Blatant, premeditated cruelty and rationalized greed make me sick in the stomach. I abhor the use of destructiveness to get what one wants.

When I’m really upset, I concentrate on my breathing to help clear the mind.

I’m a very sentimental person. I believe in caring compassion, way above any kind of material or technological success, or economic statistics that try to persuade one that that’s what life is about.

Life is a miracle. I have no idea what its meaning is, though. When there is harmony, sympathetic vibrations expand exponentially in magnitude.

Life is also ironic; apparent opposites are often flip-sides of one another.
I collect memories.

I believe in mutual love and respect. The powers that rule the world are very, very far from that.

I love to sleep or play the guitar (sometimes keyboards) and write songs when I’m feeling something strongly.

Life, sexuality, music and my wife Swee Lin turn me on.

What’s a MakeShake?
It’s a customized milkshake—you can pick from ingredients like breakfast tea, chocolate fudge and cream cheese, and even throw in sweet treats like gummy bears and Hello Panda biscuits to create your own flavors.

How did you get this idea?
It was my friend (and co-founder) Seth’s idea. He was a bartender and had always been interested in mixing drinks. He also loves milkshakes.

You switched from doing PR for local live venue TAB to realizing an enterprise. What do you like about the way you work now?
I love meeting people and making my own decisions. Since I’m my own boss, I’m answerable only to myself and that allows me the flexibility to make changes quickly. It’s better to run your own ship than to be stuck in the office.

What were some of the biggest challenges you’ve had to face?
Building a brick and mortar business is a really big first step into entrepreneurship. We’ve had this idea for two years but only managed to execute it this year. Execution’s a major challenge.

What’s it like starting a business in Singapore?
Tough. Budgeting can be a real issue with the rental costs being as high as they are. You really need a steady capital.

How do you like the local startup scene?
Most of the startups in Singapore are IT-based, but Singapore is getting better. I have many friends now who share my aspirations and are willing to take risks, but we need more people who dare to be operationally-involved in their business.