Today, we are catching up with the mega-epic band Suaka from NYC! They blend Indonesian influences with hard, heavy METAL. They sat down to tell us a bit about their experiences and influences throughout their 11 year history.
1. Please introduce yourselves and your music to our readers!
Q:
Hi everyone , Thanks for having us . We are Suaka from New York City. I
am QQ, bassist and Rully , guitar and vocal. We mainly play metal with a
bit of influence of everything.
2. What are some of your biggest inspirations?
Q:
Everyone in the band has difference influence and background of music.
Me and Rully have always been into metal bands from different genre and
era. We’re big on bands like Sepultura, Soulfly, Puya, ……
R:
We are also influenced by thrash bands like Death Angel and Metallica.
And also by traditional Indonesian pentatonic melodies, which we use in
our newer songs.
3. Can you tell us your process for creating music?
Q:
We jam a lot between shows. So we always try to make something new for
our next show. When we write songs, we basically just jam out and
record. Then we go through some ideas and we choose the ones we like and
start working on them. We love doing it this way because everyone can
come out with some ideas toward the song. Even if one of us has an idea,
we still try to work it out together.
4. What is the message you are trying to send to your fans with your music and lyrics?
Q: We don’t really have anything particular on the messages we write. We do write a lot about social politics. But now we just write a lot of fun things.
R: We try to write positive music. We do have some love songs for the people!
5. Speaking
of lyrics, do you ever try to make songs that connect to each other,
like chapters of a book? Or does each one stand alone?
R: Actually, not really. We like to choose topics that we think are very interesting.
Q: Whatever we see during tour, that’s what we write about.
R: For example, our new song “Motor Gila” is about chaotic living in Indonesia: the pollution, the poverty, the road rage.
(makes sound like motorcycle) When I wake up in the morning, I hear it,
when I go out in the city I hear it, when I get stuck in the traffic I
hear it.
6. You guys have toured in both America and Indonesia. Is there any difference between the way you are received by the audiences? Which one would you say you prefer?
Q: Definitely different in a lot of ways. Here in the US, we try to do our shows ourselves. From getting the bands together,
all the way try to get people to come. Fun in its own way. But in
Indonesia, we met many people who ended up helping us with our shows
before we picked our dates. The shows were awesome out there, big
crowds, outdoor venues. Definitely need more outdoor shows here in the
US.
7. You have been going strong since 2001 now, that’s already 11 years. What are some of the challenges you have faced over the years?
R: Band formation changes are always a challenge. To stay creative, and keep writing, that’s always our goal.
8. Is there any advice you guys have for young musicians just starting out?
R; Always be yourself, and always be creative.
9. What is coming next for Suaka? Will there be album, tour, etc?
R:
We are trying to write some new material for a new album. We are lining
up some shows for the summer, but no tour planned yet. We have to
hustle first, then tour!
10. Your sound has changed a lot since your first album. What changes do you think will be coming in the future?
R:
Having Hide and John as newer members in the band gives us a lot of
ideas because they have different backgrounds and influences. But we
always try to keep our trademark sound.
11. Is there anything else you would like to mention to the readers? Any message to your fans??
R: Come see us live! Check our website http://www.suakatribe.com for information about upcoming shows.
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