Local pop crooner to tour the U.S.<\/p>\n
JP\/19\/KATON<\/p>\n
checked --JSR
\nLocal pop crooners to tour the U.S.<\/p>\n
M. Taufiqurrahman
\nThe Jakarta Post\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
Katon Bagaskara, a local singer who is known for his
\nmesmerizing pop ballads such as Yogyakarta and Tak Bisa Ke Lain
\nHati (Can't Turn Away) is expected to stage concerts in the
\nUnited States.<\/p>\n
On invitation from U.S. music promoter Gxremedy, Katon will
\nstage a five-date concert in three cities in the U.S. -- New
\nYork, San Francisco and Los Angeles -- whose pop music scene is
\nnotoriously known as hard to crack.<\/p>\n
Backed by the Jamie Hunting Band, an outfit that once toured
\nwith heavy metal band Van Halen's former lead vocalist David Lee
\nRoth, Katon will first perform at Union Square, San Francisco on
\nAug. 13 and the Independent club on Aug. 17 before making a two-
\nnight performance at the Los Angeles' Whiskey A-Go-Go, a famous
\nmusic club on Sunset Boulevard.<\/p>\n
Scores of rock legends such as the Doors, the Byrds and blues
\nsinger Janis Joplin have performed at the Whiskey A-Go-Go.<\/p>\n
Wrapping up his U.S. tour, Katon is expected to stage a two-
\nnight show in the Big Apple at the Knitting Factory and a
\nballroom of a four-star hotel that is yet to be decided.<\/p>\n
In the bilingual shows, Katon will perform songs he composed
\nwith his band Kla Project and some he will cull from his solo
\nprojects.<\/p>\n
\"I will perform at least five songs with lyrics that I have
\nhad translated into English. Among the songs that I will perform
\nin English is Yogyakarta, which now has a new title, Yogyakarta
\nNever Ends,\" Katon told a press briefing prior to his departure
\nlast week.<\/p>\n
He said that the planned concerts were aimed at introducing
\nIndonesia's pop culture to U.S. audiences, which thus far were
\nfamiliar with the country only as an exotic land that was steeped
\nin traditional culture.<\/p>\n
The U.S. promoter will charge concertgoers US$30 for a single
\nticket.<\/p>\n
The Ministry of Culture and Tourism, an institution that
\nsponsored Katon's U.S. tour, said that although his music was in
\nthe realms of pop, it was tinged with the country's traditional
\nmusic.<\/p>\n
Interest for Katon in the U.S. rose after the singer, along
\nwith other performers such as classical pianist-cum-businessman
\nJaya Suprana and Acehnese dancer Melly Zamri, staged an
\nimpressive performance during their American tour late last year.
\nThe tour was also sponsored by the Ministry of Culture.<\/p>\n
Katon and his band Kla Project was one of the country's major
\nbands in the late 1980s. The three-man band sold millions of
\ncopies of their adult-oriented records such as Yogyakarta, Ungu,
\nRomansa and the unplugged, Klakustik.<\/p>\n
The band's appeal started to wane in the latter half of the
\n1990s with the emergence of a new crop of bands that brought a
\nfresh and youthful sound to the pop scene.<\/p>\n
The band reached its nadir after the departure of lead
\nguitarist Lilo, who had for years used his guitar-playing skill
\nto create the band's signature sound.<\/p>\n
Earlier this year, Katon announced the new lineup of Kla
\nProject, which has now assumed a new name, NuKla.<\/p>\n
The band's latest release with a new lineup, New Chapter,
\nfizzled without ever reaching the charts.<\/p>",
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