The JFCC is proud to announce another round of the city’s premiere showcase of local music. After four years, the JFCC Charity Jam in Memory of Tim Mapes is still going strong, due to the generous sponsorship of the Mapes family. Thanks to Glynn and Elizabeth Mapes, we are able once again to honor their son, Tim, who died from brain cancer in 2010. After a long and distinguished career at the Wall Street Journal, Tim died at the age of 42 in London after stints in Warsaw, New Delhi, Singapore and Jakarta. He was a big fan of Slank and other Indonesian bands and it is in that spirit that we bring to you this charity event, whose proceeds will go to the JFCC Memorial Fund for the training of Indonesian journalists.
Kicking off the night is Sigmun, a group of four 20-something musicians united by their love of Zeppelin and Sabbath. The Bandung-based band have officially released only one EP but if you saw The Raid in Jakarta, you will know them from the killer song at the end of the movie. As the credits rolled so did my head when I heard that kick-ass track – which the band has promised to play at the event. The song is not available anywhere so you definitely do not want to miss them play it live!
Hot on the heels of our Freudian friends is another head case that used to be called Denial. After discovering a conflict with another band of the same name the Jakarta natives opted for the sadly romantic name of Negative Lovers. Regardless, their music is still in a class of its own, equal parts psychedelia, garage rock and 60s chic. Known for their trance-inducing live performances, the band is in its own right a kind of supergroup with members from The Brandals, Ikat Kepala dan SPCLMVS. The Dark Knight rises again indeed!
Jirapah, in penultimate position, was born in Brooklyn, where Ken and Mar earned a solid following of underground fans. Since moving back to Jakarta in 2010, the couple has picked up a few more personnel to help them round out their experimental sound. Frontman Ken Jenie’s life-long interest in composing has produced a sound that he calls “raw and heavy on the reverb and delay” and that quickly becomes apparent when checking out the band members work their myriad effects on stage.
Closing out the night we have a rare appearance by a multi-talented artist, Jamie Aditya, though he too is going by a different name these days. To find out what it is check out his debt album LMNOP, a soulful romp where Motown meets Curtis Mayfield. Almost entirely self-produced, the album features the former MTV VJ and Discovery Channel host on just about every instrument, from keys and guitar to vocals and percussion. For the gig, his first in two years, Jamie has put together a solid ensemble from Jakarta to help him tear it up and bring down the house.
And if all of that’s not enough, DJ Bodrek will once again be keeping your ears company before, during and after the show. Get your tickets fast as only 300 have been printed. Early birds pay 75,000 rupiah but tickets, if we have any left, will also be sold at the door for 125,000 rupiah. For pre-sale tickets (no reserving by phone or email) stop by the JFCC office or contact Ida at [email protected] or 390.3628. Tickets are on sale now!
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⢠Photos: Sigmun by Adi Nugeraha, Jirapah by Lutfi Kurniawan
