Colorful Karua Boys wow crowds

Colorful Karua Boys wow crowds

By Jodie Munro

JAKARTA (JP): Their enthusiasm and passion for entertaining
and enjoying themselves is overwhelming. When the Karua Boys
perform, they really have fun -- and it shows.

The Karua Boys, nine clean-cut Indonesian college students who
were individually selected and brought together as a group, have
become popular entertainers and are in demand throughout Jakarta
in a few short months.

A creation of the Minmosa Enterprise Company, which for three
years has supplied bands to cafes and hotels in Jakarta and the
rest of the country, the Karua Boys have been rehearsing together
for four months, and performing on stage for two.

The band consists of vocalists Mickey, Ferrol, Cherry, Retto
on guitar, Emir and Williams on keyboard, Rizky on percussion,
Gutomo on drum, and bass guitarist Deden. They range in age from
25 to 31 years, and hail from various parts of Indonesia,
including Sumatra, Java and Sulawesi.

Not only do they have fantastic voices and sing in English,
the Karua Boys perform music which appeals to a wide audience.
The band's speciality is disco music, mainly covers of songs from
the 1970s and 1980s.

The Boys do covers from artists such as Simply Red, Barry
Manilow, Kool and the Gang, James Brown and The Real Thing. They
also take requests from the audience.

The president director of Minmosa Enterprise, Toety Djatmiko,
said the company decided upon the disco music concept after
monitoring tastes of guests.

"The trend in Jakarta at the moment is for bands who perform
this type of music," Toety said.

Karua means eight in the South Sulawesi dialect, although the
band has since grown to include nine performers. All of the Boys
are or were students, and studied a variety of subjects, ranging
from psychology to architecture. Music is their hobby although
their dream is to record in the future.

But the music is not their only appeal. The presentation is
just as lively, with dance sequences included in their act. The
vocalists work with a choreographer once a week, and practice
their music at a separate time once weekly. The playful on-stage
antics allow the Boys' fun personalities to shine through, and
sometimes that's what separates the good from the really good
among entertainers.

On Friday nights, the Karua Boys perform at Kafe Pisa Ice
Cream on Jalan Gereja Theresia in Jakarta. The venue was chosen
as it is sells both entertainment and food. Customers who go
there to eat are exposed to the talents of the band, or perhaps
in this case, the food may become a complement to the band as the
Karua Boys become increasingly popular.

Don't get the wrong idea -- Kafe Pisa Ice Cream offers great
food at reasonable prices. It has everything from their famous
ice cream to lunch and dinner items served late into the night.
It is a pleasant place to dine, catering to those who like to sit
indoors with the crowd to watch the live entertainment, as well
as those who prefer the garden area where it is somewhat quieter.
The cafe's patrons testified that Karua Boys are gaining more and
more fans.

"I have been to this cafe before but I had never heard of the
Karua Boys", said Linda from Jakarta.

"I would like to see them again, mainly because they sing
great songs."

Fulvio, a businessman from Italy, said he was a new fan. He
has lived in Jakarta for four months and had heard of the Karua
Boys. He came to Kafe Pisa Ice Cream on this particular night to
dine with his friend and to listen to the band.

"I think the Karua Boys are very good," he said. "I like them,
I think the music they play is nice.

"It's like funky music, and I would go to see them perform
again if I knew where else they played at."

Gita, a secretary, was similarly enthusiastic.

"The band is very good, I like the songs they sing. "If I had
the chance I would definitely go to see them again".

University student Valdi also thought the Karua Boys were
entertaining.

"This is the first time I have seen them, but I think they
have good voices," Valdi said.

"They have a good performance, good songs, and they sing all
sorts of music - so I like their style, it is very energetic."

The interested can catch their performances during this month
at the Balemang Cafe in Kemang, South Jakarta, on Mondays;
Jimbani's, also in Kemang, on Wednesday; Kafe Pisa Ice Cream on
Friday, and Asmat Cafe in Patra Building, Jl. Gatot Subroto,
Central Jakarta, on Saturday.