Opening the ears to Macau’s home-grown talent

By Kimberly Johans
Published in The Macau Daily Times
September 27, 2007, page 4 (677 words)

Macau’s full band rock festival HUSH kicks off for the third year, on the last day of September at the Macau Cultural Centre’s Art Plaza.
The Macau Daily Times was given the opportunity to speak with two of the participating bands; Cactus, formed by several veteran musicians and Once Teens Ones, a new band on the block.
Cactus’ five members may have performed by invitation at last year’s festival but the audience can expect something a little different this year. Despite their reputation as a covers band, the team have decided to change their format for the first time and sing their own songs.
“It will be our first time to do that,” said 28-year-old Marvin Costales, Cactus’ lead singer and 2nd keyboardist.
“In the past we’ve received a lot of criticisms saying that we’re just like a covers band or a function band but we want to do it differently this time,” he added.

A taste of Mexico and it’s not all chilli

By Kimberly Johans
Published in The Macau Daily Times
September 27, 2007, page 2 (501 words)

The Institute of Tourism Studies goes Mexican this month as they promote the country’s food and culture until Friday.
The promotion comes complete with a Mexican band in traditional costume that are students for the most part from preparatory schools and universities, aged between 14 and 24 years of age.
Having been invited by the Hong Kong embassy as part of a festival to celebrate the independence of Mexico, they have brought their unique sound to Macau.
This had been their third visit to Hong Kong, having previously toured Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
In the words of the band’s manager, they hope to bring a little bit of folklore music from Mexico to each country they visit.
While many of the songs may not be familiar to IFT’s guests, one in particular, Labamba, certainly will.
Then there’s the cuisine, which is known for its rich flavours and variety of spices.