RIF strums sweet success after years of struggle

RIF strums sweet success after years of struggle

By Helly Minarti

JAKARTA (JP): Only two days after the October release of its
debut album, Radja (King), RIF was baptized a supergroup-to-be by
a local radio station.

But it seems it will still take a while for these five lads to
put themselves on the map of Indonesian pop music crowded with
talent.

RIF has tread the rough road to fame. It took them five years
of thankless performing in small bars and cafes in their
hometown, Bandung, before an international major label, Sony
Music, noticed them and produced their debut album.

RIF is an interesting combination of musical talent and the
quirky personality traits which make a band's charisma.

Brothers Andy, 28, the lead singer, and Magi, 24, the drummer,
are the funky element, reflected in their outfits and boisterous
stage manner.

It is a contrast to the other three members. Bassist Iwan, 27,
represents a calming side, the member who seeks solitude even on
stage by relinquishing all the spotlight to Andy.

Guitarists Jikun and Denny, both 28, concentrate on their
mission of keeping the melody sweet.

"Except Iwan, who is a jazz fan, we are all into rock music,"
Andy said. "We 'poisoned' him into playing these hardcore tunes."

RIF now has two songs on top of the Indonesian charts. The
hit, Radja, exploring the whimsical dream of being king, is a
little ahead of Bunga (Flower) in sales.

Would any of the members really want to be a king? They
laughed and grinned.

"Actually, we'd like to warn the people who want to be a
king ..," said Andy.

The smell of success is around them, but RIF knows there is no
shortcut to gaining recognition. They had the guts to present an
alternative music program to audiences in the past. They played
songs from international rock groups outside the mainstream, a
departure from the usual easy-listening tunes in cafes.

"We played songs from groups like Pearl Jam, Smashing
Pumpkins, Suede, Prodigy, all from the 1990s, and older ones from
U2, Motley Crue, up to the outrageous Marilyn Manson.

The endeavor won over a small group of loyal fans, and at the
same time honed musical skills.

RIF moved into a higher orbit as the opening band for major
groups such Dewa 19 and Gigi. Opening for one of Dewa 19's gigs
in Bandung in July, RIF won acclaim from the music press, who
said they nearly stole the show and pushed Dewa 19 to play all
out to reclaim the spotlight. Their hit, Radja, was already
popular in Bandung on an indie label.

RIF's journey to success began five years ago when Andy, Iwan
and Minnie, the manager, put the band together. In the past few
years, band members have come and go, but the present formation
was fixed two years ago.

"Only with this lineup did we start to compose our own songs,"
said Andy. They created the melody and arranged the sounds
together, mostly through jam sessions in the studio. Andy works
on the lyrics in Indonesian and English with the help of friends.

Their first composition, Planet Kosong (Lonely Planet), taken
from the name of a restaurant, is a contemplative cry of teenage
musings. The source of their prolific themes comes from their own
lives, particularly active at night ("We're nocturnal people," a
member said).

"The name is catchy. I just wrote down the words and kept it
until I found a theme for it," said Andy.

The lyrics in Indonesian are clear in ideas, direct and
descriptive. Their English ones involve more of a play on words,
as in Sick:

"I see a cup of tea on the table, I grab and I taste it, but
it tastes like beer; it's not tea... I see a red rose bloom in
the garden, I grab and smell it, but it smells like shit; it
makes me sick."

Andy said: "I took the idea from Magi's shorts, with tea cups
and beer on them. It's unique."

In eight weeks, Radja sold 40,000 copies, no small feat amid
the monetary crisis. Credit should go to its solid rock basis,
backed by 1990s sound and arrangement, and accentuated by Andy's
unique ear-grating nasal voice and his flamboyant stage act.

"We just want to keep playing music until we gain
'something'," said Andy.

"To be in rock and roll, and forever young," chimed in Magi.

When pushed to describe what that certain 'something' was,
Magi said it was "being satisfied in playing our own songs. If
they turn out to be hits, it's better".

They do not hide their ambition to go international someday.
They are already feeling the effects of fame on the local front,
but they say they are keeping levelheaded.

"Some people do recognize us now," Andy said, probably
referring to the legion of teenyboppers who scream themselves
hoarse at their shows.

"But we still take angkot public transportation everywhere,"
Magi added as a qualifier.