Music

Music in motion

By Tatat Bunnag, Photos by Kornkrit Jianpinidnun, Jesper Haynes and couresy of Rambutan Records

Momoko isn�t resting

Thai music fans may not know who Momoko Ueda is, but the name Momoko Futon might ring a bell. She�s the Japanese artist who became famous as the songwriter, keyboardist and founding member of renowned electroclash ensemble Futon.

• Did you know •

The cover of Punk in a Coma features art by Japanese painter Yoshitomo Nara.

Despite three successful albums, Futon regularly surprise fans with line-up changes. In November 2006, shortly after the departure of guitarist David Coker, Momoko also split from the band.

Changing her stage name to Momokomotion, she recorded Punk in a Coma, a solo album on the new Bangkok/Hong Kong based label Rambutan Records.

Album singles �Punk in a Coma,� �Beautiful World� and a cover of Nirvana�s �All Apologies� are already making waves in the Thai indie scene.

Student Weekly caught up with Momoko after her recent tour of Japan. She told us about the making of Punk in a Coma, her songwriting and her reasons for leaving Futon.

>> Student Weekly: Why did you name your album Punk in a Coma?

<< Momoko: It�s the title of one of the songs on the record. I can�t say that my music is punk rock, but I like the idea and attitude of punk rock.

The last real punk band was Nirvana. It ended with the death of Kurt Cobain. So my music is pretty much like punk rock that�s now in a coma. [Laughs.]

It�s not really punk music, but it has the punk spirit.

>> Student Weekly: For this album, you wrote the songs and produced the recordings. How long did the whole process take?

<< Momoko: The whole production took exactly one year. I did almost everything, but I also had help from my musician friends.

I started writing these songs after I�d finished working on Futon�s third album in 2006. I wrote the song �Punk in a Coma� during Futon�s performance at Fat Festival that year.

>> Student Weekly: Did you have any previous experience with producing and engineering?

<< Momoko: Not really, but I�ve always intended to make music by myself. I�ve got a four-track recorder at home, and I record my music and demos with it.

I gained some knowledge about production when I was with Futon. I learned a lot of things from David and others in the band. I don�t just see myself as a singer � I�m also really into music production.

>> Student Weekly: What was your main reason for leaving Futon?

<< Momoko: I was happy playing with them, but I wanted to start making music by myself.

I had a lot of great experiences with Futon. We worked hard, and we achieved something, But in the end the band was heading in a different direction. They didn�t want to experiment as much, so I thought that my role in the band was over.

>> Student Weekly: What�s the main difference between Futon�s music and your solo stuff?

<< Momoko: Well, the big difference is that Momokomotion is all about me. [Laughs.] The lyrics are mostly about girls and what girls think.

In Futon, we had a great mix of people working together � women, men, gays and different nationalities. The music didn�t come from just one person.

>> Student Weekly: You can play a number of different instruments � guitar, bass, keyboard and others. How did you learn to play?

<< Momoko: I�ve never really learned to play guitar and bass properly, but my life has always been involved with music. I had classical piano lessons when I was 3 years old, and I played trumpet and clarinet in my high school brass band.

I can play many different instruments, but I�m not really good at any of them. [Laughs].

>> Student Weekly: What do you think of the current indie music scene in Bangkok?

<< Momoko: Making music in Bangkok has been great. I�ve had the opportunity to meet lots of bands and artists.

There�s so many talented and creative people here. They have good taste and are open to new musical trends.

The Bangkok scene is interesting and getting better. The problem is that the audience is small, and it�s hard to find venues for indie bands to play. The scene is growing slowly, but it needs more support.

	renowned (adj): famous and respected ensemble (n): a small group of musicians, dancers or actors who perform together departure (n): the act of leaving attitude (n): the way that you think and feel about somebody or something coma (n): a deep unconscious state caused by serious illness or injury spirit (n): the typical or most important quality or mood of something demo (n): a recorded example of somebody�s music achieve (v): to succeed in reaching a particular goal or standard experiment (v): to try a new activity, idea or method to see what happens or what effect it has role (n): the function or position that somebody has in a team or organization clarinet (n): a musical instrument that is shaped like a pipe and has a reed at the top that you blow into brass band (n): a group of musicians who play brass instruments IDIOM ring a bell: to sound familiar to you